Shipyard

Building the shipyard

• Prerequisites: Nanorobot Factory level 2 and Headquarters level 1 — see Installations and Headquarters
• Every planet has its own Shipyard with its own level — different planets' shipyards don't interact with each other

Ship unlocks by level

Each ship has its own Shipyard-level prerequisite. Key thresholds:

• Level 1: Recon Drone, Freighter, Solar Satellite, Fighter
• Level 2: Scout, Salvager
• Level 3: Interceptor, Asteroid Miner
• Level 4: Frigate
• Level 5: Cruiser, Supplier
• Level 7: Battleship, Bomber, Ark
• Level 9: Destroyer, Tracker
• Level 12: Strategic Annihilation Platform (S.A.P.)

Caveat: most ships also require specific research levels (ballistic weapons, energy weapons, propulsion…). Check the Shipyard UI for the full prerequisite list of each unit. Defenses have their own prerequisites — see Planetary defenses.

Build time

Production time of a unit depends on its total cost and the Shipyard level. The higher your shipyard, the faster each build — the speed-up is linear.

• Formula: time per unit = total cost ÷ (2500 × (1 + Shipyard level) × universe speed)
• Example: a level-10 shipyard builds 11 times faster than a level-0 shipyard
• The Nanorobot Factory further accelerates construction: smooth curve before level 50, then build time is halved at each level beyond
• No effect from the Headquarters — it only speeds up its own sub-buildings, not ships

Shipyard queue

• The queue is sequential per planet: each unit builds after the previous one
• Shipyards across different planets run in parallel — you can build simultaneously on all your colonies
• You can cancel a queued item at any time; resources invested in unbuilt units are refunded

Advice

• Investing early in the Shipyard yields a double benefit: new units unlocked AND faster builds
• Balance Shipyard and weapons research: a high shipyard without the associated research won't unlock the military ships of its level
• The Shipyard consumes a lot of resources — sync its growth with your production