Standard Economic Playbook
Master the proven T1 to T2+ economic transitions
This is your economic bible. These are the tested, optimized build orders that top players use to transition from early game to economic dominance.
The Standard Economic Playbook
Proven build orders for consistent economic success
📚 Community-Tested Strategy
This playbook incorporates thousands of hours of collective community experience, refined through high-level play and verified in competitive environments. The timings and sequences shown here represent the most reliable paths to economic dominance.
✅ Proven Builds
Battle-tested opening sequences
⚖️ Flexible Timings
Adapt to map and opponent
🤝 Team Synergy
Coordinate with allies for maximum impact
🏗️ Phase 1: Early Game Foundation (0-5 minutes)
Your opening moves set the tone for the entire game. Focus on securing basics and avoiding stalls.
Essential Opening Sequence:
Priority: Secure income immediately. High-yield spots give more metal per mex.
Check wind: 15+ = Wind Turbines, <10 = Solar Collectors. Always build T1 Solars if energy-stalling.
Constructor provides mobile build power. Essential for expansion and specialization.
Critical for T2 transitions. Allows you to accumulate energy for expensive T2 builds.
⚠️ Common Phase 1 Mistakes:
- Building too many mexes without energy to support them
- Forgetting Energy Storage (makes T2 transition impossible)
- Not adapting energy sources to wind conditions
- Building military before securing economic foundation
🎯 Community Insight: The most successful opening sequences follow the "metal first, energy to support" principle. Expert players emphasize that spending metal immediately is more important than perfect timing - floating 500+ metal early game is worse than suboptimal build choices.
📋 Proven Opening Sequences:
High Wind Opener (≥15 Wind)
This sequence maximizes early energy scaling while securing metal foundation. Power-assist your factory for 1:20-1:30 constructor timing.
Safe Universal Opener
Zero-energy-cost solars prevent stalls and can be reclaimed later for metal when energy economy improves.
🤝 Early Game Team Coordination
- For Eco Players: Communicate your expansion plans. On aggressive maps like Glitters, your frontliners may need to hold 2v3 initially while you establish economy.
- Economic Role Clarity: Designate who builds the first T2 lab. Often the most protected eco player should tech first, then share constructors.
- Resource Sharing: Be ready to share surplus metal/energy with pressured frontliners, especially during critical early engagements.
🚀 Phase 2: T2 Transition (5-8 minutes)
The T2 transition is where games are won or lost. Timing and preparation matter more than raw speed.
🧠 Advanced Player Insights: T2 Transition
Economic Requirements (Community Tested):
- • Minimum Safe: 20+ M/s, 500+ E/s income
- • Competitive: 32-40 M/s, 500-800 E/s income
- • Storage Buffer: 1000-2000 stored metal minimum
- • Energy Storage: 13,000+ E capacity for T2 lab
Team Support vs Self-Tech:
- • Optimal: Buy T2 constructor (~450M) from teammate
- • Self-Tech: Build own T2 lab if team support unavailable
- • Timing Difference: Team support saves 2-3 minutes
- • Resource Efficiency: Avoids 3000M+ T2 lab investment
Priority Order (Community Optimized):
Community consensus: Receiving T2 constructor saves massive resources and accelerates your power spike.
Top priority: ~4x metal output boost. Expert players upgrade 3-4 mexes before building fusion reactors.
Critical insight: Build energy to support your new T2 metal income, not before it.
⚔️ Frontliner T2 Strategy
Community insights for combat players transitioning to T2 technology:
Timing Considerations:
- • Opportunistic: Tech after major victory or reclaim windfall
- • Defensive Windows: Tech during stable frontline periods
- • Expected Timing: 12-15 minutes for self-tech
- • Team Support: Can accelerate to 8-10 minutes
Balancing Act:
- • Maintain minimum unit production during tech
- • Communicate vulnerability windows to team
- • Prioritize eco upgrades over advanced units initially
- • Use reclaim income to fund transition
📈 Advanced Insight: High-level players use a "cyclical approach" - produce units until stable frontline → pause production for economy → resume with improved income. This prevents the common mistake of over-committing to early units at economy's expense.
📈 Phase 3: Economic Scaling (8-15 minutes)
You have T2 tech. Now it's time to scale massively and establish economic dominance.
🌊 Community Scaling Wisdom
Fusion Reactor Timing (Expert Consensus):
- • Key Rule: T2 mexes BEFORE fusion reactors
- • Economic State: 50+ M/s, 500-800 E/s income
- • Backline Timing: First fusion ~14 minute mark
- • Frontliner Timing: ~20 minutes (secure locations only)
Build Power Scaling (Community Heuristic):
- • Golden Ratio: ~200 BP per 5 M/s income
- • Practical: 1 Nano OR 2 T1 Constructors per 5 M/s
- • Energy Support: 100 E/s per BP scaling unit
- • Warning Sign: Floating 1000+ metal = need more BP
Scaling Strategy:
Map control becomes critical. Coordinate with team to secure mex spots.
More build power = faster everything. Essential for keeping up with income growth.
Goal: 2000-3000+ E/s to support massive construction and potential energy converters.
Only build if you have 600+ excess energy per converter. Each gives 12 M/s. [8, 44]
🔄 Advanced Reclaim Strategy
Community insights on maximizing battlefield economics:
Priority Targets:
- • T2 unit wreckage (highest density)
- • Factory ruins (major chunks)
- • Commander wrecks (1250-2500M)
- • Tree/rock fields (when convenient)
Resurrection Economics:
- • Friendly wrecks: 50% energy cost, 0% metal
- • Lazarus/Graverobber bots essential
- • Massive savings in sustained combat
- • Game-changing on debris-rich maps
Strategic Denial:
- • Reclaim = resource gain + enemy denial
- • Control post-battle reclaim fields
- • Poor attacks feed enemy economy
- • Factor reclaim into engagement ROI
🗺️ Map-Specific Economics
Community-tested strategies for popular maps:
All That Glitters:
- • Early Bot Lab for Lazarus/Graverobber reclaim bots
- • Abundant metal-rich rocks around starts
- • Wind ~11.9 average makes turbines viable
- • Backline positions favor eco players
Supreme Isthmus:
- • High wind potential favors turbine farms
- • Reclaimable trees provide energy bonus
- • Wide backline areas for wind farms
- • Early sustained wind investment pays off
⚠️ Critical Scaling Mistakes to Avoid:
- Skipping T2 mex upgrades - prioritize metal income
- Building fusion reactors before sufficient T2 mexes
- Neglecting energy support for expanding metal income
- Overcommitting to military at the expense of economy
🔄 Alternative Economic Strategies
🔥 Rush Economy
Skip early military for faster T2 transition:
- • T2 Lab by 4-5 minutes
- • 4+ T2 mexes by 7 minutes
- • Risk: Vulnerable to early pressure
- • Reward: Massive economic advantage
🛡️ Defensive Economy
Balance economy with early defense:
- • Build some T1 military first
- • T2 transition by 6-7 minutes
- • Risk: Slower economic growth
- • Reward: Better survival vs aggression
⏱️ Timing Benchmarks
Fast Economy (3v3+)
- T2 Lab: 4-5 min
- First T2 Mex: 6 min
- 4 T2 Mexes: 8 min
- Fusion Online: 9 min
Standard Economy
- T2 Lab: 5-6 min
- First T2 Mex: 7 min
- 4 T2 Mexes: 9 min
- Fusion Online: 10 min
Defensive Economy
- T2 Lab: 6-7 min
- First T2 Mex: 8 min
- 4 T2 Mexes: 10 min
- Fusion Online: 11 min