Ulgara beginner's guide: your first day and first week

The first 10 minutes

• Press Play: you start as a guest without signing up and get a home planet.
• The hub (map) is your main screen. The planet drawer on the right holds the main quest chain, daily chores and the Merchant Guild.
• Follow the main quest chain: each step asks for one thing (for example, upgrade the metal mine) and pays a reward when done. Remember to claim it.
• Sign up from My profile. A guest's progress lives only in that browser; signing up is free, by email or with Google.

Day one: never leave the queue empty

In the first hours buildings finish very quickly and mines get extra early output. So the best thing you can do on day one is keep the build queue busy. The queue starts with 2 slots; when a job ends, start the next one.

• Upgrade the metal and crystal mines in turn; keep the deuterium synthesizer a little behind.
• If energy goes negative every mine slows down. Check that your solar plant covers a mine before upgrading it.
• The robotics factory speeds up every building; a few early levels pay off for a long time.
• When a storage is full that resource stops producing. If a resource turns orange in the top bar, enlarge its storage or spend it.
• Build the research lab and start with energy technology: it opens the way to many other researches.

First ships and the first pirate hideout

Once the shipyard is up, build a few Interceptors and attack the first pirate hideout. A handful of fighters beats it, and the reward is far larger than what you lose. PvE is the fastest way to progress in Ulgara.

• The reward is what the ships coming home can carry. Send a few Haulers along with your warships.
• If you lose, the hideout stays as it was; make your fleet stronger and try again.
• The Fleet screen shows the firepower, shields, hull and cargo of the ships you choose, and works out the flight time and fuel before you send them.
• A player who plays regularly usually reaches hideout 5 on day two and hideout 7 on day three.

The first week

• New players are protected for their first 7 days. On top of that, other players cannot attack you at all unless you turn PvP on.
• The Merchant Guild hands out 3 tasks a day; finishing them earns resources and guild reputation.
• Appoint a commander: governors help mining, scientists help research, admirals help your fleet.
• Research Astrophysics and build a Seed Ark to found your first colony: every new planet comes with its own mines and queue.
• Go on expeditions: deep space can hold resources, abandoned ships or pirates.
• After you clear hideout 5 the pirates strike back; repel them and a moon forms above your planet.
• Join an alliance for chat, shared goals and small perks. See the Alliance guide.

Common mistakes

• Upgrading mines and forgetting energy.
• Going offline for long without enlarging storage.
• Sending warships without cargo ships and leaving half the reward behind.
• Playing as a guest for too long: without an account you cannot continue on another device.
• For the details of the economy: Economy guide.