Getting Started: your first lunar colony

How do you start your first colony?

Land at Tranquility, then build in this order: Solar Array → Metal Mine (on a silver deposit) → Regolith Miner → Inflatable Dome → Oxygen Extractor. That gives you power, materials, housing, and air — the four things a colony can't live without.

1. Power first. Open the ⚡ Power tab and place a Solar Array on flat ground.
2. Grab metal. Find the silver ⚙ deposit near your pod and build a Metal Mine right on it — extractors only hit full output on their matching deposit.
3. Scoop regolith. A Regolith Miner anywhere on open ground gives you the moon dust nearly everything is built from.
4. House your people. An Inflatable Dome holds six colonists.
5. Give them air. An Oxygen Extractor splits water ice into breathable air for eight — build one before your population outgrows it or morale crashes.

What is the core gameplay loop?

Power → people → air → research → mystery. You generate energy, grow your population, keep everyone fed and breathing, spend research to unlock better buildings, and follow the escalating Signal out toward the Gateway.

Two rhythms shape everything: the day/night cycle (your solar arrays go dark at night, so a Battery Bank keeps the lights on), and happiness (parks, med bays, and lounges keep colonists content — and content colonists never leave). Master both and the colony runs itself while you chase the story. See Colony Builds for full strategies.

Which difficulty mode should you pick?

Pick Colony — it's the intended experience, with real stakes you can always recover from. Choose Story if you want a cozy, no-fail sandbox, or Hardcore if you want the airlock a little cold.

Where should you land?

Land at Mare Tranquillitatis for your first colony — balanced resources and easy terrain. The other five sites trade balance for a specialty: more ice, more metal, more Helium-3, more room, or a stronger signal.

Beginner tips

• Build on the right deposits. Blue ❄ = water ice, silver ⚙ = metal, purple ✦ = Helium-3. Extractors only reach full output on their matching deposit.
• Charge up before nightfall. Solar output drops to almost nothing at night — a Battery Bank stored from the day keeps the colony breathing until sunrise.
• Watch happiness, not just resources. Colonists only leave once morale collapses. A single Med Bay or park early goes a long way.
• Cluster smartly. Same-category buildings boost each other, but habitats and parks lose happiness next to industry. Keep the neon living quarters away from the smelters.
• Keep some metal spare. Every active building sips metals for upkeep — run dry and things fall into disrepair.
• Challenges never punish you. Optional side challenges only ever reward you, so take them freely.

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