Strategy
Opening principles, not copy-paste builds
Every faction's first five minutes, explained as decisions rather than a list of timings — because timings written in Early Access are wrong within a patch or two.
The universal opening
- Workers onto resources before anything else. Every second of idle worker time compounds for the rest of the match.
- Supply structure early. In ZeroSpace supply gates more than your unit cap — it opens up further supply buildings and the rest of the faction's structures. A build that delays it stalls twice: you cap out, and your tech is late.
- First production building, then keep it running. An idle production structure is the most common way new players fall behind without noticing.
- Scout by the time your first units are out. Four factions plus six merc groups means guessing is expensive.
- Expand unless you have a reason not to. "I am attacking right now" is a reason. "I feel safer" is not.
What changes per faction
| Faction | What your opening is really deciding | The mistake to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Protectorate | Whether you are set up to take a fight on your terms — armour and firepower need position to pay off. | Massing an army with nowhere useful to put it. |
| Grell | How much map your biomass touches by the mid game. Territory is the resource. | Playing a two-base game. It is the one thing the faction is bad at. |
| Legion | Whether you can keep contact. The army is expendable; the pressure is the plan. | Saving units. Hoarding Thralls wastes the faction's entire identity. |
| Xol | Nothing stable enough to write down yet — they are a beta faction outside ranked. | Trusting any Xol build order you read anywhere, including a future version of this page. |
How to build your own opening each patch
- Read the patch notes for cost and supply changes only. Damage tweaks rarely break an opening; cost and build-time changes always do.
- Rebuild your first four minutes in the Unit Test Map or against easy AI until it is smooth with no idle production.
- Test it against a mid AI difficulty — there are twelve steps, so there is one that punishes sloppiness without crushing you.
- Only then take it to ladder.
That loop takes about half an hour after a patch and it is the difference between playing the current game and playing the one you learned in July.
Frequently asked
Questions people actually ask about this, pulled from the Steam discussion boards and search data.
What is the best build order in ZeroSpace?
There isn't a stable one to publish yet. The game is in Early Access with active balance work and a beta faction, so specific timings go stale quickly. Use the principles on this page — supply early, production never idle, scout before committing — and rebuild your opening after each patch.
What should I build first?
Workers on resources, then a supply structure. Supply gates both your unit cap and your access to further faction buildings, so delaying it costs you twice.
How do I practise a build order?
Use the in-game Unit Test Map for the mechanics, then run it against a mid-tier AI. There are twelve AI difficulty steps — pick one that punishes idle production without overwhelming you.