Armada Economy Guide

Mastering Your Economy

Building a strong economy is fundamental to success in Beyond All Reason, and Armada's balanced units and structures make it accessible for beginners to establish a solid resource base. This guide provides a concise, step-by-step approach to developing your economy from the early game through to advanced stages. Whether you're supporting a frontline or scaling to higher tiers, a robust economy ensures you have the Metal and Energy needed to sustain your strategy.

Economy Building Steps (Minutes 0:00 - 20:00+)

1. Initial Build Options (Minute 0:00 - 1:00): Start with one of two openings based on your resource needs. Option 1: Build 2 Metal Extractors (Mexes), followed by 1 Wind Turbine, and then another Mex. Option 2: Build 3 Mexes immediately, followed by 2 Solar Panels. Use your Commander to queue these builds pre-game with Shift to avoid delays. Place Mexes on Metal Deposits (white circles on the map) for optimal gathering.
2. Energy Assessment (Minute 1:00 - 2:00): After your initial builds, ensure your Energy income is close to 70+ per second to support factory production. Check wind speed on the map info card (hover over wind icon for average power). If wind speed is good, build a Wind Turbine for variable but efficient output. If low or absent, opt for additional Solar Panels which have no energy build cost. Queue with Shift and space out with Z to prevent chain explosions.
3. Factory Placement (Minute 2:00 - 3:00): Place a Factory (e.g., Bot Lab) as soon as resources allow, ensuring it's near your base for safety. This is critical for producing construction units and early army units. Monitor Energy levels during placement to avoid stalling other builds; if needed, pause with Spacebar to adjust queue priority.
4. Construction Units (Minute 3:00 - 5:00): From your Factory, produce 2 Construction Units (e.g., Construction Bots) before focusing on army units. Assign the first unit to build additional Mexes on untapped Metal Deposits to boost metal income. Assign the second unit to build Wind Turbines or Solar Panels based on wind conditions to maintain energy surplus. Use Ctrl+Click to move them efficiently to build sites.
5. Energy Adjustments (Minute 5:00 - 7:00): If Energy production stalls (check resource bars at screen top), build more Wind Turbines or Solar Panels as needed. This is normal and ensures you can sustain further construction and unit production. Queue these with a Construction Unit near a Construction Turret if available for faster build speed.
6. Army Build-Up (Minute 7:00 - 10:00): Once 2 Construction Units are out, produce a third if resources allow, then start spamming army units (e.g., Pawns or Ticks) from your Factory to hold your frontline. Use Shift to queue multiple units and Ctrl+Click to move them in formation to defensive positions. Ensure your economy supports this without depleting stockpiles.
7. Transition to T2 (Minute 10:00 - 15:00): If holding your frontline well, transition to T2 economy by reclaiming Solar Panels and your T1 Bot Factory for metal return (use a Construction Unit with Alt+Drag for area reclaim). Build a T2 Factory if resources are sufficient, ensuring frontline stability as a backup. Produce 3 T2 Construction Units: assign the first to upgrade Mexes to Advanced Mexes (higher output), the second to build Fusion Reactors then Advanced Fusion for massive energy gains, and the third to construct Energy Converters to turn excess energy into metal.
8. Frontline Defense (Minute 15:00 - 20:00): After setting up T2 economy structures, focus T2 Construction Units on producing defensive units (e.g., Thugs or Stouts) to maintain your frontline. Balance economy scaling with military presence to avoid vulnerability. Use Radar if available to monitor enemy movements and adjust unit production accordingly.
9. T3 Preparation (Minute 20:00+): With a strong T2 economy, work on extra build power by producing more Construction Units or Butlers. Begin constructing a T3 Factory to access top-tier units and structures. Continue upgrading all Mexes to Advanced Mexes and build additional Fusion Reactors to support the high resource demands of T3 production, ensuring your economy remains top-tier.

Resource Management

• Start with 2-3 Metal Extractors (Mexes) to prioritize metal income; adapt energy builds (Wind Turbines or Solar Panels) based on wind speed.
• Monitor Energy levels to stay above 70+ per second when placing a Factory; adjust builds if stalling occurs.
• Reclaim obsolete T1 structures like Solar Panels for full metal return to fund T2 and T3 transitions.

Build and Transition Efficiency

• Produce 2-3 Construction Units before army units to accelerate economy growth; assign specific tasks (Mexes, energy, converters) for optimal scaling.
• Ensure frontline stability before transitioning to T2 or T3; balance economy builds with defensive unit production.
• Use shortcuts like Shift for queuing and Z/X for spacing structures to prevent chain explosions and improve build efficiency.