First Outpost Build Order — Ops to Research

What is the recommended first-outpost building order?

Build Operation Center → power → Cargo Landing Pad → Metal Collector → research expansion, in that order, before you sprawl into extra production. Last verified: 2026-10-21 against Captain’s Devlog #3 (upkeep logistics), the 12 June 2026 demo update, and third-party launch guides such as Worldeka.

That sequence is a logistics contract, not a beauty contest. The Operation Center anchors planning UI and story objectives; power unlocks anything with upkeep; the pad links the surface to the U.S.S. Resonant; the Metal Collector stops your crew from hand-carrying every ingot; research then consumes samples you can finally deliver on schedule.

Source: Kourou gameplay reveal (frame ~1:12). A landing pad at the heart of an outpost, matching the pad step above.

Why does the Operation Center come before everything else?

The game’s tutorial flow and multiple playthroughs (including Quill18’s demo footage) treat the Operation Center as the first permanent structure after you pick a build site. Until it exists, you are still in survey mode—crews can investigate rocks and flora, but the mission clock does not have a proper hub to receive orders.

Official tuning supports that pacing. The June 2026 demo patch made early buildings cheaper and faster to construct, which speeds this first step but does not change its place in line. We do not have verified metal costs for Operation Center level 2 on the 20 October 2026 retail build; note that gap before you hard-plan upgrades.

Where does power fit in the sequence?

Right after the Operation Center. Captain’s Devlog #3 states that buildings need water, power, and compute upkeeps, and that pipes and conduits consume ground space—so your first power hookup should sit close to the hub, not on the far side of a ridge.

Community guides (Worldeka, GamesStarter) overwhelmingly place Solar Arrays first on Daegus because the oasis biome is sunny and forgiving. That matches store screenshots showing panel farms near the core base. Official text mentions fusion generators and deuterium in later worlds (Devlog #2) but does not mandate a specific day-one generator name. If your UI offers a different early power building, follow the in-game tooltip; the principle—“power before production”—still holds.

When should the Cargo Landing Pad and Metal Collector go down?

Cargo Landing Pad immediately after power, Metal Collector once you have marked a metal deposit—swap only if you are literally walking metal into the hub and do not need ship supplies yet.

Worldeka’s launch guide recommends the pad soon after basic power so you can pull medical kits, tools, or packed crates from orbit instead of bootstrapping every chain on the surface. The pad is also the surface end of crew shuttle shifts; the June 2026 patch updated the in-game Shifts guide to explain why crew ride shuttles to the Resonant.

The Metal Collector should hug a rich node. The same patch notes say crew assigned there collect metal even faster after demo feedback, and the starting camera was pointed toward a metal-rich area to reduce hunt time. We treat exact range and throughput as unverified on retail until someone datamines or publishes patch diffs.

Source: Kourou gameplay reveal (frame ~2:06). Industrial modules up close; the Metal Collector is not individually labeled in this frame.

What belongs after metal and shuttles are stable?

Open the research lane only when samples and power are not starving basic construction.

Worldeka describes a three-step science loop: collect raw anomaly samples, process them with the right containment building, deliver Data Samples to a Research Lab for Tech Points. That implies you should finish the metal/shuttle spine before you scatter labs on the frontier. For routing water, power, and compute into those labs, see /guides/logistics-power-water-compute/.

Source: Kourou gameplay reveal (frame ~1:36). A round building with a domed top; the footage does not label it, so we are not claiming it is a Research Lab.

How do official demo changes affect your checklist?

Three launch-adjacent tweaks matter for day one:

Devlog #4 (15 Oct 2026) adds that network infrastructure was made mostly free and instant to build in the homestretch—useful when you finally string conduit between power and new labs. Confirm in your save; we have not diffed day-one retail against that note.

Where should you go next?

• /guides/beginner-guide/ — broader onboarding and explore pacing.
• /guides/logistics-power-water-compute/ — water, power, and compute footprint planning.
• /worlds/daegus-walkthrough/ — planet-specific threats once the core base stands.

If a post-launch patch reorders tutorial steps, compare its Steam news entry to this page and bump lastModified.