Currency
Credits
Credits pay for administration, building operations, construction, research, diplomacy, troops, and ship crews. They are the most flexible resource—and the easiest deficit to underestimate.
Produced by commerce and industry
Paid every tick
Required by most projects
01
How it works
- Empire Headquarters, factories, Starports, diplomacy, tribute, markets, and Trade Convoy arrivals can all contribute credits.
- Recurring costs include building upkeep, ship and troop wages, administration, and some production inputs. Construction and research draw credits incrementally as work advances.
- A positive balance can still be fragile when several expensive queues or a newly deployed fleet begin drawing from it at once.
02
Command advice
- Judge affordability by net change per tick and reserves, not by the headline balance alone.
- Use high-population commercial systems and active convoy routes to diversify income beyond factories.
- Pause lower-priority projects and keep ships stationed when they do not need deployed-fleet fuel before essential services compete for the same credits.