How to play · Guide 02

Craft and
market

Mine, refine into metals, manufacture ships and modules with blueprints, and trade on the regional market — FleetOps' economy is made by players.

See the flow Ores and metals

Industrial chain

From belt to hangar

Nothing comes from nothing: ore becomes metal, metal feeds blueprints, and the finished product can be used or sold on the market.

1
Mine

Mining mission in the belt. Each system has ores based on its security.
2
Refine

At the station, convert ore into metals. Yield, process loss, and faction tax all count.
3
Craft

Buy or invent blueprints, reserve a production slot, and manufacture ships and modules.
4
Market

Sell the surplus or buy what you need — buy and sell orders in the region.

Refining

The 6 metals

All industry revolves around these metals. The higher the tier, the rarer the source ore and the more dangerous the route.

Catalog

Ores and what each one yields

Composition below is the Normal variant. Each ore also exists as Poor and Rich, with yield and a slight shift in the metal mix.

Basaltine

Tier 1 · Sec 0.0–1.0

Ferrite 100%

Pyroxite

Tier 1 · Sec 0.5–1.0

Ferrite 60%

Lumina 40%

Ombric

Tier 2 · Sec 0.1–0.7

Lumina 70%

Ferrite 20%

Axion 10%

Scordane

Tier 2 · Sec 0.1–0.7

Ferrite 45%

Lumina 45%

Noxite 10%

Helixite

Tier 3 · Sec 0.1–0.4

Lumina 40%

Noxite 35%

Axion 20%

Cryonite 5%

Kernex

Tier 3 · Sec 0.0–0.4

Ferrite 40%

Axion 35%

Noxite 20%

Cryonite 5%

Bistane

Tier 4 · Sec −1.0–0.0

Ferrite 90%

Aetherium 10%

Arkonite

Tier 4 · Sec −1.0–0.0

Cryonite 50%

Ferrite 30%

Axion 10%

Noxite 10%

Poor

Yield ×0.70 · more common in belts

Normal

Yield ×1.00 · composition from the table above

Rich

Yield ×1.30 · rarer, better return

Industry

How craft works

Blueprints define what you can manufacture. Metals (and sometimes parts) leave the station hangar; the job runs in a production slot; the finished item returns to the hangar.

01

HUB store / My BPs

Buy blueprint copies with credits at the hub, or use invented BPs (with limited runs).
02

Choose the station

Materials must be in the local hangar and the station needs a free slot (hubs usually have 3; some outposts 1).
03

Reserve and produce

There is a short reservation window. On confirm, materials and the slot fee are consumed; the BP stays locked until the job ends.
04

Delivery to hangar

Time = base minutes × quantity, reduced by Production skill and BP bonus. Then fit the fleet or sell on the market.

Useful skills

Production — reduces craft time
Efficiency — reduces materials
Reprocessing — less loss when refining
Research — invent BP variants

Trade

How the market works

The order book is regional. You create buy or sell orders at a station — ores, metals, ships, modules, and items circulate between players.

Sell

The quantity sits in escrow in the station inventory. When someone buys, you receive the price minus fees. You can also instantly buy an existing sell order (instant buy).

Buy (order)

Credits sit in escrow. Set the range: Station, System, or Region — where the seller's stock can match. When filled, the item arrives at your order's station.

Limits

Maximum duration of 30 days. Open order cap rises with the Orders skill (base 10 + 10 per level). Canceling a buy order returns escrow, but not the listing fee.

Continue

Other guides

See how to set up mining missions and contracts, or return to the index.

Fleets and modules How to play index