Loading...
Loading...
Progression: Permits and Experience - Version 7 vs Version 8
Sep 21, 2026, 01:58 AM
Rewrote the Technology experience section as shipped in Community Update #1; added first-deployment experience values, the Social experience change, and new unlock levels
Oct 18, 2026, 05:44 PM
Added the Remote Access, Heavy Beam and Remote Extraction permits, the level 6 unlocks for all three paths, and the new experience sources from Major Update #1
11Progression in SpaceCraft is built around two systems the developer has confirmed: Permits and Experience. Together they decide what you can build, where you can go, and how you specialize.22Permits44Permits are the primary progression track and are structured as a tech tree: unlocking one permit often opens access to others, gradually adding new crafting recipes, modules, and services. To unlock a permit you meet its prerequisites and pay the required Credits, the standard currency in the game.66The first permit in the tutorial is the Modular Systems permit. It costs 40 Credits and grants the blueprints for the Scanalyzer Alpha and the Small Cargo Hold, along with access to the Shipyard. Deeper ship modification, such as the Assembly and Customization tabs in the ship editor, is itself unlocked through permit progression. See Ship Building.88Early Permit DetailValueFirst permitModular SystemsCost40 CreditsUnlocksScanalyzer Alpha blueprint, Small Cargo Hold blueprint, Shipyard accessStructureTech tree: one unlock leads to others1010Beyond the First Permit1111The permit tree extends well past Modular Systems into higher tiers that gate better materials, sturdier ship frames, and more advanced modules. Named later-tier permits confirmed through the game’s patch notes include Modular Systems III, Better Titanium, Advanced Frames, Very Light Alloys, and Liquid Logistics, which since Community Update #1 also unlocks Medium Tanks, with Credit costs that climb as you move up the tree. Some buildings are gated by Technology level rather than by a permit: the same update set the Recycler at Tech Level 2 and the new Advanced Warehouse at Tech Level 3. These costs are not fixed: because the developer is actively rebalancing progression to ease late-game grind, a balancing update lowered the price of several of these higher-tier permits, and further changes are likely during Early Access. See Updates and Patch Notes.1313Experience Paths1515Alongside permits, characters develop along experience paths. The developer has named four: Exploration, Technology, and Science are implemented in the Early Access build, and Combat is a planned fourth path that is not implemented yet. Leveling a path takes time, so the developer encourages members of a group to specialize rather than spreading thin.1717PathFocusStatusExplorationHigh-level Explorers can travel farther across the galaxy and reach rarer resources.ImplementedTechnologySkilled Technologists build bigger bases with improved automation.ImplementedScienceExpert Scientists create exotic materials and alloys.ImplementedCombatCombat-focused progression.Not implemented yet (planned)1919Earning Experience2020Experience comes from acting on the world rather than from a single quest track. Scanning and recovering rare materials both feed the Exploration path, and the developer retuned those awards in late July 2026, applying the difference retroactively so players who had already earned the old amounts were topped up.2222ActionExperience AwardedChangeRecovering Gravite20 XPRaised from 10 XPRecovering Gravite Fragments10 XPRaised from 5 XPScanning a resource5 XP per resource tierNewly awarded23+ActionExperience AwardedChangeRecovering Gravite20 XPRaised from 10 XPRecovering Gravite Fragments10 XPRaised from 5 XPScanning a resource5 XP per resource tierNewly awardedCompleting a Restricted AreaExperience; amount not publishedAdded October 8, 2026A Galactic Map item, bought from merchants or found as lootExploration experience; amount not publishedAdded October 8, 20262424The same update fixed experience that stopped accumulating once a character reached the current maximum Technology, Exploration, or Science level, so progress now continues to bank past the level cap that Early Access exposes. See Updates and Patch Notes for the full change list and Mining and Resources for how scanning fits into resource gathering.2525Why Paths Matter in a Group2727Experience paths also feed into Corporations and Co-Op. High-level Explorers let other members travel farther and exploit rarer resources, skilled Technologists are instrumental in completing Corporation Requests, and expert Scientists supply exotic materials useful to everyone. The developer’s phrasing is that a good Corporation is a diverse one, so paths reward a mix of specializations.2929Credits and Commissions3131Credits are the standard currency used to unlock permits and pay for services. Refining and crafting at a station carry a commission paid to The Company: smelting ore into ingots costs a percentage of the output’s market value, and the Workshop takes a smaller commission that scales with the value of what you craft. See Crafting for the refining chain and Trading and the Player-Driven Economy for how Credits move through the economy.3333Subject to Change3535Because SpaceCraft is in Early Access and these systems are being tuned through playtesting, exact costs, unlock contents, and path effects can change between updates. The Combat path in particular is planned but not yet in the build.3737Technology Experience After Community Update #13939Technology experience was reworked in Community Update #1 on September 16, 2026, after a preview on August 21. Before the update it was tied to base expansion and automated production, with a maximum experience capacity per base; once a base hit that ceiling, production stopped granting experience.4141The developer said that ceiling had an unintended consequence: players were dismantling and rebuilding bases from scratch to restore a higher gain rate, which turned a progression system into a repetitive chore. The shipped replacement puts production milestones on individual items. Bases now track the production of specific items in Smelters and Assemblers and grant experience once enough of them have been claimed, higher milestones grant more, and once an item has no milestones left you move into other production lines to keep earning. The stated aims are more experience across the run, a smoother introduction to new production systems, and more variety in what players choose to make.4343You also gain Technology experience the first time you deploy each new base building, and the same update raised three of those awards.4545BuildingFirst-Deployment ExperienceChangeBattery Array15 XPRaised from 3 XPBottling Plant9 XPRaised from 3 XPLaboratory9 XPRaised from 3 XP4747A follow-up patch on September 18, 2026 fixed two cases where experience was not being awarded: Technology experience could not be claimed from multi-member Corporation bases, and upgrading a Warehouse into an Advanced Warehouse did not grant first-deployment experience. Social experience, earned through Corporation activity, is now distributed in proportion to each member's actual participation. See Base Building and Updates and Patch Notes.48+Level 6 and New Permits (Major Update #1)50+Major Update #1 on October 8, 2026 added three permits and a set of level 6 unlocks across the Technology, Exploration and Science paths.52+PermitWhat it unlocksRemote AccessLets you build a Nexus Relay to operate the Trade Nexus remotely. See Trading and the Player-Driven Economy.Heavy BeamGiant lasers and their overclocked version, the only lasers that can take the new Increased Output IV patch. See Mining and Resources.Remote ExtractionExtractor Pods and additional deployment slots.54+PathLevel 6 UnlockWhat it doesTechnologyAdvanced Extractor33% faster. An October 13 patch fixed extraction speed not updating after the upgrade.TechnologyFreighterAn upgraded Shuttle that travels farther and faster with more storage capacity. Weighs 50 SU, like a Shuttle.TechnologyAdvanced DroneMoves items three at a time.TechnologyMedium Fuel GeneratorListed without a description in the patch note; the developer's preview calls it an upgraded version of the Fuel Generator ship module.ExplorationSilent ThrusterA faster thruster offering a balance between speed and handling.ExplorationIsotopic GeneratorA ship generator producing a small amount of energy without needing light or fuel. Craftable in the Workshop since October 13.ExplorationParadoxical BatteryA battery that only recharges during FTL jumps.ExplorationBig Mag Plasma TankNo description published.ScienceLong Haul ThrusterThe fastest thruster yet, at the cost of manoeuvrability.ScienceCosmic CondenserA building that slowly produces Mag-Plasma.55+The LR Speedster, a ship module that improves your boost, was added to level 2 in the same update. The patch note promises more Science level 6 content in the next update, and it listed placeholder models at release for several of these unlocks, including the Freighter, Advanced Drone, Long Haul Thruster, Cosmic Condenser and Isotopic Generator.56+Major Update #1 also widened how experience is earned. Nine items joined the Technology experience list: Silicon Gel, Semiconductor Substrates, Watertight Pipes, Thermal Sheets, Hall Alternator, Pumps, Vanadium, Hydraulic Actuator and Quantic Graphene. Science gained new study levels. Completing a Restricted Area now grants experience, and a Galactic Map item grants Exploration experience. An October 13 patch fixed steps 3 and 4 of the Hall Alternator's Technology experience progression.