Main Sequence beginner's guide: from mining ship to working factory

Before you start

Main Sequence begins at the frontier in a small mining ship. You are not handed a finished base, and you should not expect the opening to behave like a pure sandbox. The demo uses missions and research gates to introduce mining, station building and production.

You need a Steam account and the free demo if you want to follow along before launch. The full game is scheduled for Early Access on November 12, 2026. Exact recipes and costs are patch-dependent, so this guide focuses on the order of operations rather than numeric ratios.

The opening route

1. Scan, mine and return with a clear purpose

The ship scanner identifies asteroids and their resources. Mine enough to test the ship workstation, but do not fill every slot blindly: the early goal is to understand what each ore feeds, not to hoard unknown material. The official store description names the scanner as the first step of the mining loop.

2. Refine and craft at the ship workstation

The starting ship can process ore before you build a full factory. Official hotfix notes reference refining enriched ores at the ship workstation, and the developer describes refining resources on your ship as part of the opening. Use this phase to learn the crafting inputs.

3. Build the first station room

The station is the center of the production game. The Command module is the station-design entry point. Start with a compact room that has space for power, a research/science machine and production. Do not build a huge empty hall that you cannot light or power.

4. Solve station power before adding machines

This is the most common demo roadblock. Station machines need station-side power. A docked ship does not automatically run the station’s research or production, according to a demo player report. Build the station’s generation and fuel path first, then place the machine that needs it.

Status: community-tested, not an official tutorial statement. The current demo is based on the October 21 build; a later patch may improve this flow.

5. Research Logistics I

The official demo screenshot shows Logistics I in the research queue at 0/10. Players report that conveyor belts are not available until this step is completed. If belts are missing from the build menu, do not restart: check power and the research queue first.

6. Build one complete loop

A useful first loop has a source, a processor and a destination. Once a machine is fed and its output is stored, you have a factory. Only then add another machine or a splitter. This is slower than building a huge line, but it makes it much easier to find the item that is stuck.

Station power and your first factory floor

Treat the first station as a small workshop, not an empire. The useful zones are:

• Power: generator, fuel supply and the machines that depend on it.
• Research: the science/research input and the queue you use to unlock the next tier.
• Production: the first refinery or crafting machine and a clear route to storage.
• Logistics: one belt line, with space for a future splitter or elevator instead of a tangle of belts.

The exact machine names and recipes can change. The durable lesson is the dependency: power supports research, research unlocks logistics, and logistics turns one machine into a production chain.

For a layout method rather than a copy-paste build, read the factory layout guide. For the confirmed module list, the modules database separates Station, Production, Power, Logistics, Defense and Ship modules.

What to research early

The visible demo tree places Logistics I → Mining Drones → Computation Science → Logistics II on one automation line. Power is a separate branch beginning with Hydrogen Power and Solar Panels. The production branch begins with Silica Refining and Ore Enrichment.

Costs are not shown for most nodes in the public screenshot. We do not invent a research-time ranking. See the full research database for the visible branch order.

Field tips that survive patches

Build for diagnosability

A machine that visibly receives items and outputs to a known container is easier to debug than a beautiful floor with three possible failure points. Add complexity after the first loop is stable.

Keep the research path visible

The research queue is your actual progression map. Before adding a new production line, check which science or module it feeds. If the answer is “nothing yet” you can probably postpone it.

Do not trust a borrowed ratio

Recipes and build costs changed during the demo period. A ratio from an older video or an older demo build may no longer be correct. Use the in-game UI and the current patch notes.

Use the ship as a mobile test bench

Early refining and manual crafting happen aboard the ship. You do not need to solve the station first; use the ship to learn the material chain, then move that process into the factory.

Common beginner mistakes

1. Assuming belts should be in the build menu from the start.They are gated behind Logistics I in the current demo.
2. Building machines before station power. The machine exists, but it will not process anything without power.
3. Ignoring the research queue. “Missing” technology is often a prerequisite problem rather than a bug.
4. Expanding the station footprint too early. A large room costs more to fill and makes power and logistics harder to diagnose.
5. Expecting demo saves to carry over. Transfer has not been confirmed. Keep screenshots of designs and treat the run as a preview.
6. Using outdated build ratios. The October update and earlier hotfixes changed research flow, modules and balance.

Demo versus Early Access

The demo is a limited slice. The Early Access build is expected to include the core progression and around 40 hours of developer-estimated content, with more systems planned during the Early Access period. The demo’s starting system and first technology tiers are not a full roadmap.

If you are deciding whether to start at release, the practical question is not “is there enough content?” but “do I want to play a game that is explicitly still changing?” The store page and the developer both say the Early Access build will evolve. If you need a fixed balance and complete feature set, waiting is a valid choice.

Check the release status page for the date, price status and requirements. The page is updated when the publisher confirms new launch details.