Officers
Officers are premium subscriptions paid with Dark Matter. Each officer provides specific bonuses that persist as long as the subscription is active. The Commanding Staff bundle combines all officers at a small extra bonus.
Officers are activated per-universe and cost Dark Matter on a subscription basis. How often they matter depends heavily on your playstyle.
Commander
Best for: All players — basic quality-of-life.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
| +40 saved messages | Messages in this folder are never auto-deleted |
| Build queue | Queue up to 5 buildings or researches in sequence |
| Transport scanner | See incoming transports to your planets |
| Advertisement-free | No ads shown |
Commander is the most universally useful officer — the build queue alone saves significant micro-management. Most serious players keep it active permanently.
Admiral
Best for: Active fleeters, raiders, and expedition senders.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
| +2 fleet slots | Send two more simultaneous fleet missions |
| +1 expedition slot | One extra expedition beyond the Astrophysics formula |
| Improved fleet escape rate | Fleet retreats more successfully against overwhelming defenders |
In newly opened universes where fleet slots are scarce, the Admiral pays for itself immediately. For defensive miners it has little value.
Engineer
Best for: Players who regularly defend, and miners who rely on energy.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
| 85% defence recovery | Normally 70% of defence recovers after an attack; Engineer raises this to 85% |
| +10% energy production | Applies to all energy sources (Solar Plant, Fusion Reactor, Solar Satellites) |
Without Engineer, losing defence repeatedly is a significant resource drain. If your planet is being farmed, Engineer substantially reduces the attrition cost.
Geologist
Best for: Miners with large mines.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
| +10% resource production | Applies to Metal Mine, Crystal Mine, and Deuterium Synthesizer on every planet |
The Geologist's value scales directly with your mine levels. At low mine levels it barely matters; at high levels it compounds into significant daily production gains. Fleeters can also benefit from the passive income boost.
Technocrat
Best for: Researchers and players who want information advantage.
| Perk | Description |
|---|---|
| Espionage Technology +2 levels | Your effective espionage level is raised by 2 for scanning and counter-espionage |
| −25% research time | All research completes 25% faster |
In early universes the espionage bonus lets you gather intel on players before you can afford Espionage Technology 8+. In mature universes the −25% research time compounds significantly as research times stretch to days and weeks.
Commanding Staff (Bundle)
The Commanding Staff activates Commander + all four Officers simultaneously, plus additional bonus perks:
| Extra perk | Value |
|---|---|
| +1 fleet slot | On top of Admiral's +2, total +3 extra |
| +2% energy production | On top of Engineer's +10% |
| +2% mine production | Small bonus across all mines on every planet |
| +1 espionage level | On top of Technocrat's +2 |
The Commanding Staff bundle is cheaper than buying all officers individually and grants extra bonuses not available separately. If you plan to use most officers, the bundle is always the better deal.
Officer Duration & Cost
Officers are purchased with Dark Matter for set durations (1 week, 1 month, 3 months). Longer subscriptions offer better DM per day rates. Exact costs vary by universe and may change — check the in-game officer screen for current prices.
Merchant (Not an Officer)
The Merchant menu (accessible via the same premium section) also contains:
- Resource Market — refill storage (10%/50%/100% of capacity) with DM; or exchange resources with other players via the 3,500 DM trader call
- Scrap Merchant — sell ships and defences for 35% of their value (Bargain button increases this up to 75% in increments of 5%, each costing DM)
- Auctioneer — bid DM or resources on special items
- Import/Export — move resources between universes (where enabled)
If an expedition finds a Merchant, click the black trade button — not the green one. The green button dismisses your expedition merchant and calls a new one, costing 3,500 DM.
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