What should I build first?

Conqora FAQ · updated 2026-10-16

The standard opening

Why prices matter

Cities, ports and factories start at 125K and double with each one you own, capped at 1M. That makes upgrades (middle click on a building) the efficient way to grow once you have three or four of a kind: a level-2 city gives two cities' worth of troop capacity.

When to deviate

• Neighbour right next to you: Defense Post before the Port.
• Island maps: two Ports before the second City.
• Hotspots mode: take the nearest gold mine before anything else; put a Defense Post on it.
• Fast economy: gold arrives quicker; build the Silo earlier.
• Ranked 1v1: the fight comes after two minutes; a Defense Post facing your opponent is mandatory.

The navy

Once you have a Port you can build Warships (7) to guard trade and sink boats, and Aircraft Carriers (V), one per three port levels, for air raids (R) and nuke bombers (N).

Mistakes to avoid

• A Silo on the border gets captured with the tile.
• SAMs behind your cities protect nothing; put them in front, facing the threat. Press T to see coverage.
• Ten cities and no ports: lots of troops, no gold to use them.

Next: making gold fast · economy guide.

A worked build order with prices

Here is a standard opening on a coastal spawn, with the price of each building at the moment you buy it:

Two details hide in this table. First, ports and factories count each other for pricing, so your first factory after two ports costs 500K, not 125K. Second, defense posts rise slowly (50K, 100K, 150K, 200K, then a 250K cap), so a second or third post on a hot border is cheap compared with anything else.

Timings that work

• Minute 0–2: expand into empty land and buy your first City as soon as you can afford it.
• Minute 2–4: first Port on the coast; a Defense Post on the border facing your strongest neighbour.
• Minute 4–7: second City, second Port. Trade income now outpaces land income. Add a Warship if boats keep landing on your coast.
• Minute 7–12: a Factory between your cities and ports once you have three or four stations, and a Missile Silo once you have 2–3M banked.
• Late game: SAMs on the side facing the biggest nuke user, upgrades instead of new buildings.

Where to put each building

• City: anywhere safe inside your land. It raises capacity no matter where it sits, so don't put it on a border.
• Port: a coast that faces open water, ideally away from enemy warships. Longer voyages pay more.
• Defense Post: on the border you fear most, or on a chokepoint such as a strait, isthmus or mountain pass. It covers 30 tiles.
• Factory: between your stations, and toward an ally's stations if you can, since trains to allies pay the most.
• Missile Silo: deep inside your land. A silo on the border is captured with the tile.
• SAM Launcher: in front of your cities and ports, facing the threat. Press T to see every SAM range.

Starting gold and instant build

Some games start you rich (1M, 5M or 25M starting gold; territories don't get it). With 1M, you can buy City, Port, second City and second Port (750K) plus two defense posts (150K) straight away. With 5M, add a Factory, a Missile Silo and a SAM Launcher and still have change. Instant build removes construction time, so the order matters even more than the timing.

Build orders by situation

Mistakes by skill level

Beginner

• No City by minute three: your cap stays low and growth stalls.
• Saving gold "for later": spend every 125K straight away.

Intermediate

• A silo before your second port. The port pays for the silo.
• Defense posts everywhere. Put them where the fight is, not around your whole border.

Advanced

• Building new instead of upgrading. Once prices reach the 1M cap, a middle click upgrade is usually the better buy: a level-2 city gives two cities' worth of troop capacity.
• Forgetting carriers. You get one per three port levels; a single Air Raid (150K) can remove the SAM guarding your nuke target.

Quick keys

City 1, Factory 2, Port 3, Defense Post 4, Missile Silo 5, SAM 6, Warship 7, Aircraft Carrier V. Ctrl + click opens the build menu at the cursor, and middle click upgrades the nearest building (hold to keep upgrading). The full list is on the controls page.

More questions

What should I build first in ranked?

Ranked maps have no nations, so your opponent arrives within minutes. A City for troops is still first, but get a Defense Post facing your opponent early, and add a Port on maps with a lot of coast. See how ranked works.

When should I build my first Warship?

When boats keep landing on your coast, or when rival warships start picking off your trade ships. One warship per port keeps the water near your trade routes clear. It costs 250K, rising by 250K each to a 1M cap.

When should I build my first nuke?

Once your second port is paying and you have a Missile Silo deep inside your land, an Atom Bomb (750K) is a useful threat. Save for a Hydrogen Bomb (5M) when someone is approaching 80%. Press T before every launch to check for enemy SAM cover. More in how nukes work.

Should I build a carrier?

Yes, once your ports reach three levels. An Air Raid (150K) can remove the SAM guarding your nuke target, and a Nuke Bomber (750K) aimed at an enemy warship or carrier locks on and follows it.

Related questions

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More answers in the Conqora FAQ and the guides. Updated 2026-10-16.