- Primary upgrade: The mine a planet drone speed upgrade directly increases your resource gathering rate.
- Resource management: Prioritize speed upgrades early to minimize travel time between nodes and your cargo ship.
- Balanced progression: Pair your speed upgrades with cargo capacity increases to prevent bottlenecks.
- Active boosts: Redeem active promo codes to secure fast cash and gems for immediate drone enhancements.
- Optimal strategy: Focus on a 2:1 ratio of speed level to capacity level for the most efficient farming loops.
Introduction to Drone Upgrades
Drones serve as the backbone of your automation pipeline in the game. Without a fast and reliable drone, your resource gathering speed drops significantly, stalling your planetary progression. Upgrading your drone allows you to automate the tedious aspects of resource collection, letting you focus on discovering new sectors and unlocking deeper layers of the planet.
To fund these expensive upgrades early in the game, utilizing active promo codes is one of the most effective strategies. Below is a video showcasing the working codes for 2026, which can provide you with the necessary currency to jumpstart your drone progression.
Video Highlights:
- Full list of active promo codes for the 2026 season.
- Step-by-step guide on how to redeem codes in the game menu.
- Tips on spending your initial free currency on drone upgrades.
- Showcasing early-game progression boosts.
Upgrading your drone requires balancing several core attributes. The table below outlines the default base statistics for drones across different tiers before any additional upgrades are applied.
| Tier | Base Speed | Base Capacity | Cost (Coins) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 1.0x | 10 | Free |
| Tier 2 | 1.5x | 25 | 500 |
| Tier 3 | 2.0x | 50 | 1,500 |
| Tier 4 | 3.0x | 100 | 5,000 |
Do not focus solely on speed upgrades. If your drone moves extremely fast but only has a tiny cargo capacity, it will waste valuable time constantly traveling back and forth to empty its inventory. Keep your stats balanced.
How to Get Mine a Planet Drone Speed Upgrade
Acquiring the mine a planet drone speed upgrade involves visiting the central upgrade console located at your home base. Upgrades require a combination of standard coins and premium gems, depending on your current upgrade tier. Following a structured upgrade path ensures you do not waste precious resources on suboptimal stats.
To systematically upgrade your drone speed, follow these essential steps:
Access the Upgrade Terminal
Navigate to your home base and locate the blue holographic terminal labeled Drone Modification. Press the interaction key to open the upgrade interface.
Check Resource Requirements
Review the required coins and gems for the next speed tier. If you are short on funds, check for active promo codes or mine high-value nodes in the outer rings.
Purchase the Speed Upgrade
Select the Speed sub-tab and confirm your purchase. The upgrade applies instantly, and your drone will immediately display a higher velocity stat.
Test in the Field
Deploy your drone to a nearby resource patch to verify the speed increase. Observe how quickly it travels between the node and your main cargo bay.
The cost of upgrading your drone speed increases exponentially with each level. The table below details the upgrade cost progression and the corresponding speed multipliers for the first fifteen levels.
| Upgrade Level | Speed Value | Gold Cost | Gem Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1-5 | +10% per level | 100-500 | 0 |
| Level 6-10 | +15% per level | 750-2,000 | 5 |
| Level 11-15 | +20% per level | 3,500-8,000 | 15 |
| Level 16+ | +25% per level | 15,000+ | 50+ |
Save your gems exclusively for Level 6+ upgrades. Avoid converting gems to gold, as gold is easily farmable in later sectors, whereas gems remain scarce throughout the game.
Drone Speed vs. Cargo Capacity Strategy
When optimizing your drone, you will face a constant choice between investing in speed or cargo capacity. Both stats are crucial, but they serve different playstyles. Understanding the trade-offs between speed-heavy builds and capacity-heavy builds will help you maximize your hourly resource yields.
We can analyze the three primary build archetypes for drone configuration:
Speed Focus Build
- Fast cycling times
- Ideal for close-range mining
- Requires active gameplay
- Best for rapid node clearing
Capacity Focus Build
- Fewer trips to base
- Perfect for long-distance mining
- Excellent for AFK farming
- High efficiency on rich nodes
Balanced Build
- Optimal for progression
- Adaptable to all sectors
- Steady resource flow
- Recommended for general play
To help you decide which build fits your current progression stage, review the efficiency comparison table below. This table assumes a standard mining run of ten minutes.
| Build Focus | Trips per Minute | Avg. Load per Trip | Total Yield (10m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Speed | 12 | 20 units | 2,400 units |
| High Capacity | 3 | 90 units | 2,700 units |
| Balanced | 7 | 50 units | 3,500 units |
The balanced build outperforms specialized builds because it minimizes the diminishing returns of both travel downtime and capacity bottlenecks. Aim to keep your speed level roughly two steps ahead of your capacity level.
Maximizing Resources with Boosts
To sustain the high costs of late-game upgrades, you must leverage active boosts and environmental buffs. The game features temporary consumables and zone-specific modifiers that can temporarily supercharge your drone's movement speed. Combining these boosts with your permanent upgrades yields massive resource spikes.
Use the following checklist to ensure you are maximizing your daily upgrade potential:
Daily Upgrade Routine:
- Redeem newly released promo codes for free currency
- Complete the daily drone trial event for speed modification parts
- Equip the Speed Elixir before mining high-density resource fields
- Upgrade your home base storage to handle the increased drone delivery rate
Additionally, keep an eye out for active environmental boosts on different planets. The table below lists the common boosts that directly affect your drone's speed and operational efficiency.
| Boost Name | Duration | Speed Increase | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed Elixir | 10 Minutes | +50% | Shop Purchase / Codes |
| Hyper Drive | 5 Minutes | +100% | Premium Chests / Events |
| Overdrive | 15 Minutes | +25% | Daily Login Rewards |
| Solar Flare | Dynamic | +40% | Random Planetary Event |
You can stack the Speed Elixir and the Overdrive boost to achieve a combined speed multiplier of +75%. Use this strategy when clearing high-tier mineral veins to maximize your output.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I unlock the mine a planet drone speed upgrade?
You can unlock the drone speed upgrade by interacting with the Drone Modification Terminal at your home base. Upgrades cost coins for early levels and require gems for advanced levels.
Q: Does drone speed affect the mining speed of individual nodes?
No, drone speed only affects the travel velocity of the drone between the node and your base. To increase actual mining speed, you must upgrade the drone's drill power tool separately.
Q: Should I prioritize speed or capacity first?
You should prioritize speed slightly over capacity in the early game. However, maintaining a balanced ratio (such as 2 speed levels for every 1 capacity level) provides the highest overall yield.
Q: Can I reset my drone upgrades to get my resources back?
No, all drone upgrades are permanent. Ensure you plan your upgrade path carefully and avoid over-investing in a single stat too early.
Always check the official game community channels regularly for new code drops, as developers frequently release codes that award free speed boosts and upgrade materials.