The Matrix Ladder
The six matrix cubes in order, their ingredients, and what each tier unlocks, as a cheatsheet.
At a glance
Research runs on six science “matrix” cubes. You make each one in a Matrix Lab set to production mode, then consume it in Matrix Labs set to research mode. Later matrices have deeper ingredient chains. The Universe Matrix caps the ladder and needs all five earlier cubes plus antimatter.
| # | Matrix (color) | Key ingredients | Broadly unlocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electromagnetic (blue) | Magnetic Coil + Circuit Board | The Matrix Lab itself, basic logistics, smelting |
| 2 | Energy (red) | Energetic Graphite + Hydrogen | Titanium smelting, Planetary Logistics Station, oil refining |
| 3 | Structure (yellow) | Titanium Crystal + Diamond | Higher belts and buildings, deeper material chains |
| 4 | Information (purple) | Processor (x2) + Particle Broadband | Computing, Interstellar Logistics tech, drones and vessels |
| 5 | Gravity (green) | Graviton Lens + Quantum Chip | Space warpers, faster interstellar travel |
| 6 | Universe (white) | All five above + Antimatter | Endgame, game completion, repeatable upgrades |
Confirmed recipes
- Electromagnetic Matrix: 1 Magnetic Coil + 1 Circuit Board yields 1 in 3 seconds.
- Universe Matrix: 1 of each other matrix + 1 Antimatter yields 1 in 15 seconds.
- Gravity Matrix: the only matrix that produces 2 per cycle.
For the intermediate matrices the ingredient item lists above are confirmed, but treat exact per-recipe counts and craft times as reported. Verify against the in-game recipe before committing precise numbers.
How research consumes them
- Matrix Labs (and the Icarus replicator) process one set of items per second, generating 3600 hashes per set per second when active.
- Research is sequential. All research-mode labs work the current queued tech; you cannot research two techs at once. You can queue up to 8.
- Matrix Labs stack vertically, default up to 3 and up to 15 with the Vertical Construction upgrade, sharing one task within a stack.
Do this in order
- Build Electromagnetic Matrix first. It unlocks the lab and nearly every early tech.
- Set up oil refining for hydrogen, then start Energy Matrix.
- Get off-planet for titanium and silicon, then run Structure Matrix.
- Build out computing and interstellar logistics for Information Matrix.
- Add Gravity Matrix once you want space warpers and faster travel.
- Only build Universe Matrix once a Dyson swarm or sphere is feeding antimatter. Completing the game needs 4000.
Watch out for
- The “Use Inventory Item” toggle silently pulls matching items from your inventory into research reserve. Disable it if you do not want manual research eating stock.
- Do not rush the Universe Matrix. It depends on Dyson sphere output through critical photons and antimatter, so it is a true endgame line.
Related
- Production ratios: the matrix lines cheatsheet.
- Where antimatter comes from: the Dyson sphere deep guide.