INDUSTRIALIST'S HANDBOOK: TALOS-II ECONOMY
In the industrial colonization of Talos-II, your combat prowess is only half the battle. To truly thrive, an Endministrator must master the Automated Industry Complex (AIC) to generate a massive flow of Stock Bills. This regional currency is essential for operator gear, gacha tickets, and system upgrades.
To move from “getting by” to “industrial tycoon,” you must synchronize machine production cycles, assign specialized Operator Liaisons, and exploit market arbitrage across the resource-abundant Valley IV and the high-tech Wuling region.
1. Valley IV: The Industrial Heartland
Valley IV is your primary manufacturing engine. Profit optimization begins with hitting Regional Development Level 12 to maximize mineral bed purity.
The Numbers: Theoretical Max Yields
At peak development, you must place Electric Mining Rigs on every node to capture the total theoretical yield:
| Resource | Yield/min | Conveyor Lines |
|---|---|---|
| Ferrium Ore | 1080 | 36 lines |
| Originium Ore | 560 | 18.6 lines |
| Amethyst Ore | 240 | 8 lines |
The “18+18” Gold Standard
While raw ore sells for only 1 Stock Bill (SB), the community-vetted “18+18” setup focuses on goods worth 70 SB each. To exhaust the hourly replenishment pool of the three outposts (~119,500 SB total), you should target this output:
- 18 Buck Capsule A per minute (3 Packaging Units)
- 18 HC Valley Batteries per minute (3 Packaging Units)
| Valley IV Outpost (Level 4) | Hourly SB Pool | Daily SB Potential |
|---|---|---|
| Refugee Camp | ~29,100 | ~698,400 |
| Infra-Station | ~39,000 | ~936,000 |
| Reconstruction HQ | ~51,400 | ~1,233,600 |
| Total Valley IV | ~119,500 | ~2,868,000 |
Pro Tip: Convert your 240/min Amethyst surplus into Canned Citrome C or Amethyst Bottles to claim an additional 10,000 to 15,000 SB per hour.
2. The Wuling Frontier: The Specialized Processing Hub
Wuling is resource-starved but introduces Xiranite, essential for endgame gear and the powerful LC Wuling Batteries. Profit here is gated by a single outpost, Sky King Flats, which replenishes much slower than Valley IV.
The “12+6” Wuling Standard
Because Wuling only has two Ferrium nodes, sprawling factories are inefficient. Instead, you should aim for the “12+6” standard to bankrupt the Sky King Flats outpost:
- 12 LC Wuling Batteries per minute (worth 25 SB each)
- 6 Yazhen Syringes (or Jincao Drinks) per minute (worth 16 SB each)
| Wuling Outpost (Level 2) | Hourly SB Pool | Target Production Value |
|---|---|---|
| Sky King Flats (Base) | ~12,900 | ~23,760 SB/hr |
| Sky King Flats (Max Bonus) | ~16,770 | (Covers all power + pool) |
Resource Efficiency: In Wuling, batteries are more efficient than syringes, converting Originium into profit at a rate of 0.83 SB/unit vs. 0.80 SB/unit for syringes. If you are short on Ferrium, prioritize the battery chains.
3. Technical AIC Design: The Mathematics of Profit
Machine Ratios and Port Ceiling
Maximum profitability is a mathematical exercise in machine timing. Most machines operate on a 2-second cycle (30 units/min), matching a standard conveyor belt. Finishing units (Packaging/Filling) operate on a 10-second cycle (6 units/min).
The Port Ceiling: Every PAC port is hard-capped at 0.5 units/second (30 items/min). To bypass this, use Port Multipliers. For instance, grinding one Sandleaf plant yields three Sandleaf Powders, effectively tripling the throughput of a single PAC port.
Inter-Regional Logistics
Treat Valley IV as the “source” and Wuling as the “sink”:
Powder Efficiency: Import Dense Originium Powder instead of raw ore. At Level 12, you can transfer 1,500 units per hour. Powder is twice as efficient because it bypasses the shredding phase.
The Battery Trick: Manually carry HC Valley Batteries to power Wuling. This lets you sell 100% of your local LC Wuling Batteries for pure Stock Bills, rather than burning them for power.
4. Human Capital: Mastering the Liaison Rotation Tactic
Assigning an operator to an outpost is not a “set and forget” task. To extract the absolute maximum ROI, you must understand the three distinct skill slots available to each outpost liaison.
The Three Outpost Skills
Liaisons provide passive bonuses based on their traits (Faction, Hobbies, or Expertise). These do not scale with level; as long as they have the trait, the bonus is active:
Prosperity Boost (‘SAR Response’): A 20% chance to earn 1 bonus point of Outpost Prosperity per point earned via trading. Use this to hit Outpost Level 4 quickly.
Trading Multiplier (‘Turn Scrap to Treasure’): A 20% chance to earn 1 additional Stock Bill per SB earned while trading. This is applied after the trade, creating currency “out of thin air”.
Passive Generation (‘Survival Knowledge’): A 20% chance to earn 1 additional SB per SB generated naturally by the outpost. This effectively increases the hourly SB replenishment rate by 20%.
The “+44% Profit” Rotation Tactic
By manually swapping operators between an “Idle” phase and a “Trading” phase, you compound these bonuses for a massive 44% total increase in SB earnings.
Phase 1: The Idle Phase (Generation): Assign an operator with Survival Knowledge. This ensures the outpost pool refills 20% faster while your factory runs.
Phase 2: The Prep Phase (Swap): Once you are ready to sell your goods, travel to the outpost and swap the liaison to an operator with Turn Scrap to Treasure.
Phase 3: The Trading Phase (Payout): Perform the trade. Because the 20% bonus is independent of the outpost’s reserve, you can drain the outpost completely and still receive an extra chunk of currency.
The Math: 1.2 (Regen Multiplier) × 1.2 (Trading Multiplier) = 1.44 (44% total bonus).
The Liaison Meta: Best Operators by Outpost
Certain operators match all three skill requirements for specific outposts perfectly, making them the most valuable for rotation.
| Outpost | Best (Accumulation) | Best (Trading) | The “Perfect” Operators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refugee Camp | Yvonne | Laevatain / Antal | Laevatain (matches all 3 slots) |
| Infra-Station | Chen / Yvonne | Xaihi / Laevatain | Yvonne (matches all 3 slots) |
| Reconstruction HQ | Yvonne | Gilberta / Alesh | Gilberta (matches all 3 slots) |
| Sky King Flats | Lifeng / Wulfgard | Lifeng / Ardelia | Wulfgard (Outpost + Trade) |
5. Market Arbitrage and Investment Priorities
The “Lucky Rabbit” Market
Unlocked at Authority Level 15, the Stock Redistribution system allows you to trade Elastic Goods.
Friend-Base Arbitrage: Purchase items at local discounts (-80% to -90%) and travel to a friend’s base where markup exceeds +400%. This can generate over 1,250,000 SB per day in Valley IV alone.
Investment Priorities
Follow this critical path to ensure your economy snowballs:
- Depot Node Level 2: Unlocks “Pack and Deliver” contracts, paying out up to 1,000,000 SB daily.
- Stock Redistribution Level 4: Maximizes the types of Elastic Goods and daily purchase limits.
Final Strategy Checklist
- Valley IV: Implement the “18+18” chain (Buck Capsule A + HC Battery).
- Wuling: Implement the “12+6” chain (LC Battery + Yazhen Syringe C).
- Logistics: Metatransfer 1500 Dense Originium Powder per hour from Valley to Wuling.
- Rotation: Assign Survival Knowledge operators while away, and Trading operators only during active sales.
By following these principles, your AIC will remain the most efficient economic engine on Talos-II. The factory must grow—and it must grow profitably.