colonization Tech Comparison
Stellar Engineering vs Orbital Habitats
Comparing the Stellar Engineering (Tier 4) and Orbital Habitats (Tier 3), both colonization technologies in Starforge MMO. Use this to decide which to queue first when your research lab can only run one project at a time.
Research Comparison
| Attribute | Stellar Engineering | Orbital Habitats |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T4 | T3 |
| Research time | 80 | 28▼ |
| metal cost | 150,000 | 60,000▼ |
| crystal cost | 75,000 | 30,000▼ |
| dark matter cost | 2,000▼ | — |
| Effect | +2 building slots stellar; colonize rogue stars: true | enables orbital colony: true |
▼ marks the lower resource / time cost. Cheaper isn't always better — weigh it against the effect each tech unlocks.
Stellar Engineering
Manipulate stellar physics to stabilise rogue star systems for colonisation. Unlocks 2 additional building slots on any star-adjacent colony.
Unlocks buildings: stellar regulator
Requires: colonization 12, science 5
Orbital Habitats
Build space stations as habitable colonies independent of planetary surfaces.
Unlocks buildings: orbital habitat
Requires: colonization 2
Which Should You Research First?
The Orbital Habitats is the lower-tier prerequisite step and typically comes first in the colonization branch, opening the path toward Stellar Engineering.