User:Cato Fong/Planetary Industry for dummies

Planetary Industry for dummies

This page was created because there are way too many sources online, be it from a person in chat or social networks, that hype you up about Planetary Industry (PI for short) but do not explain it. This Loru Gaming video is a prime example.

The truth is that PI is one of the most complex topics in the game. It is extremely difficult to learn and execute. Return is decent but to say it is "passive" is an outright lie. You will need to invest hours or days of learning, hours or days of preparation, and 20-30 minutes a day upkeep until you get a hang of it and realize daily management is not worth it before adopting "lazy" management modes.

Preface

Not Omega? Stop here.

Before getting into it, you can check EVE Online support article here describing differences between an Alpha Clone (free to play) and Omega Clone (paid and/or subscription) accounts.

As stated "Alpha clone cannot export from their colonies" for the purposes of "Planetary Interaction".

You cannot export what you make. You cannot sell what you cannot export from the planet. Do not waste time and resources on PI.

Goal

Goal of this guide is to educate you, a new player, on PI using simple terms and get you running as fast as possible. This is written by a newbro for newbros. It is meant to demystify information from these sources, give you honest perspective and easy guide on getting into it.

My story

I started the game in January 2026 as Alpha Clone. I was generously gifted Omega game time my third week into play and immediately wanted to see the benefits. I quickly came across tons of media regarding benefits of PI and got into it. I have spend days watching videos and reading articles. I have spent hours talking to veterans about topics. Finally, I prepared and set up my first PI operation in lowsec system on 5 planets mid February 2026. A month in, mid March 2026 I have produced some P2 resources worth about 350mil ISK, but have not yet exported nor sold it.

Perceived vs. Reality

• You think you'll earn billions a month and be able to use this ISK towards buying PLEX and Omega time for your account.
  • Reality is that you will spend enormous amount of time upfront, not enjoy the game and not realize that you can make ISK faster elsewhere.
  • In highsec, with 10 days worth of PI skills, your monthly earnings on 5 planets would be about 200mil ISK. This is due to saturation and extra tax in highsec. This is approximately 6.6mil ISK per day. In comparison, you can earn upwards of 100mil ISK per hour running Homefronts (HF).
• But, what if I create 2 more characters and do PI on three characters on my Omega account?
  • You will not need triple the effort but you will need triple the upkeep (management). This means on three accounts, 20-30 minutes turns into more than an hour a day of managing. Again, this would be equivalent to 20mil ISK per hour.
• I know it's hard but it will get easier.
  • It is hard, and it doesn't get easier. It gets tedious. You will be living on a timer. You'll be forced to log in at odd times to check things didn't stop or run out.

• Why are you trying so hard to convince me not to do it?
  • I am not. I am just trying to warn you of dangers of plunging into PI with wrong expectations. It is not free ISK. It is not simple. It is not low effort. It is not for everyone.
  • I am trying to level the playing field before I offer my own, simplified version of introductory steps to PI without getting extremely complicated.
  • I am trying to give you a chance to step back before plunging in.
• You lie! Your math is way too low!
  • If you are willing to take the risk and go into lowsec, with lower taxes, and find a decent system a very optimistic and best case scenario math is as follows:

1 account with 5 planets can generate ~350mil ISK / month.

1 account with 5 planets:
-   5min /day per planet minimum for management
-   5min /day * 5 planets =  25min /day   of management
-  25min /day * 30 days   = 750min /month of management

300 min = 12.5 hours.

One month of PI is minimum 12.5hr of work for ~350mil ISK.

1 account with 5 planets is about 28mil ISK / hour.

Above calculation is very optimistic. It does not inclue:

• learning time
• prep and survey time
• exporting and selling time
• spreadsheet management

PI simplified.

Basic process for PI is as follows:

1. Train skills necessary for PI.
2. Find a suitable system to install command centers for PI.
3. Purchase command centers (one per planet and of specific planet type).
4. Purchase a hauler ship and deliver command centers to your choice system.
5. Deploy command centers on the planets in the system.
6. For each of the planets enter PI view and configure layout:
   1. Install storage and launch pad.
   2. Install basic and advanced factories.
   3. Install ECU (extractor control unit).
   4. Create (routing) links for planet resources.
   5. Configure ECU heads and start P0 resource extraction.
   6. Route extracted P0 resources to storage or launchpad.
   7. Configure your basic factories to accept P0 resources and route output back to storage or launchpad.
   8. Configure your advanced factories to accept P1 resources and route P2 resource output back to storage or launchpad.
7. Daily tasks going forward (can be done remotely):
   1. Restart ECU extraction program.
   2. Check and record yields.
   3. If needed, relocate ECU or change resource type.
   4. If needed, change basic factory product.
   5. If needed, change resource routing for ECU and factories.
   6. If needed, transfer resources between launch pad and storage.
8. Profit! Not so easy... Once your launchpad is full with finished valuable product:
   1. Go to the system.
   2. Open PI view and launch P2 resource to sell to customs office and pay the tax.
   3. In your hauler, warp to the customs office and pick up the resource. Repeat for all planets.
   4. Deliver it to your market destination to sell, safely. Alternatively, try to find a buyer and sell using contracts to save of market taxes and fees.