Getting Started

This article aims to help new players get started playing Before We Leave on standard game settings. Please note that it is an outline to set new players up for success, rather than a step by step guide; each playthrough is unique, and player experimentation is encouraged!

Basic Controls

 * Right click is used to to move your planet's surface around.


 * Left click is used to select Peeps, Buildings and other interactable objects
 * The scroll wheel has two functions - scroll in and out to zoom; click and hold to change the orientation of the planet's surface.

First Island
Your first task in Before We Leave is repairing the Ruined Ship so your Peeps can explore new Islands.

A Basic Settlement
50 Peeps live in the Shelter on your Island - initially, three Peeps will emerge. To support them, you'll need to build these basic Buildings:


 * Huts x 3
 * A Well
 * Potato Fields
 * A Woodcutter

Note : Roads need to connect to these buildings.

You also need to use the Demolish tool to clear Forests away - this will provide you with Stone (one per Forest). Also consider using your Wood to begin making Tools at the Transmogrifier - demand steadily increases for them, and having as many as possible is a good idea.

The Transmogrifier
Tools are an important resource, and can be created at an ancient metal building called the Transmogrifier. To repair the Ruined Ship, you'll need to use the Transmogrifier to make them. This consumes Wood.

Research
Research is a fundamental part of Before We Leave. Build:


 * Explorers Hut
 * Library

Your Peeps will start gathering Ancient Technology to bring to the Explorers Hut, which then gets converted into Green Research. This resource is what you need to advance to Mining.

Supporting your Economy
As you add more buildings to your village, it's important to continue growing your population of Peeps. To successfully repair the Ruined Ship, you need an economy that can support 25 Peeps.

Mining
To begin Mining, research the following at the Library:


 * Elevator
 * Mining
 * Warehouse
 * Repair

Once complete, build the Elevator against the rocky cliffs of the Highlands. This will allow your Peeps access to Mountains and Rusting Hulks. Build a Warehouse to help your Peeps store a variety of Resources easily. Some of the Mining buildings also require Power - repair the Power Generator near the center of your village.

In the Highlands, build:


 * Quarry (adjacent to a Mountain)
 * Iron Mine (adjacent to a Rusting Hulk)
 * Iron Smelter (requires Power)
 * Toolsmith (requires Power)

Note : Roads need to connect to these buildings.

Pollution and Productivity
The Power Generator and Mining Buildings emit Pollution - this affects a varied amount of tiles surrounding the buildings. Pollution also affects the Happiness of Peeps, and in turn, their productivity. You can counter this by producing better Food for them.

Research the following at the Library:


 * Gardening

Build:


 * Vegetable Fields x 2
 * Tea Fields x 2

Repairing the Ship
By this stage, you should have the resources to repair the Ruined Ship. You need at least 25 Peeps in your village to support the economy and repair of the ship. Additionally, 5 Peeps will be taken to your new Island.

Second Island - The Desert Island
Use left click on the mouse to guide your new Colony Ship to a Desert Island. Once you're near the coast, the green Colonise button on the ship's UI will become interactable. The aim of this part of the tutorial is to prepare the player for entering Space by repairing the Ruined Spaceship.

Another Basic Settlement
When you reach a new Island, repeat the same steps from the beginning of this guide. Build:


 * Huts
 * A Well or Tea Fields
 * Potato Fields, Vegetable Fields or Orchards
 * A Woodcutter

Trading between Islands
Once your basic settlement is done, your next task is to set up Shipping - your new Island needs resources that your first already has.

Build:


 * Explorers Hut
 * Library

The Explorers Hut will gather Red Ancient Technology. Use it to Research the following at the Library:


 * Shipping

Shipping requires the right buildings on both Islands. Go back to your first Island, and build:


 * Port
 * Shipwright

From the Shipwright, create a Tradeship.

There are two ways to send resources between Islands - Manual Shipping and using Shipping Routes. Shipping Routes in particular are quite involved - read the article for an in-depth guide on how to set them up.

Once your Tradeship is complete, set up a Shipping Lane between your two Islands.

Growing the Population
As the amount of buildings you have grows, the more Peeps you'll need to work in them. Research and Build a School using Green Research on your first Island.

Young Peeps only generate when there is enough housing to support them, so make sure you have plenty of Huts or have upgraded to House in the Library.

Suiting Up
The Desert Island's arid environment causes Peeps to become fatigued if they wander too far from the settlement. Supply them with Clothes to fix this.

Research:


 * Glasswork
 * Clothing

Build:


 * Sand Mine
 * Power Generator
 * Glass Smelter
 * Cotton Field
 * Weaver
 * Tailor

Heading to Space
The final task in the tutorial is to find, repair and launch a Spaceship. It can be found on the second or third Island.

Note: if the Ruined Spaceship is on the third Desert Island, repeat the first steps of this guide to set up your economy and population there.

Repairing the Spaceship takes quite a few steps -

Research:


 * Fuel
 * Steel

Build:


 * Steel Smelter
 * Oil Well
 * Fuel

Gather:


 * 30 Wood
 * 10 Steel
 * 10 Glass
 * 50 Fuel
 * 30 Tools
 * 30 Stone
 * 50 Food
 * 50 Water
 * 10 Power

Note: 50 adult Peeps is required to launch the Spaceship. They must be on the same Island as the Spaceship. 30 Peeps will board the Spaceship and disembark on your new Planet.

The Second Planet
The new Spaceship will be in Orbit around the first planet. Select the Spaceship and click "Colonise" to establish a new settlement on another Planet.

The Spaceship also acts like the Bunker from the beginning of the game - it stores Peeps, and a finite amount of Resources.

Once landed, establish a basic settlement.

Build:


 * Huts
 * A Well
 * Potato Fields
 * A Woodcutter


 * Explorers Hut
 * A Library

Note: The Explorers Hut will begin collecting Blue and Red Ancient Technology.

Space Whales
At some point after discovering your second Planet, you will encounter your first Space Whale attack. The Space Whales will feed on your second planet, eating tiles at random. Protecting your settlements from their appetites serves as the goal for the rest of this written guide.

Interplanetary Trading
Once 50 Blue Ancient Technologies have been collected, research Spaceflight. This allows the construction of Launch Pads to create Spaceships, and Landing Pads - the interplanetary version of Ports.

Tip: Demand on Peeps and Resources across all planets and islands will be fairly high at this stage. Before continuing the expansion of your civilisation, check the happiness of your Peeps and balance of resources.

On your first Planet, build:


 * Launch Pad
 * Construct a Trade Spaceship once completed
 * Landing Pad

On your second Planet, build:


 * Landing Pad

Then, set up Shipping Routes to transport goods to your new Planet. You can also use Manual Shipments to move Resources.

Building the Space Elevator
The Space Whales will begin to wreak more havoc on your Settlements, so working towards building a Space Elevator is important!

Research:


 * Cooking, then Baking
 * Tinkering
 * Space Elevator



Build:


 * Electronics Mine
 * Gadgeteer


 * Space Elevator

Note: The Electronics that the Gadgeteer gathers may be on the second Island of your second Planet. Build a Shipwright and Port to access it.

The Space Elevator requires a number of materials. Collect:


 * 10 Wood
 * 30 Stone
 * 40 Tools
 * 80 Steel
 * 10 Glass
 * 10 Gadgets

Once completed, Peeps will store Food in the Space Elevator, and the Space Whales attacking the Planet that houses the Space Elevator will eat from that rather than the tiles.

Tip: Aim to build Space Elevators on each of your Planets to minimise the impact of the Space Whales.

Dealing with Gremlins, Minotaurs and Sphinxes
There are three other kinds of Guardian - Gremlins, Minotaurs and Sphinxes.

Players will typically see Gremlins first while colonising the second Planet. They'll usually be on the second Island. Gremlins come out during the night to steal Resources from that Island's Settlement. Prevent this by researching Lighting, and building Light Towers.

Minotaurs can be found randomly while Peeps are exploring Ancient Ruins. The Minotaur will rampage through nearby settlements, scaring Peeps and affecting their producitivity. Build Training Grounds to combat the Minotaur's effect - the Training Grounds research will automatically unlock when the Minotaur spawns.

The Sphinx spawns randomly, and will occasionally target a building to destroy as punishment for not answering it's riddles. Build the Museum to combat the Sphinxes effect - the Museum research will automatically unlock when the Sphinx spawns.