Shipyard Objectives and Exact Build Solutions

The most common shipyard stall in Outworld Station is easy to spot: the objective asks for ships, the shipyard has parts, a Tug Bay or depot is nearby, and nothing obvious happens next. This is usually not a belt problem. Ships depend on smart links, storage filters, depot steps, and tug access. Use Link Mode to check the shipyard, Fuel Bay, Ammo Depot, terminal, and final drop area, then find the step holding the ship.

Treat this section as a build-check pass. You are not trying to make the prettiest station. You are trying to make one shipyard block that takes the right parts, builds the exact ship named by the objective, sends it through any fuel, ammo, payload, science, or large-ship step, and leaves the finished ship where the objective can count it.

Read the Objective Correctly First

Before rebuilding anything, click the objective and read the required ship name exactly. A ship objective may want a plain hull, a fuelled ship, an armed ship, an explorer or science ship, or a large ship or Arkship step. Those are different final states. A ship sitting outside the shipyard is not always the completed item the counter wants.

Objective wording	What to build	Final place to check
Ship name only	Build the hull in the shipyard named by the recipe.	Shipyard output, tug drop area, or objective panel
Fuelled ship	Build the hull, then link it through a Fuel Bay. Use the Mk 3 Fuel Depot when an endgame or large-ship recipe calls for antimatter fuel.	Fuel module, tug drop area, and objective panel
Armed ship	Build and fuel the ship, then route it through an Ammo Depot if the objective asks for the armed version.	Ammo Depot, tug drop area, and objective panel
Explorer, science, or probe ship	Build the ship and supply the special parts shown in the current recipe, such as sensors, science modules, or probes.	Ship, final module, and objective panel
Arkship or large class ship	For Arkship steps, start with the Arkship Terminal and support it with Component Factory output and tug access. For large ship objectives, use the Large Shipyard, Large Tug-Bay or Large Tugs, and the fuel module required by the recipe.	Arkship Terminal, Component Factory, Large Shipyard, tug route, or Fuel Depot

Updates have changed recipes and objective requirements before, so trust the numbers shown in your current objective and Codex. The method stays the same: build the exact final version, not the item that sounds close.

Exact Shipyard Block Layout

Build ship objectives in this order from left to right. This gives you a clean line to compare against your own station.

Filtered input storage: keep one filtered storage box for each major part group the recipe needs.
Part production: make the recipe parts in the production modules named by the recipe panel.
Short buffer storage: place one filtered buffer before the shipyard so another factory does not steal the next ship part.
Correct shipyard: use the shipyard type named by the ship recipe. Large Shipyards are for the largest classes of starships.
Depot chain: place the Fuel Bay after the shipyard for fuelled ships, then the Ammo Depot after fuel for armed ships.
Tug access: keep a clear Tug Bay path near the shipyard. Use Large Tug-Bay or Large Tugs for large hulls when the recipe or layout calls for them.
Completed ship area: link the final module to a clear drop zone so completed ships do not block the next move.

Avoid feeding one shipyard from a long mixed-storage chain. Put the shipyard on its own short branch first. Once that branch works, copy it.

How to Use Finished Ships for Objectives

For shipyard objectives, using a ship usually means finishing the full ship chain and letting the objective count the final version. Do not stop when the hull appears. Click the ship, depot, terminal, or objective panel and confirm whether the ship still needs fuel, ammo, probes, science parts, cargo equipment, or a large-ship handling step.

Build the exact hull: match the shipyard and recipe to the objective name.
Send it through required depots: fuelled ships need the fuel step; armed ships normally follow the Shipyard > Fuel Bay > Ammo Depot > drop area chain.
Supply special payloads: explorer, science, and probe ships can need the listed recipe parts before the ship is finished.
Check tug movement: if the ship is built but not moving, inspect Tug Bay range, power, links, blocked drop zones, and whether a Large Tug-Bay or Large Tug is needed.
Confirm the final location: check the last module in the chain, not only the shipyard. The counter may wait until the depot, terminal, or drop step is done.
Watch the counter after each ship: if the count rises once, duplicate that exact flow. If it does not rise, the ship is the wrong version or stuck before the counting step.

This matters most with large ships. A Large Shipyard full of parts is not the same as a completed large ship in the right place. If the hull or components seem stranded, treat it as a movement problem first: clear nearby space, check links and storage filters, then confirm the large tug route can reach every module in the chain.

Build Solutions by Objective Type

Objective type	Build this block	Prepare these checks	Common stall	Fix
Plain ship or early hull	Recipe parts into the correct Shipyard, then a tug drop area	All recipe inputs, shipyard link, and free drop space	Hull exists but the counter does not move	Recheck the objective wording. If it asks for fuelled or armed, route the hull through the missing module.
Fuelled ship	Shipyard into Fuel Bay, then a drop area	Fuel supply, depot link, and tug range	Ship waits at the shipyard or fuel module	Check stored fuel and confirm the tug can reach both modules.
Armed or combat ship	Shipyard into Fuel Bay into Ammo Depot, then a drop area	Fuel, ammo type, depot filter, and final link	Hull or fuelled count rises, but armed count stays low	Pause new hulls, fill the Ammo Depot, then restart once ammo production is ahead.
Explorer, science, or probe objective	Shipyard plus the science and probe production named by the recipe	Recipe parts such as Sensor Arrays, Science Modules, Small Probes, or other listed parts	A rare-resource part blocks the batch	Use the Codex and Production Overview to find the missing part, then build a dedicated line for that part.
Large ship objective	Large Shipyard, Large Tug-Bay or Large Tugs, and the needed fuel module	Large parts, tug access, final drop area, and any antimatter fuel requirement	Large parts are built but not installed or the ship will not move	Check tug access, part filters, and free space around the ship. Large builds often fail at movement, not crafting.
Arkship step	Arkship Terminal supported by Component Factory output, tug access, and any required fuel or special parts	Terminal requirements, component filters, tug route, and safe storage for advanced materials	Components exist but the Arkship step does not advance	Open the Arkship Terminal and confirm the exact missing requirement before expanding production.
High-volume ship batch	One working shipyard block copied after the first ship counts	Stable fuel, stable ammo if needed, and buffers that refill between ships	Second shipyard makes every shortage worse	Finish one full ship first. Then duplicate the working filters, links, and depot chain.

When the Objective Refuses to Finish

If the counter is stuck, do not rebuild the whole factory first. Run this checklist in order.

Open the objective and confirm the exact final item name.
Click the ship and check whether it is unfuelled, unarmed, missing cargo, or missing science parts.
Open the final depot, terminal, or drop point in the chain, not only the first shipyard.
Check filters on storage, fuel modules, Ammo Depot, Freighter Dock, and Quantum Storage.
Check Tug Bay, Large Tug-Bay, or Large Tug access if a completed hull is not moving, installing, or reaching the next module.
Hover pipes and pipe junctions when fluids or gases are involved so you know what is moving.
Use Production Overview with precise values if it is available. Look for the part with demand above production.
Temporarily stop unrelated factories or set their Max Amount To Build so upgrades do not steal ship parts.
If freighters feed the line, check that the dock is powered, switched on, and able to unload into a matching filter.

The fastest recovery move is to isolate the shipyard. Turn off non-objective consumers, put the missing part on a dedicated factory line, and feed one filtered buffer directly into the final module. Once the objective clears, reconnect the cleaner version.

Before You Expand the Shipyard

Do not add a second shipyard until the first one can finish one full ship without manual dragging. More shipyards multiply demand spikes. They do not fix a weak fuel line, a starved parts factory, a blocked Tug Bay, or one link trying to feed every advanced part.

A stable shipyard block has clear signs: part buffers refill between ships, fuel does not hit zero, ammo production stays ahead of combat ships, tugs have room to move, large hulls have a clear drop zone, and the objective counter rises only after the final version of the ship is complete. When all of that is true, duplicate the block, copy the filters, and expand.

← Prev Next →