Verified economy formulas
Droid Tycoon Cost, Crafting Time and ROI Guide
See the stable formulas behind droid costs, passive income, and station crafting time, then compare which variants offer the best pure credit return.
Cost and production are checked across 79 craftable droids and all seven variants on August 22, 2026. The 17 v1.27 Fusion crafting durations remain pending an in-game timer scan.
Reviewed August 22, 2026 for v1.27 · Verified in game · Calculated.
Which droid variant has the best credit payback?
There is no single winner across every rarity. Calculate cost divided by income per second: some Common and Rare Galactic droids beat Default, while expensive high-rarity variants usually repay much more slowly.
Compare the exact droid and variant before treating a higher tier as an income upgrade.
Build a base planThe core formulas
Credit payback = cost ÷ income per second
Income efficiency = income per second ÷ cost
Break-even from craft start = craft time + credit payback
Crafting time follows one universal formula
| Variant | Default crafting time multiplier |
|---|---|
| Default | 1× |
| Gold | 4× |
| Diamond | 7× |
| Rainbow | 10× |
| Beskar | 8× |
| Galactic | 15× |
| Stellar | 18× |
This is the unboosted base formula. Since v1.23.2, Crafting Boost applies a 2x crafting-speed effect, and a companion crafting-speed bonus continues to work while offline.
Pure credit ROI compared with Default
| Base rarity | Default | Gold | Diamond | Rainbow | Beskar | Galactic | Stellar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common and Rare | 100% | 50% | 50% | 66.7% | 75% | 120% | 133.3% |
| Epic | 100% | 50% | 50% | 66.7% | 27.2% | 17.3% | 10.7% |
| Legendary | 100% | 50% | 50% | 66.7% | 6% | 2.5% | 1.03% |
| Mythic | 100% | 50% | 50% | 33.3% | 2% | 0.94% | 0.45% |
So, do Rainbows suck?
Not across the board. Common through Legendary Rainbow droids repay 1.5 times slower than Default, but beat Gold and Diamond on pure credit ROI. Mythic Rainbow is the bad breakpoint at 3 times slower. High-rarity Beskar, Galactic, and Stellar droids can be much larger pure-credit losses, while Common and Rare Stellar droids outperform Default.
What this comparison includes
The canonical Droidex game dataset records cost, production, crafting XP, sell credits, and Upgrade Chip payouts for every craftable variant. Crafting time is recorded for the 62 pre-Fusion droids; the 17 v1.27 Fusion durations are not inferred.
Droidex is an independent fan-made resource and is not affiliated with Epic Games, Fortnite, Disney, or Lucasfilm.
Credit payback
Credit payback equals cost divided by passive income per second. It answers how long a placed droid must earn before its blueprint cost is recovered. It does not include time spent crafting.
Income efficiency
Income efficiency equals passive income per second divided by cost. Higher is better when the only question is how much ongoing production each credit bought.
Break-even from craft start
Add station crafting time to credit payback when the decision starts before the droid exists. This is useful when the station is occupied or a boost changes when production begins.
Cost and income multipliers change at the high tiers
Gold always costs 4 times Default for 2 times income, while Diamond costs 8 times for 4 times income. Rainbow, Beskar, Galactic, and Stellar change with base rarity. The table lists cost first and income second.
| Base rarity | Rainbow cost / income | Beskar cost / income | Galactic cost / income | Stellar cost / income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common and Rare | 12× / 8× | 16× / 12× | 20× / 24× | 24× / 32× |
| Epic | 12× / 8× | 125× / 34× | 300× / 52× | 750× / 80× |
| Legendary | 12× / 8× | 400× / 24× | 2,400× / 60× | 14,500× / 150× |
| Mythic | 24× / 8× | 800× / 16× | 4,700× / 44× | 28,000× / 125× |
Best pure-credit variant by rarity
Pure-credit efficiency is narrower than total progression value. A required Rebirth variant, collection goal, Flawless hunt, limited placement slot, or companion effect can still justify a slower payback.
| Base rarity | Best pure-credit variant | What the formula says |
|---|---|---|
| Common and Rare | Stellar | Its income rises 32× while cost rises 24×. It repays 25% faster than Default. |
| Epic | Default | Rainbow is the best pure-credit upgraded tier. Stellar takes about 9.38× as long as Default to repay. |
| Legendary | Default | Rainbow is the best upgraded tier. Stellar takes about 96.7× as long as Default to repay. |
| Mythic | Default | Gold and Diamond are tied for second. Stellar takes 224× as long as Default to repay. |
Continue planning
Compare individual droids in the complete catalog, calculate a placed base in the tools area, and check Upgrade Chip costs before choosing a variant. The economy tables answer credit return; they do not replace the requirement, collection, or companion decision.