mining Tech Comparison
Nano-Sifters vs Gas Giant Skimmers
Comparing the Nano-Sifters (Tier 3) and Gas Giant Skimmers (Tier 4), both mining 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 | Nano-Sifters | Gas Giant Skimmers |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | T3 | T4 |
| Research time | 10▼ | 20 |
| metal cost | 18,000▼ | 40,000 |
| crystal cost | 9,000▼ | 20,000 |
| gas cost | 3,000▼ | — |
| antimatter cost | — | 200▼ |
| Effect | unlocks resource: rare earth | +30% gas production |
▼ marks the lower resource / time cost. Cheaper isn't always better — weigh it against the effect each tech unlocks.
Nano-Sifters
Molecular-scale filtration extracts rare trace elements from ore. Unlocks rare-earth resource.
Unlocks buildings: nano sifter plant
Requires: mining 2
Gas Giant Skimmers
Atmospheric skimmer platforms harvest gas from gas giants. +30% gas output.
Unlocks buildings: gas skimmer
Requires: mining 3
Which Should You Research First?
The Nano-Sifters is the lower-tier prerequisite step and typically comes first in the mining branch, opening the path toward Gas Giant Skimmers.