How to collect resources in Homeworld 3

Resources are, by far, the most important currency in Homeworld 3 since they’re used to build and research necessary units. 

Researching and building are absolutely necessary, since this allows you to upgrade your units and mothership, and take on even stronger foes. But you have to plan this out carefully; researching and building lasts a long time, and, in battle, time is extremely valuable. Here’s how to collect resources in Homeworld 3.

How to get resources in Homeworld 3

Getting resources in Homeworld 3 is quite simple—all you need to do is get Resource Controllers to find the nearest location and start harvesting. As soon as you issue this command, all your Resource Controllers will start to move to the location. In this case, you don’t have to choose the location because they automatically know where it is. 

Another way to get more resources is to get Resource Controllers to salvage the wrecks. You can’t salvage just any wreck, and there has to be an option to do so on hover. Typically, intel will warn you about any salvageable resources. You don’t have to collect them, but the more resources you have, the better.

When to collect resources in Homeworld 3

One of the things that worried me the most in Homeworld 3 is when to collect resources. My rule of thumb is to start collecting them as soon as you start a new mission or enter a new area. Even if you don’t plan on using resources right now, you should collect them as soon as possible. You can never know when the enemy ships will attack you.

I still send my Resource Controllers to harvest even during combat because I never manage to collect all resources in the area. During the main campaign, you can’t go back to the previous area, and once you progress with your mission, you can’t access the resources again. If you’re doing this combat, and you have to send your Resource Controllers in the eye of the battle, assign a couple of units to guard them. Resource Controllers are quite slow 

Is there a resource cap in Homeworld 3?

As far as I could test it, there’s no resource cap in Homeworld 3. At one point, I had over 35,000 resources, and the number was still going up. Gather as many resources as you can, and don’t shy away from using them. The entire point of units is to use them for combat. Remember, you can always heal units if you dock them on the mothership. 

Can you speed up harvesting resources in Homeworld 3?

Unfortunately for players, no, you can’t speed up the harvesting of resources in Homeworld 3. Resource Controllers are quite slow and they are meant to be vulnerable. Normally, sending Resource Controllers to get more mats is just one of the commands you’ll issue during each mission, and you shouldn’t worry too much about them. In most cases, they are just fine by themselves.