CIFI: Cell Idle Factory Incremental Guide

The first hour of CIFI in order: what to buy, what to ignore, and where the game opens up.

Cells are the main run currency. They are made by generators and wiped by every reset.

Mod Points (MP) come from filled Loops and are spent in the Mod Tree. They drive every reset cycle.

Rank Points are earned by ranking up ships and spent on that ship's installs.

MK1 to MK8 generators are a chain: each tier makes the tier below, and MK1 makes Cells.

Tech Upgrades are hardware and software boosts per generator tier. They unlock with Auxesia and stay through resets.

The order to rebuild ships each run and the Cell costs you can expect.

The first ship. It ranks up from generator purchases and has a native Auto Unlock toggle.

The second ship. It opens Tech Upgrades and ranks from tech purchases.

The third ship. It opens loops, Mod Points and resets, and its Deja Vu install boosts MP directly.

The fourth ship. It opens the Automation Hub and has strong MP installs tied to automation.

Crew boost installs and are needed for evolution. Buy them one at a time and watch the price.

Evolution is a permanent ship bonus bought with max crew plus a big Cell cost. It survives a Loop Reset.

Installs are the hex grid of upgrades on each ship. Spend rank points where the multiplier helps most.

A loadout stores a point-spend order so the game assigns your rank points for you.

The Automation Hub buys things for you every tick. Own it, turn it ON, and stop buying by hand what it already buys.

Tick loops and cell loops fill during a run. Each filled loop adds pending MP that a reset converts to real MP.

The order to rebuild your factory after every Loop Reset so production comes back fast.

How the Loop Mod Tree works: nodes, colors, panels, and what not to touch.

The priority order for spending Mod Points, with the reasons.

The starting nodes near the origin: loop speed, Cells and early MP boosts.

Per-ship automation, rank point, crew and cost nodes. Automation comes first.

Shards come from Demeter operations and buy shard milestones. Spend them before you reset because they vanish.

The fifth ship. It opens Shard Mining. Its Ahead of the Curve install prepares your next run.

The sixth ship. It opens the Research Center and ranks from studies.

Reset when the early burst of MP is over and the tail is slower than starting fresh. Data from one account.

Short runs chase MP. Long runs build shards, research or missions. Pick a goal before each run.

A short list to run through right before you tap Loop Reset.

Nodes that unlock generator tiers and boost output or cut their cost.

Time Dilation, Trinity, Level Enhancement and Accumulative Level Growth nodes.

Nodes that boost shard income, operation speed and robotic miners.

Spend shards here to permanently boost Cells, MP, shards, research and generators.

Which shard milestones to level first, based on what they boost.

Operations run on ticks and pay shards on their own. Longer runs make them stronger.

How many token levels it takes to open Tiers 2, 3 and 4.

Studies give Research Points that buy timed research. Affording a research is not finishing it.

The seventh ship. It opens the Space Academy and ranks from missions.

The eighth ship. It unlocks Traversal, orbs, hunters and a different install system.

Nodes for studies, bio-scientists and research output. Useful only once Koios is active.

Far-east nodes for Academy, mastery, exchanges and extra time dilation. Late game only.

The Space Academy: missions, personnel, materials, gear and badges. Late-game pre-Ouroboros content.

Traversal is a deeper reset after Ouroboros. It gives orbs, gems and hunters, and changes how income works.

Borge, Ozzy and Knox are persistent fighters that earn resources. Choose push, loot or boss first.

A short map of the post-Ouroboros route stages, with caveats for accounts without paid bonuses.

Late-game upgrades with different jobs. Pick based on the bottleneck, not on what is cheapest.

How Cells, ticks, loops, Mod Points and resets fit together in one picture.

Every currency in CIFI, what it buys, and whether a reset wipes it.

Tokens come from chests, the bank, daily rewards and achievements. They are spent in the Token Shop.

Level Points (LP) come from player levels and achievements. They add permanent boosts to Cells, MP and Shards.

Arcade Points come from Pong and Snek and buy permanent Arcade Shop upgrades.

Diamonds are the premium currency. The guide never assumes you spend them.

A tick is the game's clock. Generators, operations, studies, automation and loop bars all advance per tick.

Eight ships, each one unlocks a system. Ships must be rebuilt after every Loop Reset.

How to compare two installs: next-level gain is not a clean double, and the +1 base matters.

A one-page table of what a Loop Reset wipes and what survives.

The Token Shop sells permanent boosts for Tokens in four tiers. The bank sits on top.

What to buy with Tokens, in order, from income boosters to MP to generators.

The bank collects bonus points from chests. Claim it near full and you get a larger payout.

Spend LP on the resource that limits you now. A shared bonus unlocks after enough allocations.

Achievements pay Tokens, Diamonds and LP. Reward lanes pay at set player levels.

A daily screen with permanent boosts and gifts. Claim every day.

A short checklist to run once a day and a few times in between.

Pong and Snek are mini-games that pay Arcade Points and bonus ticks. Play them when READY shows.

Spend Arcade Points on six permanent upgrades, three per game.

How to score in Snek: 90 degree turns, pick up green and yellow, avoid red and your own tail.

How to score in Pong: hold the arrows, hit with the middle of the paddle, and break edge locks.

Mistakes that slow players down, with the fix for each.

A symptom table for when your account feels stuck, with the first thing to check.

How CIFI writes big numbers, and how to compare them without mistakes.

The open questions in this guide, so you know where to be careful.

Short definitions for the terms used in this guide and in community talk.