Fortnite Droid Tycoon beginner guide: How to upgrade, expand, and rebirth

Fortnite is back with yet another annual Star Wars celebration, and this year, three new Creative experiences. Droid Tycoon is one of the big three games added to Fortnite for this year's celebration, and it's basically Steal a Brainrot with an intergalactic twist. It's less Ballerina Cappucina and more BB-8, but the usual progression systems and upgrade mechanics are all still there.

These tips will help you kickstart your humble Droid Tycoon job and transform it from a Tatooine test run to a fully-fledged robot enterprise.

How to make money fast in Droid Tycoon

Buy new droids

Droid Tycoon is all about investments. You spend some Credits to buy basic droids, put them to work to make you more Credits, then offload them and replace them with more expensive droids when the time comes.

It's a simple loop, but there are a few things to keep in mind when you're first starting out. First, prioritize upgrading your base. Adding new droid slots will significantly increase your earnings, and you should try to buy cheaper droids with special modifiers like Gold or Diamond to make the most of your investment.

Scrap pile

Don't neglect the scrap pile! Manually whacking the scrap heap with your pickaxe is the best way to make money until you've padded your pockets enough to afford rare droids. It levels up and rewards more Credits over time, so stick with it.

Companion perks

You should also pay attention to your droids' abilities. Each droid can follow you around as a companion instead of toiling away at your factory, and they can provide some seriously sweet buffs. Some droids—like the common CB—increase your pickaxe's level for free. You can swap companions at any time, so hang out with each of your droids to learn what they can do.

Side objectives

Lastly, Droid Tycoon sets itself apart from other Brainrot-likes with side objectives across Tatooine. You'll need specific droids to complete objectives like moisture evaporator repairs, but other objectives like hostile Stormtrooper takeovers can be cleared with nothing but the blaster on your hip.

Completing side objectives will get you crates with random rewards. The common ones usually just give you Credits, but you can score Upgrade Chips and other rare goods every now and then. You can also send your droids out on passive missions at your base's shipyard. Don't forget to send these out!

Rebirth requirements and perks

Rebirth is a significant milestone in all tycoon games, and Droid Tycoon is no exception. As soon as you open up your base, you can check your Rebirth requirements at a kiosk near the front entrance.

As long as you have the specified droids and enough Credits, you can reset your progress in exchange for permanent enhancements. Rebirth in Droid Tycoon is surprisingly generous; you get to keep all your droids after paying the Credits cost.

Some higher-level Rebirth requirements ask for upgraded droids, so pay close attention to the icons. If they've got a weird color scheme, they probably need to be Gold, Diamond, Rainbow, or some other special version of the droid you're looking for.

How to upgrade droids

That's where droid upgrades come in. While you can buy droids with special modifiers right off the conveyor belt, you can make deals with the residents of Tatooine to improve your favorite droids.

Droid upgrade vendor

The droid upgrade vendor is located in a shady shop behind the cantina where you can find most NPCs. He'll let you upgrade your droids in exchange for Upgrade Chips, which you get from those side objectives mentioned earlier. The first upgrade from default to Gold rank costs five Upgrade Chips, and things only get more expensive from there.

Test your luck

Other than the droid upgrade vendor, you can also find NPCs and merchants inside the cantina who will trade droids with you and offer other deals. There's a vendor who can upgrade your pickaxe if you have enough Credits, and there's even a shady little guy that'll let you gamble at a chance for a free droid upgrade.

Check back at the cantina regularly to see what the NPCs have to say. Sometimes, they'll ask for a common drone and give you something crazy in return. Just watch out for those PVP-hungry players when you leave the safety of your base. These kids have had one too many Tung Tung Tung Sahurs stolen from them on Roblox, so they're not taking any chances here.

BB-8 event

As you expand your base and reach higher Rebirth levels, you can start chasing down the rarest droids in the game. That includes BB-8, who only appears during—you guessed it—the BB-8 Event. There's a huge countdown timer in the center of the map for that one, so set yourself a reminder.