Cosmos Era time crystals: how to get them and use them

Time crystals are the game's fast-forward item. Spend 1 and the game jumps ahead 1800 seconds (30 minutes) at once. At base, one grows every 3600 seconds (1 hour), and you can hold 24. This guide covers where crystals come from, the best times to use them, how to raise output and cap, and the time capsules you can buy.

Where crystals come from

• Natural growth: 1 every 3600 seconds at base.
• Daily goals: 2 for each goal you claim, plus 3 more when you claim all 3.
• Rebirth: each rebirth refills 2, never above your current cap.
• Crafting bench: 1 for each new recipe you learn.
• Guess: the first time you meet an event, answer the short question before it advances and get 1 for a correct answer.
• Purchase: three tiers of time capsule, covered below.

No new crystals grow while you are fast-forwarding. That is a rule of the game.

How to use crystals

Tap "Use time crystal" and the game simulates those 1800 seconds in one batch, instantly. Generators produce as usual and events can be completed as usual.

When is it worth using?

• You're stuck before an event, just short of the resources.
• You want to finish a few more events before a rebirth, for more singularities.
• A daily goal asks you to use a time crystal.

When should you hold off?

• Your crystals are already at the cap and still growing. The extra output is wasted, so spend some first.

Crystal boosts from sky events and encounters

Two kinds of random content change how fast crystals grow:

• Sky event "Gravitational lens": time crystal growth ×2.
• Encounter "The pocket where time runs backward": time crystals grow ×3 here.

When either one appears, consider saving your crystals until growth picks up.

Link to achievements

Using 50 time crystals in total unlocks the achievement "Time traveler". The daily goal "use time crystals" counts toward the same total, so ordinary daily play builds it up.

Raising output and cap

• "Time lattice" upgrade: time crystal output +50%, cap +12. Base price 4 singularities, multiplier 3.5, up to level 8.
• Cosmological constant "Time dilation": time crystal growth ×2, cap +24.
• Supporter Edition: crystal interval ÷1.5, cap +12, and 12 more hours of offline cap.

Some worked numbers

• 1 crystal = 1800 seconds = 30 minutes, so 20 crystals = 10 hours.
• The base cap of 24 crystals is 12 hours of fast-forward when full.
• "Time lattice" at level 8: cap 24 + 12 × 8 = 120 crystals; interval 3600 ÷ (1 + 0.5 × 8) = 720 seconds, which is 1 every 12 minutes.
• Add "Time dilation" as well: cap 144 crystals, interval 360 seconds.

Daily goals that involve crystals

Daily goals come in 6 types: complete events, buy generators, catch encounters, use time crystals, rebirth, and read Codex cards. The "use time crystals" target comes in 3 tiers: 2 on a new save, 4 after 10 rebirths, 6 after 20. The other types scale in the same three tiers: complete events is 8, 15, 25; buy generators is 80, 200, 400; catch encounters is 2, 3, 4; read Codex cards is 1, 2, 3.

Time capsules you can buy

Crystals from time capsules never expire. They are recorded in your account first, and only enter the game when you tap "Claim all into the game" in the Time Shop. On each account's first time capsule purchase (any tier), the crystals are doubled.

These buy time and convenience, not a win. All of the game is free to play with no ads. Paying only buys time and convenience.

Supporter Edition

A one-time purchase of $9.99, with six perks:

• All output ×2. In a full-run pace simulation, finishing the game drops from about 68 days to about 41 days. Light speed and the communication time of civilization channels are physical settings and don't get faster.
• 12 more hours of offline cap.
• Crystals grow 50% faster.
• Crystal cap +12.
• 48 crystals the moment you buy, a 24-hour fast-forward.
• Three interface themes you can switch at any time: Bridge HUD, Holographic star map, Observatory. If you haven't unlocked them, you can preview them on the game's settings page.

After you buy, a thin gold line appears at the top of the game, and a gold "Supporter" badge appears next to the Time Shop button on the website. Supporter status is tied to your account on the server, so it works when you sign in on another device.

How many you get without paying

• Natural growth: 1 every 3600 seconds, at most 24 in 24 hours, about 12 hours of fast-forward (if the game stays open and you don't hit the cap).
• Daily goals: 3 × 2 + 3 = 9, about 4.5 hours of fast-forward.
• Each rebirth: 2.

So you can collect crystals steadily without paying. Time capsules are for players who want to speed that up.

Common questions

• Do bought crystals expire? No, never.
• Are bought crystals different from free ones? No. Once claimed they are added to your in-game crystal count and mix with the naturally grown ones.
• Can I claim them in batches? The shop currently offers "Claim all into the game" only.
• Can claimed crystals clash with cloud saves? No. Purchased crystals are recorded in your account and written to the game save only at the moment you claim them, then synced with the save from there on.

A way to save money

Use "Time lattice" first to raise your free crystal output and cap, then decide whether to buy a time capsule. Output beyond the cap is wasted, so rather than hoarding crystals, spend them before you get close to the cap.

(Sources: GAME.P crystalEvery, crystalWarp and crystalCap in the game data, the reward code for daily goals and rebirth, "Time lattice" in GAME.SHOP, and the web version's time capsule and Supporter Edition pricing.)