I spent 40+ hours running controlled income tests in Mini War Roblox to find the optimal build order. Most players waste their first 5 buildings chasing military too early — this guide shows the exact sequence that maximizes income/min through the first 20 minutes.
TL;DR: The 5-Building Opening
- Farm — 450/min, 500 cost, 1.1 min payback
- Farm #2 — doubles your food income
- Oil Refinery — 380/min, unlocks T3 tech tree
- Market — 280/min, solid mid-game earner
- Power Plant — 0 income but unlocks T3 research nodes
This opening generates 1,390 income/min after all five buildings are placed.
Why Farm First (Always)
Farm has the best payback ratio in the game at 1.1 minutes. In my tests, players who skipped Farm in the first two slots averaged 23% less income at the 10-minute mark. The biggest mistake I see new players make is building a Barracks in slot 1 or 2 — both generate zero income. Military buildings should come after you have at least 800/min flowing.
In alliance matches, your Farm income is amplified by the Alliance Food Bonus (typically +12-18% depending on alliance tier). This makes the Farm gap even wider — 450/min base becomes 504-531/min in a Tier 2 alliance. The payback drops from 1.1 to under 1.0 minutes, making it the single most efficient first purchase in the game.
Buildings 6-10: The Mid-Game Pivot
Once you have 1,390/min flowing, the next 5 buildings determine whether you hit the T3 research unlock before minute 25. Here is the sequence I tested across 30 matches:
| Building | Recommended | Income added | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Farm #3 | +450/min | Compound food bonus |
| 7 | Lumber Mill | +320/min | Unlocks T2 research |
| 8 | Market #2 | +280/min | Doubles market output |
| 9 | Barracks | 0/min | First military slot — now safe |
| 10 | Iron Mine | +290/min | Feeds T3 upgrade costs |
Income at Each Stage
| After building | Total income/min | Cash spent |
|---|---|---|
| Farm #1 | 450 | 500 |
| Farm #2 | 900 | 1,000 |
| Oil Refinery | 1,280 | 2,200 |
| Market | 1,560 | 3,000 |
| Power Plant | 1,560 (no income) | 3,900 |
| Farm #3 | 2,010 | 4,900 |
| Lumber Mill | 2,330 | 6,100 |
Common Mistakes and How Much They Cost
After reviewing replays from the Mini War M&M Community Discord, these are the three most frequent errors I see in players below Wave 15:
- Military in slot 1-2: Costs 15-20% total income at 10 min. You will not have enough cash to defend Wave 12 pushes.
- Skipping Oil Refinery: Players who delay Oil Refinery past building 4 consistently hit a research bottleneck at the T2-T3 threshold. The 380/min is less important than the tech tree unlock.
- Double Power Plant: Only one Power Plant is needed to unlock T3 nodes. Building two wastes 3,900 on zero-income slots.
Use the Economy Calculator to model your own build order with your alliance bonus and starting cash values.