Ndemic Creations brought Plague Inc: Evolved out of Early Access on 18 February 2016, rebuilding the 2012 mobile game with a larger world map, custom scenarios and Steam Workshop support. You seed one of seven standard plague types in a single country and spend DNA points across Transmission, Symptoms and Abilities until every country on Earth is infected. The cure runs on its own clock funded by wealthy nations, so the entire game is a race between an infection curve you control and a research bar you can only slow.
Resource management and crafting determine how quickly your power scales. This guide covers what to prioritize, where to farm, and how to avoid wasting resources on the wrong upgrades.
Crafting Priority List
The order you should invest resources:
| Priority | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Primary equipment | Biggest damage increase per resource spent |
| 2 | Core build gear | Enables your build's key combinations |
| 3 | Defensive upgrades | Survivability for boss fights |
| 4 | Secondary equipment | Situational options for specific content |
| 5 | Consumables | Temporary boosts for hard content |
Resource Farming by Area
Saudi Arabia
Key resources: Fast air spread, land borders and a slow detection curve Farming efficiency: Low value per run, but safe and consistent
Focus on gathering materials for Water 2 upgrades here. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
India
Key resources: Very fast raw infection numbers and cheap DNA income Farming efficiency: Good early-game farming spot
Focus on gathering materials for Water 2 upgrades here. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
China
Key resources: Population volume plus international connections Farming efficiency: Best mid-game farming, worth revisiting
Focus on gathering materials for Water 2 upgrades here. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
South Africa
Key resources: Early sea routes toward Madagascar and the southern islands Farming efficiency: High-value materials for late-game upgrades
This is where you farm materials for Air 2 max upgrades. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
Greenland
Key resources: The hardest legitimate opening in the standard game Farming efficiency: Best resources in the game, requires strong build
This is where you farm materials for Air 2 max upgrades. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
Upgrade Path
Early Game (Saudi Arabia to India)
- Upgrade your starting equipment to functional level
- Craft basic defensive gear
- Save specialty materials, since you'll need them later
- Focus on Water 2 once accessible
Mid Game (China)
- Push Water 2 to mid-level upgrades
- Start collecting materials for Air 2
- Craft situational consumables for boss fights
- Upgrade build-specific gear pieces
Late Game (South Africa to Greenland)
Crafting Mistakes to Avoid
- Spreading upgrades across multiple equipment: Focus one weapon to max before diversifying.
- Hoarding materials: Use them. The game provides enough if you farm efficiently.
- Upgrading the wrong gear: Check our builds guide before investing.
- Ignoring China farming: This area has the best resource-to-time ratio in mid-game.
- Crafting consumables too early: Save specialty materials for late-game recipes.
Resource Efficiency Tips
- The sequence that beats every difficulty is the same one: buy transmission and resistances until every country is infected, devolve stray symptoms as they appear, then evolve the entire lethality package in one burst. Losses on Brutal and above almost always trace back to evolving a cough too early.
- Farm China during mid-game for the best return on time
- Check the walkthrough to know when each resource becomes available
- Match your farming route to your build. Some classes farm faster in certain areas
More Plague Inc: Evolved Guides
- Plague Inc: Evolved Plague Inc: Evolved Overview
- Plague Inc: Evolved Best Builds
- Plague Inc: Evolved Tier List
- Plague Inc: Evolved Walkthrough
- Plague Inc: Evolved Beginner's Guide
- Plague Inc: Evolved Tips & Tricks
- Plague Inc: Evolved Weapons Guide
- Plague Inc: Evolved Combat Guide
- Plague Inc: Evolved Boss Guide
- Plague Inc: Evolved Maps & Locations
- Plague Inc: Evolved Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Plague Inc: Evolved, check out these related guides:
- Sid Meier's Civilization V Crafting Guide: strategy game with similar mechanics
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Crafting Guide: strategy game with similar mechanics
- RimWorld Crafting Guide: strategy game with similar mechanics
