Defense Contractor
$26.4Sp base cost · $16.6Qa/sec
Business Overview
Big budgets, bigger returns.
The Defense Contractor sits comfortably in the middle of the pack: cheap enough to stack early, strong enough to matter later.
Cost Scaling
Every business in Tycoon Cards uses the same cost curve: each copy costs 15% more than the last. For the Defense Contractor, that looks like this:
| Copies owned | Cost of next copy | Total spent to reach this many |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $30.3Sp | $26.4Sp |
| 10 | $107Sp | $535Sp |
| 25 | $868Sp | $5.61Oc |
| 50 | $28.6Oc | $190Oc |
| 100 | $31.0No | $206No |
Income Scaling
Income scales linearly with copies owned — no diminishing returns, ever. Owning more of the Defense Contractor always earns proportionally more:
| Copies owned | Income per second |
|---|---|
| 1 | $16.6Qa/s |
| 10 | $166Qa/s |
| 25 | $414Qa/s |
| 50 | $829Qa/s |
| 100 | $1.66Qi/s |
Profit Calculations
| Payback period (1st copy) | 1,590,256,898 seconds |
| Income per dollar spent | $0.0/s per $1 |
| Efficient switch point | Around copy #4 (when the next copy costs more than Satellite Network) |
See the Business Tier List for how this business ranks against all other 99 tiers by payback period.
Unlock Requirements
There is no gating system on businesses in Tycoon Cards — the Defense Contractor is available to purchase from the very start of any run, the moment you can afford its $26.4Sp base cost. The only realistic "requirement" is reaching that amount of money, either by clicking, by owning cheaper businesses, or by carrying prestige and card bonuses from a previous run.
Best Upgrades
Individual businesses don't have their own upgrade trees in Tycoon Cards — the Defense Contractor always earns exactly $16.6Qa per copy at base rate. What actually "upgrades" its value are the game's shared systems: levelling supporting cards (below), earning achievement bonuses, and increasing your prestige multiplier. Each of these applies as a percentage on top of every business you own, including this one.
Best Supporting Cards
At this tier, all-income and passive-income cards deliver the biggest absolute gains, since a percentage bonus on a high-earning business is worth far more in raw dollars than the same percentage on a cheap early tier.
Prestige Recommendations
Reaching this tier is typically a late-run or veteran-account milestone. If you're here, you're likely earning enough lifetime income to justify a prestige reset for a meaningful batch of prestige points.
Read the full Prestige Guide for general reset timing, or the Prestige Point Planning guide to calculate exactly how many points your next reset will earn.
Research Interactions
Tycoon Cards does not currently include a research-tree system — the Defense Contractor cannot be researched or unlocked through any mechanic beyond simply affording it. A research tree is listed as a possible future system on our Updates & Roadmap page; this section will be updated if that ever changes.
Evolution Path (Tier Progression)
Businesses in Tycoon Cards don't evolve or transform — each tier is a permanent, independent business. What we can show honestly is this business's place in the overall 100-tier progression:
- Previous tier: 💎 Sovereign Wealth Fund ($17.0Sp base cost)
- This tier: 🛰️ Defense Contractor ($26.4Sp base cost)
- Next tier: 🛸 Satellite Network ($40.9Sp base cost)
Visual Progression
The five tiers surrounding the Defense Contractor in the business roster:
Best Strategies
- Reserved for veteran accounts with substantial prestige multipliers — the cost only makes sense once your income bonuses are well developed.
- Treat owning this tier as a long-term goal for a run rather than something to rush toward immediately after a prestige reset.
- Remember that all businesses share the same 15%-per-copy cost curve, so the fundamental buy/hold maths never changes — only the absolute numbers do.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Defense Contractor cost?
+
How much does the Defense Contractor cost?
+The first copy costs 26,363,641,566,582,660,000,000,000 in-game dollars. Each subsequent copy costs 15% more than the last, following the same cost curve used by every business in Tycoon Cards.
How much does the Defense Contractor earn?
+
How much does the Defense Contractor earn?
+Each copy of the Defense Contractor earns 16,578,228,085,456,946 per second, before any card, achievement, or prestige bonuses are applied.
How long does it take for the Defense Contractor to pay for itself?
+
How long does it take for the Defense Contractor to pay for itself?
+At base rates, one copy pays back its own cost in approximately 1,590,256,898 seconds — though bonuses from cards and prestige typically shorten this in practice.
When should I switch from the Defense Contractor to Satellite Network?
+
When should I switch from the Defense Contractor to Satellite Network?
+Once you own around 4 copies of the Defense Contractor, the cost of your next copy will exceed Satellite Network's base price — a reasonable signal to start diversifying into that tier instead.
Does prestige reset my Defense Contractor count?
+
Does prestige reset my Defense Contractor count?
+Yes. Prestiging resets all business ownership, including the Defense Contractor, back to zero. However, any cards or achievements that boost this business's income remain permanently in effect on your next run.
Related Businesses
Related Guides
- Business Guide — full roster, cost curves and buy order
- Business Tier List — every business ranked by return on investment
- Economy Guide — how growth curves and inflation work game-wide
- Prestige Guide — when and how to reset for permanent bonuses
Changelog
- v1.2.0 (April 2026) — Added as part of the business expansion from 10 to 100 tiers.
Business data verified against the live game configuration · Part of the 100-business encyclopedia · Written by the Tycoon Cards development team