4: Socketing Weapons
If you already have sockets in your weapons, good for you! Just buy some refined potency gems, and socket them in to get an easy 3 potency for fewer than 70 ZPs. If not, it will cost you a bit more, 3 red stars for the first socket, and 10 red stars for the second socket. Now, unless your weapon is already an ultra, socketing the weapon would not be worthwhile, as the cost for socketing is more than its market value. An alternative would be to buy an already socketed weapon (which, actually, is cheaper).

Cost depends on which method is used.

5: Getting Ultras
Ultras are what almost every person in Zero wants, but (most) will never get. A big step up from elites, they give 15 potency (30 if it's a 2h weapon), 7 more than elites (15 more if it's a 2h weapon). Ultra weapons are most likely the first ultras you should buy, since they give the cheapest potency out of all the ultras. Depending on which ultra you are buying or making, the cost will vary. Ultra one handed swords are as cheap as 1,000 ZPs, while ultra inner gears may cost you around 1,900 ZPs (both of these prices are based on "clean" items, no super-additions or sockets). If you decide to make them, beware of the success rates of each of star. Red Stars (~130 ZPs) have a 5% success rate (elite to ultra), Blue Stars (~650 ZPs) have a 25% success rate, and Dark Stars (~2500 ZPs) never fail. Which method should you choose? It's up to you; if you think you are a lucky person, you may want to try to make your own ultras, but if bad luck follows you everywhere, you may want to consider buying the ultras.

Cost is dependent on which method is used.

6: Socketing Outer and Inner Gears
Since each core you use to socket an inner/outer gear only gives 4 socket power, it will be 1500 cores later that you get your first socket on them. This might take up to weeks, depending on how long you grind every day. Socket devices also socket your gears, but come with a hefty price tag of 1800 ZPs and up. After socketing an outer gear, pop in a refined potency gem to get the most out of the socket, and with inner gears, placing in attack gems or defense gems is up to you.

7: Upgrading Pilot Rank
Every once in a while, you may find that you are sitting around in Steel Warship with nothing to do besides walking around in circles. You may have also noticed that after the rank of Lt. Gen, monsters no longer give rank exp after you kill them. This leaves only 2 options for upgrading your pilot rank: exp recorders and missions. Now, every time you find yourself wandering around Steel Warship, feel free to sign up for a mission and get some rank exp, and after a few weeks, you just might find that you have gained another potency from leveling up. If you have the ZPs to spare, a few exp recorders on your pilot will help you get rank exp even faster.

8: Fleet
You may be wondering: why is fleet last on this list? Doesn't it give free potency? Yes, while being in a fleet with the max potency will give you a decent amount of potency (40 for a captain), it takes time to decide which fleet is right for you. Experiment around with fleets, and when you've found a fleet you like, stay in it, and then you can fully enjoy the potency benefits.

Well, this marks the end of the guide for gaining potency as cheaply as possible. While I cannot guarantee that you will have high potency after reading this guide, I will promise that you will get the cheapest potency possible if you follow my suggestions. Thanks for taking your time to read this guide! Good luck!

-- Zeph --