Megastructures
Megastructures are colossal constructions. Expensive and time-consuming to build or repair, these remarkable feats of engineering are nonetheless important wonders that provide large bonuses, demonstrating the technological and economic primacy of the builders' empire.
Contents
Construction[edit]
A construction ship is required to build the first stage (construction site) of any megastructure. If it has multiple stages, the following stages do not require a construction ship. All megastructures have a different texture depending on the empire that built or repaired them.
Construction Speed Bonuses[edit]
A few bonuses affect megastructure construction speed. These are highly desirable considering the great time requirements of such projects:
Master Builders ascension perk increases the build speed by +50%
Living Metal Mega-Construction edict increases the build speed by +50%
Architectural Renaissance unity ambition also increases the build speed by +50%
Using the Isolated Contingency Core relic greatly increases the build speed by +300% for 10 years
Gateways[edit]
While exploring the galaxy, empires can find abandoned gateways that were once part of a massive, galaxy-spanning network. The number of abandoned gateways can be scaled by galaxy settings. Owning a system with an inactive Gateway drastically increases the chance for the Gateway Activation technology to appear, which is required to reactivate them.
Reactivation of an abandoned gateway takes 2 years and costs 6000 energy and 2500
alloys. When a Gateway is reactivated for the first time in the galaxy, another random Gateway will also reactivate along with it.
Empires can build their own Gateways by researching the Gateway Construction technology, which requires the Empire to have encountered any pre-existing Gateways, so if Gateways were disabled during galaxy creation, it is impossible to build any new ones.
Each system can only have one Gateway. They can be constructed even in a system with an L-Gate or a wormhole. The construction site must be built outside the system gravity well and is built in 3 years and costs 100 influence and 2500
alloys. Upgrading it into a fully functional Gateway takes 5 years and costs 6000
energy and 2500
alloys.
Gateways can't be used to travel to another Gateway if the latter is owned by an Empire that has closed their border to them. Regular Empires cannot close their borders to Fallen Empires, meaning that their Gateways can always be accessed by the Fallen Empires. Systems with gateways count as bordering for the purposes of diplomacy, so every opened gate increases diplomatic tension between all active gate-owners. Claims cannot be extended through gateways. Sectors don't extend through gateways. Additionally, gateways are able to greatly enhance and simplify trade infrastructure.
Gateways can't be deactivated or destroyed once they are fully activated or constructed.
Habitats[edit]
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Available only with the Utopia DLC or the Federations DLC enabled. |
Artificial planets in all but name, habitats have a 70% Base Habitability for all species that can be built above planets. Habitats have a unique set of Districts distinct from normal planetary ones. Up to 3 Districts are shared among all Habitats, with a fourth one being available if the Habitat is built above a planet with a resource deposit. Its appearance is dependent on the builders' empire appearance. They still requires colonization but the colony develops 3 times faster on a Habitat.
Habitats can be researched and built by any empire if Utopia DLC is installed. Otherwise, it's only available to empires with the
Void Dwellers origin, which requires the
Federations DLC.
Habitats can be built by a construction ship around any regular Planet without an anomaly. Unlike other megastructures, habitats do not require a construction site and are finished in one go by the construction ship. Habitats start from 4 size, which means they can hold up to 4 districts. They can be upgraded via Decisions once all district slots were filled, and goes up to 8 size.
Size | Cost | Time | Housing buildings | Required technology |
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4 | ![]() ![]() |
1800 days | ![]() |
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6 | ![]() |
720 days | ![]() |
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8 | ![]() |
1440 days | ![]() |
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In addition, the Voidborne Ascension Perk increases their
Habitability by +20% (resulting in 90% Habitability without other modifiers) and unlock 2 building slots.
Habitats can be destroyed by a Colossus as well as Crisis factions and cannot be rebuilt once destroyed.
Multi-stage megastructures[edit]
Multi-stage megastructures are constructed in multiple stages that require the technology of the same name before they can be constructed. Empires lacking the technology can use it if they conquered one from another Empire, but they cannot upgrade it before they researched the technology. They start with a construction site that provides no benefit, however each subsequent construction phase will bring increasing bonuses, culminating with the end of the megastructure construction. Habitats and gateways can be built in the same system as multi-stage megastructures.
It is only possible to build, upgrade, or restore one multi-stage megastructures at a time. The limit can be increased by +1 for each of the following:
Master Builders ascension perk
Architectural Renaissance ambition edict
Level 5 Research Cooperative president
Multi-stage megastructures can only be built once per Empire and cannot be rebuilt if the existing one is lost control of, except for the Ring World. However, the ones conquered from other Empires as well as the ruined and restored ones found in the galaxy do not count against the limit and a conquered incomplete megastructure can still be upgraded. A system can also only host one of them.
Ring Worlds can have their habitable segments overran by a Colossus as well as Crisis factions and cannot be repaired again. Other multi-stage megastructures can't be destroyed or deactivated.
Megastructure | Stage | Production | Upkeep | Time | Cost | Notes | AP | DLC |
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Ring World![]() |
Site | None | ![]() |
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Stage I (Frame) | None | None | ![]() |
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Stage II (1 Segment) | ![]() |
None | ![]() |
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Stage III (2 Segments) | ![]() |
None | ![]() |
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Stage IV (3 Segments) | ![]() |
None | ![]() |
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Stage V (Completed) | ![]() |
None | ![]() |
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Dyson Sphere![]() |
Site | None | ![]() |
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Stage I (Frame) | None | None | ![]() |
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Stage II (Partial 25%) | ![]() |
None | ![]() |
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Stage III (Partial 50%) | ![]() |
None | ![]() |
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Stage IV (Partial 75%) | ![]() |
None | ![]() |
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Stage V (Completed) | ![]() |
None | ![]() |
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Science Nexus![]() |
Site | None | ![]() |
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Stage I (Hub) | ![]() ![]() |
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Stage II (Research Wings) | ![]() ![]() |
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Stage III (Completed) | ![]() ![]() |
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Sentry Array![]() |
Site | None | ![]() |
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Stage I (Sentry Hub) | ![]() |
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Stage II (Sentry Spire) | ![]() |
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Stage III (Sentry Aerials) | ![]() |
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Stage IV (Completed) | ![]() |
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Matter Decompressor![]() |
Site | None | ![]() |
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Stage I (Anchor) | ![]() |
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Stage II (Lensing) | ![]() |
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Stage III (Boring) | ![]() |
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Stage IV (Completed) | ![]() |
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Mega Art Installation![]() |
Site | None | ![]() |
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Stage I (Nascency) | ![]() ![]() |
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Stage II (Maturity) | ![]() ![]() |
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Stage III (Completed) | ![]() ![]() |
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Stage IV (Perfection) | ![]() ![]() |
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Strategic Coordination Center![]() |
Site | None | ![]() |
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Stage I (Hull) | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Stage II (Comms) | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Stage III (Completed) | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Interstellar Assembly![]() |
Site | None | ![]() |
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Stage I (Locus) | ![]() ![]() |
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Stage II (Consul Ring) | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Stage III (Forum Modules) | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Stage IV (Completed) | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Mega Shipyard![]() |
Site | None | ![]() |
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Stage I (Framework) | ![]() ![]() |
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Stage II (Core) | ![]() ![]() |
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Stage III (Complete) | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Ruined megastructures[edit]
A ruined version of a multi-stage megastructure can be found while exploring the galaxy, with the larger galaxies having a chance to spawn more ruined megastructures. Repairing them only requires the Mega-Engineering technology. If not yet researched, owning a system with a ruined megastructure also grants a x20 weight for
Mega-Engineering to appear as a researchable technology.
While they upgrade from their broken to a fully functional state in one step, they do not count for any achievements. However, they do not count against any build limit for that particular megastructure either.
Conquerable Ringworlds[edit]
Up to 8 ringworlds can spawn naturally in a game in various states. Damaged segments can be repaired with the Mega-Engineering technology for the same cost as finishing a new segment.
- 1 in the Sanctuary system. All 4 habitable sections are intact and each contains one pre-FTL civilization, none advanced beyond Steam Age. The system was abandoned by an Enigmatic Observer Fallen Empire but contains automated defense platforms totaling over 50k fleet power.
- 1 in the Cybrex Alpha system. It requires completing the Cybrex precursor event chain. The ringworld is completely ruined and requires repairs on each section.
- 1 in the Cybrex Beta system. It will only be revealed if the Contingency sterilizes 20% of the galaxy. A short time after the Contingency is defeated, the Cybrex will leave the galaxy, leaving the ringworld free for the taking.
- 1 in a random empty system if
Utopia DLC is activated. It is completely ruined and each section requires repairing. If the
Distant Stars DLC is activated as well the system has a 50% chance to contain an unique anomaly.
- 3 in the systems of the Ancient Caretakers if
Synthetic Dawn DLC is activated. The ringworld in the home system has 3 intact and one ruined section while the other two ringworlds are completely ruined and require each section to be repaired separately. If the Contingency appears and the Ancient Caretakers awaken to defend the galaxy, they will also disappear like the Cybrex once the Contingency is defeated, leaving their systems free for the taking.
- Each empire with the
Shattered Ring origin starts in a ringworld system with an intact segment and two damaged ones. By default only one empire with the origin can be generated but force-spawning will ignore the limit.
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