Every contested sector (Zeta System, Alcyone Veil, Earendel and the Crucible) has a mining station. It starts in the hands of the Custodians, and either faction can go after it.
How to take it
The station is assaulted from the bottom up, one section at a time: domes, wheel, column, ring and, last, the command bridge. Each section is protected until the one below it falls, and the wheel and the ring carry missile and laser turrets.
When the bridge falls, the station doesn’t explode: it changes hands.
- It goes to the faction that dealt the most damage over the whole assault, and within that faction to the clan that contributed most.
- If pilots without a clan take it, it belongs to the faction with no clan. Any clan of that faction can claim it: one member just has to hold 60 seconds within 600 units of the bridge. Enemies nearby, or members of two clans at once, pause the bar.
- A conquered station never goes back to the Custodians: from then on the two factions fight over it. There is no offline protection: if nobody defends it, it’s lost.
Ethernium: the clan’s currency
The owning clan earns Ethernium, a new resource that goes into the clan fund, not into anyone’s pocket.
- Transports leave the sector’s large asteroids every 15 minutes, with two escorts, and haul their cargo to the station. The longer the route and the richer the sector, the bigger the load.
- Starting fund: conquering or claiming a station gives the clan 3,000 Ethernium.
- Raids: the enemy faction can shoot transports down and keep part of the cargo. The owning clan is warned when one is under attack.
The fund is spent by the leader and the new treasurer role. Every expense goes into the clan’s ledger, visible to all members.
Build and upgrade
The station is managed piece by piece from the Clan tab:
| Level | Paid with | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Nexite from the leader or treasurer | The piece at reduced strength, so any clan can start on day one |
| Level 2 | Ethernium from the fund | The piece at full strength |
Level 2 sections can also get armor, damage can be repaired between assaults, and anything destroyed is rebuilt at half price. A level 2 station has weekly upkeep: if the fund can’t cover it, its turrets hit like level 1 until it’s paid.
What the clan can buy
- Weekly perks for the whole clan: +5% damage, +5% hull, +10% mining or +10% experience.
- Supplies: boosters and inhibitors for Nexite instead of Elisium, five of each per pilot.
- Bullet and engine designs gifted to a member from the fund.
And it counts for the war
Destroying sections, turrets, transports and escorts earns War Points, and every station your faction holds at the daily close adds to the weekly score.
