Stellaris Overloard DLC gave us some important changes to Stellaris Gameplay. One of those changes is adding Hyper Relays to the game. We noticed that many players are still confused about how these things actually work and specifically, whether are they worth your time (and game resources).
We will get into a detailed explanation of what Hyper Relays are but for now, let’s just say it like this: Hyperlanes are your highways, Hyper Relays are your high-speed rails and Gateways are your airports in your Stellaris empire. Hopefully, this gives you some perspective on what Hyper Relays are – if not, check out the detailed description below.
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What are Hyper Relays?
Technically speaking, Hyper Relays are considered Stellaris Megastructures. They work similarly to regular Hyperlanes – just much, much faster. The exact speed depends on your fleet speed but overall, we can say that, from our experience, Hyper Relays are almost four times faster than regular Hyperlanes. In order for Hyper Relays to work, they have to be connected to adjacent star systems, much like regular Hyperlanes.
However, in the star system in which you are building it, unlike Hyperlanes, you can select the position for your Hyper Relay. Now, this may seem useless but in certain star systems where FTL travel is slowed down (like nebulous systems or neutron star systems), this can turn out to be quite an advantage so be sure to position them in the right way. You will easily notice Hyper Relays on your galaxy map as they are shown as thicker white lines compared to regular Hyperlane lines.
How to build Hyper Relays?
Before you can start building Hyper Relays, you need to research Hyper Relays technology. Now, this can be tricky as the technology that is required is rare (purple) meaning that it’s not guaranteed that you will get it (or at least that you will get it on time). There are certain things that you can do in order to increase the odds of obtaining the tech.
Check out the list of things to do in order to obtain Hyper Relay technology faster:
- Get Expansion Stellaris Tradition
- Set Physics leader with Particles expertise
- Research Hyperlane Breach Point technology (tier 1)
- Research FTL Inhibition technology (tier 1)
- Be in a Federation which either has a member with Hyper Relay technology or the federation has a Scientific Inspiration Perk
- Take Grasp the Void Ascension Perk
- Somehow get a ruined or a working Hyper Relay in your empire
Once you research the Hyper Relays tech, you can easily build it in any star system you control. You can right-click and build it from the galaxy view or you can select the exact position of your Hyper Relay in a designated star system. Build time is rather fast, it takes exactly one year to build one. The cost for each Hyper Relay is 25 influence, 500 alloys, and 100 rare crystals. As you can guess, the crystals will be the main issue if you have a large empire and want to expand your relay network through it.
How to use Stellaris Hyper Relay?
As we mentioned earlier, Hyper Relays connect nearby star systems together. Note that you can’t connect star systems that have not been previously connected by regular Hyperlanes – in other words, you can’t make new paths outside existing Hyperlane systems. This is the main reason why some people consider relays to be useless – but there are ways in which you can further utilize them.
First of all, you shouldn’t just set up relays in every part of your empire – try to connect the main points which will ultimately increase your fleet effectiveness. Keep in mind that if you have a relay in the system, you don’t have to use the Hyperlane point – so, if you are planning an attack from a certain point, put relays closer to the spot where your fleet enters the star system that has disrupted FTL speed. In this way, the relays will be even more effective – but only in one direction. Furthermore, use relays as a backup in case the approach to your closest Gateway system is disrupted. This is especially useful when dealing with nasty types of mid-game crisis such as Great Khan. If you need more advice and war tactics, take a look at our Stellaris Ship Design Guide.
Using Hyper Relays Edicts
Once you build Hyper Relays, you will get three new edicts that you can use:
- Network Dominance: Stability +3 for a 0.1 exotic gas upkeep cost per relay
- Network Amenities: 10% Decrease in pop amenities usage for 0.1 crystal upkeep cost per relay
- Network movement: Resettlement cost -50%, automatic resettlement chance +25% for a 0.1 volatile motes upkeep cost per relay
Note that activating relay edicts will only have an effect on systems that have relays built. That is another thing to pay attention to when deciding where to build your Hyper Relay network.
Are Hyper Relays in Stellaris worth it?
Generally speaking, if you obtain Hyper Relays technology early on, somewhere in the early stages of mid-game, they are pretty useful. You will be able to effectively speed up your gameplay and provide additional support, especially in terms of defensive maneuvers. For example, if you have an invading fleet coming towards systems that are connected to your Hyper Relay network, you can utilize the speed they give you and engage parts of their fleet, avoiding mass encounters. The same goes with end-game crisis – you will be able to pick up the enemy vanguard and deal with it before the main forces arrive if you use the relay system correctly. Hopefully, we have put some light on the ways to use Stellaris Hyper Relay mechanics.
