Conduit

Conduit is a liquid-transport block used to move fluids in a single forward direction. It functions as a basic pipeline segment for liquids and is commonly paired with pumps and other Conduits to form longer transport lines between sources, processors, and storage. Conduit is part of the game's core logistics tools for handling fluids and is used wherever liquids must be routed across a base or battlefield.

Conduit passes liquid only in its facing direction, so orientation matters when laying pipes; chains of Conduits create unbroken one-way flow until a pump, junction, or tank changes pressure or direction. Conduits are typically used to connect drills and reservoirs to refineries, to feed turrets and blocks that consume fluids, or to route hazardous liquids away from important infrastructure. They form the simplest building block of any fluid network and are essential for setups that require steady directional flow without active pumping.

Placement has terrain-dependent restrictions. When placed on 'deep water' terrain, a Conduit requires at least one adjacent non-corner tile (north, south, east, or west) to be either a shallow-water-type tile or a non-liquid tile; this prevents placement in fully submerged deep pools. The same adjacency requirement applies when a Conduit is placed directly on tiles containing certain liquid floors: Slag, Tar, Arkycite, or Cryofluid. In those cases the Conduit also needs at least one orthogonally adjacent tile that is shallow water or non-liquid. These constraints mean that Conduits cannot be freely tiled over deep-liquid surfaces or specialized liquid floors unless neighboring terrain meets the adjacency condition.

Practical notes and strategies:

• Use Conduits as the passive backbone of fluid systems and place Pumps at strategic points to move liquid uphill, boost flow rate, or pull from storage; pumps and Conduits combine to form controlled long-distance delivery.
• Because Conduits are directional, plan routes with correct facing to avoid accidental backflow or dead-end branches; junctions and pumps can be used to merge or split flows.
• When building near bodies of Deep Water or over tiles of Slag, Tar, Arkycite, or Cryofluid, check adjacency rules before placement; leave or create at least one adjacent shallow/non-liquid tile so Conduits can be placed and connected.
• For compact layouts, layer pumps and Conduits to regulate throughput; Conduits alone do not actively pump, so without pumps a downstream demand must draw fluid through passive flow.
• Conduits are inexpensive core components and should be used liberally for predictable, stable liquid routing; reserve more complex blocks (pumps, routers) for control, not basic runs.