Core: Nucleus

Core: Nucleus is a type of core block used to store items, serve as the faction’s primary base anchor, and determine launch/sector requirements in campaign maps. Cores increase the item capacity available to a base and also affect the maximum number of active units allowed; they must be present and appropriately sized to expand or upgrade a base on planetary maps. Building larger cores increases storage and survivability but also changes strategic requirements and costs depending on the planet.

On Serpulo, cores scale primarily by increasing item capacity and by granting more maximum active units with each tier. The three common Serpulo core sizes and their basic stats are: 3×3 with 1100 health and 4000 item capacity that grants +8 max active units; 4×4 with 3500 health and 9000 item capacity that grants +16 max active units; and 5×5 with 6900 health and 13000 item capacity that grants +24 max active units. In the campaign, launching into numbered sectors requires the departing sector to have at least a core of the appropriate tier; the launch cost depends on that core even though the core itself may not appear in the block selection UI.

On Erekir, cores behave differently. Their maximum active units do not increase between tiers — each listed tier provides +15 max active units — so the design intends players to build multiple cores across a map for additional capacity rather than relying on a single progressively larger core. Erekir cores also possess armor values and a much higher health scaling: a 4×4 has 4500 health and 5 armor with 2000 item capacity; a 5×5 has 16000 health and 10 armor with 3000 item capacity; and a 6×6 has 30000 health and 15 armor with 4000 item capacity. On Erekir, cores will incinerate items that are not used to build blocks (items left inside a core zone but not consumed by construction are destroyed), and core zones must lie beneath every tile that an upgraded core would occupy in order to perform an upgrade.

Practical notes and strategy:

• Choose larger Serpulo cores when you need a single high-capacity hub and want higher limits on active units from one structure. Serpulo cores reward upgrading a single core for unit cap increases.
• On Erekir, plan for multiple cores across your base because each core tier caps active units at the same value; spreading storage and redundancy is more important than a single mega-core.
• Protect cores: Erekir cores have armor and much greater health on higher tiers, but they remain prime targets; place defenses and consider redundancy or spatial separation to avoid losing all capacity to a single attack.
• When upgrading on Erekir, ensure core zones (the designated ground areas for core placement/upgrade) cover every tile of the eventual upgraded core footprint; failing to do so prevents an upgrade.
• Remember campaign launch mechanics: the departing sector must meet the core requirement for the destination sector; confirm core tier and associated launch cost before attempting inter-sector travel.