Core: Shard

Core: Shard is a planetary core block used to store items, provide build capacity and produce a core unit. It functions as the primary base component for factory and defensive infrastructure on its home planet and interacts with unit caps and launching requirements like other cores. On maps where Shard appears it is meant to be built alongside other cores rather than as a single central hub.

Cores of the same family as Shard behave differently from the Serpulo-style cores in two important ways. First, their maximum number of active units does not increase between higher-tier cores; the unit cap remains constant across tiers. Second, the build cost for each higher tier exceeds the item capacity of the previous tier, so players are expected to construct multiple cores on a map to expand storage and building throughput. These cores also come with armor values, making them more survivable against direct attack than unarmored cores.

Shard-family cores automatically remove (incinerate) any items that are not consumed by block construction or other allowed uses; this prevents indefinite item accumulation in the core and enforces active use of stored resources. When upgrading a core to a larger tier on maps of this family, the core zone requirements are strict: an upgrade will only succeed if the core zone covers every tile that the upgraded core would occupy. This makes correct placement and planning of core zones essential to upgrade progression.

Compared to Serpulo cores, which increase both item capacity and the maximum active units with each tier, Shard-style cores emphasize distributed capacity and survivability rather than raising unit caps. In campaign progression, certain launches to numbered sectors require the departing sector to possess at least a core of an appropriate class; the cost of that core can affect whether a launch is possible even if the core itself does not appear in the block selection UI.

Practical notes for using Shard-family cores:

• Plan multiple cores: because later-tier build costs outstrip previous-tier capacities, deploying several cores across your base keeps production and storage balanced.
• Place core zones carefully before upgrading: ensure the upgrade zone covers every tile the larger core will occupy, or the upgrade will fail.
• Protect cores with armor in mind: although these cores have armor, they remain high-value targets; layered defense around each core is advisable.
• Manage item flow to avoid waste: items not used for construction are incinerated, so route excess resources into useful production or storage elsewhere to prevent loss.
• Remember campaign costs: the existence and cost of a required core can affect sector launches even when the block is not selectable in the build menu.