Maps

The galaxy has 77 maps in three layers: each unit's own region of ten maps (forty in all), twelve shared maps (including the Remnants of the Ringwrights and the Touchstone), the Station Region between them (the Ring Eye and four maps for every unit, seventeen in all) and eight deep-space maps on the outside. Maps are linked by gates; fly to a gate and press Gate (J). No map has a level requirement; as you move on, the enemies, the rewards and the danger all grow.

Rules

• Station Region (the Ring Eye and every unit's Centre, Entry, Left and Right maps): free-for-all, no Honor penalty; the creatures drop Ring Essence (most in the Ring Eye). You enter from each unit's Frontier Line; the Corp buildings come in a later update.
• Safe maps: on X-1, X-2 and X-3 nobody fires on anybody, and only pilots of your own unit can enter. Inside the station ring of X-1 (once docked) your ship repairs 25% per second; the “Sell Plunder / Dust / Cores” button works anywhere in space (cargo is never sold by itself), but while you are in combat, meaning for 10 s after you take damage or fire, selling is locked.
• The PvP maps of a unit's region (X-4 to the Frontier Line): pilots of other units can shoot you. The 900-unit circle around the inner gates is protected for pilots of your own unit; owner pilots below level 10 are out of PvP in their own region. Home advantage: in your own region Home Shield protects you (on X-4: damage taken ×0.85, shield repair ×1.5); it fades the further you get from home and is absent on each unit's Frontier Line map. In a foreign region the damage you deal to pilots and your shield repair are reduced (not against creatures).
• The Touchstone: only fights against other units. The shared region (the Gate maps, the Frontier Line, the Broken Belt, Crooked Scale, the Narrows) and deep space (the Shroud and beyond): free-for-all. The dead-end pockets (twelve maps) have a single gate; the Drop and the Flight are one-way gates. The Notorious Boss spawns every 15 minutes on one of the four units' Frontier Line maps, with a one-minute warning.
• The Crown War (the Touchstone, every full hour, 15 min): while a war runs there is a power cap: power up to 200,000 counts in full, 10% of what is above it counts (300 K → 210 K, 2 M → 380 K), against creatures and the base batteries too. Everyone who takes part wins Grand War Chests (at least 1, winners at least 2): pilots of the winning unit are paid by performance score, in a war that starts on weekdays 17:00-02:00 or from Friday 17:00 until Monday 02:00 1st gets 10, then 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, then everyone gets 2; in a war that starts at any other time every line of that table is capped at 3 (3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2); those who took part for a losing unit get 1. The chests come even if no rival turns up (a unit that takes the beacons alone wins too). To take part, stay at least 6 min on the Touchstone and join the fight: help capture a beacon (stand in its ring for at least 10 s), or land even one real hit on an enemy pilot, or kill one. The score counts the real damage you dealt, your kills, time in a beacon ring and time on the map. Only the best pilot of one account or connection counts. You can join as many wars as you like: there is no daily win limit, every war you win pays the rank chests. When you lose a war, the participation chest always comes. Each chest holds the same rolls as a Grand Wormhole Chest (by the highest Wormhole level you have cleared, at most level 2; the card only says "Level") and pays +20 Honor on top when it is opened; it opens at a calm moment, decrypted like a capsule.
• Gates and arrival: come within 140 units of a gate and press Jump (J): a 2.5-second crossing begins. Your ship holds still, cannot fire or use skills, but can be hit (a hit does not cancel the crossing; if your ship falls, it falls on the map you were on). Then you appear right inside the matching gate on the other side (gate to gate) and cannot use another gate for 5 seconds. You cannot use a gate in combat (within 8 s of your last hit).
• Map edge: an invisible boundary, not a wall. If you go past it, your ship loses 2% of its maximum armor per second (shield does not count); turn back.
• Respawns: enemies come back after 12 s and ring shard crates after 90 s. Each pilot gets the full reward from the first 2 crates in 120 s, and 10% from any beyond that.

Unit maps

The ten maps of the four units follow the same layout: X-1 is the start, X-2 and X-3 are safe, X-4 is the first PvP map, then come the Threshold, the Midway, a Pocket, the Outer Way (it leads out to the Gate of the shared region), another Pocket, and the Frontier Line on the ring between the units. If you have reached the shared region before you die, you respawn at the Frontier Line outpost.

the Dawnsworn

the Surety Corps

the Current Guard

the Anvil Guard

Shared maps

Station Region

The Ring Eye and four maps for every unit (Centre, Entry, Left, Right): free-for-all, no Honor penalty, the creatures drop Ring Essence. The Entry opens from the unit's Frontier Line; the Centre joins the Ring Eye, and one unit's Right map opens onto the next unit's Left map.

Map details

A short introduction to every map:

Solari-1

Safe · no PvP Safe zone · your unit's base

The Hegemony's last lighthouse in the west and the Dawnsworn's main system. Safe region: the Dawnsworn protect their own, and no other unit's pilot may pass. The Exiles come to put the lamps out and stay outside the circle.

Solari-2

Safe · no PvP Safe zone

The second stop on the Lamplight Road: regular shifts, lamps close together. Safe region: no foreign unit may enter. The Exiles slip in only to scavenge; an oath-breaker cannot bear the lamplight.

Solari-3

Safe · no PvP Safe zone

The end of the pilgrim road that faces the dark. Safe region: only the Dawnsworn may enter, no PvP. The Oathless come out of the Shadow Camps through this gate, looking for the place where their oath ended.

Solari-4

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Invasion · unit-vs-unit PvP

The last lamp on the Lamplight Road; across it lies Tenebra. The farthest border: enemy units may enter and an Exile captain shows himself now and then. The Solari hold the light here because beyond it the scriptures have nothing to say.

Addendum

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Threshold · first PvP map

The addendum plate of the Treaty; a seal before the Solari gate and a line behind the seal. Pilots of the units meet here, and nobody grants anybody a right.

Dead Lamp

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Pocket · dead end · unit-vs-unit PvP

A waystation lamp the Treaty put out; the light is gone, the keeper's strongbox remains. One gate only: whoever goes in leaves by it. The lamp keeper is still on watch.

Blackdawn

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Outer way · exit to the Gate · unit-vs-unit PvP

The camp where the Oathless turned the dawn round; the last dark the Dawnsworn ever saw. The Belt's western crew drops anchor here; free-for-all.

Nameless Door

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Pocket · dead end · unit-vs-unit PvP

A refuge where nobody asks about your old oath; no name on the door, one in the vault. A one-gate pocket; the Sentinel never asks who comes.

Lantern Plain

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Midway · unit-vs-unit PvP

The wide plain behind the Threshold; the light of the Solari lamps barely reaches it. Home pilots fight with an advantage, strangers under a penalty.

Dawn Line

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Frontier Line · ring between the units · outpost

Solari's edge of the ring between the races. The outpost lamp stays lit: this is where you come back from the dead. Pilots of the neighbouring units slip in along the ring.

Kaeris-1

Safe · no PvP Safe zone · your unit's base

An old mining colony in the shadow of a fallen Ring shard and the Surety Corps' main system. Safe region: the Corps guard their own ledger, and no foreign unit may pass. Looters fall in here, fleeing their debts.

Kaeris-2

Safe · no PvP Safe zone

The second system of Shard Shadow: counters, debt bureaus, lined-up convoys. Safe region: no foreign unit may enter. The Exiles count the convoys and wait further up the road to hit them.

Kaeris-3

Safe · no PvP Safe zone

Beyond Oskel lies the Exile Rift. Safe region: only Surety pilots may enter, no PvP. The Debtless try to win back their struck-off names on this border.

Kaeris-4

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Invasion · unit-vs-unit PvP

The last system of Shard Shadow; its name means the place where an account is closed. The farthest border: enemy units may enter, heavy Exile hulls prowl and, rarely, a captain with them. The collector fleets go no farther.

Duplicate

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Threshold · first PvP map

The plate of the Treaty's second copy; the Kaeris gate is sealed here. The roads along both sides of the ring cross, and an ambush can come from either.

Estate

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Pocket · dead end · unit-vs-unit PvP

The store of what was left after the foreclosure; the owner is dead, the debt still lives. A one-gate pocket: the pay is high and the way out is one.

Down Payment

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Pocket · dead end · unit-vs-unit PvP

The quay where the first payment of a ransom bargain is left; the vault is full, the guard sleepless. A one-gate pocket, and the way out is open to an ambush.

Bond Bazaar

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Midway · unit-vs-unit PvP

The Kaeris bond market; every voice a debt, every shadow a guarantor. The Exile crews circle outside the bazaar.

Seizure Depot

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Outer way · exit to the Gate · unit-vs-unit PvP

The depot where seized Kaeris cargoes sit; on the road to the Gate, crowded and haggled over. The way out is narrow.

Maturity Line

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Frontier Line · ring between the units · outpost

Kaeris's edge of the ring; every maturity falls due here. The outpost is one of the guarantors' last halts.

Veyra-1

Safe · no PvP Safe zone · your unit's base

The Federation's frontier pier and the Current Guard's main system: floating ramps, dim lamps, the names of lost expeditions read out loud. Safe region: no foreign unit may enter. Beyond it, storm.

Veyra-2

Safe · no PvP Safe zone

The second pier of the Sunset Shore; the smugglers' gate to the Kaeris line opens here. Safe region: the Guard watch the gate and no foreign unit may enter. The Exiles come close only to hunt for signals.

Veyra-3

Safe · no PvP Safe zone

The gate to the Faded Ledger; waves high, light thin. Safe region: only the Guard may enter, no PvP. The Debtless slip through this gate and try to sell wreckage by the scale.

Veyra-4

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Invasion · unit-vs-unit PvP

The last shore of the sunset; beyond it, lawless water. The farthest border: enemy units may enter, heavy Exile hulls prowl and, rarely, a captain with them. The Guard read out the names of those who did not return here too.

Attestation

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Threshold · first PvP map

The Treaty's attestation plate; the Veyra gate. Whoever gives the approval and whoever waits for it stand on the same line, and the turn is nobody's.

Chop

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Pocket · dead end · unit-vs-unit PvP

A pocket where the tide's two currents collide; the sensors shake, the smuggler does not. One gate, and an ambush at it is ordinary.

Breakwater

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Midway · unit-vs-unit PvP

The broken plates that guard Veyra's outer pier; Exile crews break on it instead of waves. The tide here favours the host.

Current Bed

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Outer way · exit to the Gate · unit-vs-unit PvP

Veyra's outer road; the current drags ships to the Gate. Strangers from the Gate fall here first.

Behind the Water

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Pocket · dead end · unit-vs-unit PvP

A hidden corner of the Current Bed; a one-gate pocket. The Silent Diver waits for nobody behind the water, and lets nobody go.

Shore Line

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Frontier Line · ring between the units · outpost

Veyra's edge of the ring; the shoreline always draws back, the outpost always stays.

Drakh-1

Safe · no PvP Safe zone · your unit's base

The mine where the revolt began and the Anvil Guard's main system. The air smells of rust. Safe region: the clan guards its own house and no foreign unit may pass. The Exiles come for the scrap of the old chains.

Drakh-2

Safe · no PvP Safe zone

The second furnace of the Chain Mines; the smugglers' gate to Veyra leaves from here. Safe region: no foreign unit may enter. The Exiles come to scrape casting slag and keep away from the furnace fire.

Drakh-3

Safe · no PvP Safe zone

The mine's chimney: its smoke shows from afar. Safe region: only Anvil pilots may enter, no PvP. The Drowned come up from the Eye of the Storm to set up illicit hearths.

Drakh-4

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Invasion · unit-vs-unit PvP

The last stone of the Chain Mines; beyond it, the storm of the Drowned. The farthest border: enemy units may enter, heavy Exile hulls prowl and, rarely, a captain with them. The clans hold the gate counting their dead.

Marginalia

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Threshold · first PvP map

The Treaty's marginal-note plate; the Drakh gate. The notes are longer than the articles, which is why the line is never quiet.

Ember Furnace

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Pocket · dead end · unit-vs-unit PvP

A shut-down old foundry; one gate only, and the embers still burn. A named founder waits at the hearth.

Unreturned

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Outer way · exit to the Gate · unit-vs-unit PvP

The waters where the Drowned expeditions dropped anchor; the names of the unreturned are on the plate, their ships are still here. The Belt's eastern crew; free-for-all.

Ballast

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Pocket · dead end · unit-vs-unit PvP

The waters where the Drowned throw their heavy loads; everything thrown was once somebody's cargo. A one-gate pocket; the Ballast Master knows the weight.

Ash Road

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Midway · unit-vs-unit PvP

The slag road of the Drakh mines; the ash never cools. The clans know the road by the traces of their dead.

Casting Line

Border · unit-vs-unit PvP Frontier Line · ring between the units · outpost

Drakh's edge of the ring; the casting never stops. Those who come back warm themselves at the outpost's furnace.

Frontier Line

Free-for-all Center of the shared region · free-for-all

The hub of the shared region; the roads from the four Gates cross here. Nobody's line, everybody's line: the crowd flows in, Antimatter runs hottest here. The Ringwrights' machines and Exile Commanders roam; everyone fights everyone.

The Broken Belt

Free-for-all Lawless · free-for-all

Where the law ends, the most dangerous belt of the cluster. The three crews' heaviest ships and, deepest of all, the Notorious Boss; here everyone is everyone's enemy.

The Touchstone

Unit-versus-unit PvP No Exiles · unit-vs-unit PvP · Crown War

The shared ground the four units enter from their corners; no NPCs, only pilots. Every hour the beacons light and the Crown War begins. The Treaty names no right here, it only weighs.

The Shroud

Free-for-all Wreck field · free-for-all

A field of wrecks laid over like a cloth, the Exile fleets' dead; free-for-all, your own unit too. The Commanders hold the radio line; the richest hunt is here. The Seam at its west edge goes down to the line's sealed stops, the Depth. No one will mourn you.

Crooked Scale

Free-for-all Trade port · free-for-all

The Debtless weighing harbour; the measure is false, the sum is right. It is the trading port of the shared region: merchants of all four units meet here, which makes it one of the busiest crossings.

The Narrows

Free-for-all Narrow strait · gateway to deep space · free-for-all

The one narrow passage that joins the shared region to the Shroud in deep space; gates open to both sides and those who wait sit in the middle. Few creatures, no boxes: this place is for passing, and for ambush.

Slag Plain

Free-for-all Deep space · free-for-all

A flat of melted ship slag; the Commanders' lookout line. It is reached from the Broken Belt by the one-way gate called the Drop; the way back is through the Shroud only.

Radio Graveyard

Free-for-all Deep space · free-for-all

The last frequency of fleets whose radios fell silent still crackles here. The Silent Radio waits on its own line; the one-way gate called the Flight throws you out to the Frontier Line.

Gearworks

Free-for-all Shared region · free-for-all

Solari's Gate; the gears left by the Ringwrights still turn. The lightest mix of the shared region, but here everyone fights everyone.

Cog Plain

Free-for-all Shared region · free-for-all

Kaeris's Gate; rows of cogs run to the horizon. It forms a ring with the Gearworks and the Rusted Dome.

Sieve

Free-for-all Shared region · free-for-all

Veyra's Gate; the Ringwrights' filter rigs strain out more wreckage than water.

Rusted Dome

Free-for-all Shared region · free-for-all

Drakh's Gate; under a rusted dome, the mouths of four arms. The Drakh clans enter here under oath.

Silent Workshop

Free-for-all Shared-region pocket · dead end · free-for-all

A dead-end pocket of the Broken Belt; the Ringwrights' last workshop fell silent, the Workshop Master did not. One gate.

Founders' Dais

Free-for-all Shared-region pocket · dead end · free-for-all

A dead-end pocket of the Crooked Scale; the Founders' dais, under the Dais Guard's watch. One gate.

Spyglass

Free-for-all Shared-region pocket · dead end · free-for-all

A dead-end pocket of the Frontier Line; the Watcher's shadow looks over the shared region from here. One gate.

Pale Garden

Free-for-all Deep space · free-for-all

A garden of crystal and bloom behind the Shroud; pale, lovely and greedy. In deep space everyone fights everyone.

Crystal Cave

Free-for-all Deep space · free-for-all

Beneath Slag Plain, the nest of the crystal swarms; the cave walls give no light back.

Tide Pit

Free-for-all Deep space · free-for-all

The pull-pit of the Radio Graveyard; the snakes hunt here. Whoever goes down pays on the way up.

The Maw

Free-for-all Deep space · free-for-all

The centre of deep space; those from three roads meet here and nobody leaves the same. The Old Fold lives in these waters.

Embryo Cradle

Free-for-all Deep space · free-for-all

The deepest dead-end pocket; the Star Bearer gives birth here. One gate: the way back is through the Maw.

Ring Eye

Free-for-all Ring Eye · Ring Essence region · free-for-all

The silent void at the very middle of the Ring; every shard of the broken Ring faces it. The Ring Warden is still awake and the Ring Essence still flows. Everyone fights everyone.

Light Square

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The heart of Solari's Station Region and the gate to the Ring: a bright Ringwright square, strewn with shards.

Dawn Sill

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The way from the Frontier Line into Solari's Station Region; dawn strikes here first, and so do ambushes.

Flame Verge

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The side of Solari's region that faces Veyra; burning shards drift through.

Spark Bed

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The side of Solari's region that faces Kaeris; sparks gather in its bed.

Guarantors' Square

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The heart of Kaeris's Station Region; the guarantors hold the gate to the Ring here. Every shard is a pledge.

Pledge Sill

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The way from the Frontier Line into Kaeris's Station Region; those who enter leave a pledge, those who leave owe a debt.

Collateral Flank

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The side of Kaeris's region that faces Solari; collateral changes hands here.

Debt Shore

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The side of Kaeris's region that faces Drakh; debt is the last shard washed ashore.

Harbour Square

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The heart of Veyra's Station Region; the gate to the Ring lies at the harbour mouth. The tide brings the shards here.

Tide Sill

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The way from the Frontier Line into Veyra's Station Region; at high tide the sill seems to close, but never does.

The Shoals

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The side of Veyra's region that faces Drakh; shards run aground in the shoals.

Foam Shore

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The side of Veyra's region that faces Solari; the foam leaves fresh shards on the shore.

Cauldron Square

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The heart of Drakh's Station Region; shards are melted here and the gate to the Ring sits at the bottom of the cauldron. Hot and crowded.

Ember Sill

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The way from the Frontier Line into Drakh's Station Region; the glowing embers of the sill test whoever steps on it.

Anvil Flank

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The side of Drakh's region that faces Kaeris; the anvils ring day and night.

Mould Shore

Free-for-all Station Region · drops Ring Essence · free-for-all

The side of Drakh's region that faces Veyra; casting moulds lined along the shore.