Answers
Fitting
What do the slot shapes mean?
Diamond = battery hardpoint, triangle = subsystem, circle = propulsion.
- Diamond: turrets, missile and torpedo launchers, dronelinks, mining lasers and repair projectors, e.g.
Auto-Cannon, 
Mining Laser, 
Repair Projector. You can't fit more battery modules than the hull has battery hardpoints, so a mining laser or launcher takes a turret's place. - Triangle: ECM and other modules you switch on yourself, e.g.
Thrust Scrambler, 
Tracking Disruptor, 
Defense Shredder, 
Armor Hardener, 
Target Painter. - Circle: propulsion modules, e.g.
Impulse Nacelle. - Core slots have no symbol and take any module that doesn't need a hardpoint, plus conduits. Core modules can also sit on hardpoints.
- Shaped modules only need to cover one matching hardpoint; the rest can lie on any free cells.
Tip
Press R while dragging a module to rotate it.
Changed in Beta Patch 2: missiles and torpedoes used to go on subsystem hardpoints (triangle).
- Diamond: turrets, missile and torpedo launchers, dronelinks, mining lasers and repair projectors, e.g.
What are ports?
The notches on module edges.
They connect to conduits and ciphers.
- A module holds up to 4: up to 2 on a one-cell module, 3 on a two-cell module, 4 on three cells or more.
- Only Normal-rarity modules roll ports when they drop or are built. Other rarities only have them through a Ports modifier.
- Higher blueprint research tiers roll more ports on builds; deeper breach tiers roll more on drops.
- Ports sit at random along the edges and turn with the module when you rotate it.
- An empty port takes no grid space. Filling one with a cipher adds the cell it points at to the module.
- A Janus adds one port to a module that has none.
How do conduits work?
1x1 items that get stronger the more same-type modules connect to them through ports.
You'll need
- Place the conduit on a free cell. It's a core item, so it needs no hardpoint.
- Fit modules of the conduit's type with a port pointing at its cell. Each one counts as a connection.
- Check the conduit's tooltip: it shows the connections and the effectiveness.
Good to know
- Strength: 50% with nothing connected. Figures differ on the top end: 200% with four connections, or +50% per connection, so 250% with four.
- They follow affinity type like modules do.
- A conduit does not let you place a weapon where it otherwise couldn't go.
Tip
Ports turn with the module, so rotate it (R) to aim a port at the conduit.
How do Regalia set bonuses link?
Pieces must physically touch each other.
- Two pieces of a set link when their shapes share an edge. Corners don't count.
- Conduits do not count as a link (the devs are debating changing that). A cell added by a Tek cipher doesn't make a link either.
- Links chain: three pieces in a row count as three. Only the largest connected group of a set counts.
- Only fitted pieces count; pieces in cargo or the stash do nothing.
- Connecting more of the set unlocks more modifiers, and the tiers add up: with three linked you get the two- and three-piece bonuses.
- You can't fit two copies of the same piece.
Example: Amnion's Consecration has four pieces.
Tip
The fitting grid highlights the edges where two pieces of a set touch.
How do cipher keys work?
Attach ciphers to a Normal module, then apply the key.
You'll need
- Pick one with exactly the key's number of ports, identified, not Faction quality. Easiest: craft it from a researched blueprint.
- Attach the ciphers to its ports. Each adds the cell its port points at to the shape, and can't currently be removed.
- Apply the key. The module becomes a harmonic.
Good to know
- All known keys use two ciphers, so the module needs exactly two ports.
- A cipher that makes a fitted module too big to fit is refused, not used up.
- Ciphers landing on random ports is a bug being fixed: you should get to pick.
- Wrong module type? A developer suggests changing it with a Thoth adapter, then applying the key.
Warning
A harmonic adds 1,000 to its build rating.
What does Tek Resonance do?
It increases the bonus from tek cipher and harmonic stat modifiers.
- For any number of ciphers on your grid.
- It does not boost cipher special effects.
- It is a stat on the Rune artifact. Artifact ships carry a special modifier.
What it boosts:
- Tek ciphers sit in module ports, and each adds a stat bonus, e.g. Nyx gives turret damage +12%.
- A harmonic is what you get when a Cipher Key activates the ciphers on a Normal module. It gets stat bonuses of its own, e.g. Prime Cascade (Nyx + Vel on a turret): fire rate 15% faster, tracking +26%.
Is there a power/CPU limit?
No.
Fits are limited by grid space, hardpoints, heat and the breach's build-rating range:
- Grid space: every cell under a module must be part of the grid and free.
- Hardpoints: no more battery modules than battery hardpoints, and at most six turrets of one family.
- Heat: modules and thrusters generate heat you must manage. If heat reaches the top, the reactor SCRAMs: a control rod burns and the ship shuts down for 3 seconds.
- Build rating: your ship's rating, cargo included, must be within the breach tier's limits, e.g. 6,000 at most for Stratum 1.
Tip
The fitting screen's Time to SCRAM shows how long you last with every active module running. It leaves out engine heat, so in flight it's shorter.
Is max heat capacity good?
Depends on the build.
- It is great for drone, ECM and shield builds.
- Certain barriers vent heat if you time the activation perfectly, like a parry.
- Hulls range from 425 to 577.5 GJ. When heat reaches the top, the reactor SCRAMs: a control rod burns and the ship shuts down for 3 seconds.
- Many modules work better while heat sits in the Optimal zone (30% to 70% of max heat), e.g. repairers' cycle time is 25% shorter.
Modules that add it:
Coolant Reservoir (+15%), 
Control Relay (+17%, plus drone speed), 
Adaptive Ward (+8%, plus barrier HP and regen).Tip
The Shield affinity perk Thermal Flow makes barriers vent ship heat when they absorb damage.
Is build rating (PR/BR) a good measure of strength?
A decent indicator for modules.
- Larger modules have higher ratings and bigger bonuses.
- For ships it reflects size and material cost more than power; small ships can be very good. Bare hulls run from 2,150 (Eidolon, a scout) to 2,800 (Mammon, a hauler).
What goes into it:
- An item: its base rating plus each rolled modifier (11% of base at T1 up to 44% at T4), times its quality. A Regalia piece rates 1.75 times its base module; a harmonic adds 1,000.
- A ship: hull, fitted modules, affinity points spent and 25% of cargo.
It also sets what you're worth: the Merits for killing you are based on your fitted build rating.
Why did my build rating go over the breach limit?
Cargo counts toward build rating at a reduced rate (25%).
A train that leads to a breach region won't take a ship rated above that tier's maximum, so a full hold can put you over on the way out.
- Use a different extraction train.
- Before the next run, plan for the haul. To bring the rating down, empty the hold, swap in lower-quality modules or keep affinity points unspent.
Good to know
The fitting screen shows the number as Ship Build Rating.
Tip
Entering a breach uses the same rule, cargo included. Stratum 1 tops out at 6,000 and Stratum 2 at 8,000.
What does a Thoth adapter do?
It changes a module's type, for example from armor to turret.
The type is shown in the module's tooltip, next to its rarity and quality. Changing it changes:
- which conduits connect to the module;
- which modifiers it rolls.
It doesn't change which slot the module fits in, and it doesn't turn it into a different module.
Good to know
- Players report it only works on Advanced (blue) modules.
- A module of the wrong type for a cipher key can be changed with a Thoth adapter first, then keyed.
Where do ciphers drop?
From guardian and golem robots, and from Thermavores.
- Some maps also have a relic vault event. Complete it and it drops a batch of ciphers.
- No merchant sells ciphers.
Good to know
Once a cipher is attached it stays on the module for good.
How do critical chance modifiers work?
They raise the turret's own base critical chance; they aren't added on top as a flat percentage.
- Every turret has its own base critical chance, and it differs from turret to turret.
- A critical chance modifier increases that base value rather than adding its number to it.
Are resistance bonuses worth it?
Yes: a developer describes resistance as strong, even in small amounts.
- Resistance from modifiers is combined with your base resistance, with diminishing returns.
- Even a small roll, around +3%, adds a lot of effective health.
- These are the developer's estimates, not exact figures.
What's the difference between thrust and torque?
Thrust pushes your ship forward; torque turns it. Mass works against both.
- Thrust sets your acceleration: how quickly the ship reaches max velocity. Acceleration is thrust divided by mass.
- Torque is the turning force. Turn rate is torque divided by mass.
- Mass is the hull plus every fitted module. More mass lowers acceleration and turn rate for the same thrust and torque. Top speed doesn't depend on mass.
- Your ship's stats show the results under Mobility: turn rate (°/s), acceleration (m/s²) and mass (t).
- Modules such as Impulse Nacelle and Plasma Burners add thrust.
Good to know
Beta Patch 2 made the Thrust Scrambler shut off an NPC's boost and the Torque Snare shut off its drift. What they do to player ships isn't confirmed yet.
Turret Conduit
Shield Conduit
Drone Conduit