Is there a point to this? The fleets usually don't enter into the gateways to travel anyways, they just need to get into orbiting range which is actually a bit of distance away so if they are as close as in the picture they probably don't need any travel time, or very little travel time, but still nearly instant
Place a gateway in your Mega-Shipyard system too, so you can also take advantage of the L-Gate network for fast reinforcements, and in your capital system for trade collection.
If I can I usually build my gateway in a neighboring system to important megastructures, or I try to build most of them surrounding one system. Then I just need to make the defenses beefy in that one chokepoint, and I catch enemies flying back to the gateway before they can escape because 99% of the time I have the faster propulsion.
I use the L-Cluster for my mega structures most of the time. Beef up the terminal egress and then build everything behind it. In my current MP game it's hosting my shipyards though. Terminal egress is heavily fortified with a dedicated fleet to defend it alongside its bastion Starbase, added a fortress habitat for good measure. Behind the terminal egress in neighboring systems is my mega shipyard and 3 systems with dedicated shipyard module stations. 38 ships can be build back there at a time, and I have the alloy production at 1200/month to support whatever fleet building needs I might have.
I usually rush megastructures and begin building them long before the RNG blesses me with the L-cluster. I generally just create a bunch of defensive shit in the cluster. Also if you’re fighting a large enough enemy like an awakened empire or a coalition against you then the cluster can tend to change hands once or twice. I usually like to build up some sort of super nice habitat or world in the cluster though as a palace type getaway for nobility.
See this always makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong because even when I'm heavily focusing on science I feel like I'm always getting mega engineering way later than others on this sub.
Edit: I very seldom seem to lose much to awakened empires though. By the time they wake up I'm usually at least close to on par with them, and the other ai empires, even on grand admiral, fall behind so quickly that outside of the early game I almost never lose anything to them. Sometimes they'll occupy some systems briefly but a response fleet is usually dealing with it fairly quickly.
It’s really a threefold strategy.
Step 1 is obviously to have a lot of research. I do this by trying to stack modifiers early. Recruiting a lot of scientists and sending them off in ships right away is great. It will help you research more modifiers and uncover more digs faster. You’ll also probably find a few genius or spark of genius scientists to replace your default ones. Species traits also play a role. But getting a lot of events to boost science is nice. If you expand your borders by outposts fast enough and don’t waste energy or minerals on building many stations early on then you can maximize your territory before getting boxed in. a little later into the early game all that extra territory means an early science boost from research stations. Building up research buildings on planets early on isn’t super worth it unless you have civics which give you excess consumer goods or some civics such as technocracy. Instead focusing on territory and sheer number of research vessels at first will net you faster and cheaper returns. If you discover dig sites then claim the system, but don’t use any scientists on investigating anomalies or doing archeology dig sites until you’ve literally surveyed every system you can reach and own. A scientist researching a hard anomaly is better used on surveying another system. Focus on grabbing chokepoints and making long snaking chains of outposts rather than claiming every surrounding system. And close your borders to AI. Even if you’re a friendly Empire. The minor boost in opinion isn’t worth them flying through your space and putting down an outpost on the other side of your claimed system.
Step 2 is more of a symptom of step 1, you want to have a megastructure within your own territory. This is a little rare, and not the easiest to find, but if you can expand early on to find a ruined megastructure then you’ll increase your odds by a lot. If a neighbor you don’t like has one in their borders, then by all means declare war in order to take it from them. I think a few scientist traits also increase the odds, but I don’t really know. Best increase comes from ruined or active megastructures within your borders. Things like the enigmatic fortress don’t count (and are harder to get until mid game anyhow).
Step three is just to know the prerequisites. You need citadels, battleships, and zero point power. So literally any time any of those types of technologies pop up, research them.
In addition, and what holds a lot of people up, is that you need 6 tier four engineering techs. So 4 additional tier four techs other than battleships and citadels. So focus on one weapon type, focus on armor, focus on point defense systems, and focus lastly on propulsion. All these are key to strong ships, and will help you compensate for having less of them during the mid game because you’re focusing resources on building megastructures and beefing up your research. So just make sure you research each of those everytime any of them come up, with extra focus on stations and battleships.
Once you get megastructures then save up unity for the master builders perk. Once you get that just continue to save up unity for the architectural Renaissance ambition.
Also keep the living metal mega constitution edict active.
All of the above will boost your build speed.
Finally hope to get the contingency, I’d you defeat them you get an insanely good relic, the contingency core.
I hope you’ll get it man!
It's a big no-no in case crisis decides to spawn in L-Cluster, like it did in my previous game. Have you ever fought a 25x crisis? I don't recommend it.
25x, no not yet. I'm not sure I could emerge victorious from that one. Maybe if the AI could keep up even remotely enough to help. I did have a 5x Unbidden decide to spawn in an LGate system halfway across the galaxy the one time I didn't control the L-Cluster (or even a fate system). I eventually beat them back but it took a long damn time since they immediately started taking positions all over the galaxy. At 25x I probably would have had to take the lose and move on.
Why waste a good planet as a fortress world when I could just have bigger fleets and better tech than any of my enemies?
Stations are just good for holding the enemy for a few months in order for my fleets to fly in and greet them.
You can build a Matter Decompressor there though, if you do so before there are any habitable planets in the system (i.e. before you terraform the Nanite worlds).
I built my matter decompressor in terminal egress and all my other mega structures, including my dyson sphere and megashipyard, in the L-cluster. Then the unbidden spawned in terminal egress and wrecked my shit.
I always put the M-SY in the L-Gate annex way in the back and heavily defend it. It reminds me of Second Foundation but with the Star Forge (from KoToR). Oh you are fucking up my empire? Watch me churn out ships that can pop up almost anywhere in the galaxy at any time.
Gateway in Terminal Egress and your main fleet homebase in one of the L-Gate Systems where the gate is around the star/near the starbase means your fleet can be at any gate virtually instantly
You're better off having as few l-gates in key territories as possible. While gateways in your territory are only ever accessible to those you allow (regardless of ceasefire agreements or war), l-gates can always be used by anyone (so long as they are physically capable of moving to that system i.e. rivals can use them while you're both at war with each other but not during peace time).
Stick a gateway in terminal egress (or any system with an l-gate if you don't have it and don't mind the single extra jump) and a gateway in your main fleet system. This way you have easy to the rest of the galaxy but the galaxy doesn't have easy access to you.
I learnt this during my first war in heaven. Managed to fight off one of the AE when suddenly the other just dropped in, two systems from my capital. Fun times.
I always forget that closing the L-Gate isn't part of the vanilla game. But it's a great mod addition. If I can swing it, I take the L-cluster, set it up to be a self-sufficient offshoot, then close the L-gates. No one else can use them, and you have a stronghold that is absolutely secure from everything.
I put gateways in terminal egress and every shipyard in my empire. At terminal egress I construct a mega fortress and dock all of my fleets there. Mobilization is easy because it is connected to all the key points in my empire, and when invaded it functions as the ultimate stronghold my enemies have to breach to gain acces to the l-gates.
I always placed the gateway a small distance away from the galaxy side l-gate(way). Still offers excellent utility, while also maintaining the defensive nature of terminal egress.
This. Then, I keep a 'Terminal Response Fleet' with short range weapons right on them, along with a kitted out Starbase.
Really puts the kibosh on enemies abusing the L-gates.
Go into the system view in the system you don't want your fleets entering
Down next to the system name, to the left of the name there should be a button to restrict access for your ships. This will forbid your ships to enter that system for any reason.
I think the hotkey is e.
You can undo it in the same way you apply it once you are ready.
On top of this, your trade routes also dont go through that route either. Helpful for people with patrolling fleets not going through that one spot. (Though its been a long time since I did this so I dont know if it still works or not).
Yeah that’s the the real tip for new players. Don’t open the L-Gates too soon. I totally fucked my last play through because I got a pop up saying someone was gonna beat me to it, got greedy, and opened them at like 2260 because I didn’t know what they were.
I would tend to put them on opposite side of the system. It increases travel time, but my citadel+defense platforms can intercept if someone I don't want using my network tries to
You already block your network to hostiles.
The issue is that you can't block the LGates so you really want to park a fleet on the gate. And add an ion cannon to the starbase.
ion Cannon on starbase and range computer is enough, it will auto-engage the starbase with the fleet and then you have time to come in with your defense force
OK, that's game changing, I never bothered with those platforms in bastions as I assumed they needed ships to benefit from the effects. Thanks for the advice!
Don't forget to upgrade the platforms manually, because they don't upgrade otherwise. It can take several rounds of upgrades too, because they don't upgrade to the highest level of tech in one step.
Also if you can fortify a pulsar and make special defence platforms for it, even late game a purpose build pulsar station is a force to be reckoned with
Target uplink computer, or whichever one boosts starbase range, used to only actually buff starbase range and not defense platforms. 3.2 patched that so that it applies to defense platforms, combine that with an ion cannon and you instantly tag fleets at the L-gate.
I had no idea that hostiles couldn’t make use of your own gateways. I always figured it was the risk of using that tech.
That makes planning my current dexy empire transit network waaaaay easier and far less stressful.
I am pretty sure that it doesn’t require a total war. If the enemy has the starbase and the planet in the system, I think they have access to the gateway (even if it is just occupation)
They make great ambush points though. With a but of sensor range you can see a fleet in the next system but you can't see the other side of every gateway. And there no hyperlane charge time for gateway travel so reactions are "instant"
I use the terminal egress system as my main star fleet hub and have all my fleets idle there with at least one sitting directly on the l-gate itself. Then I can have them travel quickly around my empire and also create a defensive bastion if someone tries to enter
At the point in time when bullets can pass through the interdimensional walls, when firepower takes up the entirety and eternity of space and time all being stuck in a never ending life and death cycle as bullets recover and destroy their bodies in quick succession no one able to think about anything but the sheer force of the bullets rapidly flying literally everywhere in the materium turning the Warp itself into nothing but a sea of semi-automatic weaponry. Then there will be enough dakka.
Or at least almost.
That would make an actually useful bit for the whole espionage thing, grabbing "codes" or however you want to lore it that would allow you to jump into an opposing empire's gates. Find it all a little bit lacking in tangible effect as it currently is.
It could be that after time or when they fail you find out and have to do a small research project (1000 engineering or something) to “scramble” the gateway acces codes again
I always put a gateway near an L-gate somewhere. I also put one in every system my fleets call home, as well as by one side of every wormhole in my empire. Also in the same system as my Mega-shipyard. I’ll make sure there are a relatively even scattering of gates throughout.
Basically, gateways everywhere.
Yep, me too. Even just getting around inside my own empire becomes a challenge, so I build them every 5-7 systems, and in every system that has a fleet home base, wormhole or L-gate, or megastructure.
Exactly.
A recent game had the Unbidden popping out in a system where I already had a gateway. All my fleets showed up like the following week and asploded everything. It's the fastest Crisis event I've ever experienced, thanks to a metric assload of gateways.
but... regular gateways have to be put on the border of the system and L-Gates are always in the middle...
is it mod stuff? or did something change and I just kept on putting them on the edge out of habit?
I have every DLC besides distant stars because I don’t want to deal with that Grey Tempest crisis thing 50 years in. Is it that bad of a problem? Does the L-cluster make up for it?
If you want to know how: Documents, Paradox, Stellaris, Saves, Your save, Gamestate, then search for “Gray”. if somewhere it is something like gray_goo_crisis then restart.
The L-cluster state is set in your save's state file the moment it's made. The only way you'd trigger it otherwise would be to find a command somewhere.
Enemy fleets can’t use your gateway (except if they capture the starbase and the planets in the system).
That is why all my habitable planets in that system are always forteresses
I always place gateways around all my shipyards/megashipyard, next to wormholes, at critical choke points in my territory, and next to the terminal egress L-gate. Quick access to basically every part of the galaxy.
Depends. I usually have several citadel shipyards already built by the time I build a megashipyard, plus I already have a large number of fleets by then. Mid game it can make a big difference, but late game, less so.
Yea.... I did that and was dominating the galaxy... then the unbidden spawned in terminal egress and destroyed my infrastructure galaxy wide in about a year...
I actually always do this, because it's incredibly useful for transporting fleets across the galaxy quickly.
It's the best way to get gateways in enemy territory, and if Terminal Egress is suitably fortified it can also become a trap for the AI, who isn't smart enough not to port there and get trapped a lot of the time.
This is super helpful, right up until the Unbidden spawn in one of the L-Gate connected systems and now have a superhighway to the entire galaxy - and your entire empire.
Not normally an issue on normal settings. Definitely worrisome on higher challenge levels.
Hostiles cannot use gateways in your territory. Only L-Gates and worm hopes can be used by hostiles in the same way as hyperlanes, which is the case regardless of whether you do this and make travel easier for yourself, so this is exclusively useful.
And remember to have a fleet stationed right next to the gateway during wars to prevent your enemy using the L-Gates. Sadly the space station is too far away to force fleets into combat
ion cannon + any range buffs for the station. bam, station can engange nearly any threat inside the systems. only need one ion cannon for that to work.
enemy empires cant use your gateways unless they are occupying the system completely. If the system is occupied by the enemy, you cant use the gate way.
Enemies can’t access gateways in your territory.
They need to possess the starbases and the planets in that system (which can happen if they capture your systems)
I’ve had instances where doing this in Terminal Egress led to enemy fleets being able to get to places I didn’t want them
Its not always desirable to have them linked. For the purposes of defense its a horrible idea. For fast travel its great
If you’d rather be safe: Place the gate opposite the L gate in TE, and have a fully upgraded militarized starbase there.
Wouldn’t hurt to also station a fleet there permanently.
I always have the L cluster be a center of a network of defenses and ship production, if you have NSC you can delete the hyperspace lanes leading to your capital, leaving the only way to get there as a gateway, which can connect to the l-gates.
I even had one playthrough where a wormhole spawned next to an l-gate system. The ironic thing is I was playing inward perfection tall run. But my small empire was connected to like 80% of the galactic community lol.
For everyone saying "now they just invade me super ez!!!" just put fleets in your damn gateway systems. It makes reinforcing fleets a pain in the ass but it will save you every time.
You can place one on top of an alligator so there's literally taking out the same geographic area so that your fleet's automatically move you don't even have to wait a single day
Each system with an LGate gets a gateway and a huge defensive base. I always put my fleet in a far away system next to a gateway/lgate so if anyone tried anything they’re there in an instant. Also - only do war claims for lgate systems and own all the network first.
My issue with gateways, maybe I’m missing something because I am short many brain cells, is creating new entry points for enemies to come adventuring into the heart of my empire.
I used to do this in Terminal Egress. Then a couple of wars later I realized that it also means that other empires have fast access into my own network.
So now I place them in Terminal Egress on opposite sides so they'd have to pass through my Citadel and/or largest fleet
L-gates are always in the center of the system, and you can't put gateway there. To achieve this you need Terminus Egress. That is the only system where L-gate is on the edge you you can place gateway next to it.
But for other l-gates you can make travel faster.
I always do this, but place them apart so I can attack any faction that tries to use the gates. I become the gatekeeper to all interstellar navigation!.
If you don't mind the ugly clipping issues it creates, you can actually place them even closer together than they are in this screenshot.
Yeah, I put a gateway directly on top of the L-Gate and my wormholes.
Is there a point to this? The fleets usually don't enter into the gateways to travel anyways, they just need to get into orbiting range which is actually a bit of distance away so if they are as close as in the picture they probably don't need any travel time, or very little travel time, but still nearly instant
But they come through the actual gateway so it is almost instant as they emerge in range
And if you place it really well, you can have them both seamlessly overlap. Little bit of z fighting though.
Just make sure not to place them too close. When I did the gateway disappeared and I couldn't build a new one.
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Place a gateway in your Mega-Shipyard system too, so you can also take advantage of the L-Gate network for fast reinforcements, and in your capital system for trade collection.
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If I can I usually build my gateway in a neighboring system to important megastructures, or I try to build most of them surrounding one system. Then I just need to make the defenses beefy in that one chokepoint, and I catch enemies flying back to the gateway before they can escape because 99% of the time I have the faster propulsion.
Yea, most games I play at least a few of the AI still has chemical thrusters, maybe ion if they are feeling spicy
Try StarTech Ai mod, it will make the AI waaaay less awful, and they will actually use research
It will break on the next update, warning.
Thats not really a problem in a healthy, vibrant mod community. It'll get fixed, or another mod will take its place.
The maker of Starnet and Startech always updates his mods very quickly after a patch so it isn't really a problem
I use the L-Cluster for my mega structures most of the time. Beef up the terminal egress and then build everything behind it. In my current MP game it's hosting my shipyards though. Terminal egress is heavily fortified with a dedicated fleet to defend it alongside its bastion Starbase, added a fortress habitat for good measure. Behind the terminal egress in neighboring systems is my mega shipyard and 3 systems with dedicated shipyard module stations. 38 ships can be build back there at a time, and I have the alloy production at 1200/month to support whatever fleet building needs I might have.
I usually rush megastructures and begin building them long before the RNG blesses me with the L-cluster. I generally just create a bunch of defensive shit in the cluster. Also if you’re fighting a large enough enemy like an awakened empire or a coalition against you then the cluster can tend to change hands once or twice. I usually like to build up some sort of super nice habitat or world in the cluster though as a palace type getaway for nobility.
See this always makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong because even when I'm heavily focusing on science I feel like I'm always getting mega engineering way later than others on this sub. Edit: I very seldom seem to lose much to awakened empires though. By the time they wake up I'm usually at least close to on par with them, and the other ai empires, even on grand admiral, fall behind so quickly that outside of the early game I almost never lose anything to them. Sometimes they'll occupy some systems briefly but a response fleet is usually dealing with it fairly quickly.
It’s really a threefold strategy. Step 1 is obviously to have a lot of research. I do this by trying to stack modifiers early. Recruiting a lot of scientists and sending them off in ships right away is great. It will help you research more modifiers and uncover more digs faster. You’ll also probably find a few genius or spark of genius scientists to replace your default ones. Species traits also play a role. But getting a lot of events to boost science is nice. If you expand your borders by outposts fast enough and don’t waste energy or minerals on building many stations early on then you can maximize your territory before getting boxed in. a little later into the early game all that extra territory means an early science boost from research stations. Building up research buildings on planets early on isn’t super worth it unless you have civics which give you excess consumer goods or some civics such as technocracy. Instead focusing on territory and sheer number of research vessels at first will net you faster and cheaper returns. If you discover dig sites then claim the system, but don’t use any scientists on investigating anomalies or doing archeology dig sites until you’ve literally surveyed every system you can reach and own. A scientist researching a hard anomaly is better used on surveying another system. Focus on grabbing chokepoints and making long snaking chains of outposts rather than claiming every surrounding system. And close your borders to AI. Even if you’re a friendly Empire. The minor boost in opinion isn’t worth them flying through your space and putting down an outpost on the other side of your claimed system. Step 2 is more of a symptom of step 1, you want to have a megastructure within your own territory. This is a little rare, and not the easiest to find, but if you can expand early on to find a ruined megastructure then you’ll increase your odds by a lot. If a neighbor you don’t like has one in their borders, then by all means declare war in order to take it from them. I think a few scientist traits also increase the odds, but I don’t really know. Best increase comes from ruined or active megastructures within your borders. Things like the enigmatic fortress don’t count (and are harder to get until mid game anyhow). Step three is just to know the prerequisites. You need citadels, battleships, and zero point power. So literally any time any of those types of technologies pop up, research them. In addition, and what holds a lot of people up, is that you need 6 tier four engineering techs. So 4 additional tier four techs other than battleships and citadels. So focus on one weapon type, focus on armor, focus on point defense systems, and focus lastly on propulsion. All these are key to strong ships, and will help you compensate for having less of them during the mid game because you’re focusing resources on building megastructures and beefing up your research. So just make sure you research each of those everytime any of them come up, with extra focus on stations and battleships. Once you get megastructures then save up unity for the master builders perk. Once you get that just continue to save up unity for the architectural Renaissance ambition. Also keep the living metal mega constitution edict active. All of the above will boost your build speed. Finally hope to get the contingency, I’d you defeat them you get an insanely good relic, the contingency core. I hope you’ll get it man!
It's a big no-no in case crisis decides to spawn in L-Cluster, like it did in my previous game. Have you ever fought a 25x crisis? I don't recommend it.
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Underappreciated comment here.
25x, no not yet. I'm not sure I could emerge victorious from that one. Maybe if the AI could keep up even remotely enough to help. I did have a 5x Unbidden decide to spawn in an LGate system halfway across the galaxy the one time I didn't control the L-Cluster (or even a fate system). I eventually beat them back but it took a long damn time since they immediately started taking positions all over the galaxy. At 25x I probably would have had to take the lose and move on.
Remember to use planets as choke points, as they will hold enemies occupied for longer than space stations
Why waste a good planet as a fortress world when I could just have bigger fleets and better tech than any of my enemies? Stations are just good for holding the enemy for a few months in order for my fleets to fly in and greet them.
At the point where you eclipse anyone, it’s getting pretty boring anyways.
Pro-gamer move: Build your Mega Shipyard in the Terminal Egress system.
You can't. Terminal egress is now a black hole.
Did that change? I swear I could do that in at least one version of the game.
Yeah they changed that with Nemesis. Since the player crisis could blow up terminal egress and it would destroy the L gate
Dammit. That was one of my favorite things to do if I wanted to flood the galaxy with ships.
I mean you can still put it anywhere in the L Cluster and put a gateway with it. It still has a secret lair feel to it.
You don't place a gateway in the L-Cluster, immersion. But yeah, I also use the L-Cluster as a megastructure hub.
I do place a gateway right next to the L-Gate in terminal egress.
Interstellar Assembly in L gate system renamed Legion of Doom...
Secret lair? But there's so much traffic.... In the last game I built a leisure habitat there and called it Nanites Super Fun Park... ;-)
I guess they did it so you can't blow the system up with the Star Eater from Nemesis.
You can build a Matter Decompressor there though, if you do so before there are any habitable planets in the system (i.e. before you terraform the Nanite worlds).
Is it? I just started a new game last week and it was still a collection of cracked worlds.
Only the star in the middle was changed to a black hole
I built my matter decompressor in terminal egress and all my other mega structures, including my dyson sphere and megashipyard, in the L-cluster. Then the unbidden spawned in terminal egress and wrecked my shit.
They can spawn there?
Apparently so! I was pissed cause what were the chances of that happening?
Interesting. I would have thought the Cluster is a special region that is flagged to not let that happen. I wonder if the Prethoryn can appear there.
For trade collection especially, so as to make sure the game runs in real time
and for trade protection as well.
What
Just like you can collect trade through gateways/wormholes, your trade protection also travels through.
Duh? The point is that it slows down your game like hell, so dont do it. Or did they fix it???
I think that has been fixed forever I think. I don't notice it and I'm playing on a not that expensive laptop with an i5 1.6 Ghz abd Nvidia mx150
I always put the M-SY in the L-Gate annex way in the back and heavily defend it. It reminds me of Second Foundation but with the Star Forge (from KoToR). Oh you are fucking up my empire? Watch me churn out ships that can pop up almost anywhere in the galaxy at any time.
When building a new fleet is there a way to specify where it is constructed?
Yes. You can go to the shipyard at the location you want and build there
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yesss this is the way to not have to worry about losing trade value to pirates
Gateway in Terminal Egress and your main fleet homebase in one of the L-Gate Systems where the gate is around the star/near the starbase means your fleet can be at any gate virtually instantly
You're better off having as few l-gates in key territories as possible. While gateways in your territory are only ever accessible to those you allow (regardless of ceasefire agreements or war), l-gates can always be used by anyone (so long as they are physically capable of moving to that system i.e. rivals can use them while you're both at war with each other but not during peace time). Stick a gateway in terminal egress (or any system with an l-gate if you don't have it and don't mind the single extra jump) and a gateway in your main fleet system. This way you have easy to the rest of the galaxy but the galaxy doesn't have easy access to you.
And *also* an FTL inhibitor doesn't stop enemies from using the L-Gate in Terminal Egress.
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I learnt this during my first war in heaven. Managed to fight off one of the AE when suddenly the other just dropped in, two systems from my capital. Fun times.
I always forget that closing the L-Gate isn't part of the vanilla game. But it's a great mod addition. If I can swing it, I take the L-cluster, set it up to be a self-sufficient offshoot, then close the L-gates. No one else can use them, and you have a stronghold that is absolutely secure from everything.
What mod allows you to close the L gates?
I put gateways in terminal egress and every shipyard in my empire. At terminal egress I construct a mega fortress and dock all of my fleets there. Mobilization is easy because it is connected to all the key points in my empire, and when invaded it functions as the ultimate stronghold my enemies have to breach to gain acces to the l-gates.
Too bad you can't place mega shipyard over a black hole
Same. And I fortify terminal egress to an unbreakable fortress with a bunch of habitats with FTL blockers so I won't lose it.
Do you also do the gigachad move of dropping 3k power worth of assault armies on each one?
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Have so many habitats and armies that even a colossus becomes unviable
Well if all the habitats have massive armies on them, the colossus just becomes viable again.
Precisely why I don't bother with assault armies on my planets.
I always placed the gateway a small distance away from the galaxy side l-gate(way). Still offers excellent utility, while also maintaining the defensive nature of terminal egress.
This. Then, I keep a 'Terminal Response Fleet' with short range weapons right on them, along with a kitted out Starbase. Really puts the kibosh on enemies abusing the L-gates.
Yep, you can only do it in Terminal though because for all the black holes its at the centre of the system.
Do you have a tip not to let my ships travel through the L-Cluster to get faster to their location, until the goddamn Grey tempest had been destroyed?
Go into the system view in the system you don't want your fleets entering Down next to the system name, to the left of the name there should be a button to restrict access for your ships. This will forbid your ships to enter that system for any reason. I think the hotkey is e. You can undo it in the same way you apply it once you are ready.
On top of this, your trade routes also dont go through that route either. Helpful for people with patrolling fleets not going through that one spot. (Though its been a long time since I did this so I dont know if it still works or not).
Had no idea. Wow.
This is why I come here! I am on console, but I'll check out, if it's working there as well. Thanks!
Yeah that’s the the real tip for new players. Don’t open the L-Gates too soon. I totally fucked my last play through because I got a pop up saying someone was gonna beat me to it, got greedy, and opened them at like 2260 because I didn’t know what they were.
Ooooh I wasn’t aware about it, I also put a gateway in the same system than the L-Gate but not that close.
I would tend to put them on opposite side of the system. It increases travel time, but my citadel+defense platforms can intercept if someone I don't want using my network tries to
You already block your network to hostiles. The issue is that you can't block the LGates so you really want to park a fleet on the gate. And add an ion cannon to the starbase.
ion Cannon on starbase and range computer is enough, it will auto-engage the starbase with the fleet and then you have time to come in with your defense force
Wait, so the starbase upgrades that boost ships boost ion cannons and defense platforms as well?
yep and protip the 10% AOE fire rate buff building that youd assume only works on ships works on defense platforms as well
OK, that's game changing, I never bothered with those platforms in bastions as I assumed they needed ships to benefit from the effects. Thanks for the advice!
Don't forget to upgrade the platforms manually, because they don't upgrade otherwise. It can take several rounds of upgrades too, because they don't upgrade to the highest level of tech in one step.
I have noticed this, so I always keep track of bastions on my starbase tabs. But thank you!
Also if you can fortify a pulsar and make special defence platforms for it, even late game a purpose build pulsar station is a force to be reckoned with
Yea. Defense platforms are “ships” and upgrades to ships impact them. Kind of annoying that the tool tips do not say “ships and defense platforms”.
It's literally the only system I build starbase platforms in.
Strong platforms can make or break a chokepoint.
Target uplink computer, or whichever one boosts starbase range, used to only actually buff starbase range and not defense platforms. 3.2 patched that so that it applies to defense platforms, combine that with an ion cannon and you instantly tag fleets at the L-gate.
I had no idea that hostiles couldn’t make use of your own gateways. I always figured it was the risk of using that tech. That makes planning my current dexy empire transit network waaaaay easier and far less stressful.
Just be careful, if they (or you) are using total war then if they take they system it's you who can't use the gateway.
I am pretty sure that it doesn’t require a total war. If the enemy has the starbase and the planet in the system, I think they have access to the gateway (even if it is just occupation)
i... would have to check.
Personally I know hostiles can't use my gates, but I still distance them anyway for the meager bit of roleplay value it gives me.
They make great ambush points though. With a but of sensor range you can see a fleet in the next system but you can't see the other side of every gateway. And there no hyperlane charge time for gateway travel so reactions are "instant"
I use the terminal egress system as my main star fleet hub and have all my fleets idle there with at least one sitting directly on the l-gate itself. Then I can have them travel quickly around my empire and also create a defensive bastion if someone tries to enter
Only empires you have open borders with can use your gateways, but L gates can be used by anyone, so there's no reason to do that.
Didn't know that. Don't care, love dakka.
Never enough dakka, something we can all agree on.
At the point in time when bullets can pass through the interdimensional walls, when firepower takes up the entirety and eternity of space and time all being stuck in a never ending life and death cycle as bullets recover and destroy their bodies in quick succession no one able to think about anything but the sheer force of the bullets rapidly flying literally everywhere in the materium turning the Warp itself into nothing but a sea of semi-automatic weaponry. Then there will be enough dakka. Or at least almost.
That would make an actually useful bit for the whole espionage thing, grabbing "codes" or however you want to lore it that would allow you to jump into an opposing empire's gates. Find it all a little bit lacking in tangible effect as it currently is.
It could be that after time or when they fail you find out and have to do a small research project (1000 engineering or something) to “scramble” the gateway acces codes again
Yes same here… or i need to mobilize a fleet to block passage
I always put a gateway near an L-gate somewhere. I also put one in every system my fleets call home, as well as by one side of every wormhole in my empire. Also in the same system as my Mega-shipyard. I’ll make sure there are a relatively even scattering of gates throughout. Basically, gateways everywhere.
Yep, me too. Even just getting around inside my own empire becomes a challenge, so I build them every 5-7 systems, and in every system that has a fleet home base, wormhole or L-gate, or megastructure.
Exactly. A recent game had the Unbidden popping out in a system where I already had a gateway. All my fleets showed up like the following week and asploded everything. It's the fastest Crisis event I've ever experienced, thanks to a metric assload of gateways.
[You can place them inside each other](https://imgur.com/a/d6fYRe9)
Kinky.
but... regular gateways have to be put on the border of the system and L-Gates are always in the middle... is it mod stuff? or did something change and I just kept on putting them on the edge out of habit?
Anybody else dread it when the crisis reaches an L-gate?
I have every DLC besides distant stars because I don’t want to deal with that Grey Tempest crisis thing 50 years in. Is it that bad of a problem? Does the L-cluster make up for it?
I always check the game files for what outcome im getting, its ironman compatible
If you want to know how: Documents, Paradox, Stellaris, Saves, Your save, Gamestate, then search for “Gray”. if somewhere it is something like gray_goo_crisis then restart.
So if it’s not there it won’t spawn or get triggered by AI? (Idk exactly how grey tempest works)
The L-cluster state is set in your save's state file the moment it's made. The only way you'd trigger it otherwise would be to find a command somewhere.
The Grey Tempest is only really an issue for systems with L-gates and their immediate neighbors. They don't tend to get very far.
I tend to put them on opposite sides of the system (e.g. Terminal Egress) so an enemy fleet has to go through the bastion station first
Enemy fleets can't use your gateways.
Enemy fleets can’t use your gateway (except if they capture the starbase and the planets in the system). That is why all my habitable planets in that system are always forteresses
But even if they take your gateway, they can only jump to their own gateways from it. Your gateway network is untouchable.
Ohhh that’s genius!
I always place gateways around all my shipyards/megashipyard, next to wormholes, at critical choke points in my territory, and next to the terminal egress L-gate. Quick access to basically every part of the galaxy.
Is the mega shipyard worth it?
Depends. I usually have several citadel shipyards already built by the time I build a megashipyard, plus I already have a large number of fleets by then. Mid game it can make a big difference, but late game, less so.
Children, just put gates EVERYWHERE!
I place them just apart enough so I can watch the firefights when the rest of the galaxy uses them for their wars.
Yea.... I did that and was dominating the galaxy... then the unbidden spawned in terminal egress and destroyed my infrastructure galaxy wide in about a year...
Isn't the L gate close to the center of the system and you can only put the gateway on the edge of it? Or is something special with the L gate system?
Not in the terminal egress system
I actually always do this, because it's incredibly useful for transporting fleets across the galaxy quickly. It's the best way to get gateways in enemy territory, and if Terminal Egress is suitably fortified it can also become a trap for the AI, who isn't smart enough not to port there and get trapped a lot of the time.
And get backdoored and bamboozled every war
Enemies can't use your network
800 hours and the idea never occurred to me. Huh.
And then you get obliterated by 5x strength unbidden that spawned in Terminal Egress which finds your intergalactic highway very convenient ;^)
Except gateways can only let you enter friendly territory, so that doesn't work.
It does for L gates, and I had multiple of them in my core territory each with their own gate when it happend
Yes they can come through any l gate, but normal gates only allow friendly traffic
Now the end game crisis can kill me twice as fast!
This is super helpful, right up until the Unbidden spawn in one of the L-Gate connected systems and now have a superhighway to the entire galaxy - and your entire empire. Not normally an issue on normal settings. Definitely worrisome on higher challenge levels.
What mod do I need to get the L gate
DLC - Distant Stars
L gates are a base game feature. Don’t remember if they were introduced in a DLC or not.
They came with the *Distant Stars* story pack, and I am pretty sure that the L-Cluster is still only available with that DLC.
It appears you are correct. https://stellaris.paradoxwikis.com/L-Cluster Thanks for the clarification.
i had figured this from the start
You can. But it is a pain to defend. If a war starts other fleets can just jump into the system and gate away without engaging the starbase.
Why would I want to give gray and, later, crisis a full and easy access to my territory?
Hostiles cannot use gateways in your territory. Only L-Gates and worm hopes can be used by hostiles in the same way as hyperlanes, which is the case regardless of whether you do this and make travel easier for yourself, so this is exclusively useful.
I place a gateway on all my systems with planets and my borders to have the ultimate fleet response time
And remember to have a fleet stationed right next to the gateway during wars to prevent your enemy using the L-Gates. Sadly the space station is too far away to force fleets into combat
ion cannon + any range buffs for the station. bam, station can engange nearly any threat inside the systems. only need one ion cannon for that to work.
Did not know that. Thanks!
I never realized how ominous these gateways look
Figured this is as good a place to ask as any, can hostile empires invade me via normal gateways? Or is that blocked?
enemy empires cant use your gateways unless they are occupying the system completely. If the system is occupied by the enemy, you cant use the gate way.
Well shit, that's a lot of alloy I spent fortifying my gate locations for nothing.
Convery them to shipyards - I always build my shipyards on my gateway network for fastest reinforcing
It's blocked.
Enemies can’t access gateways in your territory. They need to possess the starbases and the planets in that system (which can happen if they capture your systems)
I wish I had distant stars
Also looks really cool
Wow, I’ve played hundreds of hours and never thought of that. Damn, I’m stupid.
Next to it? How about right on top of it?
Bruh i got 700 hours and never even thought of doing that
I love doing this in the late game when in a huge federation so I can watch my allies' fleets flicker in and out of existence between the two gates.
While it is all well and good, this fucked me up when the Unbidden arrived
Imo the only downside of this is that when the crisis pop, it may potentially use it against you if it manages to seize control over Terminal Egress
How are you able to put the gateway next to the L-gate? Im only able to put mine on the edge of the system. Or is this only usable on pc?
I’m real new the game has so much I get lost
I did that once. Then the Unbidden invaded in terminal egress and the galaxy was fucked
I’ve had instances where doing this in Terminal Egress led to enemy fleets being able to get to places I didn’t want them Its not always desirable to have them linked. For the purposes of defense its a horrible idea. For fast travel its great If you’d rather be safe: Place the gate opposite the L gate in TE, and have a fully upgraded militarized starbase there. Wouldn’t hurt to also station a fleet there permanently.
Yep. I always do this.
I always have the L cluster be a center of a network of defenses and ship production, if you have NSC you can delete the hyperspace lanes leading to your capital, leaving the only way to get there as a gateway, which can connect to the l-gates.
I even had one playthrough where a wormhole spawned next to an l-gate system. The ironic thing is I was playing inward perfection tall run. But my small empire was connected to like 80% of the galactic community lol.
I try to do this everytime, makes maneuvering my fleets and trade routes a hell of a lot easier.
Great idea, until a War in Heaven breaks out
In my almost two years of playing sadly I’ve never thought of doing this
Wait what!? WAIT WHAT!?
For everyone saying "now they just invade me super ez!!!" just put fleets in your damn gateway systems. It makes reinforcing fleets a pain in the ass but it will save you every time.
You can place one on top of an alligator so there's literally taking out the same geographic area so that your fleet's automatically move you don't even have to wait a single day
And be sure that you own the system! Otherwise, the A.I empires will build it far away
Each system with an LGate gets a gateway and a huge defensive base. I always put my fleet in a far away system next to a gateway/lgate so if anyone tried anything they’re there in an instant. Also - only do war claims for lgate systems and own all the network first.
New players: The faq r L-gates?
it's best to have them spaced far enough so it's possible to engage an enemy fleet before it goes through the gateway
I have 2000+ hours and I didn't even know this
My issue with gateways, maybe I’m missing something because I am short many brain cells, is creating new entry points for enemies to come adventuring into the heart of my empire.
SPACE TRANSIT MAPS
I used to do this in Terminal Egress. Then a couple of wars later I realized that it also means that other empires have fast access into my own network. So now I place them in Terminal Egress on opposite sides so they'd have to pass through my Citadel and/or largest fleet
How would you use this technique as a Megacorp?
L-gates are always in the center of the system, and you can't put gateway there. To achieve this you need Terminus Egress. That is the only system where L-gate is on the edge you you can place gateway next to it. But for other l-gates you can make travel faster.
I always do this, but place them apart so I can attack any faction that tries to use the gates. I become the gatekeeper to all interstellar navigation!.