The Game Never Explains Relics
You see a white ping on your Prospector. You dig and find a strange glowing crystal. The game says “Alien Relic Detected.” You pick it up. Nothing happens. You check your inventory. It is there but you cannot craft anything with it.
Relics and Artifacts are Outworld Station’s hidden power system. They provide permanent upgrades that stack with research. Finding and installing them is entirely optional but massively powerful. A single well-placed Artifact can double your drill output or halve your reactor fuel consumption.
The Short Version
Relics spawn randomly on deep asteroid surfaces (White ping). Extract them with a Relic Extractor building. Install them at an Artifact Hub (requires Station Level 6). Each Hub holds 3 Artifacts. Prioritize: Mining Efficiency, Reactor Efficiency, and Drone Battery Artifacts.
Finding Relic Nodes[+]
Where Relics Spawn
Relics appear on specific deep-space asteroids, usually 300-500m from your starting station. They are marked by a White ping on the Prospector tool.
Known Relic Locations:
| Sector | Relic Type | Distance from Start | Danger Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep Belt (sector A3) | Production relics | ~300m | Low |
| Volcanic asteroid (B7) | Power relics | ~400m | Medium (heat) |
| Gas giant ring (C2) | Logistics relics | ~450m | Medium (radiation) |
| Derelict station (D5) | Combat relics | ~500m | High (enemy drones) |
Extraction Requirements:
| Relic Tier | Extractor Level | Extraction Time | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | Basic Extractor | 60 seconds | 1 Artifact Shard |
| Rare | Advanced Extractor | 120 seconds | 1 Artifact Component |
| Legendary | Advanced Extractor + | 300 seconds | 1 Full Artifact |
Tip
You need an Advanced Extractor to get full Artifacts. Common extractors only yield Shards. Save your first Relic find until you have the Advanced Extractor researched (Station Level 6 research tree).
The Artifact Hub Installation[+]
Building and Using the Hub
The Artifact Hub is a special building (cost: 100 Superalloy + 50 Electronics + 5 Full Artifacts). It has 3 slots. Each slot accepts one Artifact.
Best Artifact Loadouts:
Production Focus:
- Drill Output +50% (Common)
- Smelter Efficiency -30% power (Rare)
- Assembler Speed +40% (Legendary)
Power Focus:
- Reactor Fuel Efficiency -25% (Common)
- Solar Panel Output +100% (Rare)
- Generator Heat Reduction +50% (Legendary)
Logistics Focus:
- Drone Battery +100% (Common)
- Connector Range +50% (Rare)
- Freighter Speed +75% (Legendary)
Artifact Shard Recycling and Upgrading[+]
Combining Shards
Common Relic nodes yield Artifact Shards. Collect 5 Shards to craft one Artifact Component. 3 Components craft one Full Artifact.
The Math:
- 5 Common Relic nodes = 5 Shards = 1 Component
- 3 Components = 1 Full Artifact
- 15 Common Relic nodes = 1 Full Artifact
Recycling Unwanted Artifacts: If you find an Artifact you do not need, recycle it at the Hub for 2 Components. This is a 33% loss but lets you pivot to a different build.
Relic Hunting Priority
- Find your first Relic node (any) and extract Shards
- Research Advanced Extractor (Station Level 6)
- Find Rare Relics for Components
- Build the Artifact Hub
- Install Production artifacts first (they compound with research)
- Replace with better artifacts as you find them
Related Guides
v1.1: Relic and Artifact Systems Unchanged
Verified for v1.1 — the relic and artifact system mechanics are unchanged. Finding, extracting, and installing artifacts works the same as described in this guide. Strategy and loadout recommendations still apply.