Non-adjacent modlist:

Details As Nexerelin is fairly pivotal to the modded Starsector experience, the usual paradigm of adjacency, greats, and less-greats isn't really applicable here. For more details on the mod, see its entry in the vanilla-adjacent section.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: This mod adds a variety of advanced gameplay features that fall outside of the vanilla gameplay and lore, but are highly suitable for a non-adjacent playthrough, including exotic factions (AI users, Luddic tech-cultists with high-tech ships... walking memes (see below)...) and super-capital ships, among others.



What's great: In the same way that Nexerelin is one of the principle mods you add when you start playing modded, Vayra's Sector is one of the principal mods you add when you want to spice things up. Included in its diverse package are more varied results for investigating distress calls, a more extensive bounty system that allows any faction to be targeted for a bounty, not just pirates, special 'boss fight' bounties with unique variant hulls up for grabs that will be "auto-recovered" even if you could not normally recover them (albeit with a plethora of d-mods), 'emergent' factions that are not a part of the game at the outset, but will spawn later and begin founding colonies (or try to take them off the more established factions), and more advanced and punishing D-mods that contribute to early-game challenge. On the whole, the sector feels more alive after you install Nexerelin, and with this also-excellent mod added it becomes livelier again.



Additionally, Vayra's Sector also provides extensive infrastructure that allows other modders to add advanced features to their own mods that become active when Vayra's Sector is used alongside a mod that is utilizing this infrastructure. There are several mods Vayra's Sector is integrated with in this way, and this will be detailed in the entries for those mods.



What's less great: Emergent factions have a distressing tendency of setting up shop as far away from the core worlds as possible, leaving their access too low for their colonies to successfully develop and, thusly, for the faction to achieve anything. Moreover, the mod is, like Kadur Remnant, somewhat "memey", which may or may not matter to you depending on your inclinations. This facet is most obvious in the revamped bounty descriptions, but will also become quite apparent with one of the emergent factions as it joins the game... you'll know it when you see it (or rather, hear it)...

Details Why it's non-adjacent: This mod add some new midline ships (with just a couple of low-tech and high-tech entries) to the general pool, but also adds the IX Battlegroup faction. As its name would imply, this is another lost remnant of the Domain military, in this case users of high-tech models rather than the low-tech ones XIV prefers. Not only is XIV canonically the only Domain Battlegroup that was anywhere close enough to the Persean sector to reach it post-Collapse (and even they barely made it), but IX was defeated and essentially exiled from the core by the Hegemony (and they despise all the core world factions) , yet they are somehow able to maintain a massive, incredibly powerful military in their isolated little polity. Yet despite that they don't participate in Nexerelin's diplomacy or invasion mechanics at all, and pretty much just sit there. It's... odd...

Note that IX Battlegroup's markets use AI cores as a balancing factor.



What's great: Whilst the mod adds some decent options for fleet anchors and other heavy-duty slugging vessels, as well as a potentially interesting mission to pursue, its real benefit comes when combined with the expanded bounty system from Vayra's Sector. With AE and VS both installed, bounties can be taken out on IX Battlegroup fleets in the same manner as Pirate and Luddic Path fleets, adding more variety the possible encounters. IX are, if nothing else, a worthy "punching bag" faction in this regard, and potentially rewarding if you manage to salvage some of their unique skins, which offer modest improvements over regular Tri-Tachyon vessels much in the same way that Cabal ships do.



What's less great: Between IX Battlegroup being otherwise perfunctory without VS bounties and the overall relatively limited number of new ships this mod actually adds compared to other ship packs, I wouldn't generally recommend using this mod unless you're also using Vayra's Sector as well. Even if you are, though, feel free to swap this mod for a faction mod of your choosing if you'd prefer a more "active" benefit to your campaign (or just find the IX Battlegroup skins ugly), rather than the passive one AE provides.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: This is a vanilla-adjacent mod that just happens to see an important use here on the non-adjacent modlist (see this mod's entry under optional ship packs in the vanilla-adjacent section for more details).



What's great: Though it was an optional extra on the vanilla-adjacent modlist, here the Luddic Church sorely needs the help. Lacking both the extra markets from DME, HMI, and Stop Gap, and the extra Luddic Church skins from Stop Gap, and with a variety of more aggressive factions on the map, Luddic Enhancement's extra Church skins and extra market step in to help plug the gap, as without help the Church is notorious for folding early and often on the campaign map. The extra Luddic Path skins the mod also provides are also very welcome when combined with Vayra's Sector's ability for bounties to be taken out against Luddic Path fleets.



What's less great: Nothing, really. Even by ship pack standards, there's very little to complain about here.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: This mod adds mostly high-tech ships, though with a decent clutch of low-tech and midline designs. It also adds a sizable collection of Luddic Path, XIV Battlegroup, and Lion's Guard (i.e. Sindrian elite). One of the vessels it adds is a super-capital ship that is not only larger and more powerful than any vanilla ship, but which the Luddic Church just loves to spam like it's going out of style. This simply isn't compatible with vanilla's post-collapse technology level and shipbuilding capabilities.



What's great: Of all the ship packs that seek to fill out gaps in the vanilla ship lineup, SWP may be the most squarely and intently focused on this goal. And in this regard, the mod succeeds so well that it's become one of the community's most frequently recommended mods, and for good reason. Between the high-tech carriers, low-tech cruisers and fast destroyers, factional skins, and even a sorely missing midline frigate, it brings a lot that's good (and good looking. Solid spritework in this one as well) to the table. And that's without even mentioning the International Bounty Board. Like Vayra's Sector, SWP adds special "boss bounties" with mildly interesting back-stories, lots of money up for grabs and unique variant starships to win that are always recoverable even if you normally couldn't recover them (though any such "auto-recovered" ships will be absolutely lousy with d-mods). The mod adds even more of these bounties when used alongside certain faction mods.



What's less great: The Cathedral spam is a genuine problem, over-empowering Church fleets and making it difficult if not impossible to find any other capital ships in their military markets when you are commissioned with them. Most of the missions also aren't up to much, being mostly just there to show off some of the more unique vessels SWP adds.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: This mod adds some new low-tech and high-tech ships (with just a few midline entries) to the general pool, but has a far more substantive impact on the Independent and Pirate factions. To the former, it adds a sub-faction that is part of the Independents faction, which offers advanced upgraded patterns of a number of vanilla ships, including the Onslaught (a vessel canonically restricted to the Hegemony). To the latter, it adds a separate, technologically advanced faction that lends full-spec pirate-skin vessels (up to and including regular line capitals) to the regular Pirates faction, and even a brand new, powerful dreadnought of their own design. Ordinarily, Pirates have to rely on junkers and repurposed civilian vessels, with no access to such "shiny" kit.

Note that Legio Infernalis' markets use AI cores as a balancing factor.



What's great: This mod and Underworld (see the vanilla-adjacent list) both serve to alleviate the problem of dull, repetitive pirate fights, and I generally recommend that players always have at least one of these two mods active. They represent two very different schools of thought when it comes to how best to accomplish this, with Underworld opting for a more seamless approach with ships that seem like they could've been sourced the same way as existing pirate ships, while Tahlan opts to more directly ratchet up the level of danger pirates represent by giving them "fleet standard" vessels they couldn't ordinarily source. This makes Tahlan ideal for the sort of deadlier, more challenging campaign that the non-adjacent list represents, as large pirate armadas can become truly terrifying with Tahlan installed. Beyond how it fixes pirates, Tahlan also adds the Legio Infernalis as a sort of "boss" faction, with powerful colonies but starting off inhospitable and on the brink of war to almost everyone. These pirates-cum-fascists work rather well as a galactic menace and can even be an interesting challenge to play as when almost nobody in the sector besides pirates will trade with you, and numerous factions are liable to declare outright war at any time. Good spritework on the Legio ships as well. The aforementioned sub-faction of the Independents, meanwhile, Great Houses, lives in a far-flung system that is difficult for an early-game player to reach, but rewarding with their special ship variants for sale once you make it there (just make sure you have a good relationship with the Independents first!). On top of all that, the mod adds substantial number of new High Value Bounties when used alongside Vayra's Sector, and the ordinarily vessels the mod adds to the vanilla factions aren't any slouches either, especially the Hegemony finally getting a low-tech, uncomplicated, face-smashy answer to the terror that is the Tri-Tachyon Astral.



...you know, when I think about it, this mod has a lot of content...



What's less great: Some of the small high-tech ships and possibly the Castella might be a tad redundant. Also, with Nexerelin, when you have a "normal" faction that is unfriendly to almost everyone, and liable to be thrust into more wars than it can handle all at once, this can yield some odd results on the campaign map. Pirate and Pather colonies in the core are safe from invasion and will not invade another markets, whereas Legio is a full (and rowdy) participant in Nex's diplomacy and invasion mechanics, for better and for worse. Beyond this occasional jank with Legio, though, there's very little to complain about here. It's a non-adjacent pirate (and independent) enhancer mod. You're very much getting what you pay for with this one. If you don't want shiny pirates and shiny Independents, steer clear.



Note that, if you'd like to use Thalan solely as a ship pack, you can turn both Legio Infernalis and Great Houses off by going to Starsector -> mods -> tahlan -> tahlan_settings and changing the text ""enableLegio": true" to ""enableLegio": false" and the text ""enableLethia": true" to ""enableLethia": false", respectively.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: It actually is, but the reason it's here on the non-adjacent list as well as the adjacent list is that VSP is integrated with Vayra's Sector, adding additional content when both mods are running.



What's great/less great: The integration with Vayra's Sector grants you new starting options and a special bounty to hunt down. VS also allows for normal bounties to appear with Luddic Path targets and not just Pirate ones, meaning you may actually get to see VSP's LP skins more than once in a blue moon, which is nice. Beyond that, see VSP's entry in the vanilla-adjacent list for what's great and less great about this mod.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: Blackrock possess just a couple of technologies that are out-of-step with the vanilla lore, but they're quite large ones. The first is the fact that they have a teleporting battleship. Canonicaly speaking, only the Radiant is capable of this feat, and the mere fact that it can at all is considered a truly shocking, nigh-unimaginable achievement, genuinely thought to be impossible by all known laws of physics. If Blackrock was known to be teleporting its battleships, even if the principles behind a Scalar Deracinator and a Phase Skimmer are very different, the appearance of a Skimmer-equipped Radiant wouldn't be such a shock to the people of the sector. The other one is that Blackrock's phase ships can draw in enemy fire and convert it to shots it can send back at the enemy, and also regenerate their armour. Obviously that's a bit beyond what a Harbinger or a Doom can manage...



Blackrock itself is a small corporate polity (are you sick of hearing that phrase by now? :V) south-east of the core, who have built a large navy to counteract the fact that their loud, racketous, and rather shameless profiteering has *** off more than a few of the wrong people. They're poised to tear down the whole damned sector to save their own hides, if it comes to it.



What's great: In many ways, BRDY feels like a sort of dark reflection of Dassault-Mikoyan (or DME is a brighter, happier reflection. Whichever you prefer. Blackrock did come first, and indeed is one of Starsector's earliest mod factions). Instead of a peaceful disposition and ships of beautiful, spotless white, we get warmongers with dingy, industrial-feeling hulls; the acrid, sickly green glows of their ships and their pollution-choked homeworld giving an almost Malon-esque vibe and really bringing across Starsector's grimdark feel in a spectacular way. Beyond such superficial observations, however, we can also note that Blackrock ships are mixed midline and high-tech inspired, with, similar to some DME ships, a strong emphasis placed on skirmishing and hidden potential, just without the heavy investment into carriers. By-and-large, Blackrock ships are designed to enter combat quickly, punch above their weight, then duck out and vent (which their ships can do more rapidly than other fleets) before their relatively low flux capacities get them into trouble. To facilitate this, BRDY ships tend to have either movement-related ship systems or ones that have a large impact on the battle but only for a brief moment. It's a more aggressive playstyle than DME's skirmishers (befitting the faction's hostile disposition), feeling less cushily comfortable, but potentially more rewarding in the hands of a talented pilot. The faction itself feels quite balanced on the campaign map, with just a few planets, but a lot of potential to expand (though just as much to be wiped clean out). Missions seem appropriately balanced as well.



On the whole, this mod certainly earns its storied legacy within the community.



What's less great : Another thing BRDY shares in common with DME is that art style could feel out of place to some players, what with the extensive detailing, heavy shadows, and in-general unusual, faintly insectoid look of Blackrock's ships. The ships also aren't particularly forgiving to fly, requiring, as stated before, a skilled player to bring the best out of them.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: Diable is a corporate polity (and a cruel and heartless one at that. One of their planets' economy is even heavily based on slave labour) that has burst onto the scene claiming from their staging areas to the east of the core that pre-collapse agreements with the Domain of Man give them sole rights to the territory and resources of the entire Persean Sector. Leaving aside the fact that a swift, hostile takeover of the whole core worlds is an... ambitious project, to say the least... Diable's stock-in-trade is spaceborne mechs, a technology that, whilst I wouldn't necessarily put it past the technological capabilities of the Domain, is nowhere to be found anywhere else in Starsector, and thus represents a substantive departure from vanilla gameplay.



Note that Diable's markets (somewhat infamous among the playerbase for getting rather badly bodied on the campaign layer) use AI cores as a balancing factor to make them more difficult to invade.



What's great: One thing I've noticed players tend to look for in their modded experience is factions that offer unique playstyles. In this regard, Diable is one the best in the modiverse. Not only do they bring the more obvious and visible addition of mechs, which offer a very different way to utilize the game's carrier mechanics as compared with vanilla carriers (as these are generally slow, tough, heavily armed units that tend to wade into the fight and stay there, as opposed to the hit-and-run tactics of vanilla bombers), but their ships are also noteworthy, possessing an intriguing combination of swift manoeuvre warfare and sustained, withering fire. They tend to utilize long-range, rapid-firing weapons backed up with a lot of small mounts (Diable ships can be very strong in point-defence, if so-equipped). In addition, they also take a page or two from Macross, with some of their ships able to utilize massive swarms of small, weak missiles that can easily saturate the enemy. The faction itself, whilst not strictly speaking a challenge faction, does subtly suggest that the player should try to conquer the entire sector, which can be a challenge in its own way.



What's less great: As with any other mod faction that has a highly distinctive look to it, Diable's aesthetics can be controversial. Their ships have (accurately) been described as "space katanas", and the whole thing has a definite anime feel to it overall (not as much as Shadowyards, but still), so take heed if that's not your thing (though do note that Tartiflette's faction mods come with alternate skin packs, so check these first before rejecting Diable on the basis of aesthetics). Their fleets can also be quite "swingy" in their effectiveness, especially Wanzers given that they are, in-effect, under-sized fighter squadrons (though, as mentioned, tougher than normal fighters). If the enemy proves effective at taking Wanzers down, a Diable fleet can find itself in a disproportionate amount of trouble. They're sort of the same way on the campaign layer, too. Even buffed with AI cores as they are, Diable is still weak on the defence, though they're very strong on the offence. It's not the most consistently performing faction overall.

GMDA Details Why it's non-adjacent: GMDA utilizes advanced technology in excess of what even Tri-Tachyon is able to deploy, chief among which is a capital ship capable of phase cloaking. In addition, the very concept of a pseudo-space police force, complete with flashing red-and-blues on their hulls, is, to a degree, an inherently "memey" one. They don't really fit in with the tone that the base game's lore and setting establishes, but that makes them perfect for a modlist full of more unusual ships, factions, and technology, like this one.



GMDA itself is actually a scam organization - these privateers do battle pirates as they advertise, yes, but their primary stock-in-trade is that they raid shipping from the larger factions for profit, then hide behind the Independents (who they protect fiercely) as a means of avoiding being brought to justice. It's a complete racket.



What's great: The GMDA fleet consists of only the most absurd, extreme Pimp My Ride-esque modifications of standard galactic ships. They have a more extreme version of Tri-Tachyon's hit-and-run playstyle, being designed to strike fast and hard (with their ships becoming even more dangerous at high flux levels, berserker-style), without any regard to how quickly their Combat Readiness degrades because, in theory, the fight will be long over by the time that matters. There is an appealingly palpable sense of danger when both facing and flying GMDA ships. GMDA are based out of the Independent markets on Agreus and Ilm, where the player will find slick, expensive showrooms that sell GMDA equipment and hulls (though it's usually more economical to recover their ships in battle any time they "catch you speeding").



What's less great: The faction (and the mod as a whole. This isn't like Underworld where the mod also adds a ton of new pirate ships or anything like that) is, at the end of the day, fairly limited. Once the novelty of their flying cop cars wears off, there really isn't a whole lot else to them. Moreover, remember how I said they raid legitimate shipping? The player will run afoul of this frequently during a playthrough that includes them, similar to Cabal from the Underworld mod. As with Cabal, this can be annoying and make the early game harder than it needs to be. Though given this modlist is geared towards being a greater challenge for the more experienced player, perhaps in this case that could be considered a good thing. Up to you, really.

COPS Details Why it's non-adjacent: COPS utilizes advanced technology in excess of what even Tri-Tachyon is able to deploy, chief among which is a frigate that combines phase and shield systems together. In addition, the very concept of a pseudo-space police force, complete with a hostile fleet theme replete with police sirens and radio chatter, is, to a degree, an inherently...



...



...is anyone else getting a sense of deja-vu right now?



Anyways, COPS itself is, unlike GMDA, exactly what they advertise (something of a rarity in the sector, all told) - a specialized anti-pirate task-force consisting of old-guard Hegemony officers and some defected Tri-Tachyon scientists. Though they lack a strong industrial base of their own, their selfless, stalwart dedication to a cause just about everybody can get behind has won them many friends across the core worlds, and they are as adept in vigorous guerrilla warfare as the pirates themselves.



What's great: The COPS fleet combines the technologically advanced spaceframe design of Tri-Tachyon with the "stand fast and deliver overwhelming firepower" combat style of the Hegemony, producing a fleet that can be refreshingly straightforward to fly compared to the more skirmishy, hit-and-run playstyle of traditional high-tech fleets while still using their unusual ship systems to disrupt the enemy in unique ways. Hell, there's even one that lets you vent flux into an enemy ship, but I'll let you discover this mod's other interesting gameplay ideas on your own. on the campaign map, COPS are a very "active" presence, compared to GMDA, participating in Nexerelin's diplomacy and invasion mechanics as normal while also staging raids on pirates and their other enemies from so-called "COPS Camps", which spawn in the same fashion as pirate and pather bases do. Between that and their primary markets in the core worlds being very weak and lacking shipbuilding capability (COPS fleets are full of d-mods, just like Pirate fleets), they have a very strong, well-realized feeling of being very much the "anti-pirates" they are intended to be, an interesting challenge both to play as and to face (particularly if you're going to try a Pirate campaign). It's also a rare example of a mod faction that's actually friendly to the Hegemony.



Note: If these guys seem entirely too "nice" compared to most of the other factions on this list, that's because, frankly? They are. Solely in terms of disposition (though not really in any other way), they truthfully fit better into the vanilla-adjacent list. However, their inclusion here gives you the option, if so inclined, to cut the Hegemony a break, granting them an ally they will typically form an alliance with almost immediately, and making your non-adjacent campaign slightly less teeth-to-the-balls than it otherwise could be. If, on the other hand, you don't want the non-adjacent campaign to pull any punches whatsoever? Well, that's what GMDA is for.



What's less great: The combination of grey, mostly un-gussied up hulls with highly advanced technological components visible inside is interesting, but do take note of whether you'll find that off-putting. Their general friendliness can make them fairly passive on the campaign map at times, and when they do become aggressive against another faction, the raids launched from COPS Camps will tend to pack significantly more powerful fleets than pirates typically do, even with all the d-mods, which might be more than you are ready to face, or that you want the AI factions to have to face.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: The Imperium is, perhaps, the OG example of why I structured my modlists in the way that I did, as it's a great mod that just doesn't fit in with the vanilla lore. The idea is that they were an insular, separatist polity from the Domain with a strong authoritarian tradition (it doesn't take one long to realize that the Imperium are, more-or-less literally, space Romans). Nothing so out-of-the-ordinary there, but the problem is that their major seats of government are run by AI cores, and the Imperium is heavily integrated with AI usage in their everyday lives. Knowing as we do how vigorously the Hegemony and Luddic Church prosecuted Tri-Tachyon's use of these same AIs, it quite simply isn't possible that the Hegemony would allow the Imperium to remain, especially given the Imperium's relatively small size as a polity. The Imperium's lore includes access to Planet Killers and the implied threat of Mutually Assured Destruction as a way to try and excuse this, but the possible threat of (and actual use of) PKs in the vanilla lore has not stopped the Hegemony before.



Thus the Imperium can, quite easily, be considered to be outside of a vanilla-similar gameplay experience. Not a bad gameplay experience, it must once again be stressed, but simply not the first place (as is true for the rest of this list) you should go for a modded experience that is as similar to the vanilla experience as possible. It will (as, again, is true for the rest of the non-adjacent list) be more your thing if you're looking to mix things up with some of the more unusual mod factions, or if lore-snarls just simply don't bother you. This same logic will apply to all other heavily AI-using factions.



What's great: The Imperium has rich lore and an extremely well-thought-out lineup of ships. On the face of it, these ships are merely a fairly standard, roughly midline sort of style mod fleet (even with a similar colour scheme) with a decent number of hulls and a couple of fairly unique ideas for ship systems. However, moreso than any other mod, Imperium seeks to make each individual modded hull offer as much replayability and potential for different loadouts as possible. To accomplish this, Imperial hulls have the option to install unique Imperium-only hullmods. These not only substantially alter the ship's stats, but also change the way each ship's ship system functions, greatly altering the ship's playstyle. If that wasn't good enough, the Imperial fleet have clean lines and detailed textures that give them an appealing aesthetic... and then you realize their appearance subtly changes depending on which (if any) of the special Imperial hullmods is installed... This fleet is cleverly designed and achingly beautiful. The Imperium itself is powerful, but feels surprisingly balanced on the campaign map, and offers some very unique terrain for the player to explore. You won't go far wrong playing a campaign as space-Rome.



What's less great: Not a whole lot. In the same way that Scy is arguably the best-in-show of the vanilla-adjacent list, the same is true of the Imperium in this list. The missions are a bit disappointing, being generally under-cooked and vastly too difficult for the most part, and their fleet is lacking in mid-sized utility craft, forcing their fleets to mix in a handful of non-Imperial hulls (similar to ORA in this regard, but not as bad, especially as Imperial hulls visually fit with vanilla hulls better than ORA ones do), but that's about it.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: Kadur Remant, like Vayra's Ship Pack, is integrated with Vayra's Sector, adding additional content when both mods are running. This content, among other things, involves a playable super-capital ship; far removed from the types of ships one can command in a vanilla or vanilla-adjacent experience.



What's great: All the same points from Kadur's entry on the vanilla-adjacent list still apply. In addition, "Kadur Camps", similar to pirate bases, will now spawn when you have Vayra's Secotr installed, periodically launching raids against the core worlds in a manner similar to pirate raids. This, in effect, adds midline pirate fleets to the game, which can (if you choose to fight them. Kadur tends to be significantly easier to make and keep peace with than pirates) be an appealing change of pace from the low-tech offerings of regular pirates and the high-tech ones of Cabal from back in the vanilla-adjacent list.



What's less great: On the other hand, the raids launched from Kadur Camps will tend to pack substantially more powerful fleets than pirates typically do, which might be more than you are ready to face, or that you want the AI factions to have to face.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: Mayasura is essentially a "what if...?" story of a mod. Canonically, Mairaath's defenders were cleared out by the Hegemony after the Luddic Path devastated the planet, and the remaining population eventually fell in with the Persean League, but a faint echo of their formerly proud selves. This mod questions what might have happened if Mairaath had managed to hold onto its independence, and the Mayasuran Navy retained its pride and strength even in light of the terrible fate that has befallen their home, continuing to stubbornly battle on to the present day. So obviously it falls somewhat outside of the vanilla lore given that it literally changes the vanilla lore. Even if not for that, though, the mod also contains a phase cloaking capital ship and at least one ship that supposedly requires an alpha core for its targeting systems, so... yeah...



What's great: Mayasura is entirely unique among mod factions in that if you select a Mayasura start for your campaign, you will begin the game with governorship of Mairaath. Yes, you did read that right - you essentially start with a colony right off the bat. Do not think this will make the game easy, however - Mayasura is essentially tailor-made for a challenge run, being a relatively unprofitable one-planet minor with weak defences and many enemies, and you (at least initially) lacking the capital or income to substantially strengthen those defences. Whether you choose to begin the game as governor or choose a free start (or perhaps a Persean League start) and pick up a commission with Mayasura later, keeping the planet from being overrun by the Hegemony and Tri-Tachyon will be difficult, to say the least. Indeed, even though this was back before the start-of-game governorship was an option, bringing home a pristine forge to plug into Mairaath's orbital works just in time to purchase the pristine capital ships I needed to beat back an advancing Tri-Tachyon invasion remains one of my most memorable moments in this game.



As for Mayasura's ships, as we know from the Mairaath mission in the base game, the Mayasuran navy was a heavy user of midline starships even before they joined the Persean League. So rather than give Mayasura its own completely unique line of ship designs, the mod instead grants Mairaath a batch of new midline designs that are shared with the Persean League. Though not technically a ship pack, then, this may well be the single most expansive addition to the midline ship pool of any mod in the modiverse, including a sorely missing midline frigate (several of them, in fact!). Mechanically, the ships are solid performers that mostly align well with the design principles behind the existing midline hulls. As for aesthetics, well, let's just say this mod is a particularly strong case of "embraced the memes". Wanna have an Eagle where half the guns are replaced with two fighter bays? Caaan dooo! Wanna have a midline Legion-equivalent that has a literal battleship turret for its main armament? Why the hell not!? Wanna have frigate, cruiser, and capital-sized Hammerheads? I'd be insulted if you didn't! Now personally I love this combination of mechanically sound and artistically zany, but see below.



What's less great: Like I said, this mod is a very clear-cut case of "embraced the memes". The biggest reason not to use this mod would be if you simply find the ship designs to be unbearably silly (or, failing that, a case of crossing the line from an interesting variety of ships to plain ol' bloat). Aside from that, if you decide not to start as governor and instead commission with Mayasura post-game start, you will never be more frustrated with the inherit limitations of a commission than when you play a campaign commissioned with Mayasura. You can (and should, as soon as possible) sell your people a nano-forge to make their fleets less crappy, but you want so badly to fund an orbital station, more industry, heavy batteries, etc... and you just can't... You'll be stuck babysitting a relatively defenceless planet for the entire campaign. For this reason, I highly recommend choosing a Mayasura start and just taking the damn governorship, even if it seems like even the worst insta-colony would be OP on the surface. In AI hands, meanwhile, the faction is likely to have limited relevance, besides potentially pulling the Persean League into more wars.

Details Why is's non-adjacent: The Mayorate is a small, insular polity that struggles to eke out an existence just off the north-east of the core, almost like a weaker, more pitiable Sindrian Diktat. Unlike the Diktat, however, the Mayorate is ruled not by an ambitious former Hegemony admiral, but by a rogue AI core known only as The Mayor, a fact the polity is widely known and widely disliked for. As an AI user, the Matorate is non-adjacent for the same reasons as Interstellar Imperium.



What's great: Mayorate ships are a curious, yet interesting combination of low-tech's preference for lumbering slowly into close combat with relatively straightforward ship systems (How straightforward? Several Mayorate ships simply deploy a swarm of mines out the back), midline's mixture of adequate performance in both shields and armour, and high-tech's preference for mostly energy-based weapons (though the mod adds some special ones that deal more damage when the host ship is high on flux to facilitate a brawling sort of playstyle, so not quite the usual high-tech standard), with some missile-favouring ships thrown in for good measure. The Mayorate itself is well-positioned to work as a challenge faction, with their weak strategic position, few friends, and limited selection of ships. They also have remarkably extensive lore to discover, and Mayorate is generally regarded as a very historically significant mod within the Starsector community.



What's less great: Mayorate finally received an update at the end of 2019 after not having had one since mid-2016, and it's definitely true that years of progress in the modding scene have left the mod somewhat behind. Whilst it is acceptably polished, it is just plain lacking in content (gameplay content, that is. Story content the mod is A-okay) compared to what became available between the mod's last update and the current one. It simply can't measure up in terms of the variety of ships, weapons, and fighters that are available in other faction mods. Though entirely compatible with a solid campaign play experience, it's probably best not to use this mod if it feels too incomplete to you, or if the art style doesn't agree with you. Mayorate ships also seem like they could get into trouble very suddenly and then have a hard time extracting themselves out of it. They're definitely intended to slug it out, though how well they actually do this remains to be seen, and might even be somewhat dependent on what energy weapons you have available from other mods.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: It actually is, but the reason it's here on the non-adjacent list as well as the adjacent list is that they form a nice mutually friendly "clique" with Interstellar Imperium and Sylphon RnD. When you have Imperium and Sylphon, with their relatively far-flung systems, the newly expanded north-east of the core feels rather barren without ORA's systems. Hence, they're mostly here to promote a better gameplay experience.



What's great/less great: For what's great and less great about this faction, see ORA's entry in the vanilla-adjacent list. Unlike with Kadur, not much here has really changed from there.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: Despite Sylphon RnD being a very small corporate polity that has ostensibly survived by keeping its head down and trading with Tri-Tachyon, the Persean League, and the Sindrian Diktat, they none-the-less managed to develop the "nullspace" technology (think fleet-wide phase skimming, but with more eldritch abominations), more refined than anything Tri-Tachyon is able to offer. They are also a particularly extensive user of AI cores, even to the point of, to some degree, treating alpha cores as citizens and giving them rights. Certainly an interesting faction, but not the most lore-friendly.



What's great: Whereas Interstellar Imperium's fleet is dedicated to facilitating a wide variety of different possible playstyles on the same hulls, Sylphon's fleet is instead geared towards providing the player with many different ways to facilitate essentially the same playstyle. Whilst on the surface Sylphon ships seem to play very similar to Tri-Tachyon ships, with an emphasis on energy weapons, shield-tanking, and motive systems, they distinguish themselves with an aggressive, mid-to-short-ranged playstyle that utilizes the chaotic energies that "push back" against anyone attempting to access nullspace to create havoc and destruction. Some Sylphon ships have the ability to manifest powerful, short-ranged energy discharges when certain conditions are met, and all have the ability to do so when overloading or by installing a particular hullmod. Alternatively, their ships can be equipped for tanking or greater mobility to support the purple lightning shooters at the front line, and there's even one ship that will take built-up flux from nearby allies and use it to add to the quantity of discharged energy blasts coming from your fleet. Carriers with unmanned drones (Sylphon carriers cannot use manned fighters) are available for screening and fire support. It's a complex but interesting fleet to fly, well-suited for the grand orchestrator. The chessmaster's fleet, you might call it. The polity itself, small and isolated as it is, might feel vulnerable, but rarely seems to get invaded, so you should be reasonably able to get your economy going while playing as them, and have reasonable chances to fight them when desired when not. They also form a mutually-friendly "clique" with Imperium and ORA, nicely filling out the north and west of the mod-expanded core worlds. The combination of Tri-Tachyon-esque curves and sharp angles with purple stripes, engines, auras, after-images, and the general strange, almost unsettling glow of nullspace energy makes for a very unique aesthetic...



What's less great: ...but likely not one that's going to appeal to everybody's taste. Moreover, one thing you'll quickly notice about Sylphon ships is that the AI has, frankly, no Earthly clue how to properly fly them. Their playstyle could be charitably described as "fiddly", and AI simply isn't savvy enough to get the most out of it, which often makes a Sylphon battle fleet weaker than it should be, even with micro-management from the player. Worse yet, the nature of their ships discourages running fleets comprised of mixed Sylphon and non-Sylphon ships. You can still do this, of course, but the non-Sylphon ships will always be at risk from the energy discharges of the Sylphon ones, though there is a special hullmod available to partially alleviate this. Said "fiddly" playstyle, especially with the no manned fighters rule, might feel downright restrictive to some, rather than unique and interesting the way it was intended.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: Though not entirely incompatible with a vanilla-adjacent playthrough by the same previously established principle that deep space exploration elements can be given more leeway than elements that are made a part of the core worlds, adding a mod that would exclusively add non-adjacent elements (specifically, a series of extremely unusual exotic ship designs, complete with hull transformations, super-capitals, and truly faaabulous paint jobs) to a vanilla-adjacent playthrough seems like a silly idea when the vanilla-adjacent modlist already has mods that add more of these Remnant-style wildspace enemies to the game (see below).



What's great: SAD adds a hostile, Remnant-like faction that, like the Remnant, will control a number of star systems throughout unexplored space marked by warning beacons. SAD fleets, consequently, serve as an additional late-game challenge for the player. SAD fleets are very tough, and potentially even more challenging than their Remnant counterparts, while (unlike the Remnant) offering the chance to salvage and restore their hulks for your own use. Additionally, as a Shadowyards fan mod of sorts, SAD allows the player a way to access to Shadowyards weapons even when not using the Shadowyards Reconstruction Authority mod.



What's less great: Again, these ships are gaudy, so even though you won't see them that much during a playthrough, take heed if this bothers you. Mission content is presently incomplete, lending something of an unpolished feel.

Details Why it's vanilla-adjacent: It is, but with Sanguinary Anarchistic Defectors' ability to be used to farm blueprints having been significantly nerfed, Vesperon is now the premiere blueprint acquisition mod for any modded playthrough.



For what is great and less great about this mod, see its entry on the vanilla-adjacent modlist.

Details This mod makes a series of adjustments intended to make finding your feet and getting by in the sector more of a challenge. XP and reputation gain for battles is scaled based on the relative power of your ships deployed compared with the enemy's, and will be reduced if you save-scum, the combat power of Derelicts (including any additional ones added by mods) is buffed and commission and stipend pay are greatly reduced. The mod also causes Remnant fleets to roam hyperspace, but this violates the vanilla-adjacent lore by having them wander alarmingly close to the core, the majority of whose inhabitants have been lead to believe the AI battlefleet threat was destroyed once and for all. They will harass the player almost constantly even just outside of the core, making Ruthless Sector hyperspace Remnant a near ever-present menace, which is a far cry from the hens-teeth-scarce Remnant raids added by Nexerelin. If you wish to use this mod while maintaining a vanilla-adjacent experience, turn off wandering Hyperspace Remnant by access mods->Ruthless Sector->RUTHLESS_SECTOR->OPTIONS and changing the true in "enableRemnantEncountersInHyperspace":true to false. Personally, I feel like the Remnant are easy enough to avoid in any case that hyperspace Remnant actually make the game easier in the long run (easier access to alpha cores), not harder, but that aside I, as always, leave the decision of whether or not to use them up to you.

Details Adds some default and some optional adjustments that serve generally to intensify the mid-to-late game. CR recovers more slowly, factions improve their ship quality, quantity, and officers over time, and AI markets are strengthened with additional ground defences, patrol bases, and orbital stations. Optionally, you can also activate options to increase fuel use with your distance from the core, to increase supply and fuel usage with the amount of time spent without having docked at a market, and to improve the sensor strength of small ships and increase the sensor profile of large ships, as well as reducing the sensor strength and increasing the sensor profile of the player's fleet.

Seeker Ship Pack

Details Why it's non-adjacent: This mod is something of a splatter-painting - a highly eclectic mix of all manner of weird and wonderful ship designs, most rather experimental in terms of gameplay design. Quite a few of these ships fall well outside of the technological capabilities of the vanilla lore.



What's great: One of the purposes of the non-adjacent modlist is to allow you to experience many new and exciting things in a convenient, playable package. Seeker, whilst it's not a primary part of the modlist because it would be unreasonable to expect everyone to get on the Discord server just for this one mod, is the perfect extension of this principle, giving you access to a ridiculously wide variety of highly experimental ship designs. Unusual hullshapes, exotic weapons, nonstandard intended uses, and the odd interesting new ship system abound in this mod. I won't spoil too much, as this is one mod that is better experienced blind, but suffice it to say that Seeker is the mod you use when you want to take mixing it up one step further, and it is very interesting, and comes recommended if that is your inclination.



What's less great: There's a fine line between "eclectic" variety and "schizophrenic" variety, and this mod will surely cross that line for some users. If you're remotely uncertain about whether or not this level of zany is for you, watch the YouTube video "SATURATED ORDANCE [Starsector]". It shows off one ship from Seeker in particular, the Dawn, which should give you enough of an idea of what you're getting yourself into if you use this mod without spoiling too too much.

One or two factions from the vanilla-adjacent list:

Details Why it's non-adjacent: In addition to being a heavy AI user, ApproLight's foundation and fleet operations are predicated on a veritable cavalcade of super-advanced technologies that the rest of the sector can only dream about. The faction itself is a tech-cult of personality surrounding the in-universe character of Orignem, and does the whole cabal of shadowy, cloaked figures with inscrutable goals thing.



What's great: Moreso than perhaps any other faction mod, ApproLight's greatest strength lies in expanding Starsector's endgame content, providing not only a hostile challenge faction reputed to be significantly more challenging than even the Remnant at their strongest, but also rewarding the player for such battles with access to a "crafting" system. Not unlike an MMO in principle (and here we see some of that aforementioned Chinese influence), this system allows the player to gradually assemble the most powerful starships in the ApproLight catalogue, serving to help justify fighting these enemies in a similar fashion to how fighting Remnant to acquire AI cores works, albeit with perhaps more direct benefit to one's minute-to-minute gameplay.



As far as the faction itself goes, ApproLight ships are, principally speaking, snipers, somewhat similar to certain Tri-Tachyon ship builds that involve burning down the enemy with long-ranged energy weapon fire, but even more extreme. Vulnerable at close range and to flanking, they are intended to win flux duels and beat the enemy into submission on the approach before either of those vulnerabilities become an issue. Facilitating this is an extensive system of interlocking, slot-limited factional hullmods. I honestly wish I could say more about these hullmods, but... see below... They are a powerful opponent, but relatively easy faction to actually play as (again, see below).



Note that, being of Chinese origin, this mod has been (serviceably) translated into English.



What's less great: Appro has some woefully imbalanced market shares and overpowered fleet strength around their homeworld. Moreover, ship balance is a hotly, hotly debated topic when it comes to this mod, with some claiming that Appro vessels substantially over-perform when properly fitted and flown. Although proper fitting is not as easily as it sounds because, well, I can't make heads or tails of Appro's factional hullmods. You might have more luck, but heed my words that getting the most out of their ships is going to take some work, and here we once again see that Chinese influence. It courses through this mod's veins for both better and worse. Then there's the art style. Heavily over-detailed, spiky, religiousy, glowy, and very, very anime. In that way (and in many others), this is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of deal. Take that for whatever it may be worth when making your decision whether or not to use this mod.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: Hazard Mining adds two new factions to the game. The first, the titular Hazard Mining Incorporated, is a blue-collar corporate polity specializing in delivering raw resources (including a few extra ones unique to the mod, which tend to become profitable whenever times are hard in the core worlds) to the rest of the sector in bulk quantities. It's best not to ask too many questions about how they do it, though, as life on HMI's distant, lonely planets is seldom pleasant. By design, HMI utilizes some of the hackiest chop shop job-esque technological solutions in the entire sector (right next to one of the other factions contained in this very mod). Many of these are exceedingly low-tech and entirely compatible with the existing lore, however the "techmined" designs - stated to be various half-finished high-tech prototypes HMI has re-discovered and then back-fitted for their own purposes, are at least a little bit questionable. More questionable than these are their low-tech "scav" versions of the Astral and Paragon, both of which stretch credibility and might come across as downright cheeky depending on your point of view. The proverbial nail in the coffin for the faction's lore friendliness, however, is that HMI has access to a super-capital ship design, a feat even well-equipped polities cannot accomplish within the vanilla lore. Purported to merely be a station with engines strapped to it and vanishingly rare, this ship will (in the best traditions of super-capital ships that get added to a faction's standard fleet list) none-the-less inevitably show up in numbers both in Hazard's military markets and its invasion fleets. The fact that the pirates are able to utilize this monstrosity also doesn't help with lore-friendliness.



The second faction is the Brighton Federation. Essentially a series of glorified refugee camps a ways out from the core worlds, the Federation does what it can to assist the survivors that continue even 200 years later to trickle in from the now "wild" space outside of the core worlds, but their efforts are severely curtailed by their own crippling lack of resources. To partially compensate for this, the Federation's fleet consists primarily of Derelict and Remnant hulks dragged in from that same wild space, hastily cut apart and welded back together with crude liveable modules. These could be somewhat overlooked back when they were merely a rare sight in Hazard fleets, but when they are what an entire polity's battle fleets are most known for, it fairly well shatters the existing lore that most denizens of the core worlds don't realize that the Hegemony actually failed to destroy all of the AI Battlefleets during the First AI War.



Note also that, beyond the two factions, Hazards adds new exploration elements both within HMI space and out in the wider unexplored space that could be considered non-adjacent, including notable elements of cosmic horror (not usually a feature in Starsector).



What's great: In most respects, this is a faction mod wholly unlike any other... fascinatingly so, at times... HMI almost has the feeling of a player-created faction gone horribly, horribly wrong, the Hazard-controlled stars feeling like an unsettling and threatening place to be, barely removed from dangerous wildspace. When it comes to the titular faction, this is definitely a mod that nails its atmosphere. Mechanically, meanwhile, Hazard offers a plethora of unique ship designs you won't find allegories for almost anywhere else, chief among which are the "Junkers", literal piles of flying scrap which, thanks to the effect of their built-in "Junker" hull mod, gain progressively more ordinance points the more d-mods the ship possesses. This encourages a risk-reward playstyle that befits the "Hazard" name just perfectly. The mod also, appropriately, adds a large number of new pieces of equipment that can be used with Nexerelin's mining mechanic. The unique resources are mostly flavour, but, as stated before, occasionally profitable (check their prices when planets in the core worlds are taking large access hits from piracy, raiding, or invasion). Hazard space itself is also very profitable. Built like a house of cards, any access hits from pirate activity, or if HMI gets itself into too many wars, can be reliably leveraged by the player. Or, alternatively, challenge yourself to lead the sector's worst to victory.



What's less great: By its very nature, HMI is always going to feel less polished than many other mods. It just has so many ideas baked into it that they struggle to breathe at times, and whilst Alfonzo is to be commended for managing to keep so many balls in the air, especially after version 0.2.2 that fixed a lot of issues with the mod, the inherent precariousness of such an act remains obvious. That same diversity of content may also lead a more discerning or demanding player to reject this mod for any number of reasons, such as how the "Junkers" look, the idea of derelicts and Remnant ships that have been cut apart and welded back together with liveable compartments, the cosmic horror elements, or even just the very concept of a giant space Belgian Congo.



Adding to the aforementioned unpolished feel, the Brighton Federation is currently very early into its development. The idea is interesting to be sure, and I'm sure in time the feeling of desperation inherent in their awful position, awful planets, and awful fleets will come across much more strongly and they will become as atmospheric to interact with as HMI currently is, but as it stands at the moment they mostly just feel like a rather standard sort of basic mod faction, with a ship gimmick that is difficult to comment on due to their ships presently lacking codex entries. Indeed, if you wish to experience only the best that this mod has to offer, I would actually recommend turning off the Brighton Federation by going to Starsector->mods->HMI->HMI_OPTIONS and changing the text "brighton":true" to ""brighton":false".

Details Why it's non-adjacent: This portrait pack features a number of anime-type girls, which needless to say aren't really something you see much of in the vanilla lore.



What's great: Numerous high-quality edits serve to add a wide variety of interesting, oft-times over-the-top avatars to your selection. Will reduce repeats and, possibly, serve to add some spice to your game.



What's less great: The images being manips. of unrelated images found on the Internet, the style of the avatars is fairly inconsistent, and some of them suggest a much lighter tone, whereas others bring across a darker tone. Decide for yourself whether consistency or quantity is more important to you.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: Part of the reason reason why fuel and volatiles are such profitable industries is that there are only a few places left in the sector that produce fuel, and these few producers are the only way to get it. If any fleet were able to quickly restock fuel at any time, this would completely undercut the canonical scarcity. It also represents a substantive gameplay alteration better served for later playthroughs in any case.



What's great: This mod simply allows you to convert supplies to fuel by flying your fleet through a nebula. It does this rapidly...



What's less great: ...so rapidly, in fact, that it can be very easy to accidentally siphon far more fuel than you intended and run yourself clean out of supplies. Be gentle after turning on the siphon. Small movements.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: The setting of Starsector, backstory and tone, is entirely predicated on the idea that the gates stopped working, do not work, and there seems no hope of them ever starting to work again or building new ones. So the prospect of a reactivated gate network, even if very limited, is well outside of the manner of story the vanilla game is attempting to tell.



What's great: This mod adds a series of quests to the game that allow the player to eventually connect up several of the dormant Domain-era gates the player can find scattered throughout the sector. This is a welcome convenience for late-game colony management and politicking with Nexerelin, though a shrewd (and somewhat lucky) player may even be able to secure this convenience for themselves relatively early.



What's less great: Not much, really. Adding fast travel obviously affects gameplay balance even in the late game (as large fleets can save on prodigious quantities of supplies this way and reach profitable areas much faster, though you must still pay the fuel cost for the distance to be travelled), but really, if you're intent on adding fast travel to a game that steadfastly isn't supposed to have it, you know what you're getting yourself into.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: Though not as lucrative as fuel, having sufficient nanoforge capacity aboard ships to manufacture supplies anywhere you want would, as with Fuel Siphoning, be a game-changer in the vanilla sector, and also like that mod represents a substantial gameplay alteration better kept to subsequent modded playthoughs.



What's great: This mod simply allows you to convert Metals and Heavy Machinery (both of which can be salvaged during combat and exploration in abundance) to Supplies. Compared to Fuel Siphoning, this can be done anywhere, but is a gradual process the occurs over time...



What's less great: ...and at the cost of doubling the range at which your fleet can be detected, so be mindful of that. It also likely won't make much of a dint in the running costs of a large, expensive fleet.

Details Why it's non-adjacent: There are four principals aspects to this mod, each representing a substantial lore or gameplay departure. This mod should be reserved for playthroughs where maintaining lore and gameplay similar to vanilla isn't a consideration. I will address each of these primary aspects separately:



Stations: It is by no means technologically impossible for the inhabitants of the post-collapse sector to build space stations, but being able to generate a large number of 100% hazard markets in a system of choice represents a rather substantial change to how the colonization aspect of the game functions, as it permits the insular, one-system empires players usually like to build for mutual defence between the markets in the empire to become substantially larger and more powerful.



Terraforming: Canonically speaking, most of the sector's existing terraforming projects were abandoned after the Collapse, and the polities of the sector lack both the technology and the industrial capacity to construct new ones.



Gates: The setting of Starsector is entirely predicated on the idea that the gates stopped working, do not work, and there seems no hope of them ever starting to work again or building new ones. So the prospect of a reactivated gate network, even if very limited, is well outside of the manner of story the vanilla game is attempting to tell.



Domain-tech industries: It should be obvious, but freely utilizing Domain-era technology to construct AI cores, space elevators, Domain-era com relays, and the like, is quite impossible within the vanilla lore, for both technological and political reasons.



What's great:



Stations: At semi-exorbitant cost (though nothing especially outrageous for late game), this mod allows you to construct self-contained space station colonies of the sort you see in the core worlds (e.g. Nova Maxios), using a new set of controls the mod adds to your ability bar. These can be situated in the asteroid belt of a system and will have access to metal and transplutonics (one per system), or around a gas giant and will have access to volatiles (one per gas giant), and will have their space port and mining industry construction already completed upon being spawned. Additionally, your planet-based colonies can construct up to three astropoli structures each, which have no resources available but like other space station colonies function as markets independent from the market that built them, with only 100% hazard, though these take several months to construct (as opposed to the mining stations, which are instant when selected from the appropriate ability bar option provided you have the necessary resources). This functionality makes this mod perfect if you want to build the largest space empire possible in the smallest amount of space possible... or if you just want to side-step the high-gravity issue when colonizing a gas giant for volatiles... It's also very good if you've modded in a lot of new structures and industries, as this way you can actually have enough quality markets in a one-system empire to be able to properly utilize them all.



Terraforming: This mod allows you to construct a variety of different structures on your colonies that use various terraforming techniques to contribute a quantity of points each in-game day towards a player-selected project. This can involve transforming a terrestrial planet into another, more desirable type of planet, or improving the planet in specific ways, such as increasing its available resources or removing a particular negative market condition. Most any terrestrial planet can become most any other type of terrestrial planet, but the more dissimilar the planet is from the target type, the more points are required to complete the transformation, so it is often advantageous to use this functionality to further improve an already respectable colonization prospect, rather than attempt to build one out of a selection of hellscape-planets, as this can mean the difference between a terraforming project taking a few months or several years.



Progressively more powerful terraforming methods are progressively more expensive to maintain, with the highest costing potentially hundreds of thousands of credits a month, though this can be partially mitigated through interaction with the Domain-tech industries (see below). Most terraforming structures are constructed on the planet to be terraformed, but a couple (that are restricted to specific market types, one of which is the asteroid mining base from the space stations functionality of this mod) contribute terraforming points towards colonization projects occurring on all other markets in the system instead. On the whole, this is a cleverly designed and somewhat logical (though they are mechanically equivalent, hot planets can be furnished with stellar shades while cold planets with poor light can receive stellar reflectors, for example) mechanic, even if it works far faster than would be remotely plausible (necessary considering most Starsector campaigns take place over 5-10 in-game years at most).



Gates: Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to unlock this mod's gate construction mechanic, so I cannot comment as to its quality with sureity. If you have experience with this system, please let me know.



Domain-tech industries: This mod allows you to construct the Domain Archaeology industry. This is similar to tech-mining in principle, but produces a unique resource, Domain-era Artifacts, that are demanded by the most powerful of the terraforming structures from the terraforming aspect of this mod (with each unit of artefacts you are able to supply progressively decreasing the structure's insane maintenance cost). They also demanded by the new Skyhook Anchor structure (a space elevator, which increases the host market's access) and Kletka Simulator industry (which produces a new AI core of a random type every month. Install an AI core into the industry to produce better cores), and if you are carrying a supply of them, you can construct proper Domain-tech comm relays, nav buoys, and sensor arrays (with their corresponding more powerful buffs) instead of the usual makeshift varieties. Though this annoys the Church and especially the Path, all of these things add up to simply make life as a colonial master that bit easier and smoother.



What's less great: Note that if you are considering giving this mod a miss because you'd only want some of its content (entirely understandable), you can disable particular elements of the mod by going to Starsector -> mods -> Terraforming and Station Construction -> data -> config -> settings and changing the various "true" texts to "false".



Stations: Naturally, the ability to spawn multiple 100% hazard markets in most any given system is very, very overpowered, as limited colonization prospects are the only thing that keep one-system player empires from being even more game-breaking than they already are.



Terraforming: As constructing the terraforming buildings takes time, and then actually terraforming takes time (sometimes quite a bit of it) on top of that and is quite money-intensive, in most situations your colonial empire will already be firmly established before any terraforming gets done, rendering this less of a legitimate element of strategy and more of a bragging rights cherry on top to let you show off your "perfect" system. Might be fun in a Mayasuran Navy playthrough, though, come to think...



Gates: Again, can't really say as I haven't been able to test this feature yet. I could comment on how fast-travel disrupts the intended gameplay flow due to the time and resources saved to cross space, but frankly? If you insist on installing a mod that lets you do fast-travel in a game that steadfastly isn't supposed to have it, you know what you're getting yourself into.



Domain-tech industries: The Archaeology industry may come off as little more than an arbitrary way of trying to make something that was always going to be broken regardless marginally less broken, and the rest of these structures may come across as making already broken things even more broken... did I mention you should only use this mod if you're okay with broken things being even more broken...?



Because, yeah, on the whole this mod just serves to make the already overpowered colony mechanic that much more overpowered. Use at your own discretion.