Stellaris: How to Build an Orbital Ring (2024)

Stellaris, the hit sci-fi grand strategy from Paradox Interactive, is a game of galactic politics, exploration, and conquest. Players will face constant challenges, and even a pacifist Empire in Stellaris will have to join the race to improve their planets, their technology, and their production to stay safe from potentially-hostile neighbors.

One of the best ways to boost an Empire's resource output is the new Orbital Ring from Stellaris' Overlord DLC, a construction that's halfway between a Station and a Megastructure. Unlike most Stations, Orbital Rings don't take up the player's Station cap, and they also cost significantly fewer Alloys to build than other Megastructures. Building an Orbital Ring can be a powerful tool in Stellaris' mid-game, particularly if it's constructed around a highly-specialized planet.

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How to Build an Orbital Ring in Stellaris

Before players can build their first Orbital Ring Megastructure in Stellaris, they'll first need to discover and research the Orbital Rings tech. Due to Stellaris' semi-random tech choices, players will need to research Starhold, Ceramo-Metal Infrastructure, and Galactic Administration first. With the Orbital Rings tech completed, players will be able to build their first Orbital Ring by selecting a Construction Ship and right-clicking on the planet of their choice.

Although Orbital Rings cost less than most Megastructures in Stellaris and aren't restricted by the Station cap, players should still choose carefully when picking their first planet to receive one. Building a Tier 1 Orbital Ring costs 1000 Alloys and 50 Influence, and players can later upgrade the Rings to Tier 2 and Tier 3 once they have the Star Fortress and Citadel techs respectively. However, these upgrades also require the planet to have a Tier 2 or 3 Capital building, which means Orbital Rings are most effective around planets that are already heavily-developed.

How to Use Orbital Rings in Stellaris

Players can build a variety of Modules and Buildings in their Orbital Rings, granting both additional defenses and powerful bonuses for the planet below:

Modules

• Habitation Module - Although they require the Anti-Gravity Engineering tech, Habitation Modules add an extra District to the planet, making them one of the most impactful Orbital Ring constructions. Because of their strength, Habitation Modules cost both additional Alloys and 25 of Stellaris' all-important Influence.
• Orbital Shipyard - Allows the Orbital Ring to produce ships like any other Station Shipyard.
• Orbital Anchorage - Increases the player's Naval Capacity like any other Station Anchorage.
• Planetary Defense Guns, Batteries, and Hangars - Increases the Orbital Ring's Hull, Armor, and Defense Platform cap, and adds extra weapons, missiles, or strike-craft respectively.

Buildings

Upgrading an Orbital Ring to Tier 2 will unlock the first Building slot, allowing players to construct specialized Buildings that further boost their planet's output. These benefits can be huge for a highly-specialized planet, provided players have unlocked the correct technology.

• Climate Optimization Stations (Requires Advanced Food Processing)
  • +2 Food from each Farmer.
• Low Gravity Mega-Refiners (Requires Advanced Mineral Purification)
  • +2 Minerals from each Miner.
• Stratospheric Ionization Elements (Requires Planetary Power Grid)
  • +2 Energy Credits from each Technician.
• The Giga-Mall (Requires Interstellar Economics)
  • +1 Amenities from each Clerk and +5% Trade Value
• Alloy Processing Facilities (Requires Nano-Separators)
  • +1 Alloy and -2 Minerals from each Metallurgist, the penalty is -3 Food instead if the player has the Catalytic Processing Civic in Stellaris.
• Orbital Logistics Systems (Requires Replicator Kiosks)
  • +1 Consumer Good and -1 Minerals from each Artisan.
• Orbital Filing System (Requires Effective Bureaucracy)
  • +1 Unity from each Administrator, Manager, Priest, or Telepath.
• Synaptic Relays (Requires Clustered Synapses)
  • +1 Amenities from Synapse Drones for Hive Mind Empires in Stellaris.
• Orbital Maintenance Drops (Requires Resource Processing Algorithms)
  • +1 Amenities from Maintenance Drones for Machine Intelligence Empires
• Noble Estates
  • +2 Noble jobs and +2 Housing for Empires with the Aristocratic Elite Civic.
• Orbital Psi-Corp
  • +2 Telepath jobs and +5 Stability for Empires with the Psi-Corp Tradition in Stellaris.
• Orbital Shield Generator (Requires Planetary Shields)
  • +25% Shield HP for the Orbital Ring and its Defense Platforms.
• Orbital Stock Exchange (Requires Galactic Markets)
  • +2 Merchant jobs and +20% Trade Value.
• Orbital Slave Processing Hub (Requires Neural Implants)
  • +5% resources from Slaves, -25% Slaves political power, -50% Automatic Resettlement chance for Empires that allow Slavery.
• Orbital Embassy Complex (Requires Xeno-Relations)
  • +2 Envoys, only available if the Orbital Ring is built around the Empire's capital.

Stellaris is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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