AETHUS Power Relay Crafting, Unlocks, and Grid Setup

AETHUS power relay units restore electricity to abandoned underground facilities in the Magma Rift. Players construct them using build kits in the Expedition Hub and place them underground by pressing the build key to link severed power lines.

Unlocking the Expedition Hub and Relay Blueprint

Underground construction unlocks after reaching the Magma Rift. Early exploration restricts building exclusively to the surface outpost, but expanding through deep sectors requires specialized underground equipment.

Progressing through Facility Rho reveals broken power pylons across the stone bridge. A datapad and a damaged power relay build kit sit near the collapsed tunnel on the far side. Examining this item prompts Roland to synthesize crafting plans for deployable kits. If a player respawns at the outpost before the blueprint registers in the menu, taking the climber elevator back up triggers Roland to initialize the plans.

Producing the kit requires an Expedition Hub at your surface base. The blueprint for the hub becomes available at the market console after selling data drives extracted from research facilities to the black market exchange. Constructing the hub module inside the outpost requires:

• 1 Advanced Electronics
• 1 Servo Motor
• Calorite Bars
• Reinforced Building Material

Once placed in the outpost, the Expedition Hub workbench manufactures deployable subterranean build kits.

Power Relay Crafting Recipe and Requirements

Every subterranean relay requires an individual build kit assembled at the Expedition Hub. Players carry these kits directly in their personal inventory down into the mining tunnels.

The recipe for a single Buildkit: Power Relay requires four components:

• 1 Empty Buildkit
• 5 Magmasafe Building Material
• 2 Microcircuits
• 2 Power Cells

Preparing these items involves multiple processing steps across surface workstations. An Empty Buildkit requires 5 Building Material (reduced to 3 if crafted in a Manufacturing Hub) and 1 Tangrite Bar.

Magmasafe Building Material is refined inside the Superheating Kiln by combining 2 Reinforced Building Materials, 10 Lavastone, and 2 Depthane Ore. Lavastone deposits are abundant across the floor of the Magma Rift, while Depthane ore is extracted from deep thermal veins.

Microcircuits require 1 Gold Bar and 2 Dust Ruby Powder at the Electronics Workbench. Because gold nodes are less common in lower tiers, knowing where to find gold speeds up component production. Power Cells require 1 Basic Electronics, 2 Kalynite Frames, and 5 Solazine. If base reserves run low, checking where to find a power cell helps locate spare stock stored in outpost bunkers.

Deploying Relays and Routing Underground Power

Build kits do not function by dropping or using them from the inventory menu. Instead, players deploy them through the standard construction interface while standing in deep cavern zones. Reviewing how to use build kits explains the full menu process.

Press the build key (default B) while exploring the Magma Rift to open the structure interface. Select the underground tab from the building options to display all assembled kits in your pack. Select the Subterranean Power Relay to bring up the placement hologram. The indicator changes to blue once aligned with a valid ground surface.

Green lines running across the cavern floor indicate active power transmission paths originating from generator stations like Facility Rho. Power relays extend these lines across broken terrain:

1. Locate the nearest operational relay or powered cable line emitting a green beam.
2. Position the new power relay within transmission distance of the active line.
3. Align the relay output toward the target destination, such as a sealed blast door, converter terminal, or extraction drill.
4. Confirm placement to drop the relay and automatically bridge the electrical circuit.

Relay lines can be dismantled if pathing needs adjustment, returning the deployed structure so it can be re-sited closer to unpowered machinery.

Magma Rift Expedition Build Kits Comparison

The Expedition Hub crafts several deployable field kits designed for deep underground exploration. Each kit addresses specific environmental hazards encountered within the Magma Rift.

Facilities Powered by the Subterranean Grid

Routing power relays enables access to locked research complexes and industrial machinery throughout the magma zone.

Near the wrecked tunnel, connecting a subterranean power relay directly into the exterior power converter restores electricity to Facility Tau. Restoring power to Tau opens interior blast doors, clears radioactive waste drainage pipes, and allows players to access manufacturing consoles. Tau houses the machinery needed to press fuel rod molds into nuclear fuel rods, which feed surface RTG reactor cores to eliminate outpost energy shortages.

Further northwest, Facility Omicron sits behind broken pylons and a magma-flooded airlock. Placing a power relay on the functional gate platform links Omicron to the regional grid. Once powered, the facility doors accept keycards and biometric clearance codes, enabling repairs on the lower maintenance deck thermal pump to bring the Scarpa climber lift down to the magma level.

Power relays also activate deep automated mining drills. Hooking a relay line into an unpowered extractor drill—such as the Depthane or Quarinium automated rigs—allows the machine to run continuously when paired with a cargo drone and the proper focusing lens. Certain heavy machines and terminal stations also require a high voltage converter to modulate high-energy feeds once the primary relay grid connects.