Introduction

Router running is a strategy commonly employed by outfits,, but available to all players if you have unlocked the required items. Routers are weak, player placed spawn pads with a long spawn timer. They can be placed anywhere indoors and outdoors, provided that there is space. Router running is the strategy of grabbing the router placement tool from a routing spire, hoping into an aircraft, and placing it at a pace.

The gist of it is as follows:

  1. Create a base by your faction’s Warpgate and fill your Silo to around 25k cortium (for a two-hour play session)
  2. Place a Routing Spire, Elysium Spawn Tube, Routing Spire, and Light Air Terminal
  3. Bind to your spawn tube by pressing E (this way, you can redeploy and spawn at your base from anywhere on the map)
  4. Grab the routing spire placement tube, and then pull an aircraft from your Light Air Terminal
  5. Fly to where you want to place the router, and place it down

Repeat steps 4 and 5 when your router is destroyed, the fight moves to a different place, or as otherwise needed.

Set-up Guide

Spawn at Warpgate with an Ant. There will always be two six thousand cortium nodes at all times. There are about six different spots around every warpgate they spawn at. Over time, you’ll learn where these spots are. Fully fill up your ANT to 10k cortium. 

Next, find a place to build your base. Since you will only have a bare minimum base (aka router base), place your silo as close to Warpgate as you can away from bases and hopefully with some natural cover. As the silo is constructing, pull the air terminal, spawn tube, and routing spire from your ant. 

Cortium spawns in a variety of locations, but your radar should help you find the nearest cortium node without needing a map. Similar to Warpgate spawn spots, overtime you will familiarize yourself with where cortium spawns.

Depending on how long you plan on playing, you might not need to fill your silo to 50k cortium. Around 25k is enough for a two-hour session. Filling a silo alone will usually take about 20 to 30 minutes, but multiple players can make quick work of harvesting cortium.

After your silo is filled and everything is placed, you’re good to go. Pull the router, and then either an ESF or Valkyrie and fly to a fight. Please do note you’ll need either to be a Light Assault or Ejection System on the aircraft to not die when exiting an empire-specific fight without landing. Routers do not have any no-deploy zones, so feel free to place them anywhere.

It is recommended that either you or your squad provide walls to cover the router, as routers have a very small health pool. Be sure to have someone guard it all times!

Purchases

In order to make router running viable, you will need to unlock some construction items and certify your ANT. At a minimum, you will need the Routing Spire and Cortium Silo.

Construction Items

ItemUseCost
Routing SpireUsed to deploy routers500 certs or 399 DBC
Cortium SiloUsed to store cortium and power your baseFree
Light Air Terminal*Used to deploy empire specific fighters or Valkyries2000 certs or 1499 DBC
Elysium Spawn Tube*Used to spawn at your base from anywhere on the map500 certs or 399 DBC

*You can go without a Light Air Terminal and Elysium Spawn Tube IF you want to spend Nanites flying to your base each time you need the router. 

Vehicle Upgrades

In order to min-max your router gameplay, you will also need to cert out your ESF and ANT. 

ItemVehicleUseCost
ANT Cortium Storage*ANTUsed to carry more cortium in your ANT1900 certs
ANT Mineral Radar *ANTUsed to identify cortium nodes from further away850 certs
Faction-specific Anti-Infantry Nose GunEmpire Specific FighterUsed to clear any ground threats at your destination
Ejection System (Utility Slot)Empire Specific FighterUsed to safely bail out of your ESF at any altitude500 certs
Stealth 5 (Defense Slot)Empire Specific FighterUsed to avoid detection by other aircraft and players1330 certs
Race High-Speed Airframe (Performance Slot)Empire Specific FighterUsed to quickly fly to your destination700 certs
Quick-Recharge Fuel Tanks (Wing Mount)Empire Specific FighterUsed to quickly recharge your ESF’s afterburner

*While you do not need to upgrade your ant, you will make fewer trips to your solo, and more easily find Cortium nodes