Eclipse: New Dawn for the Galaxy FAQ
200 questions players ask · Updated Nov 6, 2026 · Full rulebook
Setup and Components
- Does Hydran Progress start with a cube on the Advanced Science square?
- Can I rotate my starting hex however I like during setup?
- What do the numbers on the hex tiles mean?
- Where are the three extra Influence Discs at the start of the game?
- Are the technologies printed on my player board ever covered or drawn from the bag?
- Do my starting technologies come pre-installed on my ships?
- Does every species start with the Starbase technology?
- Are Ambassadors and diplomacy used in 2 and 3 player games?
- How many Ship Part tiles should I set out at the start?
- Are duplicate technology tiles removed from the bag, or replaced if they come up again?
- How many Outer (III) sector hexes are used, and is there a board limit?
- Do Colony Ships start the game face up or face down?
- Does a hex with Ancient symbols get an extra Discovery tile?
- Are Orbitals, Monoliths, Ship Part tiles and Damage cubes limited?
- Can a destroyed ship be built again?
- Do the blank tiles and the extra piece on the punch sheets go into the game?
- Can Ancient Homeworld hexes be shuffled into the sector stacks?
- Why do I start with fewer resources than my production?
- What are the three coloured squares on the player board for?
Game Concepts
- Can one hex hold both an Orbital and a Monolith, or more than one of either?
- Which Population Cubes can go on an Orbital?
- Do I need a Colony Ship to put a cube on a newly built Orbital?
- Can I use an Orbital or Monolith I conquered if I don't have that technology?
- Do Starbases stay in a hex after I lose or remove my Influence Disc there?
- Can I remove or scuttle my own ships?
- Is there a limit on how much of a resource I can store?
- How does trading resources work, and does it cost an action?
- Which resource pays for what?
- Which track does a cube go back to when it is removed from a grey or advanced square?
- What do artifact symbols on hexes do?
- Can I see a Discovery tile's reward before choosing between it and 2 VP?
- What if a Discovery tile gives a free Cruiser but all four are already on the board?
- Which technology does a Discovery tile's free-tech reward give?
- Can I take a Discovery tile with just a ship?
- Do I need to research the default ship parts?
- Does a kept Discovery ship part count against my two parts per Upgrade action?
Round Structure and Cleanup
- Who becomes the starting player for the next round?
- Can an eliminated player take the Starting Player Marker?
- How many new technology tiles are drawn each round, and are unbought tiles replaced?
- When do Colony Ships turn face up again?
- When do Population Cubes in the Graveyard come back to my tracks?
- What happens when a Population Track is full — can cubes cover the last grey number?
- Can ships still move after the Combat Phase?
- Can I take the same action several times in one round?
Explore
- Do I have to choose which space to explore before drawing the hex, and how must it connect?
- Can a pinned ship be the starting point for an Explore?
- Is the explored tile public, and what happens if I discard it?
- Can I take control of a hex right after exploring it, and what does it cost?
- How does the Wormhole Generator change Explore?
- Does Explore move any ships into the new hex?
Influence and Colony Ships
- How exactly does the Influence action move discs?
- Can I lift a disc and put it back on the same hex with Influence?
- Can the Influence action remove or replace an enemy disc?
- Can I use Influence from a hex where my ship is pinned?
- Can I take Influence just to flip Colony Ships?
- When can I use Colony Ships, and how many cubes can they place?
- Can I fill a square from another track if its own Population Track is empty?
- How can I take a Population Cube back off a hex?
- Can I remove my own discs outside bankruptcy, even if it splits my empire?
- What happens when I run out of Influence Discs?
Diplomacy and Reputation
- Can I form Diplomatic Relations after the Combat Phase?
- Does the Wormhole Generator let me form diplomatic relations across a half wormhole?
- When and how can diplomatic relations be formed?
- Do both players give an Ambassador Tile when forming relations?
- Can I rearrange or discard Ambassador Tiles on my reputation track?
- Does moving through a diplomatic partner's hex break the relationship?
- Can diplomatic relations end peacefully, and when can I form them again?
- Is a diplomatic partner treated as a friend when I place discs or move ships?
Research and Technology
- How does the Artifact Key technology work?
- How do Advanced Robotics and Quantum Grid work, and what if the extra discs don't fit?
- Can I research a technology I already own, or one for a full track, or discard technologies?
- Can I research all eight technologies in a row, and how do tracks score?
- How do research discounts and minimum costs work?
- After researching an Advanced technology, can I colonise the newly eligible squares right away?
Upgrade and Ship Parts
- Does a Drive add both Initiative and movement?
- Does a Nuclear Drive need a Nuclear Source, or can any energy source power it?
- Do Starbases have drives or need an energy source?
- How many parts can I place in one Upgrade, and what can I remove or cover?
- When is the legality of a blueprint checked, and does a ship need a drive?
- Do blueprint upgrades vanish if my ships die, and can I upgrade ships I haven't built?
- Can a ship carry several copies of the same part, or mix cannons and computers?
- Can I keep an Ancient ship part aside when I can't place it?
Build
Move and Reaction
Combat
- In what order are battles resolved when several hexes have fighting?
- Who fights whom when three or more players have ships in one hex?
- Who counts as the defender in a battle?
- How is the order of fire decided, and who wins ties?
- Does a ship destroyed earlier in the round still get to fire?
- How are hits worked out with computers and shields?
- Do computers and shields affect missiles?
- Who chooses which ship each die hits, and can a hit be split between ships?
- How much damage does it take to destroy a ship, and how much does each weapon deal?
- Does damage stay on ships between battles, and when is it repaired?
- When do missiles fire, and do they fire again in the next battle?
- Can I retreat during the missile step, and how long does a retreat take?
- Where can ships retreat to?
- Can I retreat only some ships, and what happens if the battle ends first?
- Do I draw a Reputation tile if I retreat?
- How many Reputation tiles do I draw, and when?
- Do I draw a Reputation tile for attacking population or taking an empty hex?
- How do I attack enemy population after the battles?
- Does the defender keep the hex while any cubes survive?
- How do Neutron Bombs work?
- In what order are things resolved at the end of the Combat Phase?
- Can I take a hex after combat if there was no battle there?
- Where does the disc placed after combat come from?
- What happens to my disc when my last cube is destroyed?
- What is a stalemate in combat?
- Is there a limit on how many ships can attack a hex in the Combat Phase?
Upkeep and Bankruptcy
- In what order are income, upkeep and production handled in the Upkeep Phase?
- When may I remove Influence Discs in the Upkeep Phase, and must I trade resources first?
- Is going bankrupt on purpose an intended way to get discs back?
- What happens to Population Cubes when bankruptcy removes a disc?
- Do cubes destroyed in combat still produce in the following Upkeep?
- Can I use Colony Ships after winning a battle to populate the hex?
- Can Colony Ships place cubes in a hex containing enemy ships during Upkeep?
- If a hex changes hands, can both players produce from it that round?
Game End and Scoring
- Does the game end for everyone when one player goes bankrupt or is eliminated?
- Is Upkeep paid in round 9, and what if I go bankrupt on the last turn?
- What breaks a tie on victory points?
- Do I need a Population Cube on a hex to score it or its Monolith?
- Can I concede and keep my score while I still have pieces on the board?
Alien Species and Terrans
- What can Descendants of Draco do in hexes that contain Ancient ships?
- When can Descendants of Draco claim a Discovery tile in an Ancient hex?
- How does the Descendants of Draco Explore ability work?
- How does the Planta's double Explore work?
- How many Colony Ships and Starbases do the Planta have?
- When are Planta population cubes destroyed?
- Do the Eridani keep both starting Reputation Tiles?
- How many Influence Discs and resources do the Eridani start with?
- Does Hydran Progress's second technology get the discount from the first?
- What do the different slots on the reputation track mean?
- Can Orion cover the power source printed outside its ship blueprint?
- Do the six Terran factions play differently?
- Can I put a part on the blank square of the Terran ship blueprint?
Ancients and Galactic Center
- Is the Galactic Center Defense System an Ancient, and can Descendants of Draco avoid or share the hex with it?
- How does the Galactic Center Defense System pin ships, and can I retreat from it?
- What are the Galactic Center Defense System's stats, and when does it fire?
- How many points of damage destroy an Ancient ship?
- How are the Ancients' hits assigned to my ships?
- Which technology does the Ancient Technology discovery give me?
- Do Ancient ships and the Galactic Center win initiative ties?
- When do I get the Discovery tile in a hex where I destroyed the Ancients?
- When can I install an Ancient Ship Part, and what if it can't be placed?
- Can I move through a hex that holds an Ancient ship?
- Who fights first when Ancients and several players are in one hex?
- Where does the Ancient Cruiser from a Discovery tile go?
Eclipse: Rise of the AncientsExpansion
- How many Alliances can I be in, and when are Alliances used?
- Who gets the Traitor card when I leave an Alliance?
- How are victory points scored for allied players?
- How do Alliances work with influencing, Reputation tiles and stalemates?
- How do Ancient Hives release Ancient ships?
- Can I discard an Ancient Hive hex I draw when exploring?
- Which of my ships do Ancient ships shoot first in Rise of the Ancients?
- How many VP are destroyed Ancient Cruisers worth, and what does regeneration do?
- How does the Interceptor Bay work?
- How does the Cloaking Device affect pinning?
- How does Point Defense work against missiles?
- How does the Distortion Shield work?
- Can the Hydrans buy two Developments in one Research action?
- How do Rare Technologies work?
- How do the Exiles' Orbitals work?
- What are the Enlightened of Lyra's starting resources, and does a Supernova remove their Shrines?
- How many moves does the Rho Indi Syndicate get, and can one ship move several times?
- Can the Jump Drive be a ship's only drive?
- How do Warp Portals work?
- When does Magellan score 1 VP for Discovery tiles?
- How is setup different for 7 to 9 players?
- Can I control a Nebula hex?
- What is the Prosperity disc, and do Flux Missiles need power?
- What does the Conifold Field do?
- How much Money do Pirates take for destroyed ships?
- How do Development tiles and the Tractor Beam work?
Eclipse: Shadow of the RiftExpansion
- How does the Evolution Pool work, and what if it fills with copies?
- Can I fulfil a Distortion tile with a Reaction, and when must I do it?
- What happens if I don't fulfil a Distortion tile?
- Can the Shapers look at the hex reserved by an Explore Distortion?
- What are the rules for Pyxis Deathmoons?
- How do Pyxis combining and splitting ships work?
- How do Nanorobotics and the +Build, +Upgrade, +Research and +Move bonuses work with Pyxis combined actions?
- How do Anomalies move and who is the defender in combat?
- How many Deep Warp Portal hexes appear, and can I use a Wormhole Generator at the Nexus?
- How do the Special Reputation tiles work?
- Do opponents get Reputation tiles for my ships destroyed by my own Rift Cannon?
- Which Shadow of the Rift tiles give Magellan 1 VP?
- What corrections exist for Shadow of the Rift's printed rules?
- Where can a ship sent to the future be placed, and can it be rebuilt meanwhile?
- Can the Absorption Shield replace a ship's Source part?