Nexus Ops FAQ
79 questions players ask · Updated Nov 12, 2026 · Full rulebook
Components and setup
A Player's Turn
Deployment Phase
Movement Phase
- Can a later Rubium Dragon breathe into a hex that became controlled earlier in the same movement phase?
- Can a Rubium Dragon move and then breathe?
- What can a Rubium Dragon breathe into, and how many times can it breathe?
- Does a dragon's plasma breath count as a battle, and can the hit hex defend against it?
- Can a dragon that moves into a contested hex still breathe, or battle, that turn?
- How far can a Rubium Dragon move, and does moving cost rubium?
- Does a Rock Strider's rock plains bonus count the hex it starts on?
- Can a unit move through an enemy-occupied hex?
- Can a unit leave a contested hex, or move into one to join a battle?
- Can you pay rubium to move a unit farther?
Exploration Phase
Battle
- If both sides lose every unit in a hex in the same battle, who wins?
- In what order do players play Energize cards and unit abilities during a battle?
- When more than one opponent shares a hex, who fights the battle?
- Do battles carry over from one turn to the next?
- Who draws an Energize card when a battle is lost?
- Can the defender win a battle and take a Battle Victory card?
- How many dice does each side roll in a battle?
- Do attacker and defender need different dice colours?
- In what order do units attack in a battle?
- Do same-type units on both sides roll together, and does a defender roll against each attacker?
- Who decides which unit is removed when a hit lands?
- Can a player who is not in a battle play an Energize battle card into it?
Mining Phase
Draw Phase
Secret Missions and Victory Cards
- Can you score a Secret Mission or Mission card on another player's turn?
- How many red (battle-win) Secret Mission cards can you play for one battle?
- Can you take a Battle Victory card and also play a red Secret Mission for the same win?
- How many white (non-red) Secret Mission cards can you play in one turn?
- Can one kill or event satisfy two identical Secret Mission cards?
- Does a white kill-in-battle Secret Mission need you to win that battle?
- Can the defender play Secret Mission cards during a battle?
- Can you discard Secret Mission or Energize cards for Rubium, and is there a hand limit?
- Do Secret Mission points disappear if you later lose the hex that scored them?
- Does the Monolith count as an empty space for a 'no mine' objective?
Energize Cards
- When can an Energize card be played, and can you play one on another player's turn?
- How many Energize cards can you play in a turn or a battle?
- Does a battle Energize card affect both sides, and how long does it last?
- How does the Frenzy Energize card work?
- Do two Battle Stimulants stack, and does one help a Frenzy unit's second roll?
- What can Outflank target, and does its +2 stack with other bonuses?
- How does the Critical Objective Energize card work?
- Must a Critical Objective battle repeat the same attacker and defender, and can it chain into a third battle?
- Does the player who plays Critical Objective have to be in the battle it forces?
- If Fungoid Regeneration is played at a home base during a battle, do the regenerated units reappear mid-battle?
- If a card revives defeated units onto the battle hex, must you destroy them again to win?
- On a 'destroy a unit' Energize card, who chooses which unit is destroyed?
- Can Radiation Cloud's 'destroy up to 2 Humans' be played when only one Human is present?
- How do the Fungus Swarm and Crystal Swarm Energize cards work?
- How far does Forced March move a unit?
- Can Forced March add a space to a Fungus Swarm move?
- How far can Lava Leapers move with the Leaper Blitz Energize card?
- How do you earn Energize cards?
Winning the Game
Optional Rules
- What happens when a defender destroys its own Shardians and no other units remain in the hex?
- Can both sides sacrifice a Shardian for its special attack before the dice, and what does it hit?
- How does the Monolith Wyrm's special attack work?
- What happens if the Vortex moves units back into the same hex?
- How many dice do Clones roll in a battle?
- Are the four-player team rules optional, and can a unit retreat into a hex held only by a teammate?