Cultures

Veil: asymmetry as an economy

confirmedPatch 11.73Reviewed

Veil is a mobile, attack-oriented culture that converts combat losses into Soul Shards and base-local Eldritch upgrades. Source

Evidence status — confirmed: Unless noted otherwise, mechanics are verified against the installed patch 11.73 guide.

  • 50% Deuterium ship-cost discount.
  • One Soul Shard per unit kill, shared across the empire.
  • Fast ships, high attack, lower durability.
  • Transmuting Void converts mixed resources 1:1 into a chosen output after a timer.
  • Eldritch Conduit buys base-local upgrades.

Important Eldritch options:

Upgrade Cost Effect
Phantom Treaty 4,200 80% less diplomatic penalty from this base
Shadow Hoard 4,600 +20% hidden resources, overall cap 95%
Whisper Relay 4,800 +20% spy speed
Stasis Bastion 4,800 -25% incoming siege budget
Phase Foundry 5,000 +20% ship training
Obsidian Overclock 5,000 +20% construction
Gloom Ward 5,200 +20% base defense
Rift Cargo Manifolds 5,200 +20% launched cargo
Umbral Stockpiles 5,400 +25% storage
Nullwake Drives 5,500 +20% all fleet travel
Astra Suture Seal 5,600 -20% upkeep after other reductions
Stolen Breath 5,700 extra post-raid siphon
Crit-Chain Doctrine 5,800 +10 crit
Riftwalk Logistics 6,000 two training lanes per unlocked family
Veil Siphon 6,000 +20% raid loot
Void Siege Rites 6,000 +50% siege
Eclipse Ascension 10,000 choose War, Economy, or Espionage

Eclipse paths: War gives +25% fleet attack and defense; Economy gives +50% to all four production multipliers at that base; Espionage makes spy travel one second.

Veil wins by concentrating upgrades in launch bases and taking unequal trades. Do not spread expensive base-local upgrades everywhere.

References

  1. Installed Riftborne gameplay guide, patch 11.73Bundled with the local Steam build dated 22 July 2026.
  2. Official Riftborne gameplay guideOfficial reference; some values may predate patch 11.73.