News, Guides, and Updates from Aephia Industries.
Last week brought a substantial rethink of Claim Stakes and Starbase capture in SAGE C4. With very few players engaging with Claim Stakes, the team is working on a much more guided onboarding flow, dramatically lower operating costs, and a slower, lower-maintenance gameplay loop. Starbase capture is being simplified and slowed down as well. Meanwhile, the DAO opened voting on a proposal to fund a new public dashboard.
SAGE C4 PTR Phase 3 went live last week, shifting the test toward a much closer approximation of mainnet progression and balance. With it, attention is increasingly turning toward refinement: a deeper UI/UX pass, the long-awaited Democracy Module, and the foundations of the Unique Crew system are all being worked on during this phase. Meanwhile, the fourth DAO Council election has concluded, with all three candidates officially elected.
Last week was dominated by SAGE C4 Phase 3. While the team missed its hoped-for end-of-week release window, we got the clearest picture yet of what the next phase will actually look like: a new starter bundle, much tighter economic balancing, a full fleet recovery and medallion system, and a considerably more capable Nemesis Engine. Beyond C4, we got updates on the road to z.ink mainnet, the return of UE5 multiplayer, and the ongoing DAO Council election.
Last week brought the clearest picture yet of how the final SAGE C4 PTR phases should lead into mainnet. Phase 3 appears to be getting close, Phase 4 will serve as the final launch rehearsal, and we now have the first concrete ATLAS cost for Council Rank research. Beyond C4, the UE5 upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.8 is underway, and voting has opened for the fourth DAO Council term; however, with only three candidates for five seats, the outcome is already settled.
Last week shed more light on how SAGE C4 is expected to evolve through its next phases. Phase 3 will put progression and onboarding front and center with a smaller starter package and single-player campaign, while wallet-based onboarding with players’ own assets is expected to return later. Phase 3 itself will take a little longer than initially hoped, however. Beyond C4, new z.ink developer tools are in the works, and our own Cataclysm: Battle for Iris has finally entered public beta!
This week’s issue looks beyond the current SAGE C4 PTR and toward what comes next. We got our first proper look at base-building in Project Galia, learned more about the roadmap for SAGE C4 Phase 3 and the team’s plans for balancing the economy ahead of mainnet, and saw the launch of Fleet Rentals v2. We wrap up with a few smaller community updates from across the ecosystem.
We have another short newsletter this week! The team has managed to squash the biggest bugs and is now turning its attention to quality-of-life improvements and balancing. Meanwhile, Michael (CEO) shared more about how Starbased progress may carry over into SAGE C4 and why he doesn’t want every resource to be available in the Safe Zone. Lastly, self-nominations have opened for the next Star Atlas DAO Council.
Last week’s Atlas Brew was largely dedicated to the DAO Council’s review of the 34 PIPs proposed so far, leaving relatively little room for new announcements. As a result, this week’s newsletter is a shorter one. The biggest news is the conclusion of PIP-34, alongside the arrival of the first Jorvik pirate fleets in the SAGE C4 PTR.
This week’s update continues to build on the momentum of SAGE C4 Phase 2. We learned more about the next challenge for the Nemesis Engine, why larger ships likely won’t race ahead in Council Rank progression, and what the timeline looks like for Phase 3 and beyond. Meanwhile, the latest DAO funding proposal appears to be heading toward defeat, and we wrap up with a fresh batch of Star Atlas concept art.
SAGE C4 Phase 2 has arrived! The PTR now includes Combat V2, the Nemesis Engine, Cultivation Claims, regional governance, zXP support, and a new Goal system to help players find their footing. Beyond that, we take a look at Atlas Legends, a promising community-built trading card game, and look at the next DAO proposal that just opened up for voting.
Explore the Galia Expanse in SAGE C4’s current PTR build. This guide explains how star systems, regions, faction control, Safe Zones, and warp lanes shape the game map—and shows how to navigate its regions, systems, Starbases, and fleets through the in-game interface.
Five years ago, Aephia Industries was founded with the ambition to become more than just another Star Atlas guild. As we celebrate our fifth anniversary, we reflect on our journey, the current state of Star Atlas, the tools and community we’ve built together, and our plans for SAGE C4, Cataclysm: Battle for Iris, and the years ahead.
This week’s update centers on two major developments. On the governance side, the DAO approved ATMTA’s historic reimbursement proposal, bringing one of the most widely discussed PIPs in Star Atlas history to a close. Meanwhile, Michael (CEO) shared a much deeper look at how regional governance in SAGE C4 is expected to work, including the role of housing, crew, and voting power in shaping the political landscape. We wrap up with a few smaller community updates and a heads-up that SAGE C4 Phase 2 is now just around the corner!
This week’s update centers on the future of SAGE C4. Beyond further details on the upcoming Phase 2 rollout, Michael shared that the planned off-chain version of C4 is evolving into a full single-player campaign, one that may ultimately replace Holosim as Star Atlas’ primary onboarding experience. We also got new details on z.ink validator licenses, the latest quarterly Economic Report, and an update on the ongoing DAO reimbursement vote.
Last week’s news was dominated by further discussion and the opening of the DAO vote on ATMTA’s historic reimbursement proposal. This is arguably one of the most consequential governance discussions the Star Atlas community has faced in quite some time. Beyond that, SAGE C4 Phase 2 development is ongoing and will bring support for zXP, the complete Cultivation Claim gameplay loop, and the first rollout of the Nemesis Engine — starting with Jorvik NPCs and the fleet transfer mechanics that pave the way for piracy, refueling, cargo transfers, and more.
This week’s update is all about what comes next for SAGE C4. During Atlas Brew #209, the team laid out the roadmap for the next PTR phases, including Combat V2, the Nemesis NPC engine, regional governance, and the first real look at how crew may evolve into a gameplay system of their own. Beyond that, we got fresh insights into the team’s Steam ambitions for UE5, two noteworthy DAO proposals, and a handful of smaller updates from across the ecosystem.
The SAGE C4 PTR may only be a few weeks old, but the team is already working on what comes next. Last week’s Atlas Brew shed light on Combat V2, Regional Governance, AI-powered automation, and several other major systems currently in development. Meanwhile, the first version of the Star Atlas TTRPG handbook is complete, PIP-32 passed, and the promotional sale continues.
One week into the SAGE C4 PTR, the team continues to iterate quickly, pushing fixes and improvements while gathering feedback from players. Beyond that, the current promotional sale, including Cultivation Claims, is nearing its end, and the Triad Tournament PIP (#32) is entering its final days.
SAGE C4 is live on the PTR! SAGE’s biggest update to date is now available in open beta, running on the z.ink testnet, which also launched last week. The Town Hall also gave us the clearest z.ink update in quite some time, alongside the release of the UE5 features we’ve been seeing throughout this year’s Atlas Brews. Lastly, a new DAO funding proposal is open to support a community-run UE5 tournament from the folks at Superphoenix DAO.
The first Town Hall of the year just wrapped up. Check out this written report to get up to speed on all that was shared! Topics include: UE5 Galia Mode update, Z.ink, and SAGE C4 PTR.