The galaxy is full of mysteries in Stellaris, ranging from the benign to the apocalyptic. In order to steer their fledgling civilization safely across the stars, players will need to constantly develop new technologies to allow them to reach further and faster. However, sooner or later, all explorers and colonizers in Stellaris will eventually run up against a major obstacle, whether it's a hostile empire, a terrifying guardian, or simply a gulf of empty space.
Fortunately, Stellaris' Overlord DLC introduced a new Megastructure that can allow players to bypass any obstacle and continue exploring and spreading their empire into new Systems. The Quantum Catapult is one of the cheapest Megastructures to build in Stellaris, but players will still need an advanced empire to research it.
How to Build a Quantum Catapult in Stellaris
Like most of the Megastructures in Stellaris, the Quantum Catapult cannot be researched until players have completed the Mega-Engineering tech, which in turn requires Zero Point Power, Battleships, and Citadels. Both Mega-Engineering and Quantum Catapults are rare techs, which means that they have a low chance of appearing in Stellaris' semi-random tech tree unless the player has ruined Megastructures or a large amount of Citadels within their territory.
Once researched, players can use a Construction Ship to build a Quantum Catapult Site in any System that contains a pulsar or neutron star for the cost of 5,000 Alloys and 300 of Stellaris' all-important Influence. Once the Site is completed, players can upgrade it through four stages, each of which costs 10,000 Alloys. At each stage, the Quantum Catapult will become more accurate and more efficient, allowing players to launch their fleets further and faster across the galaxy.
Alternatively, players who chose the Slingshot to the Stars Stellaris Origin will start the game with a ruined Quantum Catapult in an adjacent System, and can repair it without needing the Mega-Engineering tech. This is the best way to get a functional Quantum Catapult in the early game, allowing players to spread their Empire far without having to reach Mega-Engineering.
How to Use a Quantum Catapult in Stellaris
Once players have constructed a Quantum Catapult Megastructure in Stellaris, they'll be able to use it to launch their fleets or ships to distant star systems, ignoring the normal Hyperlane network. This is done by selecting a fleet in the same System as the Quantum Catapult, and then pressing the new button in the fleet UI to the right of the Jump icon.
Although this propulsion method works a little like a Jump Drive, it comes with a few provisors. The most notable is that the further a Quantum Catapult sends a fleet, the less accurate their launch will be. This can lead to fleets landing in adjacent Systems, or even Systems several jumps away from their intended target. The potential spread of a Quantum Catapult launch is shown by the circular reticle when choosing a target system.
Once a target system has been selected, the Quantum Catapult will take a short time to wind up and then launch the fleet. Based on the level of the Quantum Catapult, the launch wind-up will take longer, and it will also take longer for the fleet to actually arrive at their destination. Once a fleet arrives, they'll receive a +33% fire-rate bonus for 4 months, making the Quantum Catapult a useful tool for surprise attacks to take enemy home worlds.
Stellaris is currently available on PC, macOS, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.