Relic

Relics unlock once a character reaches Gear 13 and provide a second upgrade ladder on top of stars and gear. The Relic system has 9 tiers (R1 through R9, with R0 being the starting state at G13). Each tier multiplies the character's base stats by a growing factor, with R7 and R9 being the most impactful jumps in raw power.

Each Relic tier requires a stack of materials: Signal Data (low tiers), Aeromagnifiers (mid tiers), and Impulse Detectors (high tiers, R6+). The materials are farmed from Challenge Tier 1-2 Relic Materials sims and the Relic store. Cost progression is brutal: R5 costs roughly 4M credits in materials; R7 is around 15M; R9 around 40M+ in combined currencies.

Strategy: R5 is the modern baseline for any farmable character you actually use. R7 is the GAC standard for characters in your defense or offense rotations. R9 is reserved for top-priority characters — Galactic Legends, key counters, and meta squad leaders. Spread your Relic resources too thin and your roster ends up weak in every mode; over-invest in one squad and you miss counter coverage.

Examples: Lord Vader, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, and Starkiller are typically run at R9 on competitive rosters because their kits scale dramatically with the stat boosts at the highest tiers — especially Speed and Special Damage gains that determine turn order in GAC.