The Engine Grid is the heart of Cloudbreaker: parts occupy real space, fields cover zones, extensions weld onto parts, and network pieces only work when their connections make sense. Placement is the build.
The core rule
Every ship starts around an Engine Core. New Engine Parts are placed into sockets on the ship’s grid, and many can be rotated before placement.
Fields
Fields apply effects to parts inside their area. In demo footage, a damage field immediately increases the output of covered weapons.
Extensions
Extensions attach to another part through their connector. They are useful for focused bonuses such as speed or output without spending an entire independent weapon slot.
Networks
Network parts connect matching pieces into a single powered group. A network piece that is not correctly connected can be deactivated, so check the highlighted coverage before committing.
Relics are different
Relics are powerful but demo footage warns that they cannot be moved once placed. Leave flexible space for weapons and extensions before locking a relic into the middle of your grid.
Build 1.0.5 (October 13): Socket Array and mirrored networks
The Socket Array now opens the locked sockets it is placed over, and only for as long as it stays there — take it away and they lock again. Mirror Link no longer multiplies a network chain’s boosts once for every part in the chain, and mirrored network parts now get the boost their tooltips show, so existing Mirror Link builds are noticeably weaker than they were. The same build caps Tesla Coil cooldowns that displayed as 0s and stops Repulsors from growing past the screen and one-shotting bosses, and it lets Endless mode unlock difficulty modifiers: beat the first boss of an endless dive with your newest modifier on and the next one unlocks.