Editing Guide:Relay Heat and Cooling

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Heat belongs to each Bay. A hot [[Mint]] does not directly fill the Refinery's heat pool. Modules, their levels, and the operating mode affect heat; leveling modules can make their heat contribution easier to manage.

<div style="overflow-x:auto;">
{| class="wikitable" style="max-width:100%;"
|-
! <strong>Mode</strong>
! <strong>Output and heat</strong>
! <strong>Good starting use</strong>
|-
| Off
| No active production and heat dissipates
| Pause a Bay you do not need
|-
| Underclocked
| Lower output with lower heat
| Run more conservatively
|-
| Normal
| Baseline operation
| Compare upgrades and establish a routine
|-
| Overclocked
| More output with much higher heat
| Planned bursts with cooling available
|}
</div>

== Read heat as a production constraint ==

Heat reduces output along a curve. Bays can keep ticking at reduced efficiency instead of entering the old forced-shutdown loop. Normal and Underclocked settle below the upper [[Overclock]] zone. An Overclocked burst can leave a hot Bay producing poorly while it cools afterward.

More heat is not automatically better income. Compare the extra production with the throttling, fuel, and cooling needed to sustain it. [[Bay Telemetry]] [[Research]] exposes numbers such as heat rate, threshold timing, fuel duration, and mode comparisons.

== Cooling uses Cryo Gel ==

[[Cooling]] Bays do not produce BC or [[Salvage]]. They supply cooling to other Bays once those Bays are hot enough to need it. [[Cryo Gel]] fuels that supply; empty fuel reduces its effectiveness. Stock and projected duration are more useful than simply owning a large Cooling Bay.

Initially, cooling is shared evenly among Bays drawing it. <strong>[[Thermal Routing]]</strong> lets you prioritize where it goes. <strong>[[Surge Capacitor]]</strong> stores unused cooling for the period after an [[Overclock]] burst. These are distinct from buying more Cooling modules.

== DX Coolant is useful now ==

Apply [[DX Coolant]] to a Bay for an immediate heat reduction and a temporary reduction in heat generation. You may choose one to five units per activation; larger applications are more efficient than repeatedly spending single units.

Inspect the temperature, mode, and expected next session before consuming it. Coolant should support a productive plan, not hide an unsustainable setup indefinitely. Old advice that DX Coolant has no use or that overclocking is unavailable no longer describes the [[Relay Network]].

<small>Screenshots on this page: [[Guide:Relay Heat and Cooling#figure_16|Figure 16]]</small>

<span id="figure_16"></span>
[[File:Bconomy-guide-16-choosing-a-bay-operating-mode.png|thumb|center|680px|alt=Choosing a Bay operating mode|Figure 16  Choosing a Bay operating mode. Open the mode selector on a Bay to compare its operating modes. Match output and heat to the cooling and resources your own Network can sustain.]]

== Related pages ==
* [[Guide:Relay Network|Relay Network]]
* [[Guide:Relay Research and Transmutation|Relay Research and Transmutation]]

<small>Adapted from Shadybliss's illustrated new-user guide, 24 October 2026. Game mechanics may change; check the current in-game Manual and previews.</small>

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[[Category:Relay Network]]