Ride the infrastructure you build
GRAVHOUNDS pipelines are also grind rails: get onto the line to move quickly across your operation, with unlimited boost while riding it. That turns a connection built for power and resource delivery into a route back to the Collector. It is especially useful when a job pulls you away from the defenses you still need to protect.
The developer's official GRAVHOUNDS introduction describes the propulsion rig becoming supercharged on the pipeline. This establishes the travel benefit without supplying an exact speed, a controller binding or a universal movement combo.
Extend a useful route, then get onto it
In TheSixthAxis's September hands-on preview, players expand the network by pulling a new node from an existing one. Extending toward a work area creates a route rather than leaving every distant objective disconnected from the base.
For practical use:
- Extend the pipeline toward the area you need to visit.
- Keep the route connected to the operation you intend to return to.
- Get onto the pipeline and use the rig's grinding movement for the trip.
- Leave time to return before the Collector departs.
That is a route-planning approach grounded in the documented system. It does not assume that every terrain gap can be crossed with the same placement or that a particular jump key is shared across platforms.
Keep travel, power and resource transport together
The pipeline has several jobs at once. The developer describes it distributing power and providing places for structures, while the tutorial teaches putting collected resources onto the line for delivery.
That means a branch toward a resource deposit can serve your travel as well as your collection work. You can move along the route to revisit defenses instead of treating the network only as a conveyor you watch from the ground.
Expansion still creates more infrastructure to protect. A convenient travel line is not proof that an objective is safe, or that your turrets can handle attacks while you stay away. Check the mission's threats as well as the distance you want to cover.
Account for the October grinding improvements
The October developer changelog describes smoother pipeline grinding, including adjustments to boosting and automatic jumping. It also notes reduced accidental snapping onto pipes while sliding and improved clearance around turrets and other infrastructure.
The same update fixed unwanted launches associated with grinding over infrastructure or boosting through a teleporter. Those are developer-reported fixes, not a guarantee that every transition in every later build is flawless.
Ground dashing was also changed to have no cost. Keep that separate from the pipeline's unlimited-boost benefit: the sources do not establish unlimited airborne movement away from the line.
FAQ
What is pipeline grinding for?
It provides fast travel along the infrastructure you have built, useful for reaching work areas, returning to defenses and heading back to the Collector.
Do pipelines only transport resources?
No. They also carry power, support construction points and provide a grind route for players.
What is the exact maximum grinding speed?
The available official and hands-on descriptions do not establish a numerical maximum, so there is no verified speed value to give here.