Galactic Core

The Galactic Core is at the exact center of the galaxy, surrounded by the Grox Empire, which occupies some 2,400 star systems that surround the Core. Approaching the Core reduces the player's travel range, and the reductions continue the closer the player gets. Most stars near the Core are very far apart, so getting stuck is possible.

To get there
A player needs at least Interstellar Drive 3, with the limiting effects of the gravitational fluctuations, this is just enough to travel between stars, though the core has been reached with only the second level drive. You could also download the official Travel Radius Expansion Mod to triple the minimum travel radius. It is also suggested to have a Wormhole Key, that way one doesn't waste time going through the galaxy's arms.

To actually get to the Galactic Core, a player will have to travel through the Grox Empire, which won't be easy. Every time a player travels to another system, more Grox ships will be sent to chase the player. The Grox are an extremely violent race that will try to kill you regardless of what you are doing. The Grox ships have 2,700 HP and do approximately 150 damage per second. It is suggested to bring a Medium Health at least, as well as a few Anti-Matter Missiles and Repair Mega Packs for defense. Auto Blasters are also recommended, as they will automatically counter-attack the Grox ships, even when traveling between stars. AOE Repairs are great as well, as they will completely heal you and your allies, who can soak damage while you run. Also, you need a shield for even further protection. Also, consider being a Shaman, so you can return home immediately after going to the Galactic Core. Also you might need a few Colony Incredi-Paks, for the creation of outposts. If you do not want to be at war with the most powerful empire in the galaxy, however, running through the systems as fast as possible is the best bet. Make sure to use the pause feature to figure out a path during gameplay.

As long as a player does not stop at a system, but instead immediately clicks on the next system, the ships will not catch up with the player. However, once they do catch up they can not be outrun. A solution if this happens can be to land on a empty planet and drop a colony, and then pausing to be healed and planning the next path. The Grox will not follow you there. Using the pause button makes this tactic a walk in the park, though some might consider it cheating. Also, if the player doesn't feel like fighting The Grox at the bases that become strewn out along the path, they could bring some terraforming tools (preferably the one use tools that don't use up energy) and do a drive-by terraform. The Grox will disappear once it reaches T1 (the base at least, and the ecosystem does not have to be filled). If colonies are made in this way it will also be easier to return later. However, any attacking Grox ships will not go away unless you plant a colony and zoom out to the galactic view. At this point they will fly away and you can return to your new colony. Another way of getting to the core is by befriending the Grox but not allying with them. They will then repair the damage they have caused to your ship; however, paying them for repeated repairs will soon become expensive. Their ships will continue to attack you but if you get repaired when your health is low it will be easier. If you do not wish to anger the Grox turn your autoblaster off as it will anger them for "Destroying our ships".

Alternatively, you can ally with the Grox, to stop them from attacking you. Be warned, however, as this will cause every spacefaring civilization you know, (or uplift and/or encounter later), to instantly declare war, and if you do not have Return Ticket, you will be chased by every Spacefaring planet you encounter on the way home, unless you had a very high relation with them prior to allying the Grox. An Interstellar Drive 5 is highly recommended.

The Core
The core is a supermassive black hole with two extremely large jets of gamma rays shooting out of its poles. The pointer on your travel range will go haywire, pointing in various directions as it spins around (The arrow is meant to point to the core itself, so naturally, it acts strange when you are actually there). Once you enter, a deep voice will begin to talk to you, congratulating you on your journey. At the same time, you are traveling through a large wormhole that shares striking features with the star gate in 2001, A Space Odyssey. A closer look reveals that those colors are actually llamas. Once you are through with your journey, you will be met by Steve, who gives you the Staff of Life. You also receive the Galactic Core, Talked to Steve Rare, and the 42 achievement. Once out of the core, your travel radius will return to normal. Despite what Steve tells you, when you go to Earth there will be no presentation or a free breakfast. For those who have not allied with the Grox, their homeworld is right next to the core, and is one of the few Grox worlds which can be captured without luck, a trade route, or Fanatical Frenzy. The reason the Grox attack you when you head towards the Galactic Core is possibly because once you get there, Steve will give you the Staff of Life. Since the Grox cannot live on any planet with a T-score of 1 or higher, and the Staff of life instantly brings the T-score to T3, the Grox do not want anyone to get to the Core.

In-Game Description
A super massive black hole found in the nucleus of many galaxies. These are the most energetic things in the universe by far. The intense radiation they produce is powered by the tremendous amount of surrounding material they consume (as much as 1000 solar masses per year).

The Power
The power is the Staff of Life. You only have 42 uses of this power. Unfortunately, after that you can't get it back, not even one shot of ammunition. The Staff of Life will be added to your ship's ability and atmospheric pages. The use of the number 42 may be tribute to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Anomaly Glitch
A glitch can occur around the galactic core. Mysterious effects (blobs of light, searchlights, puffs of smoke, etc) will appear around the core. They cannot be visited, and the effects are different each time you load the game. Oddly, all the effects seem to be from the building and vehicle editors. There is no known fix for these mysterious anomalies, however, they often disappear on their own, and sometimes vanish when the graphics are reset. The glitch is likely to be caused by graphics lag. It is not known to cause any problems.