# What order should I buy Academy Relics in?
Recommendation Most players prioritise the two fragment-producing relics — R5 (farm fragments) and R6 (campaign fragments) — above everything else, because fragments are the currency used to buy every other relic. Investing here first makes your income compound, so every later purchase arrives sooner.[1][2][3][4][5][8]
Community Knowledge The table summarises how players treat each relic group. Gem Nodes are a separate system bought with orbs; they have their own page, CIFI Gem Nodes.
| Relic | What players use it for | When most buy it | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| R5 (farm fragments) | Passive fragment income; keeps growing across a long TR because farms keep running | First priority; push as high as savings allow each TR | [2][5][3] |
| R6 (campaign fragments) | More fragments from campaigns, which run once per TR; leaned on by players doing short TRs | First priority alongside R5; if campaigns are done, buy the next level at the end of the TR or very early in the next | [1][2][7] |
| R3 (Time Glider, mission speed) | Speeds campaigns and short TRs; additive gains mean each extra level is proportionally weaker | About 25–30 levels early on; players in the low 50s stop for a long while | [6][13][8] |
| R1, R8, R20 (cells, MP, shards, research, materials) | Core stat boosters; the main spending group after the fragment relics are healthy | After R5/R6 are at a comfortable level | [9][7][4][8] |
| R9 (orb gain) | Boosts Ouroboros orbs; useful when you need to hit an orb target before traversing | Raised as needed for an orb goal, usually near the end of a run | [3][7][8] |
| R13 (token relic) | Relic-level achievement farming; low practical bonus once Knox floods tokens | Low priority for most; cheap early levels only; revisit late when Knox income dries up | [4] |
| Hunter relics (e.g. R4, R7, R16, R19) | Borge relics (R4, R7, R16) and Book of Mephisto (R19); tied to specific hunter or boss goals | When chasing a specific hunter unlock or boss target, not on a fixed schedule | [9][7][4] |
# Should I save for the R5 and R6 fragment relics?
Recommendation Most players say yes — saving several days for a fragment-relic level is normal. Around 5–7 days of saving is considered routine, about 10 days is still described as reasonable, and some players in late TR stages waited 10–14 days for a single R5 level.[3][4]
Community Knowledge One commonly reported fragment-relic step costs about 4,400 fragments. Fragment income varies enormously depending on your stage: players around TR7–TR9 running short TRs report a few hundred fragments per day, mid-game players report a few thousand, and players further along can see 12,000 to 30,000+ per day.[7][4][5][3] To turn a relic cost into a wait time, open the stats menu (scroll down) — it shows fragments per minute, per hour, and per day.[3]
Recommendation Which fragment relic to push first depends on how you play. Players running short TRs (shorts are explained in How Traversal is gated on the main CIFI guide) or who have run out of campaigns lean harder on R6, because every new TR runs its campaigns again. Players doing longer TRs (200+ hours) are told to focus on R5, since farms keep running all the way through while campaigns are only available once per TR. If you are out of campaigns, the next R6 level can wait until the end of the TR or the very start of the next one.[2][7][5][1]
Recommendation One multiplier that makes R5 savings much faster: pick up the engineering badge as early as possible. Finishing campaigns quickly brings cores sooner and therefore the engineering badge sooner; players report it roughly doubles fragment income for the rest of that run, which then makes the next R5 level reachable in less time.[8][14]
# A simple fragment plan for your next Traversal
Recommendation This order comes from the majority approach players describe across multiple threads — adapt it once you know your own fragment income from the stats menu.
- Open a new TR: if you saved for an R6 level at the end of the last run, buy it before you start this TR's campaigns, since each campaign only runs once per TR.[1][2]
- Run campaigns: complete campaigns as fast as your current mission-speed relic allows to earn cores, unlock the engineering badge, and roughly double your fragment income for the remainder of the TR.[8][14]
- Check the stats menu: note fragments per day, then look at the next R5 cost; divide to get your wait in days. If it is under ~10 days, save for R5 first.[3][4]
- Save for R5: keep buying R5 levels until the wait climbs well past 10 days or you have a more urgent goal.[3][5]
- Spend on R1, R8 and R20: once R5 is healthy for this TR, work through the core stat-boosting relics; buy cheap levels on hunter relics (such as R4, R7, R16, R17, R19) if they serve a current goal.[9][4][5][8]
- End-of-run orb push: if you need more Ouroboros orbs before traversing, raise R9 now; players commonly leave orb-gain boosts for the final stretch before the TR.[3][7]
- Queue the next R6 step: if campaigns are now exhausted and you are close to another R6 level, save for it at the very end of the TR so you enter the next one with a better multiplier already locked in.[1][2]
# How far should I level the mission-speed relic?
Community Knowledge R3 (the Time Glider, some threads call it relic 4) gives +3% mission speed per level. That bonus is additive, not multiplicative — 10 levels gives 130% speed, not 134.4%; 20 levels gives 160%, not 180.6%. Each new level therefore adds the same flat amount but buys proportionally less improvement, which is why players slow down spending here faster than on the fragment relics.[6][8][7]
Recommendation Most players take R3 to around 25–30 levels early on, then leave it for a long time. Players who have pushed into the low 50s report costs of around 500,000 fragments per level at that point; most of them simply stop there for a long while.[6][13]
Community Knowledge One thing R3 cannot help with: tick speed does not shorten mission timers. Missions run on their own timers with a minimum of 2 seconds, so tick-speed badges improve cells, operations, and research — not campaign mission time.[15]
# What comes after the fragment relics?
Recommendation Most players name R1, R8, and R20 as the core spending group once R5 and R6 are healthy — between them they boost cells, Mod Points (MP), shards, research (RP), materials and similar core resources.[9][7][4][5][8]
Community Knowledge Hunter relics — the Borge relics (R4, R7, R16) and the Book of Mephisto (R19) — are bought toward a specific hunter unlock or boss target rather than on any fixed schedule. Players who share specific level targets tie those numbers to a particular goal, not a general priority order.[9][7][4]
Version-sensitive On ratio tables: experienced players consistently avoid quoting fixed relic ratios because goals change every TR. Circulating ratio targets in community threads are what worked for earlier players in earlier situations, not proven optimal numbers that generalise.[9][7] A community relic tool and spreadsheet is linked from the subreddit's guides section; it weights relic value and suggests next upgrades, though players note it may not be fully current.[3][15]
# What survives Traversal and Ouroboros?
Community Knowledge Academy Relic levels and banked relic fragments survive all three reset types: Loop Resets (LR), Traversal Resets (TR), and Ouroboros (OO) resets. For LR and TR, every reply is a plain yes. Ouroboros is less well documented: the one thread that asks about it got a plain yes, plus a screenshot of the in-game menu that the asker accepted as the answer.[10][11][12] Relics and fragments are separate from Academy badges, which are a different system.[11]
# FAQ
Do I keep relics and levels when I traverse?
Community Knowledge Yes for Loop and Traversal resets (LR, TR): Academy Relic levels and stored fragments persist. For Ouroboros (OO) the one direct answer is also yes, but it is less well documented. Academy badges are a separate system and are not the same thing as relics.[12][10] See What survives Traversal and Ouroboros? above.
Should I buy the campaign-fragment relic now or save for later?
Community Knowledge If you are running short TRs or have campaigns left to run, buy R6 early. If you are deep into a long TR with campaigns exhausted, wait until the very end of the run (or the very start of the next) so you capture the bonus from the first mission onwards.[2] See Should I save for the R5 and R6 fragment relics?
Is it smarter to get Ouroboros orbs instead of waiting for a relic upgrade?
Community Knowledge Most replies say keep saving: a fragment-relic level is worth about a week of waiting, sometimes ten days, and it pays off for months. Orb boosts are usually the last thing players buy before they traverse.[3]
Is Relic 13 worth it?
Community Knowledge For most players, no — once Knox unlocks, it floods tokens and makes R13's bonus nearly worthless. The main reason to buy cheap R13 levels is to tick the relic-level achievement. A smaller group notes it becomes marginally useful again late, when Knox's token income fades.[4]
Does tick speed affect mission time?
Community Knowledge No. Missions run on their own independent timers with a minimum of 2 seconds, so tick-speed badges and upgrades do not shorten campaign mission time.[15]
When should I go for the mission-speed relic?
Community Knowledge Take R3 to around 25–30 levels early on to keep campaigns moving, then slow down significantly. By the low 50s the cost per level is around 500,000 fragments; most players stop there for a long while.[13][6] See How far should I level the mission-speed relic?
# Scope and limits of this guide
Version-sensitive Older threads from 2025 are marked in the sources below; numbers throughout this page come from player reports, not official game tables, and balance changes can shift them. Treat any specific fragment costs or level counts as useful reference points rather than fixed rules.
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u/shadowprophet99: “Honestly, the two fragment relics are just the most important, period. They help you get the other ones faster.” — comment
p80cg5nu/TheDanDangerously: “You'll be running those campaigns again at some point and you can only do them once per TR” — comment
p819c6fu/Rinzler112: “Things like r6 and eventually starmie are huge frag income shorts or long in exo4” — comment
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