How do they work? I see some planets got them and there are techs to increase the limit of them, but i have no clue how they really work. At least it always seem as all trade improvements pay off dust-wise.

The trade routes are always from your system to another you don't own. To have trade routes in one system you need to build some improvements or have a hero that can open extra trade routes. Moreover, the trade routes only work when you are at peace, except if you are the pilgrims or some other custom faction that has similar traits (they have one which makes trade routes possible even at cold war), but if your system is blocked, your trade routes also won't work (except with the pillgrims). Also, the trade routes provide only science and dust, and the amount of that can be increased by the total population of the systems involved in the trade route as well by some heroes skills.

On the first page of the strategy guide forum.



/#/endless-space/forum/33-strategy-guides/thread/14048-trade-routes