Console:Land warfare
Version

This article is for the console version of Stellaris only.
Wars are not decided only in space. In order to capture enemy planets, entire armies will be needed, along with the preparation and battlefield awareness to properly use them. However planets may only be invaded if the system's starbase has been occupied.
Combat[edit source]
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Please help with verifying or updating this section. It was last verified for console version 3.0. |
Ground combat takes place between the planet owner's defense armies and the invader's assault armies. The number of armies that can be engaged in combat on either side is five plus one-fifth of the size of the planet. Armies not engaged in combat will be placed a row behind the fighting armies and replace any killed army.
Generals are leaders who command armies and give them bonuses. However Generals have a 5% chance to die whenever one of their armies is killed.
Each army has a morale value, and once morale drops low enough the army will be negatively affected with the following modifiers:
Morale | Penalty |
---|---|
50% | −25% ![]() |
0% | −75% ![]() |
Armies gain experience from combat and can rank up. Higher rank armies are more effective in combat.
An attacker can always attempt to retreat. However there is a significant chance that each retreating army is destroyed while attempting to return to space, making retreat a risky endeavour and something to do only in very poorly chosen engagements.
Planet devastation[edit source]
Planet devastation is a measure of how much damage has been caused to the planet's population centers. It goes from 0 to 100% and the higher it is the more damage defensive armies take and the more likely pops are to be killed. Every 1% planetary devastation causes a 1% decrease in Housing,
Amenities,
Trade Value,
Resources from Jobs,
Upkeep from Jobs,
Growth Speed and
Immigration Pull.
Planet devastation is caused by orbital bombardment and assault armies. Assault armies have a Collateral Damage modifier that determines how fast they cause planetary devastation. Defense armies do not cause any.
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0% | 50% | ![]() |
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25% | 100% | ![]() |
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50% | 100% | ![]() |
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75% | 200% | ![]() |
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Planet Devastation recovers by 0.05% daily if planet is not being invaded or bombarded.
Defense armies[edit source]
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Please help with verifying or updating this section. It was last verified for console version 3.0. |
Defense armies are automatically recruited by certain buildings from the species working them and can be robotic or organic. They are stationed on planets and used to defend against enemy armies. While they are stronger one-for-one than assault armies, their static nature means that investment is necessary to fend off a concentrated attack. Their combat ability is also improved by certain technologies.
Job | Defense Armies | Notes |
---|---|---|
Colonist | 1 | |
Enforcer | 2 | |
Soldier | 3 | |
Necromancer | 3 | |
Patrol Drone | 2 | |
Warrior Drone | 3 | |
Slave Overseer | 2 | |
Protector | 3 | Only available to organic Fallen Empires |
Xeno-Keeper | 2 | Only available to the Enigmatic Observers Fallen Empire |
Guardian | 3 | Only available to the Ancient Caretakers Fallen Empire |
The type of army recruited depends on the pop working the building that spawns them. Defense armies do not incur any upkeep beyond that of the building that creates their Job. Defense armies do not cause Collateral Damage.
Assault armies[edit source]
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Please help with verifying or updating this section. It was last verified for console version 3.0. |
An empire can recruit armies of any species that is present within its borders, as long as there are members of that species living on the planet which the army is recruited from. Unlike Defense Armies, they are based in space and each recruited army will board a transport ship. Transport ships are unarmed but automatically upgraded with the latest defense components.
The amount of armies from a species an empire can have at the same time is limited to the number of pops of that species living within the empire, except for Clone Army. Armies without species like
Xenomorph Army are unlimited as well.
Army rank[edit source]
As armies fight battles they will increase in rank, improving their stats based on their experience points. Armies get +2 experience points each time they deal damage and +1 when they take damage.
Rank | Exp Points | Effects |
---|---|---|
Regular | 0 - 100 | None |
Experienced | 100 - 1000 | ![]() ![]() |
Veteran | 1000 - 10000 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Elite | ≥ 10000 | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Army starting experience can be increased by +100 by each of the following:
Military Academy planet building
Dread Encampment planet building
Strength of Legions civic
Private Military Companies
Mercenary Liaison Office Corporate Building
Orbital bombardment[edit source]
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Please help with verifying or updating this section. It was last verified for console version 3.0. |
Orbital bombardment occurs when a fleet is in orbit around a hostile planet, and is generally a precursor to invasion. Genocidal empires can even opt to skip the invasion entirely and simply exterminate all life on the surface. Orbital bombardment causes damage to any defensive army but also Devastation. Effectiveness is based on the Fleet Size of the fleet in orbit, where maximum effectiveness is reached at 200 Fleet Size.
Orbital Bombardment Damage dealt to enemy planets can be increased by the following:
Source | Damage |
---|---|
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+20% |
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+25% |
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+30% |
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+20% |
Orbital Bombardment Damage taken from enemy fleets can be reduced by the following:
Source | Damage |
---|---|
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−50% |
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−25% |
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−10% |
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−10% |
References[edit source]
Exploration | Exploration • FTL • Anomaly • Archaeological site • Relics • Pre-FTL species • Fallen empire • Events • Spaceborne aliens • Guardians • Marauders • Caravaneers |
Celestial bodies | Celestial body • Colonization • Terraforming • Planetary features • Planet modifiers |
Species | Species • Traits • Population • Pop modification • Species rights • Ethics |
Governance | Empire • Government • Civics • Policies • Edicts • Leader • Factions • Technology • Traditions • Situations |
Economy | Economy • Planetary management • Districts • Buildings • Holdings • Jobs • Designation • Trade • Megastructures |
Diplomacy | Diplomacy • Relations • Galactic community • Federations • Subject empires • Intelligence • AI personalities |
Warfare | Warfare • Space warfare • Land warfare • Starbase • Ship • Ship designer • Crisis |
Others | The Shroud • L-Cluster • Unique systems • Preset empires • AI players • Easter eggs |