Warfare
As long as there is at least one empire present that is not Fanatic Pacifist, war is an almost inevitable aspect in any game and can be anything from a small border skirmish to a massive interstellar war of conquest. Wars are how mid-game and end-game borders are usually drawn.
When an AI empire is about to declare war, it will first move fleets towards the border of the target. Targeted empires that have any military intel on the aggressor will receive a warning, with higher military intel levels providing a more accurate estimate on when war will be declared.
Depending on diplomatic agreements, wars may have more than one empire on either side. In that case the empire that declared war and the empire that was declared war upon will be designated as the war leaders for their respective sides. Only war leaders can offer or accept surrenders or status quos. AI allies in a war will occasionally send their fleets to follow the fleets of the war leader.
Casus belli and wargoals[edit | edit source]
In order for an empire to start a war, it needs a Casus Belli – a reason to declare war. Each casus belli grants access to at least one type of wargoal, which represents the purpose of the war. Once a war is declared, the attacked empire has a year to choose its wargoals.
Status quo effects do not include the defender's capital. In case of status quo the defender will retain its capital system regardless of occupation.
Casus belli and wargoals | Requirements | Surrender acceptance | Victory effect | Status quo effect |
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Claim | Has existing claims on the target's systems |
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Gain ownership of all systems with claims from the loser, even if not occupied. All systems occupied by the loser are returned, regardless of claims. Generate 25% less threat from conquering. |
Each side keeps all systems they have fully occupied if they have claims on them. Generate 25% less threat from conquering. |
Counterattack | 0 | Gain ownership of all systems with claims from the loser, even if not occupied. All systems occupied by the loser are returned, regardless of claims. Generate 33% less threat from conquering. |
Each side keeps all systems they have fully occupied if they have claims on them. Generate 33% less threat from conquering. | |
Animosity | −25 | Gain 100 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Each side keeps all systems they have fully occupied if they have claims on them. | |
Ideology | −100 | Loser and all its individualist subjects are forced to shift ethics towards those of the victor and their rulers are replaced. Loser will leave a federation if it's part of one and any rivalry with the attacker is ended. Authority is also shifted to that of the winner unless the winner has ![]() ![]() ![]() If the loser has the |
If at least 1 colonized system is fully occupied, then all systems fully occupied by the attacker will be turned into an empire with the attacker's ethics and the ![]() | |
Despoliation | ![]() |
−25 | Take 250 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() During the war, if the attacking empire invades and captures the capital of the defending empire, there is a 50% chance to steal one of the defenders owned Relics. |
Each side keeps all systems they have fully occupied if they have claims on them. |
Pirate Raid | ![]() |
−25 | Take 500 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Each side keeps all systems they have fully occupied if they have claims on them. |
Expropriation | −50 | Corporate empire closes all branch offices on the attacker's planets. Gain 1000 ![]() |
Corporate empire closes all branch offices on the attacker's planets. Corporate empire gains 1000 ![]() | |
Hostile Takeover | −75 | All branch offices on planets whose owners have a commercial pact or federation with victor are transferred to the victor. If loser is part of a federation, branch offices on other members' planets are kept. | None | |
Claim the Galatron | −40 | Gain the Galatron relic and 100 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Attacker gains 1000 ![]() | |
Galatron Access Denied | −40 | Gain the Galatron relic and 100 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Attacker gains 1000 ![]() | |
Trial of Advancement | −100 | Replace the loser in the Imperial Council. | None | |
Punishment | 0 | The refused demands are enforced. If the losing empire is not a ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
None |
Subjugation wargoals[edit | edit source]
Subjugation wargoals seek to end the independence of the targeted empire and subordinate them to the attacker as a subject. If the targeted empire has any subjects of its own, the effects will apply to them as well, and if the loser is part of a Federation, it will leave it. Subjugation wargoals cannot be used against a fallen empire, the Custodian or the Galactic Emperor or if all owned systems of the targeted empire are already claimed by the attacker. All of these wargoals have a surrender acceptance of −100.
In case of a status quo, if at least 1 colonized system is fully occupied then all systems fully occupied will be turned into a new empire with the Liberated origin and the victory conditions will be imposed upon it. The colony with the most pops becomes the new empire's capital.
Paired wargoals[edit | edit source]
The following wargoals are paired together. If an empire starts a war with either of the paired wargoals, the defender will automatically use the other wargoal and cannot pick another one.
Total War[edit | edit source]
Certain paired wargoals have as their objective the complete destruction of the opposing empire and will cause a Total War. In Total Wars all occupied systems automatically change ownership. Their new owner will be the participant with the highest claim count on it or the nearest war participant (usually the one that conquered the system) if none of them claim the system. In case of a status quo each side keeps all currently conquered systems.
During a Total War surrender is not possible - both empires will have a −1000 Surrender acceptance and the war continues until either one side is fully conquered or a status quo peace is declared. If an empire conquers every owned colony of another empire, the conquered empire is immediately destroyed, ending the war through Debellation. If the destroyed empire had starbases in uncolonized systems that were not conquered, they are removed, making the territory neutral again. All empires in the galaxy will receive an event notifying them of the defeated empire's demise.
Casus belli and wargoal 1 | Casus belli and wargoal 2 | Requirements | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Containment | Subjugation | ![]() |
|
Purification | ![]() ![]() |
||
Hunger | ![]() ![]() |
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Sublimation | ![]() |
||
Existential Expulsion | ![]() ![]() |
Starbases are instantly destroyed instead of being captured in battles. | |
Colossus | Stop Colossus | ![]() |
War will not end if the colossus is destroyed |
Renegade Containment | Self-Defense | ||
Payback | Payback | ||
Crisis War | Crisis War | ![]() |
Can be ended by the ![]() |
Event | Event | ![]() |
Used by both Awakened Empires against one another during the War in Heaven. |
Event | Event | ![]() |
Victor gains 2000-6000 ![]() ![]() |
Event | Event | ![]() |
Claims[edit | edit source]
While casus belli and wargoals represent the purpose of a war, claims represent territorial ambitions — the systems which will be controlled by the victor. Which systems can be claimed depends on an empire's War Philosophy policy, with the Unrestricted Warfare philosophy allowing for the claiming of any system not owned by a fellow
Federation member. It is possible to claim the same system multiple times to gain a stronger claim on it, up to 10 times, which can outbid the competing claims of allies when going to war together. If multiple empires have the same number of claims on a system, the oldest claim is considered the strongest and if both claims are equally old, then the winning claim will be decided according to the claiming empires' tag IDs (the player empire has tag ID 00 and thus has first priority if involved). In general, claims are expensive in the early game and become less so later on to allow for more decisive wars to be fought. Claims cannot be rescinded while at war but can be strengthened.
Claims have a base cost of 50 influence, modified by the following:
- +25 per hyperlane distance from owned territory
- +25 if the system has an upgraded
Starbase (i.e. not just an Outpost)
- +25 if the system is colonized
- All costs are increased by +100% during an offensive war
- All costs are reduced by −20% if the claimed system belongs to a Rival
If the modifier reaches a total of −100%, then claims will cost 0 influence.
Defenders can freely claim systems owned by their attackers in a defensive war regardless of their War Philosophy policy. Any system lost by any side during a conquest war or total war will give the former owner 10 claims on it.
Winning war with any non-conquest wargoals will always enforce all claims made by the victorious empires before any other effects, regardless of whether these systems were occupied. For example, an empire winning a war with the subjugation wargoal will annex all claimed systems from the loser before making a Vassal of the loser's remaining systems.
Federation warfare[edit | edit source]
The Federation is the more serious counterpart of the Defensive Pact and the inviting attackers mechanic, and serves as a way of ensuring that all participating empires will fight together on the same side in a given war. While a federation does offer a unique amount of defensive cooperation, builds trust and allows military cooperation between member states' fleets and the federation fleet, establishing a conquest strategy can be made more difficult because of the need for consent of the members to declare war, and each member's expectation of a fair share of spoils from each war (which, if not met, will result in an opinion penalty). Depending on the federation's laws, declaring war can require a unanimous vote, a majority vote or just the president's decision. Federation war declarations are dependent only on the president's War Philosophy, which makes this one of the only ways that a
Fanatic Pacifist empire can be part of a war of aggression (the other way being through subject terms of agreement).
The empire that wishes to declare war can ask the other federation members for their war goals by using the "Suggest Demands" button. However, AI empires will be very hesitant to declare war on empires that are much stronger than them or have very powerful allies. In that case, the "Suggest Demands" button will not give any results. One exception to this are wars of liberation or to a lesser extent subjugation: usually AI will agree to a liberation or subjugation war even if all the war goals are assigned to the player. The resulting splinter empire could then be made a subject and later integrated by the player.
In case a federation member is attacked, all allies automatically join the war as defenders without need for a further declaration of war. In this case, the member being attacked has a free hand in choosing federation war goals, which could be all in its own favor.
Ending wars[edit | edit source]
Wars can end in two ways: With the surrender of either side or with a negotiated Status Quo peace.
Surrender means that the victor's wargoal is enforced; any claims the winning side has on the losing side are automatically ceded regardless of occupation status and the defeated empire is forced to keep borders open towards the attacker for 10 years. All wars except those of independence have a negative surrender acceptance, which are countered by factors such as relative navy strength (up to +50), war exhaustion (up to +100) and occupation percentage (up to +100). If an empire and all of its allies (if any) has lost control of all of its systems and/or colonized planets during the war, then a surrender will occur automatically.
Status Quo means that the war has reached a point where neither side is able to score a decisive victory against the other or all wargoals have been achieved decisively before any major battles took place, and both sides agree to cease hostilities and settle for whatever gains or losses they have acquired/suffered. Under a Status Quo peace, all fully occupied systems claimed by a belligerent empire are ceded to the belligerent with the strongest claim. In the case of a tie, whoever has the oldest claim on the system is considered the stronger claimant. In addition both sides must keep their borders open towards each other for 10 years. Since surrender is not possible in a Total War, they can end only in Status Quo or the destruction of one empire. Status Quo can be enforced by either side as soon as 24 months have passed since the opposing side reached 100% war exhaustion, and if both sides reach 100% war exhaustion, then Status Quo is enforced automatically after 24 months.
War exhaustion[edit | edit source]
War Exhaustion goes from 0% to 100%, and measures the total weariness and attrition suffered by all empires on one side in a war. War exhaustion goes up from suffering losses during space and ground warfare, destruction of planets (either from Colossus weapons or Armageddon Bombardment), and a passive accumulation over time called Attrition. When a side's war exhaustion hits 100% they can be forced into a Status Quo peace after 24 months. The speed at which war exhaustion accumulates is influenced by factors such as ethics, traditions, technology and the amount of claims being pressed - an empire that is fighting to hold onto a handful of border systems will tire faster in a costly conflict than one whose very independence is being threatened. War exhaustion also means that an empire that is losing a war can still fight to minimize their territorial losses by inflicting high war exhaustion on the enemy.
War exhaustion gain can be lowered by the following factors: If these modifiers add up to −100%, then no War exhaustion will ever be accumulated.
War names[edit | edit source]
Wars will always be named after the attacker and the defender, followed by one of the following names depending on the wargoal:
References[edit | edit source]
Exploration | Exploration • FTL • Unique systems • L-Cluster • Pre-FTL species • Fallen empire • Spaceborne aliens • Enclaves • Guardians • Marauders • Caravaneers |
Celestial bodies | Celestial body • Colonization • Planetary features • Planet modifiers |
Discovery | Discovery • Anomaly • Archaeological site • Astral rift • Relics • Collection |
Species | Species • Pop modification • Biological traits • Machine traits • Population • Species rights • Ethics |
Leaders | Leader • Common leader traits • Commander traits • Official traits • Scientist traits • Paragons |
Governance | Empire • Origin • Government • Civics • Council • Agendas • Policies • Edicts • Factions • Traditions • Ascension perks • Situations |
Economy | Resources • Planetary management • Districts • Jobs • Designation • Trade • Megastructures |
Buildings | Planet capital • Common buildings • Unique buildings • Holdings |
Ships | Ship • Ship designer • Core components • Weapon components • Utility components • Mutations • Offensive mutations |
Technology | Technology • Physics research • Society research • Engineering research |
Diplomacy | Diplomacy • Relations • Galactic community • Federations • Subject empires • Intelligence • AI personalities |
Warfare | Warfare • Space warfare • Land warfare • Starbase • Crisis |
Others | Events • The Shroud • Preset empires • AI players • Stat modifiers • Console commands • Easter eggs |