Missions

Fleet missions are the actions you can perform with your ships. Each mission type serves a different purpose.

Mission Types

Mission	ID	Returns	Purpose
Attack	1	Yes	Combat enemy fleet/defenses
ACS Attack	2	Yes	Coordinated alliance attack
Transport	3	Yes	Deliver resources
Deployment	4	No	Station fleet permanently
ACS Defend	5	No	Defend allied planet
Espionage	6	Yes	Spy on target
Colonisation	7	No	Settle new planet
Harvest	8	Yes	Collect debris
Moon Destruction	9	Yes	Destroy moons after combat
Missile Attack	11	No	Launch IPMs at planet defenses
Patrol	12	Yes	Deep-space patrol mission
Trade	13	Yes	Deep-space trade mission
Recon	14	Yes	Deep-space recon mission
Exploration	15	Yes	Deep-space exploration mission
Patrol Hold	112	Auto	Hold phase for Patrol (system-created)
Trade Hold	113	Auto	Hold phase for Trade (system-created)
Recon Hold	114	Auto	Hold phase for Recon (system-created)
Exploration Hold	115	Auto	Hold phase for Exploration (system-created)

Mission Details

Attack

Combat enemy fleet and defenses
Loot up to 50% of resources
Creates debris from destroyed ships

ACS Attack

Coordinated attack with alliance members
Multiple fleets arrive simultaneously
Combined firepower
Slower joiners can delay arrival up to 30% of the current ACS travel time

Moon Destruction

Target can be a moon or a Space Dock outpost
Requires at least 1 Deathstar in the fleet
Normal combat resolves first
If you win and Deathstars survive, a destruction roll is made
Deathstar explosion chance drops by 25% per Graviton level (min 0%)

Missile Attack

Only interplanetary missiles can be launched
Target must be a planet (no moons/debris)
ABMs intercept one IPM each before damage is applied
Flight time depends on system distance:

Time (seconds) = 30 + 60 * system_distance

Transport

Deliver resources to target
Fleet returns empty
Safe between own planets

Deployment

Station fleet at another planet
Fleet does NOT return
Useful for repositioning

ACS Defend

Defend allied planet
Fleet stations until recalled or battle

Espionage

Send probes to gather intelligence
Returns with spy report
May be detected

Recon

Deep-space recon rolls every 30 minutes while holding
Never selects your own empire or alliance members as targets
Each attacker Espionage Technology level increases recon success chance by 5 percentage points
Each target Counter Intel level reduces recon success chance by 5 percentage points
On success, delivers a full espionage-style report (resources, ships, defense, buildings, research)
Target player receives espionage activity detection

Deep Space Hold Tick Messaging

Patrol Hold, Trade Hold, Recon Hold, and Exploration Hold now all tick every 30 minutes.
Each hold tick now sends a player message, even when no event or no successful action occurs.
Event outcomes (combat, finds, successful exchanges, recon report delivery) still send their normal detailed logs.

Colonisation

Requires Colony Ship
Ship consumed on success
Creates new planet

Harvest

Collect debris fields
Requires Recyclers
Returns with resources

Deep Space Mission Unlocks

Patrol mission requires Space Dock research level 1
Trade mission requires Moon Base research level 1
Recon mission requires Recon Technology level 1
Exploration mission requires Wayfinder research level 1
Exploration mission fleet must include at least 1 Wayfinder ship

Exploration Outcome Scaling

Exploration outcome magnitudes are based on the expedition fleet's fleet points.
Wayfinders count at 250% of their normal fleet-point value for these outcome calculations.
Resource and ship-find outcomes are still constrained by surviving fleet cargo capacity.
Exploration ambushes now trigger a full combat encounter with an Unknown entity:
- Enemy archetype is randomly generated as Nomads, Raiders, or Aliens.
- Enemy fleet score scales from 30% to 150% of the player's expedition fleet score.
- The unknown side is represented as the attacker in the combat report; your expedition fleet is the defender.
- A standard combat report is generated and delivered after each ambush encounter.
- If your fleet survives, surviving Wayfinders automatically salvage combat debris into available cargo space.

Fleet Slots

Fleet slots are limited by research progression:

Base: 5 concurrent active fleets
Computer Technology: +2 slots at each even level (2, 4, 6, ...)
Recon Technology: +1 slot per level
Wayfinder Research: +1 slot per level
Space Dock Research: +2 slots per level
Each active fleet mission consumes one slot
Missile attacks do not consume fleet slots

Mission Speed

Speed Settings

You can adjust fleet speed (10%-100%):

Slower = less fuel
Faster = more fuel
Affects arrival time

Fleet Speed

Fleet moves at slowest ship speed:

Include slow ships = slow fleet
Deathstar drastically slows fleet
Consider separate waves

Fuel Consumption

Key Factors

Distance traveled - Galaxy crossings cost significantly more
Ship fuel rates - Each ship type has a base fuel consumption
Speed setting - Slower speeds use less fuel, faster speeds use more fuel
Number of ships - More ships = more fuel

Cargo Requirement

Important: Fuel must fit in your fleet's cargo capacity. If the fuel required exceeds your total cargo space, the mission will be blocked.

Available cargo = Total cargo capacity - Fuel required

See Fleet Mechanics for detailed formulas.

Planning

Check fuel requirements before launching:

Ensure cargo capacity exceeds fuel cost
Long-distance missions need cargo ships
Account for resources you want to transport

Timing Missions

Arrival Calculation

Game shows exact arrival time:

Plan attacks when target is vulnerable
Coordinate with allies
Avoid active defense times

ACS Arrival Rules

New ACS fleets can join at a slower speed.
The added delay cannot exceed 30% of the current group travel time.
When a slower fleet joins, the group arrival time updates for all ACS fleets.

Recall

Most missions can be recalled:

Fleet turns around immediately
Returns to origin
Useful for abort or fleetsave