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This article has been verified for the current PC version (3.10) of the game.

War

Land warfare

Wars are not decided only in space. In order to capture enemy worlds, entire armies are needed, along with the preparation and battlefield awareness to properly use them. However, worlds may only be invaded if the system's starbase has been occupied.

Orbital bombardment[]

Orbital bombardment occurs when a fleet is in orbit around a hostile world and causes damage to any armies but also kills pops and causes devastation. Effectiveness is based on the fleet size of the fleet in orbit, although it suffers diminishing returns after 100, and planet size, with every 10 planet size halving damaged from bombardment. The more pops and buildings a world has, the more damage it receives from orbital bombardment. Assault armies take double damage from orbital bombardment.

If orbital bombardment destroys the last army, the world has a chance to surrender if the attacking empire has the Allowed Orbital Surrender Acceptance policy. Worlds from Gestalt Consciousness empires will never surrender.

Stance Planet damage Army damage Pop kill chance Other effects Requirements
Selective 50% 100% 25%
  • Does not kill the last 21 pops
  • Does not bomb planets with no armies on it
None
Indiscriminate 100% 150% 50%
  • Does not kill the last 11 pops
Fanatic Pacifist Not Pacifist
Armageddon 150% 200% 100%
  • If the last pop is killed, the planet becomes a Tomb World
Any of:
Javorian Pox 20% 150% 150%
  • Javorian Pox Sample relic activation
  • Fanatic Pacifist Not Pacifist
Raiding 100% 50% 100%
  • Abducts pops instead of killing them
  • Species with Displacement, Neutering or Extermination species rights will still be killed
  • Does not cause Terror Bombing opinion if successfully abducted
  • Does not kill or abduct the last Pop
Either:
Seed Bombing 100% 50% 0%
  • After 10% devastation, can spawn Explosive Growth blockers
Fruitful Partnership

Orbital bombardment damage dealt to enemy planets can be increased by the following:

Source Damage
Overwhelming Force Overwhelming Force tradition +20%
Orbital Trash Disperser component +25%
Munitions Plant juggernaut aura +30%
Peril Crisis level 3 +20%

Orbital bombardment damage taken from enemy fleets can be reduced by the following:

Source Damage
Subterranean origin −75%
Planetary Shield Generator Planetary Shield Generator building −50%
Survival Fittest Survival of the Fittest tradition −25%
Never Surrender Never Surrender tradition −25%
Fortress World designation −10%
Fortress Station designation −10%

Combat[]

Evt ground combat

Although secondary to space battles, ground warfare is a vital aspect of many wars.

Ground combat takes place between the world owner's armies and the invader's armies. It takes 10 days for armies in orbit to land on a world. The number of armies that can be engaged in combat on either side is five plus one-fifth of the planet size. Excess armies are initially placed in a reserve area behind the frontline and replace any disengaged or destroyed armies as combat progresses.

Each day, each army engaged in combat deals its health and morale damage to a randomly selected enemy army; armies with less than 50% health are twice as likely to be selected. Armies below 50% health may also disengage from battle; this moves them from the frontline area to the reserve area. Disengaged armies cannot return to the frontline but can still be attacked by enemy armies and destroyed. Disengaged armies are half as likely to be selected as the target of an enemy army.

Unless an army is immune to morale damage, when its morale drops below certain thresholds, the army will be negatively affected with the following modifiers:

Morale perc. Penalty
< 50% −25% Army damage
0% −75% Army damage

After 30 days, the attacker can choose to retreat at any time. However, there is a chance that each retreating army is destroyed while attempting to return to space, with the chance increasing as the army is more damaged. This makes retreating a risky endeavor and something to do only in very poorly chosen engagements.

As long as the ground combat is ongoing, it is possible for either side to land reinforcements, though typically this will only be feasible for the attacker. The ground combat ends when the attacker retreats or all armies of either side are destroyed.

Army rank[]

Rank XP Effects
Regular 0 – 100 None
Experienced 100 – 1000
Veteran 1000 – 10000
Elite ≥ 10 000

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. Army starting experience can be increased by +100 by each of the following:

Army stat modifiers[]

In addition to army rank, several technologies, civics, species and leader traits, and other sources affect army damage, health, and other stats. Additionally, Commanders provide +5% army damage per level and plus other bonuses from traits. Modifiers from species traits affect armies recruited from that species, while Commander and Official traits affect armies led by that general or on world's in that governor's sector.

Source Army damage (empire)
Killer Microorganism empire modifier +50%
Eater of Worlds covenant (50 favor) +50%
Devouring Swarm civic +40%
Terravore civic +40%
Fanatic Purifiers civic +33%
Eater of Worlds covenant +25%
Warrior Culture civic +20%
Strength of Legions civic +20%
Warbots civic +20%
Private Military Companies civic +20%
Supremacy Supremacy tradition tree +20%
War Drone Campaign edict +15%
Warlike ruler trait +10%
Policies Knight Commanders Knightly Duties policy +10%
Powered Exoskeletons technology +5%
Minor Artifacts Military Application +5%
Source Army damage (general's fleet)
Chosen of the Eater general trait +30%
Chosen One general trait +20%
Chosen of the Whisperers general trait +20%
Butcher Butcher general trait +10%
Mercenary Warrior general trait +10%
Cyborg general trait +10%
Chosen of the Composer general trait +10%
Glory Seeker general trait +5%
Synthetic general trait +5%
Erudite general trait +5%
Armchair Commander general trait −10%
Erratic Morality Core general trait −10%
Source Army damage (species)
Clone Soldier Ascendant trait +75%
Noxious trait +50%
Clone Soldier trait +50%
Very Strong trait +40%
Juiced Power trait +40%
Strong trait +20%
Clone Soldier Descendant trait +20%
Battle Thralls slavery +20%
Proles trait +10%
Cybernetic trait +10%
Limited Regeneration trait +10%
Weak trait −20%

Defense armies[]

Defense armies are automatically recruited by certain jobs, based on the species working that job, and can be organic or robotic. Defense armies cannot be moved from the colony they are recruited on and are used only to defend against enemy armies. While they are stronger one-for-one than assault armies, their loss does not cause War Exhaustion and they do not cause Collateral Damage, their limited recruitment means that significant investment is necessary to fend off a concentrated attack.

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 and pop which creates the army.

Type Base Damage Morale Damage Health Morale Requirements Description
Defense Army 2.25 - 4.50 2.25 - 4.50 250 250 Biological pops Defense armies are powerful, but cannot be transported from the planet.
Robotic Defense Army 1.50 - 3.00 1.50 - 3.00 250 Immune Mechanical Mechanical pops Cold and heartless killing-machines designed only for war. They pursue their objectives relentlessly, and are impervious to the shattering effects of poor morale that so often plague organic combat units.
Drone Grid 1.65 - 3.30 1.65 - 3.30 220 Immune Machine species Machine pops These autonomous sentinel drones will incessantly patrol their assigned sectors. Though lightly armed and not very intelligent, they are legion.
Undead Defense Army 2.25 - 4.50 3.93 - 7.87 350 Immune Replaces Defense Armies if at least one Necromancer is present Undead soldiers lifted from the grave by necromancers, brought back to life to protect our planets from all that might threaten them!
Offspring-Led Army 2.62 - 5.25 3.41 - 6.82 400 Immune Replaces Defense Armies if at least one Offspring Drone is present Under the direct supervision of the local Offspring, the armies are both deadlier and more challenging to kill than anything a regular hive-mind could produce.
Fanatic Guardians 4.50 - 9.00 4.50 - 9.00 500 500 Replaces Defense Armies if empire has the Sovereign Guardianship civic Stoic defenders of our homeland, these unshakeable soldiers are most effective when protecting those with whom they share a close relationship.
Matrix Unit 3.30 - 6.60 6.60 - 13.20 440 Immune Replaces Drone Grids if empire has the Guardian Matrix civic These highly lethal protective drones are most effective kept in close proximity to all other strategic nodes.
Sentinels 6.00 - 12.00 30.00 - 60.00 1400 Immune The Sentinels archaeological site Living statues with a mechanical core, bodies humming and skin glowing, radiation pulsating from their cores, ready to rain destruction on their enemies!

Pre-FTL armies[]

Pre-FTL armies are only used by primitive civilizations. They are weaker than any army and even the strongest Pre-FTL army can easily be defeated by an equal number of any regular army.

Type Base Damage Morale Damage Health Morale Ages
Primitive Army 0.15 - 0.30 0.15 - 0.30 100 160 Bronze Age - Steam Age
Industrial Army 0.60 - 1.20 0.60 - 1.20 100 160 Industrial Age - Machine Age
Post-Atomic Army 0.90 - 1.80 0.90 - 1.80 200 200 Atomic Age - Early Space Age

Assault armies[]

An empire can recruit assault armies from a colony based on the species living there. The species must not have Military Service Exempt Military Service rights in order to recruit an army from that species. An empire cannot recruit more assault armies from a species than the total number of pops of that species living in the empire, with the exception of Clone Armies. Armies not tied to a species, such as the Xenomorph Army, are unlimited unless otherwise specified.

Unlike defense armies, assault armies are based primarily in space and each recruited army boards a transport ship. Transport ships are unarmed but automatically upgraded with the latest defense and utility components. Assault armies can also be ordered to land on any controlled world to provide additional defense against invasion.

Type Cost Time Time Upkeep Base Damage Morale Damage Collateral Damage Health Morale War exhaustion Requirements Species
Assault Army 100 90 1 1.50 - 3.00 1.50 - 3.00 100% 200 200 100% Biological
Slave Army 50 60 0.5 1.50 - 3.00 1.12 - 2.25 150% 200 150 50% Slave Processing Facility Slave Processing Facility Biological (enslaved)
Clone Army 75 30 0.75 1.50 - 3.00 1.50 - 3.00 125% 200 200 50% Gene Banks Biological
Robotic Assault Army 150 90 1.5 1.50 - 3.00 1.50 - 3.00 150% 400 Immune 50% Droids Droids
Policies Robotic Workers Allowed
Robot
Psionic Army 250 120 2.5 3.00 - 6.00 4.50 - 9.00 50% 350 500 300% Telepathy Biological (psionic with Utopia)
Xenomorph Army 200 100 2 3.00 - 6.00 6.00 - 12.00 500% 400 Immune 25% Morphogenetic Field Mastery None
Gene Warrior Army 300 150 3 3.00 - 6.00 3.00 - 6.00 75% 500 500 300% Gene Seed Purification Biological
Undead Army 100 60 0.75 1.50 - 3.00 2.40 - 4.80 125% 200 Immune 50% Necromancer jobs Biological
Hunter-Killer Army 100 90 1 1.50 - 3.00 1.50 - 3.00 200% 200 Immune 50% Machine Intelligence Robot
Battle Frame Army 200 120 2 2.25 - 4.50 3.00 - 6.00 200% 500 Immune 100% Machine Intelligence
Adaptive Combat Algorithms
Robot
Mega-Warform 800 500 8 6.00 - 12.00 9.00 - 18.00 400% 1200 Immune 400% Machine Intelligence
Biomechanics
None
Cybrex Warform 250 500 8 7.50 - 15.00 15.00 - 30.00 500% 1400 Immune 400% Cybrex War Forge relic
Can only be recruited on the capital
None
Flamestorm Troopers 100 150 3 3.00 - 6.00 9.00 - 18.00 500% 600 600 50% Siege of Paradise astral rift Biological
Warplings 10 100 0 7.50 - 15.00 15.00 - 30.00 50% 500 Immune 50% Abandoned Complex astral rift None
Titanic Beast 300 90 1 4.50 - 9.00 9.00 - 18.00 300% 1000 600 200% Titanic Lifeforms event chain
Only 3 can be recruited
None
Azizian Army 250
50
90 1 4.50 - 9.00 9.00 - 18.00 100% 1000 400 100% Ice Alien event chain
Only 3 can be recruited
None
Imperial Legion 300 150 3 3.75 - 7.50 3.75 - 7.50 75% 600 600 300% Galactic Emperor
Imperial Legions resolution
Only 12 can be recruited
None
Mercenary Army 120 0 2 1.65 - 3.30 1.65 - 3.30 250% 200 100 50% Overlord Mercenary enclave deal Biological
Mechanized Mercenary Army 240 0 5 3.3 - 6.6 3.3 - 6.6 300% 360 200 50% Overlord Mercenary enclave deal Biological
Psionic Avatar Event 0 0 7.50 - 15.00 15.00 - 30.00 100% 1400 Immune 500% Shroud event None
Nanite Warform Event 0 0 15.00 - 30.00 90.00 - 180.00 500% 3600 Immune 400% A Quiet Stroll event None
Skeletal Giant Event 0 1.5 4.50 - 9.00 13.50 - 18.00 350% 1400 Immune 50% Reanimators
Strange Mountain Formation anomaly
None

Devastation[]

Devastation is a measure of how much damage has been caused to the colony's infrastructure. It goes from 0 to 100%, and every 1% Devastation causes a 1% decrease in housing, amenities, trade value, resources from jobs, Upkeep upkeep from Jobs, growth speed and Immigration pull immigration pull. Pops will not migrate to a world that has at least 10% Devastation.

Devastation is primarily caused by orbital bombardment, and to a lesser degree assault armies. Assault armies have a Collateral Damage modifier that determines how fast they cause devastation. It is reduced by half if the assault army is garrisoned on the world.

Devastation decreases by 0.05% daily if the colony is not being invaded or bombarded.

Devastation Orbital Bombardment FTL inhibitors Tree of Life
Damage Damage to armies Kills pops
0%-24.9% 50% Functional Alive
25%-49.9% 100% Functional Alive
50%-74.9% 100% Disabled Destroyed
75%-100% 200% Disabled Destroyed

References[]

Game concepts
Exploration ExplorationFTLAnomalyArchaeological siteRelicsPre-FTL speciesFallen empireEventsSpaceborne aliensEnclavesGuardiansMaraudersCaravaneers
Celestial bodies Celestial bodyColonizationTerraformingPlanetary featuresPlanet modifiers
Species SpeciesTraitsPopulationPop modificationSpecies rightsEthicsLeader
Governance EmpireOriginGovernmentCivicsPoliciesEdictsFactionsTechnologyTraditionsSituations
Economy ResourcesPlanetary managementDistrictsBuildingsHoldingsJobsDesignationTradeMegastructures
Diplomacy DiplomacyRelationsGalactic communityFederationsSubject empiresIntelligenceAI personalities
Warfare WarfareSpace warfareLand warfareStarbaseShipShip designerCrisis
Others The ShroudL-ClusterUnique systemsPreset empiresAI playersEaster eggs
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