Defense

Defense installations are built in the Weapons factory, just like ships, and they share the same build queue. They stay on the planet, automatically join every battle there and need neither fuel nor escape flights. The table below compares all installations.

Why build defenses?

• It deters attackers: raiders prefer targets with weaker defenses.
• After a battle, part of the destroyed installations is rebuilt automatically – lost ships, on the other hand, are gone.
• As long as even one of your units survives the battle, the attacker has not won – and takes no resources.

Guns, shield domes and solar cells

Guns range from the cheap Mortar to the mighty Solar cannon. Shield domes do not attack, but they bring a huge shield into battle. You can build each of the two domes only once per planet. They protect your resources from being plundered, but not the ships and installations on the planet. Solar cells produce energy, which is why they appear in this list – in battle they are defenseless.

Bonus damage

Almost every gun deals extra damage to certain ships – each page lists them under "Bonus damage against". The more of those ships the attacking fleet contains, the more it pays off. But since many ships also deal bonus damage to certain guns, a mixed defense usually serves you better than a single type.

Research that strengthens your defense

Weapons technology, Shield technology and Defense systems work on defenses just like on ships: +10% attack, shield or hull per level. You need Energy technology, Targeting systems, Particle analyzer and Graviton technology mainly as requirements for the stronger guns.

The particle cannon threat

With the Particle cannon, an opponent can destroy your defenses from a distance without sending a single ship – and whatever it destroys is not rebuilt. The Particle shield protects you: it absorbs the fire as long as its charge lasts. Read more under Particle attack.