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Capturing solar systems is an integral part of the SpaceBourne 2 gameplay, especially if the player has decided to follow the path of a conqueror after building their capital station. At the very beginning of faction development, it is crucial to capture several solar systems, as each of them serves as a powerful passive source of TY in the faction’s treasury. For instance, even a low-level L15-25 system will bring the player’s faction over a million TY each in-game day. In this guide, the process of capturing solar systems is discussed in detail.
How to choose a solar system for a beginner to capture
Each solar system has a level. You can see it under the system’s name if you open the atlas (M).
The level of the system determines the level of ships guarding it and their number. That’s why beginners should start with the lowest-level solar systems of levels L15-25.
How to find a suitable system for capture
This question was already addressed in the guide on building a capital station. Since our military power is significantly limited at the beginning of the game, our goal is to target low-level solar systems with no other stations (guild stations and beacons do not count). Moreover, the system should belong to a weak house (minor faction), as during its capture, a war will be declared on this house, and you will have to fight them.
In the game version 1.8.0, there is a bug in the atlas that allegedly shows all systems containing at least two stations. Therefore, here is what you need to do to find a suitable system.
- Press “U” to open the main dashboard and go to the “Diplomacy” → “Overview” section.
- In the list of factions, open the “Independent” section and find a house with a number of bases much smaller than the number of controlled solar systems. This means that the house controls several systems without their bases. These are the systems we need.
- On the house’s info panel, the solar systems under its control are listed. Open the atlas (M) and enter the number of one of them in the Search Engine to quickly find the selected house’s system on the galaxy map.
All that remains for you to do is visit the low-level systems (L15-25) of your chosen house and check for stations there. If the system is empty, you can easily occupy it with your starting fleet consisting of four generals.
I know that the process may seem strange, complicated, and tedious, but there is nothing that can be done about it for now. Let’s hope that in future game versions, the developer will somehow simplify all of this and fix the numerous bugs. To save you time, I will suggest a few suitable systems: Zenithor (1319), Tzenketh (1320), Thax (1305).
How to capture a solar system
First, you need to reach the target solar system through the Star Gate. After that, while in the system, open the scanner (T) and press the “Toggle Raid Mode” button (usually located in the upper right).
The red dotted circles on the map are the objects you need to capture. They are guarded by pilots of the enemy faction. On the left side of the interface, you can see your generals. By clicking on them, you add them to the battlefield. The general moves from the “Available for Deployment” list to the “In Raid” list, and their squad icon appears on the map.
You need to include all available generals in the raid. After that, you can select a general on the map simply by clicking on them, and then click on the object they need to capture. You will see that the general’s squad has moved to this object. This is how space army management works during system capture in version 1.8.0.
All that remains for you to do is send your generals to capture objects and press the “Capture” button in the “Raid Goal” window. After that, the raid will begin. A tactical map will appear in your ship’s interface, which you can use to track the course of the battle. Now you can join your troops in battle by performing a regular warp jump to the object they are capturing.
While your army is still weak, it is best to capture objects sequentially, using all four generals together. Remember, you can increase the number of generals in your army by building a barracks improvement on your Capital Station.
The capture process goes as follows: first, you must defeat the enemy ships guarding the object. After that, the capture begins. Any of your troops simply need to be near the object. On the tactical map (which can be enlarged with the Ctrl key), you can see that the blue bar starts filling up.
When it reaches 100%, the object will come under your control. Now you can send your troops to fight for the next object, where you will need to defeat the enemies and start the capture again. The enemies will send reinforcements to hinder you, so be prepared for that.
After successfully capturing all objects, the solar system will come under your control and appear in the list “U” → “Faction” → “Systems“. Now it is your system, and it will bring your faction a passive income of TY.
Useful tips for capturing solar systems
Here are a few brief tips that will increase your chances of successfully capturing a solar system.
Attack low-level systems
I mentioned this earlier, but just to emphasize: the level of a system determines the number and strength of the units that will defend it. In the beginning of the game, choose systems with a level up to L25-30 as your targets. Higher-level solar systems will be much more difficult to conquer.
Increase the number of available generals
To increase the number of generals in your faction, you must first build barracks on your Capital Station.
After that, you can purchase several upgrades for the barracks in the station’s Command Deck.
After that, new slots for appointing additional generals will appear in the “Overview” panel of the faction dashboard.
You will be able to take them into any battle, which will significantly facilitate the capture of solar systems and their subsequent defense.
Improve your generals’ ships
You can do this by clicking on “Faction” → “Members” → “Generals“. Simply select the desired general (they must be assigned to the Space Forces role) and click “Upgrade Ship” to open the ship improvement tree.
The stronger the general’s ship, the more bonuses it gives to nearby allied fighters in battle, making it easier for you to win.
Upgrade your ship to the max
Reach Rank 3 in the Freelancers Guild and Bounty Hunters to gain access to legendary weapons and modules for your ships. Visit a “Faction Hangar” type station to improve the tier and level of your ship, as well as add new slots for modules. More detailed information about this can be found in the space combat guide for SpaceBourne 2.
Use a fast ship with the “Cloak” and “Multi Missile” perks to deal devastating damage to enemies and easily evade their fire.
If you have any questions about conquering solar systems in SpaceBourne 2, feel free to ask them in the comments. I will try to help as much as I can and share my knowledge.