Endless Space Game Guide & Walkthrough

Guide to the Endless Space contains a description of all crucial elements of the game and explained in details how they work. In this guide you'll find:

• Description of all races available in the game.
• Presentation of all solar systems types, and their characteristic according to celestial bodies which they can contain.
• Description of the solar systems managing screen with the properties of its most important part, especially social approval and income of research and money.
• Presentation of the technology upgrades, its division on four main directions and characterization of order of their development.
• Very detailed description of the planetary system screen and its components.
• Explanation about crucial elements of the game: food, industry, research, money, approval and its influence on the empire.
• Very detailed description of the planet screen, exploration options and related technologies.
• Comparison of all heavenly objects, according to their adaptation possibility and basic statistics about food, industry, research, approval and money.
• Comparison and detailed characteristic of technologies related with production of food, industry, research, approval points, money and increasing planets' population.
• Description and explanation of planet's anomalies, taking the technologies preventing them into consideration.
• Description of moons and planets exploration with possible consequences.
• Description and explanation of planet's transforming and required technologies.
• Detailed description of planet's colonization and every race's colonization units.
• Description of all resources with division onto strategic and luxury and detailed description of methods of extraction.
• Description of trade and trade routes with detailed comparison of all trade technologies.
• Detailed description of Academy, hero recruiting, comparison of their classes, skills and influence on managing the solar systems and fleets.
• Description of the diplomacy screen, comparison of diplomatic options, their causes and technologies allowing to use diplomatic actions.
• Description of fleet managing screen, including creating new units, description and classification of particular types of modules.
• Detailed description of conducting battles including proper modules' usage and action cards.
• Description of options connected with influencing galactic with the planetary systems.
• Comparison and description of travelling between system including proper technologies.
• Description of fleet possible actions in the context of interaction with other planetary systems.

In this document you may also find charts with description, properties, skills, parameters, statistics and values of every race, hero, planet and technologies. Every mentioned element contains sufficient number of screenshots.

Konrad "Ferrou" Kruk

Origins: planet Terran

• Begins with the N-WAY FUSION PLANTS technology
• Increased taxes give bonus to the production
• 10 XP points for every built ship
• Every planetary system gives additional 10% of Dust (currency)
• +1 Dust per every population
• Additional 40% HP for ships
• Additional 25 HP per every population
• +25 % cost of hero abilities.

Origins: planet Terran

• Begins with the: ISOLATION SHIELDS, PEV-SCALE ACCELEATORS, NEURAL ROBOTIC technologies
• Rising the taxes up to 50% gives +50% bonus to research
• -50% Modules cost for the fleet
• Additional 30% Research Points on every system
• +2 movement points on ships
• +1 Sensor Range on ships
• -25% cost of Defence on system
• -8 points to Defence on system.

Origins: planet Jungle

• Begins with the ISOTOPE FABRICATION technology
• Additional 5% to fire power for every fleet after winning the battle (for 15 turns)
• Additional 20% of FIDS on all system after every successful invasion (for 15 turns)
• Additional Dust for every planet
• +2 Research Points for every planet
• +50% to fleet power during invasion (for 20 turns)
• +50% to fleet defence during being attacked (for 20 turn)
• +15% to fleet accuracy
• +36 to maximum fleet damage
• +36 to minimum fleet damage
• -50% Modules cost for the fleet
• Hero get wounded for every retreat from the battle
• +40% XP for the hero participating in the battle
• -20% to income of Research Points.

Origins: planet Ocean

• Begins with the SOIL XENOBIOLOGY technology
• Begins with the all map known: Systems, Warps, Wormholes and Home Worlds are revealed
• +50% Trade Routes income
• +30% Trade Routes bonuses per Cooperation Treaty on System
• +4 Approval per Faction at Peace or Allied With on System
• -40% cost of ships without Modules
• +10% to maximum and minimal damage for Allies Fleets
• Additional 3 Food Points on System.

Origins: planet Arid

• Begins with the ADVANCED MACHINING and ARID EPIGENETIC technologies
• +1 Locust Point per turn on every colonized planet
• +25% FIDS for the first 40 Locust Points. -25% FIDS after 60 LP (Cravers have 40 turns for safe exploitation: after that the planet is exhausted what makes impossible the growth of FIDS. Cravers have to colonize next planet)
• -20% of ships cost
• +40 Research Points to the current research for every destroyed enemy unit
• +2 Command Point for fleet (more ships)
• +1 Population for Medium, Small and Tiny planets
• Can't be at peace with other factions.

Origins: planet Arid

• Begins with the SOIL XENOBIOLOGY and ARID EPIGENETICS technologies
• Hero Cloning
• +50 Fatigue Recovery for Hero
• +4 Influence area on systems
• +1 food per population.
• +2 Population for Small and Tiny planets
• +1 Population for Medium planets
• -50% healing cost on hero
• +20% cost of ships

Origins: planet Tundra

• Begins with the XENOBOTANY
• -50% food from system
• 40% of industry values added to food points
• +1 industry point on planet
• +10 Approval points on every planet
• -20% research cost on system
• -20% cost of Industry Improvements
• Colonizes all planets, but with -25% FIDS (until required technology is known)
• +10 Dust for every destroyed enemy unit
• -1 to fleet movement

Origins: planet Jungle

• Begins with the XENOBOTANY
• Ability to evacuate a System
• 100% Ownership of a system, but decreased to 20% when system is captured by the opponent
• +50% to income from Trade Routes in every taken system
• +20 Approval on system
• -4 Dust unkeep on hero
• Every new hero gets additional 20 XP
• +10% to minimal and maximum Allies Fleet damage
• +20 Research Points to current research for every destroyed enemy unit
• Trade Routes works at War and in Cold War
• Blockade on system doesn't close the Trade Routes

Looking at the fragment of galaxy, neighbouring to your homeland, you can see bright, glowing objects.

Those are stars, being the center of particular solar systems. In Endless Space you may find few types of them. Recognizing them makes you know what planets you can find there.

Basic planet division depends on the climate:

DRY PLANETS

HOT PLANETS

COLD PLANETS

• Arid
• Terran
• Barren
• Hydrogen
• Asteroids

• Jungle
• Desert
• Lava
• Methane

• Ocean
• Tundra
• Arctic
• Helium

Binary Star

• Two suns
• Barren planets are most likely
• Gas planets may appear

Protostar

• Young, cold star
• Rarely friendly planets (e.g. Jungle, Terran)
• Gas giants and barren planets are most likely

Blue Sun

• The brightest and hottest star
• Lava and Arid planets are the most likely
• Rarely planets easy to colonize

Red Giant

• Huge, rather cold star
• Planets easy to colonize
• Gas planets may appear

Red Dwarf

• Small and cold star
• Rarely planets easy to colonize
• Very often gas giants

White Dwarf

• Old and dying star
• Very small
• High density
• Bit unfriendly and rocky planets likely
• Gas giants may appear

White Sun

• Star with lot of hydrogen
• Planets easy to colonize may appear
• Planets tougher to adapt appear most often
• Gas giants rarely

Yellow Sun

• Medium heat
• Big chance for friendly planet which doesn't require special technologies (Terran, Ocean, Jungle)
• Gas giants very rarely

Empire Management screen is our empire in a pill. It's an index of all your systems where you can change what you want in them. Here you'll decide about taxes and production. Here also you can observe what resources your race exploits, your research points, amount of Dust and approval level.

Empire Management screen, our window on the world

 

Imperium Funds

DUST - game currency. Here you see your budget and income per turn, which contains taxes, profits from particular planets and resources bonuses.

Research Points

All Research Points per turn from all planets, according to its modernizations, productions and various bonuses. Amount of Research Points affects how much time you need to develop particular technology.

Approval

Approval. First screen shows it as total sum of all our citizens. The other one shows approval on system. In Endless Space negative and positive approval has three levels. At big approval you they are:

• Happy
• Ecstatic
• Vervent

Additionally such systems provides more food, Research Points and industry.

Low approval is shown by:

• Unhappy
• Strike
• Rebellion

In such cases such systems decrease their production potential.

Taxes

Taxes in the Endless Space are the main source of income. The rule is simple: the bigger taxes, the smaller approval.

Production and Management

In this part of Managing Empire screen you can see information about current production in every system and what units are staying in the hangars. What is more, the AI column let the computer manage the system instead of you, focusing on one of the development direction (food, research points, industry, approval).

Next important element of the game is our race Technology Tree. It contains everything you use during exploration, developing planets, systems, fleets, diplomacy and trade options.

Tree is divided on four main directions:

GALACTIC WARFARE - mainly ships modules (offensive and defensive)

APPLIED SCIENCES - mainly technologies connected with strategic resources and support modules for fleet. Generating Research Points also.

EXPLORATION & EXPANSION - mainly technologies referring to colonization and adaption of particular types of planets. Generating Industry Points also.

DIPLOMACY & TRADING - mainly technologies connected with making Food Points and Dust. Working up the diplomatic options also.

Full Technology Tree

Every technology costs some amount of Research Points which are generated in your systems. Their amount is visible on the Empire Management screen.

The more Research Points planets generate, the faster you'll discover technologies.

You can research at once only one technology. You have to care about balanced development, it's very crucial. You can't stay behind with e.g. economic with overinvesting in warfare, because even the most powerful cannons won't change the fact that you're bankrupt. And other way round: do not spend all research on economy, because sooner or later you'll meet a civilization which will try to military demolish you.

Part of Galactic Warfare branchPart of Applied Sciences branch

 

Part of Exploration & Expansion branch

 

Part of Diplomacy & Trading branch

Technologies are marked by the few colors: grey, green, yellow and blue.

• Grey means the technology is undiscovered and unavailable
• Green means the technology currently researching
• Blue means technologies you have researched
• Yellow means the technology is undiscovered, yet available for research

Clicking on the unavailable technology (grey) you can see a chain of researched technologies.

 

Green technologies belongs to the sequence of researched technologies: it begins at the technology in the frame.

What is more, every race has few unique technologies. They are marked with orange color.

Their uniqueness lies in:

• Increasing bonuses offered by the standard version of the same technology
• Placing this technology in the better place than its standard version, what allows to discover it faster
• Appearing of the technology unavailable for other races

It's one of the most important element of Endless Space. Here you create the groundwork for the Empire, start planetary installations, colonize planets within the system, build an army or set the heroes.

Our system view may looks like that. In this case we have three planets colonized.

Here you can see a chart of food, industry and research points and funds generated by all planets in this system. Blue bar stands for system population. The green bar means an approval.

This window shows a hero who ascribed to this system. His governing skills influences economic and social situation of the system.

Here you can see what resources are exploited on all colonized planets. Numbers stands for the amount of planets where the resource can be found.

This window is connected with trade. Shows a number of trade routes, their destination point and income. You can trade only with race you have peace.

It's one of our system's planet. In Endless Space every planet is described according to the same scheme. In this case you see that the planet is colonized. Then type of current exploration option (Hyper-Scale Farms), its size and type (Medium Arid), type of anomaly (positive or negative random element). The exploited resource is displayed at the end (Hexaferrum).

Element around the planet's picture is the maximum number of population at this planet: for now on, at max 6, only two are settled. Number of population with the size of planet is the next important element of the game. Every celestial body has few steps of gradation according to its size and maximum number of population.

Planet type, size and maximum number of population

TINY

SMALL

MEDIUM

LARGE

HUGE

TERRAN JUNGLE OCEAN

4

5

6

8

10

ARID TUNDRA

3

4

5

7

8

DESERT ARCTIC

2

3

4

5

6

BARREN LAVA

1

2

3

4

4

ASTEROID HELIUM HYDROGEN METHANE

1

2

3

3

4

Those numbers aren't invariable. Using proper technologies, at specified conditions, maximum number of population can be changed.

Technologies above may increase maximum number of population on the particular planets

 

Another important parts of the Planetary System screen are options of constructing units.

Configuration of installations for all system. Every element is provided by the researched technologies. Click on "SHIP" and you get to the units building.

All types of ships you can build. Types of units are provided by the technologies and modernizations made in managing fleet screen.

Queue of planets constructing/production/exploration. No matter what actions you do in one system, queue is only one. Shortly speaking: all decisions in the system accumulates. That's why you should choose carefully the importance of your actions. Numbers at right stand for the number of turn needed to finish the project.

In hangar window you see units which are created, but not in the space. Marking ships and clicking on "CREATE" you form fleet, showing your forces to the galaxy.

New fleet at the system's orbit

Generally, developing the system is related to the industry points. Every installation to work requires particular number of them. What affects amount of turns needed to complete the project. So the upgraded systems will make new projects faster than the freshly colonized ones. It happens because every new colony has very little industry points.

The mechanism is easy here. If the particular installation costs 70 Industry Points and system generates 5 per turn, you'll have to wait 14 turns until the project is done.

FIDS is a factor which defines the planet, system and the whole empire condition.

It's a shortcut from the basic goods, which are generated by the every heavenly body in the Endless Space.

Those goods are Food, Industry, Dust, and Science.

FOOD - One of the most important resource for every planet economic growth. High level of food determines adaptation level of the planet. It also affect greatly increasing of population.

INDUSTRY - Determines development of whole systems. It's inversely proportional to the number of turns required to build a planetary installation (initiation of the researched technologies) and ships.

DUST - Mainly comes from taxes. It's needed to build new modules, pay hero's salary or initiate technologies.

SCIENCE - Science Points are required to research new technologies. Every of them requires particular number of those. The biggest pool you have, the shorter researching will be.

System View

Other factor very important for the planets adaptation is an APPROVAL. It determines happiness of planet, system and empire citizens.

APPROVAL (happiness) - It's level depends on planet's natural conditions. Also food level and number of population (overpopulation) affects it.

Approval and population level of OTHERO 1 is marked in here

Depending on the type of the heavenly body, the FIDS factors have different values. According to this planets are grouped.

Types of planets and beginning FIDS

TERRAN

3

2

4

2

Basic parameters of Terran Planet

OCEAN

3

2

4

2

Basic parameters of Ocean Planet

JUNGLE

3

4

2

2

Basic parameters of Jungle Planet

ARID

2

2

5

1

-5

Basic parameters of Arid Planet

TUNDRA

2

1

2

5

-5

Basic parameters of Tundra Planet

DESERT

1

5

0

1

-10

Basic parameters of Desert Planet

ARCTIC

1

0

5

1

-10

Basic parameters of Arctic Planet

LAVA

0

4

1

0

-15

Basic parameters of Lava Planet

BARREN

0

1

4

0

-15

Basic parameters of Barren Planet

GAS METHANE

0

10

1

1

-20

Basic parameters of Gas Methane Planet

GAS HELIUM

0

1

1

10

-20

Basic parameters of Gas Helium Planet

GAS HYDROGEN

0

1

10

1

-20

Basic parameters of Gas Hydrogen Planet

ASTEROID BELT

0

4

4

4

-20

Basic parameters of Asteroid Belt

Number of population, planet's size and type, resources, installations, exploatation options and anomalies affect increasing of food, industry, incomes and researches. Anomalies may have negative or positive effect on adapting options. Those factors affect also planet's statistics before colonization.

SUSTAINABLE FARMS

• +1 Food per population point on Desert, Arctic, Arid and Tundra
• Cost: 2 Dust
• Cost: 60 Industry

EPIGENETIC CROP SEEDING

• +2 Food per population point on Ocean, Jungle, Terran,
• +1 Food per population point on Desert, Arctic, Arid, Tundra
• Cost: 3 Dust
• Cost: 160 Industry

INORGANIC CULTIVATION

• +3 Food on Explored Moon
• +3 Industry on Explored Moon with Temple
• Cost: 5 Dust
• Cost: 240 Industry

COMPACT REFRIGERATION

• +30% Food on Star System
• Cost: 7 Dust
• Cost: 160 Industry
• Requires: Hyperium

WASTELESS SUPPLY CHAIN

• +2 Food per population point on Barren, Lava
• +1 Food per population point on Methane, Helium, Hydrogen, asteroids
• Cost: 9 Dust
• Cost: 800 Industry

PERMANENT PERENNIALS

• +100% Food amount on star system
• Cost: 11 Dust
• Cost: 2240 Industry

HEAVY ISOTOPE REFINERIES

• +10 Industry on star system
• +1 Industry per population point on Desert, Arctic, Arid and Tundra
• Cost: 2 Dust
• Cost: 60 Industry

INTERPLANETARY TRANSPORT NETWORK

• +2 Industry per population point on Lava
• +1 Industry per population point on Arctic, Asteroids, Tundra, Desert
• +20% Industry on star system
• Cost: 3 Dust
• Cost: 160 Industry

AI LABOR

• -20% Industry cost of improvements on star system
• Cost: 7 Dust
• Cost: 1000 Industry

PREDICTUVE LOGISTICS

• +2 Industry on planets
• Cost: 5 Dust
• Cost: 560 Industry

SELF-ORGANIZING CITIES

• -20% Ship Cost on star system
• Cost: 9 Dust
• Cost: 1920 Industry
• Requires: Adamantian

ADAPTIVE INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS

• Can change 100% Food surplus into industry
• Cost: 11 Dust
• Cost: 2880 Industry

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

• +1 Science per population on planets
• Cost: 2 Dust
• Cost: 60 Industry

MAGNETIC FIELD GENERATORS

• +40 Science on star system
• Cost: 3 Dust
• Cost: 160 Industry

OPTICS RESEARCH LABS

• +2 Science per population point on Lava, Barren
• +1 Science per population point on Methane, Hydrogen, Arid, Desert
• Cost: 5 Dust
• Cost: 160 Industry

GRAVITION-SHIELDED LABOLATORIES

• +20% Science on star system
• Cost: 7 Dust
• Cost: 1000 Industry

ANOMALIES INSTITUTE

• +40% Science on star system
• Cost: 11 Dust
• Cost: 1088 Industry
• Requires: Anti-Matter

XENOTOURISM AGENCIES

• +1 Dust per population point on Arid, Tundra, Ocean, Terran, Jungle
• Cost: 2 Dust
• Cost: 60 Industry

CAREFUL SWEEPING

• +2 Dust on Explored Moon
• Cost: 3 Dust
• Cost: 200 Industry

ADAPTIVE TAXATION SYSTEMS

• +2 Dust per population point on planets
• Cost: 7 Dust
• Cost: 512 Industry
• Requires: Orichalcix

AUTOMATED INVESTMENT INTELLIGENCE

• +15% Dust on star system
• Cost: 9 Dust
• Cost: 1920 Industry

REVENUE ZEN

• -30% cost of buys on star system
• +2 Dust per population point on planets
• Cost: 11 Dust
• Cost: 2720 Industry

INFINITE SUPERMARKETS

• +25 Approval on star system
• Cost: 2 Dust
• Cost: 120 Industry

ELEGANT NETWORK

• +30 Approval on star system
• +10% Food in on ecstatic systems
• +25% Industry on ecstatic systems
• +10% Dust on ecstatic systems
• +10% Science on ecstatic systems
• Cost: 5 Dust
• Cost: 160 Industry

UNLIMITED INFORMATION HIGHWAYS

• +30 Approval on star system
• -40% overpopulation disapproval on star system
• Cost: 7 Dust
• Cost: 320 Industry

CORPOREAL FREEDOM

• +40 Approval on star system
• +5 Approval on Hydrogen, Asteroids, Methane, Helium, Arctic, Desert, Barren and Lava
• Cost: 9 Dust
• Cost: 1280 Industry

PERMANENT VACATION

• +50 Approval on star system
• -40% overpopulation disapproval on star system
• Cost: 11 Dust
• Cost: 2400 Industry

PLANETARY INSTITUTE

• +6 Food, Industry, Dust and Science on star system
• Cost: 2 Dust
• Cost: 64 Industry

HYDROSEQUENCING

• +1 Food, Industry, Dust and Science per population unit on planets
• Cost: 3 Dust
• Cost: 560 Industry

NON-BARYONIC SHELL

• +2 Food, Industry, Dust and Science per population unit on planets
• Cost: 7 Dust
• Cost: 960 Industry
• Requires Titanium-70

ENDOTERMIC TRUCTURES

• +2 population units on Tiny
• +1 population unit on Small
• Cost: 2 Dust
• Cost: 120 Industry

PSYCHOLOGICAL INSULATION

• +1 population unit on planets with an explored moon
• +1 population unit on planets
• Cost: 4 Dust
• Cost: 560 Industry

LIVING HABITATS

• +1 population unit on Helium, Methane, Asteroids, Hydrogen
• Cost: 6 Dust
• Cost: 1200 Industry

SELF-REPLICATING HABITATS

• +2 population units on planets
• Cost: 10 Dust
• Cost: 3200 Industry

Every planet in Endless Space has its own mechanisms which regulate income of the basic goods: food, industry, dust and science. They're called exploitation options. They can be upgraded according to the researched technologies and provide better profits. Initiated, exploitation options are similar to the installation production: the main difference is, that they affect only the single planet. Briefly speaking, such option can be initiated and leave to the end of the game. Every planet can have only one exploitation option active. They affect the general level of FIDS for the system.

Planet ViewExploitation options: increases Food, Industry, Dust and Science

Every option has three steps of gradation: first one is automatically ascribed to the planet. Next two will be available after researching the proper technologies.

Food - level 1

EVOLVED SOILS

• +1 Food per population unit on Terran and planet
• Cost: 40 Industry

Food - level 2

ALIEN GRAFTING

• +2 Food per population unit on Terran and planet
• +1 Food per population unit on Ocean and Jungle
• Cost: 44 Industry

Food - level 3

HYPER-SCALE FARMS

• +3 Food per population unit on Terran and planet
• +2 Food per population unit on Ocean and Jungle
• +1 Food per population unit on Tundra and Arid
• Cost: 44 Industry

Industry - level 1

INDUSTRIAL ZONES

• +1 Industry per population unit on Lava and planet
• Cost: 40 Industry

Industry - level 2

GEO-INDUSTRIAL PLANTS

• +2 Industry per population unit on Lava and planet
• +1 Industry per population unit on Tundra
• Cost: 44 Industry

 

Industry - level 3

3D REPLICATION PLANTS

• +3 Industry per population unit on Lava and planet
• +2 Industry per population unit on Tundra and Jungle
• +1 Industry per population unit on Methane
• Cost: 44 Industry

Dust - level 1

COLONIAL EXCHANGE

• +1 Dust per population unit on Arid and planet
• Cost: 40 Industry

 

Dust - level 2

ATEMPORAL FINANCE

• +2 Dust per population unit on Arid and planet
• +1 Dust per population unit on Desert
• Cost: 44 Industry

 

Dust - level 3

FINANCE COMMISION

• +3 Dust per population unit on Arid and planet
• +2 Dust per population unit on Desert
• +1 Dust per population unit on Hydrogen and Terran
• Cost: 44 Industry

Science - level 1

EXOSCIENCE STATIONS

• +1 Science per population unit on Barren and planet
• Cost: 40 Industry

 

Science - level 2

NONBARYONIC COLLIDER

• +2 Science per population unit on Barren and planet
• +1 Science per population unit on Arctic
• Cost: 44 Industry

 

Science - level 3

GLOBAL TECH PARK

• +3 Science per population unit on Barren and planet
• +2 Science per population unit on Arctic and Ocean
• +1 Science per population unit on Helium
• Cost: 44 Industry

Anomalies are very peculiar elements of environment, which characterize and affect adaptation possibility of the particular planet. They divide on positive and negative. There is much more of the second ones, which are usually stronger and causes serial consequences. To reduce anomalies, you have to research proper technology and then initiate it in the Planet View.

Below examples of both types of anomalies:

Profits from this type of phenomenons affect the whole planet condition As an effect of this anomaly, URSA III won't be easily adapted

First level anomalies

Second level anomalies

In Endless Space you can transform particular type of the planet in other, more friendly. This solution guarantee more effective and easier managing. Transformation requires proper technologies from Exploration & Expansion branch. It's very important to know the hierarchy of planets referring to its adaptation possibility.

List of planet (from easiest to manage)

1

TERRAN

JUNGLE

OCEAN

2

TUNDRA

ARID

3

ARCTIC

DESERT

4

LAVA

BARREN

5

GAS

ASTEROID

Rule of transformation is clear: you can convert the particular type of planet in the same or in one class better type.

For example: DESERT can be converted into ARCTIC or LAVA/BARREN or ARID/TUNDRA.

Gas planets and asteroids are excluded from transformation. So BARREN can be changed only in LAVA or DESERT/ARCTIC.

As the best types of planet are TERRAN, JUNGLE and OCEAN, their transformation may ends only a class lower on TUNDRA/ARID.

So transformation creates a chain: to convert BARREN in JUNGLE, you have to convert the first one class after class up to the highest one.

BARREN will be converted in ARCTIC. Here TUNDRA will become TERRAN type

Every planet can have a natural satellite. After researching a proper technology you can explore the moon. Searching it may reveal traces of the ancient civilization - those are artifacts giving big profits. Also some technologies help better adaptation of the moon.

To explore moon you have to research this technology:

Then in the Planet View which initiate the researched technology

Moon of RATH II will be searched, the result of this action will be known in the next turn.

It turns out, that on the moon exists a temple increasing an approval of our population. But usually, moons are empty. But they can have also artifacts affecting Industry or Trade Routes. Technologies which provide us more profits from the moon:

Additional Food from a moon Additional Dust on the moon

In Endless Space all heavenly bodies you meet can be colonized. The procedure requires proper technologies for the particular type of a planet (Exploration & Expansion branch).

Only Terran, Ocean and Jungle don't require a technology to be colonized

To take over a new system, in fact to colonize its planet, you have to use the colonization ship. Every race has its own model.

COLONY - UNITED EMPIRE COLONIZATION SHIP

PROCREATOR - SOPHONS COLONIZATION SHIP

MISSIONARY - PILGRIMS COLONIZATION SHIP

REPRODUCER - HORATIO COLONIZATION SHIP

NESTSHIP - HISHSO COLONIZATION SHIP

FACTORY - SOWERS COLONIZATION SHIP

HIVESHIP - CRAVERS COLONIZATION SHIP

PROPAGATOR - AMOEBA COLONIZATION SHIP

Having the colonization ship we move to the system we're interested in. Then from fleet action menu click the colonization option and choose the planet you want.

Moving the colonization ship to the unoccupied system

Begin the annexation: icon in the left upper corner of fleet action menu

Planet choice

Clicking on the random planet in colonization view you become its owner (if you have a proper technology).

Every system from a galaxy view let us see how much planet it has and, what is more important, which of them you can colonize for the time being.

System QUARIUS has four heavenly bodies:

• Two grey, which can be colonized
• One red, which can't be colonized yet (you don't have a proper technology)
• One blue standing for the planet already colonized by you

After entering this system you see:

• TERRAN colonized (blue frame)
• GAS HYDROGEN which cannot be colonized now (red frame)
• TUNDRA and ARID which are colonizable

In this case, you don't need colonization ship. Taking another planet in already taken system takes place from the System View.

Planet choice

Planet view with a colonization option appears

Clicking on the icon makes you an owner of this planet (after 10 turns)

In Endless Space exist two types of minerals: luxury and strategic. They have different usage, but the same way of exploitation. It is a researching of the proper technology. Then they appear randomly in all the galaxy, but not necessarily on all planets. In other words: researched technology reveals planets with the particular mineral. Exploitation begins automatically if the systems with minerals are yours.

STRATEGIC RESOURCE TITANIUM-70

LUXURY RESOURCES: GEMS AND MINERALS

List of resources in the system looks like that:

System JOVANUS has three strategic and three luxury resources JOVANUS resources - in the upper frame you can see all resources of your empire Additionally, full list of both types of minerals you can find in the System Managing Screen Strategic resource on the right, luxury on the left

As it is random, every system can generate both types of resources or only one of them. Remember, that every planet can have only one resource.

Strategic resources are used mainly in the warfare: they're part of the advanced ships. Besides, they affect Industry and Science of the planets. They're also required for some installations.

STRATEGIC RESOURCES

REQUIRED TECHNOLOGY

TITANIUM-70

+1

 

HYPERIUM

 

+1

ANTI-MATTER

 

+2

HEXAFERRUM

+2

 

ORICHALCIX

+1

+1

SIDERITE

+1

+2

ADAMANTIAN

+2

+1

QUADRINIX

+2

+2

If you have at least four sources of the same resource, you obtain a monopoly which gives you additional bonuses. It's identical with luxury resources.

You get -30% of Industry cost on modules using this resource In this case your ships have +60% movement

Luxury resources have four categories, every of them contains four goods. They, like the strategic ones, affect parameters of planets, empire or ships.

Every group of luxury resources bases on technologies from four branches of technology.

XENO-PHARMACEUTICALS - Science branch

PROFITS FOR THE PLANET AND THE EMPIRE

RESOURCE

    

MONOPOLY

EMPIRE PROFITS

 

+4

 

EDEN INCENCE

+20

  

+2

+56%

UPGRADED INVASION

META-ENTACTOGEN

+30

 

+1

 

+56%

BETTER FLEET DEFENCE

TRANSVINE

+40

   

+56%

MORE XP FOR THE FLEET

PROTO-ORCHID

+20

+1

 

+1

+14%

INCREASED FIDS

ARTIFACT ANALYSIS - Warfare branch

PROFITS FOR THE PLANET AND THE EMPIRE

RESOURCE

    

MONOPOLY

EMPIRE PROFIT

 

+4

 

CONCRETE ARTIFACTS

+10

 

+1

+2

+56%

TRADE ROUTES UPGRADE

VIRTUAL ARTIFACTS

+10

+1

 

+2

+28%

INCREASED INDUSTRY

PRE-SCHISM ARTIFACTS

+10

  

+3

-42%

LOWER COSTS

MUNDANE ARTIFACTS

  

+1

+3

+28%

INCREASED SCIENCE

ANIMALIA - Diplomacy & Trading branch

PROFITS FOR THE PLANET AND THE EMPIRE

RESOURCE

    

MONOPOLY

EMPIRE PROFITS

 

+4

 

REDSANG

 

+1

+2

 

+28%

MORE DUST

BLUECAP MOLD

+10

+1

+1

 

+28%

INCREASED APPROVAL

DUSTWATER

 

+2

+1

 

+50%

MORE XP FOR HEROES

HYDROMIEL

 

+3

  

+28%

INCREASED FOOD

GEM & CRYSTALS - Exploration & Expansion branch

PROFITS FOR THE PLANET AND THE EMPIRE

RESOURCE

    

MONOPOLY

EMPIRE PROFITS

 

+4

 

MERCURITE

  

+3

+1

+56%

MORE XP FOR FLEET

VOID STONE

+10

 

+3

 

+28%

 

JADONYX

+20

 

+2

 

+56%

INCREASED FLEET ATTACK

IONIC CRYSTALS

+10

 

+2

+1

+100%

INCREASED FLEET MOVEMENT

Luxury resources can be traded with other races. The only term is have a peace with at least one faction and research proper technology: then the trade routes activate automatically. At the beginning, every system can have only one route. Only the capitol system begins with two routes. Of course, thanks to new technologies, the number of routes and profits will increase. Current trade routes are visible on the System View.

Two Trade Routes. WYRIX and MAAZ are terminal systems of other race, our trade partner

Trade - technologies

EXTREME OPTION EXCHANGE

• +1 Trade Route on star system
• Cost: 2 Dust
• Cost: 60 Industry

BORER'S GUILD BOURSE

• +1 Trade Route on star system
• +20% Trade Routes range on star system
• Cost: 3 Dust
• Cost: 160 Industry

SPACE ELEVATOR

• +25% Trade Routes income on star system
• Cost: 5 Dust
• Cost: 320 Industry

DUTY FREE SPACEPORT

• +40% Trade Routes range on star system
• Cost: 7 Dust
• Cost: 512 Industry
• Requires Orichalcix

ALIEN COMMUNICATIONS

• +2 Trade Routes on star system
• Cost: 9 Dust
• Cost: 1600 Industry

QUANTUM INFO EXCHANGE

• +35% Trade Routes income on star system
• +1 Blockade on star system
• Cost: 11 Dust
• Cost: 2400 Industry

Heroes are very important in Endless Space. Well developed hero can change poor backwoods into proper system within few turns. A problem is, that you have very limited number of heroes to hire. Truth to be said, during the majority of the game, you'll have only three such characters. Academy will offer them from the beginning of the game, and their number will be increasing periodically.

After researching the specific technology, your hero cap will be increased about 2.

Thanks to this tech, you have five heroes to rule the galaxy

But with the following technology, you obtain few more heroes:

Another three heroes, eight is what you have

In Endless Space you have fire hero classes, every hero can have two of them. Classes are assigned randomly to the particular character, who gains XP. Experience points allow them to level up and take another skill or upgrade the owned one. In general, your subordinates split on two: governors and leaders. First ones are perfect in system managing. The others upgrade your army very well.

Hero's classes

ADMINISTRATOR

CORPORATE

COMMANDER

ADVENTURER

PILOT

Increases production and Food

Increases Science and all resources exploitation

Upgrades fleet statistics

Spying, killing, stealth and stealing

Similar to Commander. Allows also faster taking over hostile system

It's worth to mention here, that the best choice is to level up hero only in one of his classes. Thanks to that you get a real expert in the particular field. Very important is also initial choice of heroes. Your first (and sometimes second also) hero should be a good governor, who'll improve economic of the planet.

All heroes have the same attributes:

LABOR

WIT

MELEE

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

Increasing Food and Industry

Increasing Dust and Science

Better taking over of hostile systems

Increasing hero's attack

Increasing hero's defense

VIEW OF THE HERO SPECIALIZED IN MANAGING

VIEW OF THE HERO-PILOT

Every hero has also abilities, which he gains after level up. They modifies power of particular attribute. They are gradated, so you can have two different abilities or one but twice upgraded. They can focus on single attributes, or increase all of them.

Here you can see freshly colonized system without any hero:

The red framed thing is the most important. This system has very poor Food, Science and Dust. Only Industry is on abided level, but is also too low to make upgraded crops in some reasonable time: 12 turns in Endless Space is a long time.

Notice how everything changes, when you add a hero to the system.

Time of waiting is three times smaller, what is more the Food and Industry increased greatly. The Science barely changed and the Dust got on minus (hero's salary doubles the system's income) but two last elements are marginal. In quickly putting system on its feet main role always plays Industry, what stands for the speed of production.

To hire a hero, choose a hero you'd like to in the Academy window and click on HIRE (you can check hero's profile by clicking INSPECT). Placing hired unit to the system/fleet takes place in the Fleet/System View or directly during choosing the particular fleet or system on the galaxy map.

At the very beginning I have to say that the diplomacy isn't crucial in Endless Space, and isn't as important as in Total War series. But those two productions have few elements in common. First of all, diplomatic options depends on discovering new civilizations in the space, what is strictly connected with the exploration: to begin a dialogue with the other race, you have to run into them in space. What I mean by writing run into, is meet their fleet or fly into their system. It's logical, but on the other hand the fact that civilizations having technology allowing them to travel galaxy have to discover the space. Even Amoeba, having complete galaxy map from the beginning, has to meet other civilization to begin the relation.

Such event is noticed:

Then the Diplomatic Status gains a hologram of the new race and the line between you two, what symbolizes your relation.

We're in the center, good relations with two races, the third one in state of Cold War with us. Our race again in the center. We're at war. Red hologram stands for the destroyed race.

But you need to research proper technologies to begin communication with other races:

Cease Fire, Open Borders, Trade Technology, Resource or Star System: without those elements diplomacy doesn't exist

Getting on the higher level of diplomacy is researching another technology:

Cooperation agreement and alliance are the highest level of the peaceful coexistence in the galaxy

In Endless Space basic relations are divided on four:

COLD WAR - (neutral) It's the basic relation at the first encounter with the alien race. It stands for not disturbing each other, tolerating each other and disobliging armed intervention when you enter his system or meet his fleet elsewhere. Cold War causes sometimes an ask of peace. You can also propose that.

ALLIANCE - the most positive relation. It guarantees trade exchange, inviolability of borders and common front against the enemy. If you join an alliance at war with somebody, you automatically become an enemy of their enemy.

WAR - no rules, they main role plays here fleets. War means a possibility to attack every ship and system of your opponent. Curious thing: in Endless Space you have to declare a war, before you attack somebody. State at war means also cancelling all pacts and decreases you reputation (especially when you're an attacker). You have to consider carefully if the war is your best option in the particular moment.

PEACE - can be easily changed into an alliance. Fraction at peace can trade, it could also be a beginning of the open borders. Such an ask is a result of very good relations that can be created between races. Opening the borders will make it even more friendly and allow on free travelling between signatories systems.

COLD WAR

ALLIANCE

WAR

PEACE

When you contact alien civilization and research proper technology, you can begin talking. Choose your opponent in the diplomatic status. You'll have two options: negotiate or see characteristic of this race.

Left icon begins the conversation, right one shows the information about this race You can see what are relations between you and Horatio, all treaties are included (here open borders and resource exchanging). At the right you can see Horatio's abilities. Negotiations: technology for technology, resource for resource. The deal seems honest.

Screen above illustrates list of our offers and demands. Those can be declare war, ask for alliance, open borders etc. What is more, you can exchange your technologies and resources, and even whole systems. Nothing stands against proposing or demanding Dust for activities. Before you send your proposition you can see what is a possibility that it'll succeed by looking at Deal Approval. At the bottom of the screen is a summary of all previous diplomatic negotiations with this race.

You can also look at your civilization.

You can see here your flaws and values and information about deals you've made.

Diplomacy in Endless Space looks rather poorly. Luckily, you don't have to use it at all to win the campaign.

Fleet view let you manage the empire forces. You can look at index of all existing fleets, their position, war value, begin production of new ships or modernize those built. At the beginning of the campaign, you have only few types of ships: colonizing one and two war types. New types become available after researching particular technologies. The types of ships you already have are in the right upper corner in military view (red frame). By clicking ADD you can begin creating a new set of weapon for the ships or modify them (MODIFY button).

Modules are divided on three categories: weapon, defense, support. Every of them have specified set of guns, shields or helpers.

WEAPON MODULES

DEFENSE MODULES

SUPPORT MODULES

Rule is simple: every defensive module is effective against one of the weapon modules type.

Deflect against kinetic weapons, shield protects against beams and flak stopped missiles.

WORKS AGAINST

WORKS AGAINST

WORKS AGAINST

Of course you can't assume that the particular module will stop the enemy weapon totally, but it'll decrease the loses for sure. Everything depends on the technology level and number of modules. You can mix modules randomly. You can concentrate on one type of weapon, or try to build complex and universal fleet.

Support modules increase your chances in the technical dimension: self-repair, increasing fleet's speed will improve the value of your units.

During creating your fleet, you have to look at the MP (Military Power) factor. It defines effectiveness of your army. The higher MP the more probably you'll win. MP factor is mostly defined by the weapon installed on the ship.

The most important information about the ship in one chart: class, cost, HP and tonnage

Also CMD (Command Points) matter. They symbolizes the space the ship takes in the fleet. In Endless Space, according to researched technologies, fleet can contains maximum five, seven or eleven units. In this example, cruiser's CMD is two. So your fleet could have two, three or five of them.

After clicking on the fleet from the galaxy view, you can take a look at your army.

Epsilon Fleet: four units, MP = 2028, CMD = 8 out of 11Eta Fleet: eleven units, MP=3473, CMD=11 out of 11

Every module has its weight and every ship a tonnage. So you have to care about optimal configuration of modules, according to unit's tonnage.

Arming or re-arming of unit is similar to the nowadays army: you decide what components give to the individual unit. Increasing the effectiveness of the modules and tonnage of the ships you can achieve by the technologies. Of course, the best situation is when you can afford installing all types of weapon, shields and at least four support modules.

But at least at the beginning you'll be forced to often changes of the equipment. AI level in Endless Space is on the good level, so the computer will try to achieve the most possible effectiveness of its forces and it may happen that the defeat will make him recalibrate modules before the next battle.

I have to mention that all military activity of the fleet may happen only at the specified system: you can't attack ships during the travel between systems.

Icon of attack is marked

Another condition of the armed attack is a diplomatic status. To begin the invasion, you have to be at war or cold war with the opponent. In Endless Space you can't attack before declaring a war.

Before every battle a special screen with information about both armies and chances on the victory displays.

Both fleets have similar fire power although the computer's one is two times larger

Encounters in the space always have the same scheme. Every battle is divided on five phases, but the first and the last are only the prologue and summing up. Every of the three remaining phases has its own rules and, as in the case of modules, you have to know specified dependences.

Our ships enter the hostile system. Battle "clock" informs which phase of the battle is on. In the upper left corner you see a chart divided on actions of long-, medium- and short range.

First phase of the real encounter is for the long distance weapons, rockets. Of course, other modules aren't waiting: ships are firing all they've got. But in the first phase the most effective are rockets, in the second beams and in the third kinetic weapon.

WEAPON'S EFFECTIVENESS IN THE PHASES OF BATTLE

LONG RANGE

MEDIUM RANGE

SHORT RANGE (MELEE)

ROCKETS

90%

70%

40%

BEAMS

50%

90%

70%

KINETIC WEAPON

20%

40%

90%

To achieve the maximum effectiveness on the battlefield, your ship should have all types of weapons

Besides that, you have to know that modules have different rates of fire. The slowest are rockets: fired at the beginning of the battle get to the target at the end of first or sometimes during the second phase. Simultaneously, it's the most dangerous type of weapons. Computer is usually weaker in technology, so his fleets often don't have those rockets. You have to use such situation. Opponents usually have only kinetic weapon, so use the proper defense modules and equip yours ships in rockets. In such way your fleet will be well protected and rockets will smash the enemy. Admittedly, you'll be under fire, but your shields will protect you. But your enemies learn quickly so it may happen that after few loses, computer will change tactic and neutralize your tactic.

Additional modules' stimulants are Battle Cards

They have few categories:

• Offense (supporting offense modules)
• Defense (supporting defense modules)
• Engineering (supporting support modules)
• Tactics (increasing e.g. offense abilities of fleet)
• Sabotage (weakening the enemy)
• Unblockable (ending the battle, allowing to retreat)

Index of possessed cards can be increased by researched technologies and level up of commander, adventurer or pilot hero. In the last case, the cards have the fleet with this hero.

Every fleet of every race has the same set of cards at the beginning

Six cards, one from each category

Example of the card:

Card's type and cost of usage

Card's name

Card's effects

Very important information: it says about the type of card neutralized by using yours.

The rule "COUNTERS DEFENSE" can be seen on the following examples:

Tactic card is blocked by the offense card in the long range phase The same tactic card blocked the engineering card in the melee phase

Of course the phase doesn't affect the cards. You can use the same card through all the battle.

At every phase you can use only one card. So during the all encounter everyone can use up to three cards. They work according to the paper - scissors - paper rule, but they're also cards which don't exclude each other.

In this case both cards will work

In general using cards isn't obligatory. When you see that you have a huge advantage over the enemy or that he'll certainly win, no card will help you. In the battles the type and power of modules mainly matter. Cards are worthy something only during encounters between enemies with similar power - then tricky usage of proper cards may let you win.

To see what cards you have, choose your fleet on the map and then click on the BATTLE ACTIONS.

In Endless Space every system has its own border line, which is constantly growing due to its development. Also fleets creates a space around them, which is a radar to detect enemies.

On the screen above you can see those elements.

The darker circle around the fleet (1) shows the range of revealing alien units. It can be enlarged by the technologies (Science branch) and usage of the support modules.

Example of the technology:

Thanks to this technology you get a module increasing the enemy detection

The red space around the system (2) is a border line of the system and all the empire: it growths according to the development of the planets.

All systems are connected by the special lines. Those are the basic ways between systems.

Depending on ships' abilities, the distance can be travelled in one or few turns: it depends on amount of movement points.

The other type of connection between the systems are WORMHOLES.

Smudges connecting the systems are the Wormholes

The difference between Wormhole and the standard way lies in the speed. Travelling through the first one always ends on the other end of the Wormhole in the same turn, independently of the movement points of your ship. But you need a technology to let your ships use the Wormholes (Expansion & Exploration branch).

Nevertheless, you can omit ways and Wormholes during travelling through the galaxy.

To do so, you have to research a technology from the Expansion & Exploration branch.

The only disadvantage of this is small amount of movement point of our fleet

Fleet have few possible actions on the galaxy view. Besides travelling through the systems, ships can guard them, block, conquer and destroy hostile units.

Guard

Clicking in the fleet menu in the guard icon (red frame) your unit become a guard of the system. On all strings connecting this system with other systems shields symbols will appear. All hostile fleets entering this system will have to fight your fleet to leave it. It also affects you, at least until you not cancel the GUARD option.

Blockade

System blockade appears automatically when the relation between the blocking one and the blocked one is at least Cold War. It's marked as on the screen above. Blocked system stop exploiting resources and using the Trade Routes. Also Science Points drop to 0 and Industry drops about 25%.

Invasion

Taking over the hostile system, you have to defeat all enemy's fleets in this system.

Icon marked by the red frame begins the battle

Taking over the hostile system begins with clicking the proper option in the fleet view. Then, the circle appears around our target. It'll change the color according to the invasion progress. Time required to conquer the system depends on the military power of the attacking fleet and hero abilities. It could take from few to dozen turns.