Colonization
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Colonization
Colonization allows commanders in Per Regna to expand their empire beyond their homeworld and establish new planetary settlements across the galaxy.
New colonies provide additional space for infrastructure, resource production, fleet construction, and strategic positioning.
Successful colonization is one of the most important milestones in the development of an interstellar empire.
Planet Attributes
Every planet has unique environmental characteristics that influence its economic potential and strategic value.
The most important planetary attributes are:
- Temperature
- Surface Type
- Planet Size
These attributes affect how efficiently certain resources can be produced and how many buildings can be constructed.
Temperature
Planet temperature represents the environmental conditions of the planet.
Temperature primarily influences resource extraction efficiency, especially energy and gas-based resources.
General tendencies include:
Hot planets
- higher solar energy production
- improved gas extraction
- reduced efficiency for certain minerals
Cold planets
- better mining stability for dense materials
- lower solar energy output
- slower gas extraction
Because of this, players often specialize planets depending on their climate.
Example strategy:
- hot planets for energy production
- cold planets for heavy industry
Surface Type
The surface type describes the geological composition of a planet.
Surface types influence the efficiency of different mining operations.
Examples include:
| Surface Type | Typical Advantages |
|---|---|
| Rocky | Balanced mining output |
| Metallic | Higher metal production |
| Desert | Strong solar output but lower mineral density |
| Volcanic | Rich minerals but unstable environment |
| Icy | Gas-rich environments |
Surface types help determine the optimal economic role of a planet.
Players may specialize planets for:
- mining
- energy generation
- ship production
- research infrastructure
Planet Size
Planet size determines the available construction space for buildings.
Larger planets allow more infrastructure and long-term development.
Planet size influences:
- number of available building slots
- industrial scalability
- long-term colony value
However, larger planets often have environmental drawbacks.
For example:
- large planets may contain thicker atmospheres which reduce gas extraction efficiency
- smaller planets may have stronger mineral density
Because of this, the best planets depend on the intended colony role.
Starting Colonization
Colonization becomes available once players unlock the Astrophysics technology and construct a Colony Ship.
The colony ship is a specialized vessel designed to establish permanent settlements on unoccupied planets.
Astrophysics research unlocks:
- the Colony Ship
- additional colony capacity
Higher levels of astrophysics allow players to control more colonies simultaneously.
Colony Limit
Colony capacity scales with Astrophysics level:
colony limit = 1 + ceil(Astrophysics level ÷ 3)
Examples: level 3 → 2 colonies, level 6 → 3, level 12 → 5.
Typical progression:
- early game: a handful of colonies
- mid game: several planetary systems
- late game: large interstellar networks
Colony limits ensure that expansion remains strategic rather than unlimited. If you are temporarily over the cap after balance changes, the game provides compensated abandon / relocate tools rather than deleting colonies silently.
Colony Relocate
A Colony Relocate boost moves your active planet colony (and its moons) to an empty planet slot. After relocating:
- You cannot launch attack missions from that planet or its moons for 48 hours
- Other mission types (transport, scout, colonize, and so on) are unaffected
- Other empires can still attack you — this is an outbound restriction only
Colony Settings shows the remaining no-attack window while it is active, including when attacks become available again.
Example: you relocate at 12:00 on Monday → attack launches from that colony are blocked until 12:00 on Wednesday. Colony Settings lists the expiry date and countdown until then.
Abandoning a Colony
You may abandon any colony except your capital. Abandoning is permanent — the colony, its buildings, and its stored resources are lost.
Before a colony can be abandoned, it must be completely idle. The game blocks the action while any of the following is true:
| Blocker | What to do first |
|---|---|
| It is your capital colony | Capitals can never be abandoned |
| Ships are stationed at the colony | Move or scrap the hangar fleet |
| Fleets are in flight to or from the colony | Wait for them to land or recall them |
| An active ship or defense build order is queued | Let the queue finish or cancel it |
| A building upgrade is in progress | Let the upgrade finish or cancel it |
| Research was started from this colony | Wait for it to complete |
| The planet still has a moon colony | Abandon the moon first, then the planet |
Over-cap colonies are different. If a balance change leaves you above your colony limit, the affected colonies use compensated abandon instead — resources are returned to your starting capital rather than destroyed.
See also: Tonnage for how abandoned colonies affect empire capacity.
Colonization Process
Colonizing a planet requires launching a Colony Mission from an existing colony.
The process involves several steps.
1. Build a Colony Ship
Construct a Colony Ship in the Shipyard.
The ship contains the equipment required to establish a new settlement.
2. Prepare the Expedition Fleet
Players typically send additional ships along with the colony ship.
Common support ships include:
- cargo ships carrying startup resources
- escort ships providing protection
- construction support vessels
These ships help accelerate early colony development.
3. Select Target Planet
Choose an unoccupied planet in the galaxy map.
Players often scout potential colonies using probes before committing a colony ship.
Important considerations include:
- planet size
- temperature
- surface type
- strategic location
4. Launch Colonization Mission
The fleet is dispatched on a Colonization Mission.
If the planet is available and the mission succeeds, a new colony is established.
The colony ship is consumed during the colonization process.
New Colony Development
New colonies start with minimal infrastructure.
Typical starting conditions include:
- limited resource production
- few building slots used
- small defensive capability
Players usually send additional fleets carrying resources to accelerate development.
Common early construction includes, these Buildings:
- resource mines
- solar plants
- warehouses
- shipyards
Colony Specialization
As an empire grows, colonies often specialize in specific roles.
Examples include:
Mining Worlds
Focused on extracting large amounts of raw materials.
Industrial Worlds
Dedicated to ship production and military infrastructure.
Research Worlds
Containing advanced research facilities.
Strategic Outposts
Forward colonies positioned for military operations.
Specialization allows empires to optimize production and fleet logistics.
Strategic Importance of Colonization
Colonization greatly expands the capabilities of an empire.
Benefits include:
- increased resource production
- additional fleet construction capacity
- improved strategic positioning
- expansion into new star systems
However, colonies also increase logistical complexity and require careful defense.
Successful commanders balance expansion with defense and economic stability.