Planets belong to the commanders who settle them, but a whole star system can have a ruler. By claiming a system you mark it as your territory on the galaxy map and take the title that goes with it. This guide explains who can claim, what it costs and what a claim does and does not change.
Requirements
You can claim a star system when two conditions are met:
- You have a colony in the system. Your home system counts too. See Colonies for how to settle new planets.
- Nobody rules the system yet. Claims are first come, first served. Once a system has a ruler, nobody else can claim it.
The claim is made in the system view with the Claim system button. The panel shows the cost and, if a claim is not possible, the reason.
Cost
A claim costs 3,000 Ferrite, 2,000 Crystal and 500 Helion. The resources are paid from your active planet, which does not have to be located in the system you claim. So a rich home world can pay for a claim around a young colony.
The claim cost counts as spent resources for your points: 5,500 resources make 5 points in the rankings. Your first claimed system is also recorded as the milestone "First lordship".
Lordships, rulers and counts
A claimed system becomes a lordship, for example the Lordship of Kaldor. The geographic name of the system never changes; the lordship is a political layer on top of it.
- The claiming commander becomes Ruler of Kaldor. If you rule several systems, your title reads Ruler of 3 systems, for example.
- Every other commander with a planet in the system becomes a count, for example Count of Kaldor.
- Commanders who neither rule a system nor live in a ruled one are Independent.
Your current title is shown in the empire header. The Empire Overview lists the systems you rule with their counts, and the systems where you are a count yourself.
Colours on the map
On the galaxy map a claimed system is drawn in the empire colour of its ruler. You choose that colour, together with your empire name and emblem, under Empire settings. Several commanders may pick the same colour, so check the name of the ruler in the system view when in doubt.
What a claim does not do
A claim is a political statement, not a conquest:
- The ruler does not own the colonies, fleets or resources of the counts. Every colony in the system stays with its owner.
- Counts keep producing, building and flying exactly as before.
- A claim does not protect the system from attacks.
Contesting a claim, tributes, loyalty and special rights of counts are not part of the game yet.
Tips
- Claim early: an unclaimed system with your colony in it can be taken by any other commander who also lives there.
- Keep the resources on your active planet before you press the button, or switch to a planet that has enough.
- Look at the galaxy map before you send a Seedship. Unclaimed systems are good targets if you want to become a ruler.
- Claims raise your points, which matters for new player protection.