Game Guide

Learn to Play Age of Space - Complete beginner's guide to Age of Space. Learn how to build, attack, spy, colonize, and dominate the galaxy!

Captains

Captains are elite officers that provide powerful bonuses to your fleets. Each captain has 11 unique stats that influence combat performance, fleet speed, cargo capacity, fuel consumption, and more. Recruiting, leveling, and equipping the right captains for different missions is a key strategic layer that separates good players from great ones. This chapter covers the Barracks building, all 11 stats, the leveling system, equipment, fleet assignment, and optimal captain builds for different play styles.

What Are Captains

Captains are special officer units that can be assigned to your fleets to provide stat bonuses during missions. Each captain has 11 independent stats ranging from 0 to 10, giving them a maximum possible level of 110 (sum of all stats).

When a captain is assigned to a fleet, their stats directly influence that fleet's combat effectiveness, travel speed, cargo capacity, and fuel efficiency. A high-Attack captain makes your fleet hit harder, while a high-Speed captain makes your fleet arrive faster.

Captains gain experience (XP) through missions and battles, allowing them to level up and increase their stats over time. They can also equip items that further boost specific stats, making them increasingly powerful as you invest in them.

The Barracks Building

Captains are recruited from the Barracks building. You must first build a Command Center to level 5 before the Barracks becomes available. Once built, the Barracks allows you to recruit new captains and manage your existing roster.

Requirement: Command Center Level 5

Higher Barracks levels increase the quality of captains you can recruit. A level 1 Barracks produces captains with lower starting stats, while higher levels give access to captains with better base stats and potentially rarer traits.

You can recruit captains using either resources (which takes time) or Antimatter (Dark Matter) for instant recruitment. The Antimatter option is faster but costs premium currency.

The 11 Captain Stats

Every captain has exactly 11 stats. Each stat ranges from 0 (no bonus) to 10 (maximum bonus). Understanding what each stat does is essential for building the right captain for each mission type:

Stat	Effect	Range
Attack	Increases the attack power of all ships in the fleet. Higher attack means more damage per round in combat.	0-10
Defense	Increases the hull integrity of fleet ships. Ships survive more damage before being destroyed.	0-10
Shield	Boosts the shield strength of fleet ships. Shields absorb damage before it reaches the hull.	0-10
Speed	Increases fleet travel speed. Higher speed means shorter mission duration and faster arrival.	0-10
Cargo	Increases the cargo capacity of all ships. Carry more resources per trip.	0-10
Fuel Efficiency	Reduces Deuterium consumption for fleet missions. Lower fuel cost per flight.	0-10
Espionage	Improves spy probe effectiveness. Get more detailed intelligence on enemy targets.	0-10
Navigation	Improves fleet pathfinding and mission precision. Affects certain mission outcomes.	0-10
Leadership	Overall fleet morale and coordination bonus. Affects all aspects of fleet performance slightly.	0-10
Engineering	Improves ship durability and repair effectiveness during extended missions.	0-10
Morale	Boosts fleet performance under pressure. Higher morale reduces the chance of negative outcomes in expeditions.	0-10

Captain Leveling System

A captain's level equals the sum of all 11 stats. A brand new captain might have a level of 15-25 (with stats distributed across the 11 categories), while a fully maxed captain reaches level 110 (all stats at 10). Captains gain XP by participating in fleet missions, especially combat.

XP for Next Level = (current_level + 1)^2 * 50

The XP cost increases quadratically. Early levels are quick to gain, but high levels require significantly more XP.

Example: Level 10 to 11 requires (11)^2 * 50 = 6,050 XP. Level 50 to 51 requires (51)^2 * 50 = 130,050 XP.

The captain level is simply the sum of all stats:

Captain Level = Attack + Defense + Shield + Speed + Cargo + Fuel + Espionage + Navigation + Leadership + Engineering + Morale

Maximum level is 110 (all 11 stats at 10). Each stat point gained from leveling up is applied to one stat at a time.

Equipment and Items

Captains can equip items that provide additional stat bonuses beyond their base stats. Items are obtained through various game activities including expeditions, battles, and special events.

Each item boosts one or more specific stats. For example, a combat-oriented item might boost Attack and Shield, while a utility item might boost Cargo and Fuel Efficiency. Choose items that complement your captain's role.

Managing your equipment inventory is important. Assign your best combat items to captains who lead attack fleets, and utility items to captains who run transport or recycling missions. The right equipment can make a significant difference in mission outcomes.

Assigning Captains to Fleets

To benefit from a captain's stats, you must assign them to a fleet before launching a mission. Here is how:

Go to the Fleet page and select your ships for the mission as normal.
On the mission configuration screen, look for the Captain Selector dropdown or panel.
Choose the captain you want to assign. The display will show the captain's stats and the bonuses your fleet will receive.
Confirm the mission. The captain's bonuses will apply to all ships in the fleet for the duration of the mission.

A captain can only be assigned to one fleet at a time. While the captain is on a mission, they are unavailable for other fleets. The captain returns with the fleet when the mission is complete.

Important!

Always assign your strongest combat captain to attack fleets. The attack and shield bonuses can be the difference between winning and losing a close battle. For transport missions, assign a captain with high Cargo and Fuel Efficiency stats instead.

Captain Build Archetypes

Different missions benefit from different stat distributions. Here are the three main captain archetypes:

	Combat Captain	Economy Captain	Spy Captain
Priority Stats	Attack, Defense, Shield, Morale	Cargo, Fuel Efficiency, Speed, Engineering	Espionage, Speed, Navigation, Morale
Best For	Attack missions, ACS attacks, fleet battles	Transport, fleetsave, recycling missions	Spy missions, expeditions, reconnaissance

Captain Tips

Specialize Your Captains

Do not try to make one captain good at everything. Specialize: build a combat captain focused on Attack/Defense/Shield for battles, and a separate economy captain focused on Cargo/Fuel/Speed for transport and recycling.

Level Through Combat

Captains gain the most XP from combat missions. Send your captains on attack missions and expeditions to level them up quickly. Even small skirmishes contribute valuable experience.

Protect High-Level Captains

If your fleet is destroyed in battle, your captain may be lost. High-level captains represent a huge investment of time and resources. Never risk your best captain in a battle you might lose — save them for fights where victory is assured.

Match Captain to Mission

Always match the right captain to the right mission. A combat captain on a transport run wastes their bonuses. An economy captain in a battle provides minimal combat benefit. Think strategically about captain assignment.

Endgame captain strategy involves maintaining multiple specialized captains. Ideally, you want at least 2-3 captains: one dedicated combat captain for attacks, one economy captain for resource operations, and optionally a spy captain for reconnaissance.

Item management becomes crucial at high levels. The best items can push a captain's effective stats beyond the base maximum. Prioritize obtaining combat items for your attack captain, as the attack and shield bonuses have the highest impact on battle outcomes.

Captain technologies (IDs 150-152) in the research tree provide global bonuses to all your captains. Research these technologies to multiply the effectiveness of every captain you field, making your entire captain roster stronger.

Frequently Asked Questions

The number of captains you can maintain depends on your Barracks level and other factors. Higher Barracks levels allow you to recruit and maintain more captains simultaneously.

If your fleet is destroyed in battle, the captain assigned to it may be captured or lost. This is one of the biggest risks of using high-level captains in dangerous missions. Always assess the risk before sending your best captains into combat.

Yes. Captains can be transferred between your planets. Use the captain management interface to relocate captains to whichever planet needs them most. The transfer takes time based on distance.

Yes. Captain stat bonuses apply on top of your existing technology bonuses. For example, if you have Weapons Technology level 10 and a captain with Attack 8, both bonuses apply to your fleet's attack power, making the combination very powerful.

Alliances Next Chapter: Combat Engine