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!
Defending Your Empire
In Age of Space, you will be attacked. It is not a question of if, but when. Smart defenders make themselves unattractive targets by spending resources, building defensive structures, and fleet-saving their ships. This chapter covers all defensive structures, shield domes, the 70% rebuild mechanic, defense strategies, and when defense alone is not enough. A well-defended planet is an expensive target — and expensive targets get left alone.
Defense Structures
Defenses are built in the Shipyard, just like ships. Unlike ships, defenses cannot move — they stay permanently on the planet where they are built. Here are all available defense types:
| 401 | Rocket Launcher — The cheapest defense. Costs 2,000 Titanium. Low attack power but excellent as bulk cannon fodder. Build hundreds of these. |
| 402 | Light Laser — Slightly stronger than Rocket Launchers. Costs 1,500 Titanium, 500 Graphene. Good early-game balance of cost and power. |
| 403 | Heavy Laser — Significantly more powerful. Costs 6,000 Titanium, 2,000 Graphene. Effective against Light Fighters and Small Cargos. |
| 404 | Gauss Cannon — Heavy hitter. Costs 20,000 Titanium, 15,000 Graphene, 2,000 Deuterium. Deals massive damage per shot. Effective against Cruisers and Battleships. |
| 405 | Ion Cannon — Shield specialist. Costs 5,000 Titanium, 3,000 Graphene. High shield value makes it durable. Good complement to other defenses. |
| 406 | Plasma Turret — The most powerful standard defense. Costs 50,000 Titanium, 50,000 Graphene, 30,000 Deuterium. Devastating damage. Build a few for deterrent value. |
| 407 | Small Shield Dome — Provides planet-wide shield bonus. Costs 10,000 Titanium, 10,000 Graphene. Only ONE per planet. Build it immediately. |
| 408 | Large Shield Dome — Stronger planet-wide shield. Costs 50,000 Titanium, 50,000 Graphene. Only ONE per planet. Essential for any serious defense. |
Shield Domes Explained
Shield Domes are special defensive structures with unique properties. You can only build ONE of each type per planet (one Small Shield Dome and one Large Shield Dome). They provide a planet-wide protective shield that absorbs incoming damage before it reaches your other defenses.
Shield Domes should be your first defensive priority on every planet. They are relatively cheap for the protection they provide, and they make all your other defenses more effective by absorbing initial damage.
The 70% Rebuild Mechanic
One of the biggest advantages of defenses over ships is the rebuild mechanic. After every battle, each destroyed defensive structure has a 70% chance of being automatically repaired at no cost.
This means if an attacker destroys 100 of your Rocket Launchers, approximately 70 of them will be back after the battle ends. The attacker loses ships permanently, but your defenses keep coming back.
How Much Defense to Build
The amount of defense you need depends on how many resources you typically have on your planet. The general rule is:
A practical guideline: your defense value should be roughly equal to the maximum resources you leave on your planet. If you typically have 100,000 resources sitting when you go offline, build at least 100,000 worth of defense.
Defense Strategies
| The Defense Wall | Balanced Defense | Deterrent Defense | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build hundreds of cheap defenses (Rocket Launchers + Light Lasers) to create a "wall" that absorbs damage. The idea is that the attacker needs many ships to get through, making the raid unprofitable. This is the most cost-efficient strategy for beginners. | Mix cheap defenses (for absorbing shots) with expensive ones (for dealing damage). Shield Domes + 200 Rocket Launchers + 100 Light Lasers + 20 Heavy Lasers + 5 Gauss Cannons + 2 Plasma Turrets provides excellent coverage against various fleet compositions. | Build enough defense that the spy report scares attackers away. Even if your defense cannot win against a large fleet, making the expected losses high enough discourages most raiders. A few Plasma Turrets show you are not an easy target. |
Defense vs Fleet: Cost Comparison
Defense is significantly cheaper per unit of combat power compared to ships. A Rocket Launcher costs 2,000 Titanium and has decent firepower, while a Light Fighter costs 3,000 Titanium, 1,000 Graphene and is only slightly stronger.
The key advantages of defense over fleet: defenses do not consume Deuterium, cannot be stolen, rebuild at 70% after battle, and require no ongoing fuel costs. However, defenses cannot attack or gather resources — they are purely defensive.
Smart players combine defense with fleet-saving. Defense protects against opportunistic raids while your fleet is away. Fleet-saving protects your ships from being destroyed while you are offline. Together, they make you an extremely unattractive target.
