How to Effectively Attack a Player in Xterium — Raids and Farming

Attacking other players in Xterium is only worthwhile when you’ve thought everything through: scouted your target, assessed your fleet, and collected the loot after the battle. A blind attack more often than not results in the loss of your own ships rather than a profit. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to conduct a raid effectively: from reconnaissance to collecting wreckage.

Where did this guide come from? The raid and farming tactics were described by the Xterium War of Alliances player community—on the player wiki and in the forum thread (authors: Storm22073, Shataev, Kara, and others). These are player recommendations, not official instructions. Combat statistics (rounds, rate of fire, shards) have been verified against the game code and are described in the section How Combat Works.

Step 1. Identify the goal

Before attacking, be sure to send a scout to the target—Espionage and Intelligence in Xterium — Probes and Data Accuracy (slang: “spy,” “spy”). The scout’s report shows how many resources are on the planet and whether there is a fleet or defenses there. Without a fresh report, you’ll be attacking blindly and risk running into a hidden fleet or strong defenses. The higher your espionage level, the more details you’ll see in the report.

Step 2. Select a goal based on benefit

A good target is one with plenty of unprotected resources and little (or no) defense or fleet. Attackers always weigh the pros and cons: is the loot worth the ships you’re risking? The ideal target for farming is a player who doesn’t “save” their fleet and hoards resources in plain sight. It’s pointless to attack an empty planet with no resources—there’s nothing to take.

Who you are allowed to attack at all

Since version 2.13.0 you cannot hit just anyone: every attack has an access. From update 2.13.1 the width of the access is set by YOUR rank (battle rank), not the target's rank — the higher you have climbed, the wider the circle of those you may touch. Two measures are checked at once — armament and battle power; the target must pass both.

The armament corridor grows with rank (in brackets — by power):

• Colonist and Founder — up to 1.25 (power up to 1.1)
• Governor — up to 1.5 (power up to 1.2)
• Consul — up to 2 (power up to 1.3)
• Ruler — up to 3 (power up to 1.4)
• Overlord — up to 4 (power up to 1.5)

Example: with your armament of 1000 a Colonist reaches targets from 800 (1000 ÷ 1.25), an Overlord already from 250 (1000 ÷ 4).

Within your own rank there is no ban: you may attack a target weaker in power and the flight will go through — but hostility grows for it (see below). Below your own rank you cannot hit, except by the right of revenge. The access does not apply to long-inactive players, to the training opponent or to an alliance planet. The access is checked not only for an attack but also for a joint attack, holding, transport, spying and destruction — so that a weak player cannot be raised by someone else's hands.

Hostility — the price for beating up the weak

Since version 2.13.1, attacks on those weaker than you raise your hostility level. The more helpless the target was, the more it grows; and each new victim costs more than a repeat run on the same player — the system punishes hunting many defenceless players rather than a long feud with one. Six steps with thresholds of 10, 20, 35, 55 and 80 points; the level melts away on its own over a week without violations.

The higher the step, the heavier the consequences for you:

• more is carried off from your planets — from 50% up to 85%;
• a battle against you gives more war points — up to three times;
• your collider is looted sooner — already after 1 hour instead of 4;
• you can hide your fleet for less time — up to 8 hours instead of 36;
• more players can reach you in battle.

Your hostility level is visible to everyone: a badge next to your name in the galaxy, in the player card and in the revenge list.

The right of revenge. If someone attacked you, you may strike back even if the offender is outside your access. The right lasts from 24 to 72 hours — the longer, the more often that particular player has bothered you. A flight by the right of revenge does not add hostility to you. Keep track of it in the galaxy, the "Revenge" section (next to "Espionage"): whom you may answer and how much time is left, your hostility step, accumulated points, when they will fade and what the next step threatens.

Step 3. Calculate the fleet

Once you’ve chosen a target, assemble your fleet so that you can definitely break through its defenses without losing any of your own ships. It’s not just size that matters here, but also composition: combat works on the “rock-paper-scissors” principle, each ship has its own effective target, and a well-chosen composition—such as a How Combat Works in Xterium — Rounds, Rate of Fire, Shields rapid-fire ship]—deals much more damage to the enemy than an equally “powerful” but poorly composed fleet. Build a buffer in strength—calculating “right down to the wire” easily leads to losses.

Step 4. Conduct a raid

Send your fleet on an “Attack” mission to the target’s coordinates. The battle lasts a maximum of 10 rounds—during this time, your fleet must break through the enemy’s defenses and defeat their fleet. If you have a significant advantage in strength, you’ll destroy the target and capture up to half of its unprotected resources. Calculate your arrival time: it’s best to strike when the target is offline and won’t have time to move its fleet away or reinforce its defenses.

Step 5. Gather the debris

After a battle, some of the destroyed ships turn into a field of debris above the planet: 50% of the resources from the destroyed ships go into the debris (destroyed debris defenses do not yield any resources). Send recyclers to collect from this field—this provides additional loot on top of the resources you’ve looted. For more details, see the [Wreckage and Moon Chance] mechanics at](/knowledge/mechanics/debris-and-moons).

Step 6. Don't put your fleet at risk

The main risk of a raid is losing your own fleet. After a raid, bring your fleet home or hide it; don’t leave it “exposed” near enemy planets. In alliance conflicts, war points are awarded for damage dealt to other players’ fleets—but fight strategically so that the loot and points don’t cost you your fleet. To learn how to defend yourself, check out the guide How Not to Lose Your Fleet.

Common Mistakes

• Attacking without reconnaissance. Without a recent report, you don't know what's on the planet—it's easy to run into a fleet or defenses.
• It's a close call. The battle lasts 10 rounds and is nonlinear: if you don't have enough firepower, you might not be able to finish off the enemy in time and could lose your own ships.
• A poor fleet composition. Many small ships struggle to penetrate a heavy target with a large shield—composition is more important than size.
• You forgot about the debris. If you don't collect the debris after a battle, you'll miss out on half your loot.
• The fleet is "glowing." Left near alien planets, the fleet itself becomes a target for a counterattack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why scout the target before an attack? The intelligence report shows the planet's resources, fleet, and defenses. Without it, you'll be attacking blindly and risk running into a hidden fleet or strong defenses and losing your ships.

How to Choose a Profitable Target for the Pharmaceutical Industry? Look for a planet with a large supply of unprotected resources and weak defenses. Attackers weigh the benefits: the loot must justify the risk to your ships. The best target is one that doesn’t hide its fleet and hoards resources in plain sight.

How many resources can you collect from a target? Up to half of the planet's unprotected resources end up in the fleet's holds. Plus, after a battle, a field of debris forms—50% of the resources from destroyed ships end up there.

How can I avoid losing my fleet during an attack? Build up your firepower, assemble a fleet with high rate of fire to counter the enemy, attack when the target isn't online, and immediately return your fleet home after the raid—don't leave it near enemy planets.

What to Read Next

• How Combat Works in — Rounds, Rate of Fire, Shields, and Debris (Numbers from the Code)
• Espionage and Intelligence — How to Read an Intelligence Report
• Debris, the Moon and Its Destruction in Xterium — How It Forms and How to Destroy It: Moon Shards and Chances — What to Collect After a Battle]
• Ships, Defense, Combat — numbers by strength and composition
• How Not to Lose Your Fleet and Glossary of Terms (save, OV, debris)