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—[](/knowledge/mechanics/shpionazh-i-razvedka) (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.

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 [](/knowledge/mechanics/kak-rabotaet-boy) 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/oblomki-i-luna).

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
• [](/knowledge/mechanics/oblomki-i-luna): 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)