Crises are dynamic events that can strike any colony. They range from biological outbreaks and geological disasters to political upheaval, economic collapse, and cosmic anomalies. Each crisis demands a response within a limited number of turns, and every choice has meaningful consequences.
How Crises Work
- Crises appear randomly as your empire grows. The chance increases over time.
- Each crisis targets a specific colony and has a severity level (Minor, Moderate, Major, Catastrophic).
- You have a limited number of turns to respond before the crisis resolves itself badly.
- Active crises appear in the top-left corner of the game screen.
- Every choice produces tangible effects -- there are no empty outcomes.
Making Choices
Click an active crisis to open the detail panel. Each crisis presents 2-3 options with different tradeoffs. Some choices cost credits, some require a fleet in the system, and some carry a risk percentage that the approach backfires.
Requirements
- Credits: Many options cost credits to pursue. You cannot select them without enough funds.
- Fleet: Some options require a fleet stationed in the affected star system.
- Technology: Certain advanced options require specific researched technologies (shown with a flask icon).
- Building: Some options require a specific building on the affected planet (shown with a gear icon).
Outcomes
- Resolve: Crisis fully handled. Premium options often cost credits but provide reliable positive outcomes.
- Mitigate: Damage reduced but some lingering effects remain. Usually free but comes with tradeoffs.
- Opportunity: You turned the crisis into a positive event. Often risky but can yield significant long-term boosts.
- Investigate: Your choice triggers a follow-up crisis, continuing a multi-step storyline with escalating stakes.
- If Unresolved: Letting the deadline expire always results in dramatically worse penalties than any choice.
Multi-Stage Crises
Some crises unfold across multiple stages. When you resolve a stage that triggers a follow-up, you will see a "Crisis Continues" alert showing the next stage with its own description and choices. A stage indicator (e.g., Stage 2 of 2) tracks your progress through the chain. Multi-stage crises include the Mysterious Signal, Rogue AI Awakening, Ancient Ruins Expedition, Ecological Cascade, and Stellar Anomaly chains. Higher risk choices in chains tend to yield the best outcomes, but each stage carries its own dangers.
Severity Levels
- Minor (5 turns to respond): Small penalties on failure. Common early game.
- Moderate (4 turns): Significant penalties including population loss. Mid-game.
- Major (3 turns): Severe consequences. Buildings may be destroyed. Later game.
- Catastrophic (2 turns): Devastating. Immediate action required. Rare.