Conquest

Conquest is the system for taking ownership of a port. It involves winning battles, keeping Flagbearers alive, creating influence, and dealing with influence decay. A normal raid can bring loot home; conquest changes who owns the port.

Before influence

Spy reports can reveal defenders, Port Defenses, resources, and other target details before a conquest fleet arrives. Flagbearers only create pressure after a successful attack if they survive.

Port state affects conquest. Defenders, supporting ships, Port Defenses, Fire Ship damage, travel timing, and the attacker’s own port exposure can all matter while a conquest fleet is away.

Flagbearers

Flagbearers create conquest pressure after a successful attack if they survive. Their special value is tied to conquest rather than cargo or general combat.

On a successful conquest, a Flagbearer is consumed and the result is port ownership rather than loot carried home. Capacity matters less on the final hit than battle outcome, remaining defenders, and Flagbearer survival.

Influence

Influence is conquest pressure on a specific port. It is not loot, damage, or a permanent claim. It is a progress track that says someone is close to taking the port if they can keep winning and keep Flagbearers alive.

Influence is created by a successful attack with a surviving Flagbearer. If the attack loses, or the Flagbearer is destroyed, the conquest attempt does not build the same pressure.

Influence belongs to whoever is applying the pressure. A solo player can build their own pressure on a port. If the attacker is part of an active Armada, the pressure can belong to the Armada instead, which lets members coordinate around the same target.

Influence fades over time. A single successful hit can matter, but it does not remain forever.

Sustained pressure

After the first influence hit, timing becomes part of the system. Fire Ships can matter if Port Defenses are weakened before repeated pushes, while delay gives the defender more time to rebuild, reinforce, or wait out the pressure.

The port view shows the relevant influence. If the attacker is in an Armada, members can see the same pressure and divide work such as spying, clearing defenders, sending Flagbearers, and covering the captured port afterward.

Reaching full influence is not enough by itself. The final attack still requires a win, removed defenders, and a surviving Flagbearer. If defenders remain or the Flagbearer is lost, the attempt may add pressure without taking the port.

When a port is captured, old conquest pressure around that port is cleared. The fight changes from building influence to holding the new port, rebuilding, and preventing an immediate counterattack.

Holding the port

Captured ports can need defense immediately because the previous owner or nearby players may respond. Recovery ships, resource support, and Armada coverage affect the post-capture state.

Capturing a port disrupts whatever the old owner was doing there. Active orders and trade plans tied to the port can be cancelled, ships connected to those plans may return, and the port’s future direction changes with ownership.

In the late game, the captured port may also affect territory control. A modest-looking port can matter if it changes who leads that area of the map.

Armada conquest

Armadas can divide conquest work. One member can spy, another can send Fire Ships, another can send Flagbearers, and others can prepare defense or resources for the captured port. Forum threads preserve timing, targets, reports, and ownership expectations across multiple waves.

A coordinated push can involve many members, but the captured port changes hands through the final successful conquest. Ownership expectations, support roles, and post-capture defense can affect how an Armada reads the result.