Espionage Guide

Espionage is the intelligence layer of Galactico — and the difference between profitable raiding and costly mistakes. This guide covers everything: sending probes, reading spy reports, Espionage Technology tiers, counter-espionage, and protecting yourself from enemy scouts.

What espionage does

Sending a Spy Probe to a target planet generates a spy report that tells you what's there. Without scouting first, you're flying blind — you might attack a planet with no loot, or worse, one with a large hidden fleet that destroys yours on arrival.

Golden rule: always scout before attacking. Always.

Espionage Technology levels

Your Espionage Technology level determines the depth of intelligence your probes return:

Level 2 is the critical threshold. At level 1 you can see resources but not the fleet — meaning you could see a rich planet and send your attack fleet straight into a hidden Battleship formation. Get to level 2 on day one.

How many probes to send

The number of probes you need to get a clean report depends on the difference between your Espionage Technology level and the defender's:

• Your tech significantly higher: 1 probe usually enough
• Similar tech levels: send 3–5 probes for reliability
• Defender has higher tech: you may need 10+ probes, and risk detection

A failed probe returns no report. A detected probe risks counter-espionage action.

Reading a spy report

A spy report shows:

Resources: the exact current stockpile on the planet. This is what you're raiding for. A useful rule: only raid if the resources visible are worth the fleet fuel cost + risk.

Fleet: ships present on the planet (if your tech is level 2+). This is the most important part. A planet with 200,000 Light Fighters is not a raid target regardless of resources.

Defense: defense structures present (tech level 3+). Factor this into your fleet composition decision. Plasma Turrets + Ion Cannons on a well-defended planet require Bombers to crack efficiently.

Activity: recent activity markers show if the player logged in recently. An active player may return and recall a fleet that was absent during your scout. Inactive planets are safer targets.

Counter-espionage

Galactico has an active counter-espionage system. When enemy probes arrive, your Espionage Technology level relative to theirs determines the chance of detecting and destroying them.

• If your tech significantly outlevels theirs: probes are frequently detected and destroyed
• Detection triggers a notification: you know someone scouted you, their probe count, and their approximate tech level
• Destroying probes doesn't reveal who sent them — it only removes the intelligence

Implications: if you're being probed repeatedly, it means someone is building a raid picture of your planet. React by checking your defense levels and considering recalling vulnerable fleets.

Defending against espionage

You cannot entirely prevent scouting — probes are fast and cheap. But you can make it expensive:

• High Espionage Technology: destroys low-tier probes before they report
• Large fleet present: a visible fleet deters most attacks even if the scout succeeds — experienced players see a large fleet in the report and skip the target
• Active play: logging in frequently and moving resources into builds means less sits idle as a raid target
• Minimal resource stockpile: if there's nothing worth taking, there's no reason to attack

Espionage tips

• Probe before every attack, every time. Even targets you've hit successfully before — fleet composition changes, players come back from vacation, fleets return home.
• Send multiple probes on uncertain targets. The cost of 5 probes is trivial. The cost of losing your entire attack fleet to an unscouted defense is enormous.
• Watch probe volume on your own planet. Repeated probes from the same direction in the galaxy means someone is building up for an attack. Time to tighten defenses or save your fleet.
• High-value targets need deep intel. For a major attack requiring a large fleet, don't settle for a level-2 report when a level-4+ report would tell you exactly what ships to bring and whether Bombers are needed.

For what to do with the intelligence you gather, see the How to Raid Guide and the Fleet & Combat Guide.