Fleet Saving Guide

Your fleet is your most valuable and most vulnerable asset in Galactico. Unlike mines or buildings, your fleet can be completely destroyed in a single battle — and losing a large fleet sets you back weeks of production. Fleet saving is the practice of keeping your ships safe when you're not actively using them. Every experienced player does it automatically. This guide teaches you how.

Why fleet saving matters

A fleet sitting idle on a planet is a target. Experienced players probe constantly, and a large fleet at home is the most attractive raid target in the game — not just for the loot on the planet, but for the debris field the fleet will create when destroyed. A Deathstar + 1,000 Battleships orbiting your planet is an invitation for every top-5 player in the galaxy to coordinate against you.

Core principle: when you're not actively using your fleet, it should not be sitting still.

Method 1: Deploy to another planet or moon

The simplest save. Send your fleet on a Deploy mission to one of your other planets or moons. The fleet is in transit, not a target. Time the deployment so it arrives just before you log off and returns (or you log back in to send it again) before it sits idle.

Tip: deploy to a moon if you have one. Fleet in transit to a moon with a Phalanx is the most secure save option — see the Moon Guide.

Method 2: Expedition save

Send your fleet on an Expedition into deep space. Fleets on expedition are untargetable. Time the mission to return when you're back online to manage it.

Risks: expeditions occasionally have events — discoveries (bonus resources), encounters, or rarely, fleet losses. For large fleets, the resource discovery upside often outweighs the small loss risk.

Method 3: Raid save

Send your fleet on a raid mission to a distant or uninhabited system with a very long travel time. Set speed to 10% to extend travel time. The fleet arrives, finds nothing, and starts the return journey. Total travel time can be stretched to cover your entire offline period.

Calculation: if you need to cover 8 hours of offline time, set the mission distance and speed so the round trip takes at least 8 hours. At 10% speed, most flights cover significant time.

Method 4: Time a mission to land precisely

The most active form of saving. Send a fleet on a real raid or transport mission timed to arrive just before you log back in. The fleet is in motion the entire time you're offline, returns with loot, and you're there to manage what happens next.

This requires calculating arrival times accurately — the game shows you the arrival time when you configure the mission. Work backward from your expected return time.

Recognizing a fleet-save attack (the ninja)

Experienced attackers try to "ninja" your fleet save — launching their attack to arrive just as your fleet lands from a save, when it's briefly sitting on the planet again before you can re-deploy. This is the most dangerous window.

How to defend against ninjas:

• Use the Phalanx on your moon to watch for incoming fleet movements (see Moon Guide)
• Send your fleet immediately when you log in — minimize the window it sits on the planet
• Set a recurring save timer rather than landing, waiting, then re-saving
• Watch probe volume: if someone is probing you repeatedly, they may be timing a ninja

Watching for danger: the Phalanx

A Phalanx Sensor built on your moon can see all fleet movements within a specified galaxy range. This is the most powerful defensive intelligence tool in the game — you can see an incoming attack hours before arrival and recall any fleet that would otherwise land into it.

If you have a moon with a Phalanx, check it regularly when you expect to be targeted. If you're in an alliance, the alliance Phalanx (if a member has one covering your area) can alert you to incoming threats.

Alliance fleet saving

In active war periods, coordinate fleet saving times with your alliance:

• Designate safe planets on allied territory for mutual deployments
• Share Phalanx readings on your communication channel (Discord/Telegram)
• Alert members when you see probing patterns suggesting a planned attack
• Stagger save timings so alliance members can watch for ninjas on each other

The golden rules of fleet saving

1. Never leave a large fleet sitting idle on a planet when you log off
2. Always have a save running before you sleep
3. If you have a moon, use it
4. Check the Phalanx before landing from a save
5. A fleet in motion is a fleet that can't be destroyed on the ground

For how battles resolve when saving fails, see the Fleet & Combat Guide.