Moon Guide

Moons are one of the most powerful assets in Galactico — permanent orbital structures that unlock the Phalanx Sensor, the game's most potent intelligence tool. This guide covers how moons form, what they can host, and how to use the Phalanx to dominate your galaxy.

How moons form

After any battle that leaves a debris field, there is a chance a moon forms in orbit around the defended planet. The probability scales with the size of the debris field:

• Minimum chance: 1% (small debris field)
• Maximum chance: 20% (debris field of 100,000+ Metal + Crystal)
• Formula: probability = min(20, debris_field_size / 100,000 × 20) percent
• One attempt per battle — multiple large battles don't stack above 20%

The moon forms on the defender's planet, not the attacker's. To create a moon on your own planet, you need a large battle to occur there — either by defending against an attack that destroys a lot of ships, or by deliberately crashing your own fleet (an expensive but sometimes strategic move called a "moon shot").

Moon shots: some players coordinate with an alliance member or alternate account to deliberately battle and create a large debris field, maximizing the 20% moon formation chance. At max probability you still need 5 attempts on average — it's not guaranteed.

What makes moons special

A moon is a separate body from your planet, accessible via a different slot in your system view. It has its own buildings and its own field count (determined by the moon's size, which is random at formation — larger debris fields create larger moons with more fields).

Key difference: fleets deployed to a moon are invisible to enemy Phalanx sensors. A fleet in transit to or from a moon cannot be tracked. This is the strategic heart of moon ownership.

Moon buildings

Lunar Base

• Increases available fields on the moon
• Each level: +3 fields
• Required for: Robot Factory, Sensor Phalanx, Jump Gate

Robot Factory (Moon)

• Reduces construction time for moon buildings
• Same function as the Robotics Factory on planets

Sensor Phalanx

• The primary reason to build a moon
• Each level: +1 galaxy of vision range
• Level 1: can see fleet movements in your own galaxy
• Level 5: can see 5 galaxies in each direction
• What it shows: all fleet missions (attack, transport, deploy, expedition) originating from or targeting planets in range — including exact ship counts, arrival times, and mission types
• What it cannot see: fleets deploying TO or FROM a moon (moons shield their traffic from Phalanx)

Jump Gate

• Allows instant teleportation of fleets between two Jump Gates (one on each moon)
• Cooldown: 1 hour between uses
• Strategic use: move a large fleet across the galaxy instantly for a surprise attack, then jump it back before the defender can organize a counter. The fleet never appears on any Phalanx between the two moons.

How to use the Phalanx strategically

Defense intelligence

Check the Phalanx regularly when you suspect incoming attacks. An incoming fleet appears as an Attack mission with a countdown timer. This gives you hours of warning to:

• Recall your own fleet if it's about to land in the attack window
• Alert alliance members
• Adjust defense

Offensive intelligence (hunting fleet saves)

The most aggressive Phalanx use is watching enemy fleet save patterns. If you can see a rival's planet from your Phalanx, you can watch:

• When they deploy their fleet (fleet save departing)
• The exact arrival time of their return mission
• The brief window when the fleet lands before it re-deploys

Launch your attack to arrive in that window. This is called a ninja — the most feared attack type because the victim's fleet is caught on the ground.

How to execute a ninja:

1. Phalanx the target planet repeatedly to find their save pattern
2. Note the exact arrival time of their fleet's return
3. Calculate your attack travel time from your planet
4. Launch so your attack arrives 5–30 seconds after their fleet lands
5. Their fleet is on the ground, your attack hits, the debris field is enormous

Watching system traffic

A Phalanx covers all planets in its range, not just your targets. You can watch:

• Troop movements in neighboring systems during alliance wars
• Recycler activity that indicates where battles recently occurred
• Transport missions that reveal resource-rich active trade routes

Losing a moon

Moons can be destroyed by a Deathstar using the moon destruction mission. The success probability depends on the size of the moon vs the number of Deathstars sent. A destroyed moon is gone permanently.

If you have a valuable moon: keep it defended. A moon with a Jump Gate and Phalanx is worth enormous effort to protect.

For using moon intelligence in raids, see How to Raid. For protecting your fleet from Phalanx-assisted ninjas, see the Fleet Saving Guide.