Combat
Combat in TW 3002 happens in layers. When you warp into a sector, you don’t just arrive — you run a gauntlet of defenses that can damage or destroy you before you even see the sector.
The Entry Pipeline
Every time you warp into a sector, the game checks for threats in this order:
| Step | What Happens | Danger |
|---|---|---|
| Cloak Check | An active Cloak can bypass defenses if it is not detected | Detection breaks the cloak and continues normal entry |
| Mines | Hostile limpet or armid mines trigger | Limpets can attach; armids can damage or destroy you |
| Q-Cannon | Hostile planets with citadel level 3+ fire on you | Hull damage, possible instant destruction |
| Fighter Encounter | Other players’ deployed fighters intercept you | Forced combat or toll payment |
| Ship-to-Ship PvP | Hostile ships already in the sector trigger an encounter | Fight, flee, surrender, or hail |
| NPC Encounter | Raider NPCs in the sector engage you | Player chooses: attack, flee, or bribe |
If you survive all six steps, you arrive. If any step destroys you, you respawn at a StarDock (the nearest is pre-selected, and you can choose a different one). See Sector Entry Flow for the full behavior of each layer.
Warning: The entry pipeline runs on every warp — even into a sector you think is safe. Always check the warp lane preview for threats before jumping.
Q-Cannon Fire
Planets with a citadel level 3 or higher mount sector cannons that automatically fire on any ship entering the sector.
- Damage and ammo spend come from the planet’s combined stored fuel, organics, and equipment
- The owner’s sector percentage is a firing allocation on that combined stockpile, not “percent of fuel”
- At 100%, each volley is one-third of the current stockpile; 50% fires about half as hard
- Can destroy a ship outright
- Only fires if the planet is hostile (not yours)
- Deploying your own planet in the sector deactivates hostile Q-Cannons
After a surviving hit, the sector screen shows Q-cannon hit, total damage, and remaining shields near the top of the dashboard. The focused Arrival Report beside the sector information also records Q-cannon fired and confirms that the cannon spent ammunition. Mine or cloak bypasses do not spend Q-cannon resources.
Routine warps show only a compact Entry clear confirmation. The Arrival Report expands only when something noteworthy happens, such as a cloak or recovery bypass, mine contact, Q-cannon fire, fighter losses or tolls, or a ship/NPC encounter. This keeps the complete entry pipeline authoritative without filling the sector console with inactive and “clear passage” rows.
See Planets for the full allocation rules.
Fighter Encounters
Other players can deploy fighters in a sector with different modes:
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Defensive | You get a choice screen: Attack, Retreat, Surrender, or Pay Toll (if tolled fighters are also present). |
| Offensive | Same choice screen — unless all hostile fighter groups in the sector are offensive. In that case, combat auto-resolves as a surprise attack with no player choice. |
| Tolled | Fighters demand a toll — pay to pass safely, or fight. Evil-aligned players (≤ -100) are not tolled by other evil/Fremen owners. |
Full breakdown: See the Sector Entry Flow guide for exactly what triggers fighter encounters, how NPC movement works, and why your fighter count doesn’t change when NPCs enter the sector.
If all fighters in a sector are offensive, combat is auto-resolved immediately. You don’t get a choice. If fighters have mixed modes (defensive or tolled present), you get to choose: attack, retreat, surrender, or pay the toll.
Strategy: Tolled fighters on a chokepoint sector between major ports generate passive income from passing traders. Offensive fighters lock it down completely.
Ship-to-Ship PvP
When you warp into a sector where another player’s ship is present, you don’t automatically fight — instead, a PvP Combat Modal opens, giving you four choices:
| Action | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Fight | Engage in sequential duels against every hostile captain in the sector. Win to enter; lose and you’re destroyed. |
| Flee | Attempt to retreat to your previous sector. Chance-based — Interceptors have an edge, Merchants are slower, and more opponents make escape harder. If caught, you’re forced into combat. |
| Surrender | Pay tribute to pass safely. Costs 10% of your credits and 10% of your cargo (minimum 5 units per commodity). The strongest opponent collects. |
| Hail | Open a channel to identify the strongest hostile ship — learn their name, class, and alignment. No combat, no cost, purely informational. You enter the sector after. Hail does not attack or damage anyone. |
If you die in PvP:
- Lose 50% of your on-ship credits (only 5% with Guild Protection). Credits in the StarDock Intergalactic Bank or a Sector Bank are not taken.
- Lose 10% of your cargo (with or without insurance)
- Credits lost to planetary defenses (Q-cannon) are destroyed, not paid to the planet owner
- Respawn at a StarDock with full hull — the nearest is pre-selected, and you can choose a different one from the death screen
- Your killer gains your lost credits and an alignment shift based on your faction standing
If you kill another player:
- Gain their lost credits and cargo
- Killing evil players (alignment ≤ -100) gives +8 alignment, killing good (≥ 100) gives -8, neutral gives -2
- Gain XP toward rank progression
- 3+ kills in 24 hours flags you as a CHOAM Bounty Target — your position appears on the bounty board
Tip: If you disconnect or close the browser during an encounter, the game remembers your situation. On return, the modal reappears. If you wait more than 5 minutes, the hostile ship opens fire automatically.
NPC Combat
NPC raiders occupy sectors throughout the galaxy. When you enter a sector with raiders, the Combat screen opens and you choose:
| Action | Chance | Cost | Outcome if Successful |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | 100% | Take damage, deal damage | Credits + loot from destroyed NPC |
| Flee | 35% (12% vs Sardaukar) | Take damage if it fails | Escape safely |
| Bribe | ~100% (0% vs Sardaukar) | 10% of your credits | Skip fight entirely |
Faction Effects
Different NPC factions change the stakes:
| Faction | Attack Reward | Flee Risk | Bribe Works? | Alignment Shift on Kill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sardaukar | High XP | Only 12% flee chance | Never | +8 (good) |
| Fremen | Medium XP | Normal | Yes | +3 (good) |
| CHOAM / Guild | Credits | Normal | Yes | +5 (good) |
| Raider (Independent) | Credits + low XP | Normal | Yes | +2 (good) |
Sardaukar NPCs cannot be bribed and are harder to flee from. They will hunt you relentlessly.
Piracy & Unprovoked Attacks
You can attack any NPC in your sector — not just raiders. Attacking a non-hostile ship is considered unprovoked and carries alignment penalties.
| Faction | Alignment Change on Kill | Alignment Change on Hit | Commission Risk? |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHOAM | -15 | -5 | Yes — revoked |
| Guild | -12 | -4 | Yes — revoked |
| Sardaukar | -10 | -3 | No |
| Fremen | -8 | -3 | No |
| Independent | -5 | -2 | No |
Warning: Attacking a CHOAM or Guild ship will revoke your CHOAM commission if you have one. If you’re flying a Guild Navigator, CHOAM will confiscate it after combat resolution, issue a fallback ship, and charge an impound penalty. The confirmation modal tells you before you fire.
FedSpace enforcer penalty: Attacking any ship inside a safe/FedSpace sector is intercepted by CHOAM enforcers. You are fined (up to 10% of your credits, minimum 5,000 cr) and escorted back to FedSpace. No combat occurs.
Repeated unprovoked attacks can push your alignment to -100 or below, unlocking outlaw abilities like robbery and making you a valid target for bounty hunters.
Combat Damage
Damage in combat depends on:
- Your ship’s base damage (varies by class: Merchant = 5, Scout = 8, Interceptor = 12)
- Pulse Laser upgrades (Mk I: +5, Mk II: +10, Mk III: +15)
- Incoming damage to your ship is layered fighters → shields → hull. Your fighter bay is the first defense, then remaining damage drains shields, and only the rest reaches hull.
- Both sides deal damage simultaneously — you can kill each other in the same round
This same defense order applies to NPC combat, fighter-entry hazards, and armid mines. If a hit destroys you, fighter losses are saved before the respawn reset, so fighters are not restored for free.
Hard truth: An unupgraded Merchant ship has 5 base damage and 100 hull. A single Sardaukar deals 8+ damage per round. You’ll lose. Buy weapons before hunting.
Protection Systems
FedSpace
Sectors marked safe (danger: safe) are protected by CHOAM peacekeepers. Ships in FedSpace cannot be destroyed — the crew would call in the space marines. Use FedSpace as your home base.
New Player Protection
New captains (account age < 24 hours OR total net worth < 10,000 cr) are immune to defeat from all sources. You can explore and learn without fear.
Important: “Net worth” means your total assets — credits in your bank, cargo hold value, and the scrap value of your fighters (25 cr each). It is not just your credit balance. If you have 5,000 cr in the bank but 200 fighters on your ship, your net worth is 10,000 cr and you are no longer protected.
Guild Protection Contract (Insurance)
Buy at any StarDock for 5% of your net worth, lasts 7 days:
| Without Insurance | With Insurance | |
|---|---|---|
| Credits lost on death | 50% | 5% |
| Cargo lost on death | 10% | 10% |
| Respawn location | A StarDock of your choice (nearest pre-selected) | A StarDock of your choice (nearest pre-selected) |
Hard truth: Insurance pays for itself after one death. If you’re running blockades, hunting NPCs, or sitting in dangerous space, buy it.
Wanted System
Killing 3+ players in 24 hours flags you as a CHOAM Bounty Target:
- Your current sector appears on the public bounty board
- Other players can hunt you for the reward
- Status decays after 48 hours without kills
- Your bounty appears in the daily news feed
What Happens When You’re Away
The galaxy doesn’t pause when you log out.
- Your fighters and mines stay active. Other players entering your sector face them in the entry pipeline.
- Other players can kill your ship. If you log out in a dangerous sector, another player can warp in, win the ship-to-ship duel, and send you to FedSpace.
- NPCs don’t hunt you offline. Raiders only trigger combat when someone enters the sector — they won’t kill you while you’re asleep. But players can.
- You get an away-death greeting on next login. If your ship was destroyed while offline, a modal explains who killed you, where, what you lost, and where you respawned.
Strategy: Either log out in FedSpace, or make sure your sector is fortified with fighters, mines, and a Q-Cannon citadel. An undefended ship in dangerous space is a loot piñata.
Death & Respawn
If your ship is destroyed — whether in active play or while you were offline:
- You respawn at the nearest StarDock with full hull and zero shield. During active play, the death screen lets you pick any StarDock in your galaxy, with the nearest pre-selected; confirming the default respawns you there, and choosing another tows you there instead.
- You lose 50% of your credits (only 5% with Guild Protection/insurance).
- You lose 10% of your cargo.
- The death report adds a short escape-pod line describing where you were recovered.
- During active play, the existing Death Modal appears immediately.
- If you were offline, the Away Death Greeting appears the next time you log in or load your ship, and you respawn at the nearest StarDock.
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