Stellarisis a sprawling sci-fi strategy title from Paradox Interactive, the studio behind some of the most popular grand strategy games available. Players can design their own sci-fi civilization inStellaris, whether it’s hyper-intelligent mushrooms, rogue caretaker robots, or a hive-minded swarm of all-devouring insects, then lead them into the many dangers and mysteries of a simulated galaxy.
While expanding their Empire, players will occasionally encounter Enclaves, neutral, non-Empire AI factions that are either confined to a single System or move between them as nomads. There are many different kinds of Enclave inStellaris, and players can gain useful bonuses bypicking Originsthat include them, buying their products, or incorporating them into the player Empire. With the Overlord DLC, it’s even possible for players to create a new Mercenary Enclave within their territory, and benefit as their Patron.
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How to Form a Mercenary Enclave in Stellaris
Before players can form their first Mercenary Enclave inStellaris, they’ll first need to increase their Mercenary Enclave capacity from 0 to 1. There are a few different ways to do this, some areStellarisCivicsthat are available right from the start of the game, others are unlocked through Tradition Trees or the Galactic Community:
The next step to forming an Enclave is to have a 50+ size Fleet led by an Admiral, as well as 1500 Energy Credits, 2000 Alloys, and 100 ofStellaris' all-important Influenceresource to pay the setup costs. With these resources gathered, players can select their chosen fleet and press the Convert into Mercenary Enclave button on the Fleet UI. This will form the new Enclave in whichever System the Fleet is currently in, causing both Fleet and Admiral to transfer to the new neutral entity.
Players should be careful ot select a safe System for their Mercenary Enclave, as any Empire that conquers that System will take over as the Enclave’s Patron. Additionally, although Empires at war with the player won’t attack the neutral Enclave, there are many threats in Stellaris that will destroy the station indiscriminately, wiping out the Enclave and the player’s investment.
How to Use a Mercenary Enclave in Stellaris
Once built, the Mercenary Enclave functions like many of the otherneutral Enclaves inStellaris. Any Empire can speak with the Mercenaries from their Contacts menu, and purchase any of the following services, all of which raise the Enclave’s Opinion of the purchaser:
As the Enclave’s Patron, the Empire that owns the Enclave’s System will not only receive discounts on all these services, but also get a regular dividend from their investment which can consist of basic resources, research points, or even a Fleet if the Empire isn’t using its full Naval Capacity. The Patron can also shareTechnologies for ship designswith their Enclave, or purchase Tier upgrades, boosting the effects of all services and dividends.
Stellarisis available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
