Galactic War Guide
Galactic War (GW) is a persistent metagame where two or more factions fight for control of a galaxy, one planet at a time. Every ranked game you play on a contested planet contributes to your faction's war effort.
Getting Started
Choosing a Faction
When you first enter Galactic War, you'll be asked to choose a faction (ARM, CORE, or others depending on the galaxy). Your choice determines which planets you fight for and which ranks you earn. You can switch factions when a new galaxy scenario begins.
Finding a Battle
- Open the Galactic War tab in the client
- Look for contested planets (planets not controlled by any faction)
- Click a contested planet to see its details: faction scores, current map, and who's been fighting
- Click Attack! to create a game on that planet
- Your opponent must be from the opposing faction
Tip: Focus on planets where your faction is close to the capture threshold. Your game could be the one that tips the balance!
How Planet Capture Works
Faction Scores
Each contested planet tracks a faction score for each side. Think of these scores as representing the strength of each faction's forces on that planet. Both factions start with equal forces. When you lose a game, your faction's forces are degraded (score decreases). Winning preserves your faction's strength but doesn't increase it — the benefit of winning is that the enemy's forces take the hit instead of yours. Over time, the faction that loses more games on a planet sees its score erode until the other side dominates.
Capture Threshold
A faction captures a planet when its score is sufficiently dominant over the opposing faction's score. For example, with a 3.0x threshold, if ARM has 300 points and CORE has 100, ARM captures the planet (300 ≥ 3.0 × 100).
The capture threshold can decay over time for planets that have been contested for many update periods, making long-standing stalemates gradually easier to break. Click the Settings button on the galaxy view to see the capture threshold schedule for the current galaxy.
What Happens on Capture
- The planet is claimed by the capturing faction
- The planet is renamed in honour of the most heroic player (highest XP earned on that planet)
- All neighbouring planets held by the opposing faction become contested again
- Isolated enemy planets (cut off from their capital) are automatically surrendered
- Uncontested planets (bordered by only one faction) are automatically claimed
Important: A planet can only be attacked if your faction has a connected path to it through controlled or contested territory. You can't attack behind enemy lines!
Scoring & Stakes
How Game Stakes Are Calculated
The damage done to the losing faction's forces on a planet is determined by the rank of the lowest-ranked player in the game. This means:
- Two veterans: High stakes — the battle significantly shifts the planet's balance
- A veteran vs a newcomer: Lower stakes — the newcomer's rank limits the impact
- Two newcomers: Lowest stakes — every battle still counts, but the swings are smaller
Your XP (Cumulative Winning Score)
Every win earns you XP (experience points), added to your cumulative winning score. Your XP determines your rank and is your career progression metric. XP can carry over to new galaxies when the scenario resets (depending on galaxy settings).
Ranks
Your GW rank is based on your total XP across all factions. Higher ranks grant faction-specific avatar icons displayed in chat. Click the Settings button on the galaxy view to see the exact XP thresholds for each rank in the current galaxy.
| Rank | Title |
|---|
| 1 | Private |
| 2 | Corporal |
| 3 | Sergeant |
| 4 | Lieutenant |
| 5 | Captain |
| 6 | Major |
| 7 | Colonel |
| 8 | General |
| 9 | Commander |
Maps & Mods
Planet Maps
Each planet has an assigned map drawn from a pool specific to its mod. Maps are distributed across planets to ensure variety.
Heroic Conqueror Privilege
If you captured a planet (i.e., you are the most heroic player), you gain the exclusive right to change its map. Click the Select Map button in the planet detail view to choose from the allowed map pool. Each map can only be assigned to one planet at a time.
Game Requirements
For a game to count towards Galactic War, it must meet these requirements:
- Ranked game with at least one player per team
- Players must be from opposing factions (one side ARM, the other CORE/GOK)
- The planet must be contested (not already controlled)
- Your faction must have a connected path to the planet
- Game must be valid (no cheats, no desync, no AI)
- Uses ranked rating type
Tip: Team games are supported! In the game detail view, click the ... menu on the map thumbnail to change the maximum number of players beyond the default of 2.
Galaxy Lifecycle
Winning the War
A galaxy scenario ends when one faction controls all capitals. The winning faction is recorded, a new scenario loads, and the war begins anew.
What Carries Over
- Your lifetime XP and rank may carry over to the new galaxy (depending on galaxy settings)
- Your faction choice resets — you're free to switch sides
- All planet control, scores, and combatants are reset to the new scenario's starting state
Planet History
Every planet keeps a journal of its name and map changes. Click the History button in the planet detail view to see the full timeline. This shows when the planet was captured, who it was renamed after, and which maps were assigned over time.
Tips for New Players
- Start on the front lines: Contested planets near your faction's territory are where the action is
- Every game counts: Even a loss contributes — but wins earn XP and strengthen your faction's position
- Watch the threshold: The "Capture Threshold" indicator shows how close a planet is to flipping
- Cut off enemy territory: Capturing a strategically-placed planet can isolate an entire sector of enemy planets, causing them all to surrender at once. Look for chokepoints on the galaxy map!
- Coordinate with your faction: Focus efforts on the same planets for faster captures
- Rank up for recognition: Higher ranks earn faction-specific chat avatars
- Check the replays: Use "Search Replays" on any planet to study past battles
- Check galaxy settings: Use the "Settings" button to see capture thresholds, update frequency, rank thresholds, and other rules for the current galaxy
TA Forever Galactic War — taforever.com