Stellaris is 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 in Stellaris, 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 in Stellaris, and players can gain useful bonuses by picking Origins that 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.
How to Form a Mercenary Enclave in Stellaris
Before players can form their first Mercenary Enclave in Stellaris, they'll first need to increase their Mercenary Enclave capacity from 0 to 1. There are a few different ways to do this, some are Stellaris Civics that are available right from the start of the game, others are unlocked through Tradition Trees or the Galactic Community:
- Warrior Culture Civic (+1)
- Barbaric Despoilers Civic (+1)
- Private Military Companies MegaCorp Civic (+1)
- Naval Contractors MegaCorp Civic (+2)
- Lord of War Ascension Perk (+1)
- Security Contractors Galactic Community Resolution (+1)
- Galactic Risk Management Galactic Community Resolution (+2)
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 of Stellaris' all-important Influence resource 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 other neutral Enclaves in Stellaris. 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:
- Hiring an Enclave Fleet for 10 years for a lump sum of Energy Credits based on the Enclave's Tier and Opinion. This option has no Opinion requirement.
- Hiring Mercenary Armies to conquer planets, which do not expire but have a very high upkeep compared to regular Armies.This option requires the Enclave to have 20 Opinion of the customer.
- Buying +15% Naval Capacity for 10 years for a lump sum of Energy Credits based on the Empire's current capacity. This option requires the Enclave to have 30 Opinion of the customer,
- Unlocking the Mercenary Garrison Starbase Building, which boosts Fire Rate, for 1000 Energy Credits. This option requires the Enclave to have 40 Opinion of the customer.
- Gaining a 15% damage bonus versus a mid-game or end-game crisis, which costs between 1500-5000 Energy Credits based on the threat of the crisis. This option requires the Enclave to have 50 Opinion of the customer.
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 share Technologies for ship designs with their Enclave, or purchase Tier upgrades, boosting the effects of all services and dividends.
Stellaris is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.