Ground Combat in Aleryos: A Guide to the Ground Front

In Aleryos, war does not stop in orbit. Your troops can pass through the Pillars to fight a ground battle, separate from space combat: it lasts no more than ten rounds, every unit has its own shield and hit points, and its outcome can produce loot, wounded units, or captures.

This guide follows an attack from launch to report. To understand the Pillar network, its other missions, and its protections, also read the Pillars guide.

Space combat or ground combat

A fleet travels through space, with travel time and Aether consumption. A ground attack passes through the Pillars: it commits ground units and consumes Weave Resonators (RT), according to distance and the population sent.

The two fronts can complement each other, but they are not resolved with the same units. Ships do not fight on the ground. Ground units do not resolve space combat as ships do; some Soldiers can nevertheless be carried as crew, depending on the chassis. The attack restrictions wiki also details the protections, point gaps, and truces that can prevent a launch.

Preparing the ground attack

Before launching an attack, check the conditions in Operations → Pillars → Attack:

1. the Pillars must be active on the departure planet and on the already occupied target;
2. choose an allowed target and, when needed, begin by spying with a Ground Drone;
3. send at least one military ground unit: an attack with transports alone is refused;
4. add Small or Large Transporters if you want to bring back loot; they accompany the assault but do not fire;
5. check the required RT before generating the vortex.

The same planet can receive only one Pillars attack per attacker per UTC day. This limit is in addition to the general restrictions between players. It is therefore useful to check the espionage report and defenses before spending your RT.

If the target activates a Force Field, your Pillar Virus must be at a strictly higher level. Otherwise, the attack is refused at launch: the troops do not leave, RT are not deducted, and no Iris charge is used. An attack that passes through the Field can still be intercepted by an Iris available to the defender.

The ten rounds of a ground battle

An Iris intercepts the attack before combat; one charge is then used and the troops go back. If the attack is admitted, combat takes place over a maximum of ten rounds. It ends earlier as soon as one side has no military units left.

Every unit keeps its own HP and its own shield. Fire is distributed among enemy groups, then applied to particular units: damage from one unit is never placed in a common pool. Damage first passes through the shield, then HP. Excess damage from one shot does not pass to another target.

Shields: recharge, degradation, and breakage

A shield that has not broken is restored at the start of the first six rounds, with a ceiling that falls from 100% in round 1 to 50% in round 6. Technology bonuses are included before rounding down. From round 7 onward, a shield no longer rises: it only retains what is left, capped at 50% of its base value.

A depleted shield is broken. It stays at zero until the end of combat, even if its unit retains HP. That is why two armies with the same number of units can produce different results according to shields already pierced and the groups actually targeted.

Reading the result and arranging the return

Combat can end with an attacker victory, defender victory, or draw. A draw occurs if both sides are annihilated in the same round, or if neither side is eliminated at the end of round ten.

• Attacker victory. The attack can loot 50% of exposed Iron, Crystal, and Aether, or 75% in a player-versus-Wanderer attack, up to the freight capacity sent. Production still protected by the sanctuary cannot be looted.
• Defender victory. The attacker brings back no resources and 50% of its dispatched transports are captured.
• Wounded units and captures. Some disabled units become lightly wounded, severely wounded, or captured; severely wounded units go to the Hospital. The attacker's captures become active when its return arrives.
• Return. Survivors, transports that were not captured, any loot, captures, and severely wounded units follow a return mission. A report can therefore announce victory before all units are already available on the departure planet.
• No debris. Ground combat creates no debris field to recycle.

The ground-combat outcome wiki presents the detailed proportions, Soldier-specific cases, and returns. If you lose all your units in the first round, your copy of the report hides the defender's military details, whatever the espionage level.

Keeping your army safe

A ground army is best kept on a planet protected by an Iris or defended strongly enough. You can also move it by fleet to a planet whose Pillars are disabled: it can then neither receive nor send a ground mission, which prevents a Pillars attack on that planet.

The Force Field is a second protection. It lasts 24 hours, then recharges for 48 hours; it blocks attacks whose opposing Virus is not strictly higher. It does not block a space fleet, transport, espionage, or hacking. When you are away, the empire-protection wiki explains how to combine army, fleet, and resource protection.

Frequently asked questions

Can you carry out ground attacks in Aleryos?

Yes. An attack launched through the Pillars pits the military ground units of both sides against one another. It is separate from a fleet attack.

How long does ground combat last?

At most ten rounds. It stops as soon as one side has no military units left. If both sides are annihilated in the same round, or neither is eliminated after round ten, the result is a draw.

What can a ground victory bring back?

Exposed resources up to your transports' freight capacity and, depending on the result, captured units. Wounds and returns nevertheless immediately change which units are actually available.

Do transports fight?

No. They provide freight capacity and can be captured if the defender wins. The attack itself requires at least one military ground unit.

Does ground combat leave debris?

No. It can generate deaths, wounds, captures, and loot, but no debris field.