It only works when you start the battle. Also, to reitterate what Iztok said, it means that if you can hit the enemy in the first round of battle hard enough to destoy all of his ships, then you will not lose any hitpoints, regardless of what the AI's attack values are.

If you have enough firepower, you may be able to get away with not having defences. (as long as you attack first). And like he said, you'll appreciate this more in the later game when ships will tend to hit back harder.

Okay thanks I was at an early stage where I was mainly defending my planets from a much larger military force while trying to build up my own forces. So most of the fighting was being done when they attacked my planets thought it would allow me to shoot first when they attacked as well.

Maybe i'll try a different race as building up a massive standing military isn't normally how I like to play.

There is only one method I have been able to use to get super warrior to work early game:

Take the full +military bonus (I also like any +speed bonus you can spare)
With luck get also a military resource early.

Take as much luck as you can get. (+50%)

Load up a cargo hull with as many weapons as you can get. Fleet up your cargo hulls. Go to town on small and tiny ships.

So, for a custom race I have done it this way:
+20% weapons (2 pts)
+25% luck (1 pt)
+2 speed (8 pts)
+30% econ (4 pts)

With universalist party for total bonuses of:
+20% weapons
+10% defense
+50% luck
+2 speed
+35% econ
+10% pop growth

Then - work hard for an early military resource and start loading up cargo hulls with stingers/harpoons. And get a level or two of logistics early. If the enemy never gets to fire back, 1 hp doesn't hurt you.

Other than this method, though, I agree, Super Warrior is generally a late game strategy. And by late game who needs an extra bonus?

Also, Super Warrior only works when you attack, not when you are attacked. Won't work for planetary defenders at all. It requires that you out manuever your enemy and always do the attacking - don't leave your ships in a position where an enemy ship can counter attack on their turn.

Hope that helps,
- Wyndstar

I'm playing the superwarrior and like it.
Usually I have a good number of small ships loaded with weapons and a lot of logistics.
As I attack there ia a huge number of first shots rather that one big shot.
At the end I usually take out 1-2 enemy ships in the first wave.
Miniaturization is a key too. Galactic Privateer + Logistic superproject are a must. Microbot are nice.

One complain is that I see the battle mechanism is so made that enemy ships are not taken out one by one but rather evenly degradated so allowing more shots from almost dead ships. Weird.
Frogboy, can we change this behaviour?

Actually damn that super warrior looks like a killer ability. -I always dismissed it (I guess probably because arceans always suck -they are some sort of a challenge mid game , but never been end-game contenders).

That reminds me of DL - when there was no ships retaliating back. My military strategy was always to get fast ships (to do first strikes), load them with psionic weapons and have mad attack with 0 defence. Was very powerful back then (mainly cause AI was stupid and loaded ships with defence anyways)

Might try that on my next suicidal - combining it with all factories strat should be interesting .I guess main challenge would be to get to psionic weapons and good engines fast (well faster than AI gets too doomray and such )