Choke Point: Hanger-VS-Turret-VS-Other, how do YOU defend.

hmmm how many entry points into your empire? If one then I would place EVERY LAST UNIT I own into that choke point(no seriously this HAS happened to me on a random). Also since I already had heavy power there all my tac slots would be regen or hangar. other wise I go about 5:3:2 5 point defense and 3 hanger for 2 regen. I try to stick to that sometimes its a bit more or less depending on the number of inbound phase lanes(phase lanes where the enemy comes in). Also I always leave a spare capital in or NEXt to that sytem.(my primary amount of supply goes into capitals...frigates I dont need no stinkin frigates!)

Advent are probably the best defenders, having upgrades to give them additional Tactical Slots as well as upgrades to their Hangers (usually the most effective defensive weapon, aside from the Repair Bay).

First of all though, you can't rely on static defenses. At best they can stall and augment your defense, but they won't hold off any determined attack (this is true for both the AI and for people).

But as a rule, I would say Repair Platforms are probably the most useful of the defensive structures. They use up relatively few Tactical Slots and are very, very good at what they do. A cluster of them is an incredible pain for an enemy to kill (they can either spend time whittling away at the rather strong platforms repairing one another, or attack your fleet which is killing their units). A fleet fighting from Repair Platforms is just much more difficult to kill until either the platforms are disabled, they run out of antimatter, or are destroyed. For single player, these structures seem very low on the AI's targeting priority list, so that helps matters as well

Hangers are effective because they have the reach. The most common units to see an an offense are Heavy Cruisers and LRMs, the latter of which will simply destroy turrets outside their effective range. Hangers can deploy fighters and bombers to attack anything within the Gravity Well.

Turrets are really only decent against an AI, from my experience (when supported with Repair Platforms) and for Light Frigates (which become obsolete very fast in game, so usually not an issue). With the AI though, clumping them up with your Repair Platforms on the avenue the AI is likely to take to reach your planet to bombard it is effective.

For Advent, an Antimatter Recharger or two can be decent, but they are quite high tier (T5) and in the Civil field, so you're likely to get it fairly late, if you bother with it at all.

For your actual defense, you're best using a real fleet. Support Cruisers, a Capital or two (depending on the faction, Heavy Cruisers, LRMs, etc.. If you're Advent the Guardian with Repulsion can buy a ton of time as well.

How I would handle it.

I usually put a spread out ring of defense platforms as close to my planet as possible to stop/hurt siege frigates and have a few hangers and repair bays on the far side of the planet (if available, far side = sides farthest from hostile lanes).

Other then that, it's all mobile.

Oh, and one nasty thing I like to do as TEC is build 4-5 frigate factories and (with industrial juggernaut) pump out cobalts and LRMs at an alarming rate (works against the AI at least).

Station your fleet 1 world away from your choke planet. Have a phase jump inhibitor. Have a few repair bays.

Watch as the enemy attacks you, jump to the system, watch him run, kill his fleet.

It's generally unpractical to defend tons of outworld planets. If you gotta lose something, you probably will whether you have turrets, hangars, or what, unless you have ALOT of them, which is, as stated, unpractical.

The best defense is generally a good offense in this game; be aggressive, and they'll usually be too pressured to do their own attacks. Worlds you capture on the outer rims of your empire can serve a cheap and effective defense, because enemies will usually stop to try to capture them, keeping them away from your more valuable worlds longer.

Thusly, if I was in that situation, I would probably quickly try to advance FROM that choke point, and put pressure on the enemy most likely to attack me; if attacked by somebody else, I have both a warning and a delay due to the worlds I captured outside the choke point world, giving me time to bring my fleet in behind him. The money not spent on hangars, turrets, and tactical upgrades could be used to improve my fleet instead.

I usually take 2-3 hangers and 2-3 regen bays for choke points. It is not really worth it to put too much more unless your fleets are on the other side of the galaxy. Even by maxing out your hangers at a choke point, the enemy can still send siege frigates PAST your choke point and into your empire, defeating the point of defense structures at a choke point. (Though, inhibitors are good in this way if your hangers have lots of fighters.)

When it comes to hangers, I usually deck them out with 2:3 fighters:bombers if they are on the rim and 3:1 if they are in my empire. Since fighters excel at killing siege frigates.

However if you have a fleet that is at the choke point, I'd go pure regen bays and if advent, antimatter bays. Maybe 1-2 hangers for when the fleet leaves to pursue the enemy.

On another note, if this is late game and you have the phase stabilizer and the available slots/money, I usually put them on new planets with 2 regen bays. Being able to warp in a fleet from anywhere in the galaxy (so long as you follow this routine for all planets conquered) is pretty valuable. The one draw back is focus firing the stabilizer means an extra jump from the closest planet which has another stabilizer. And the boon here is that RA will use all these stabilizers anyways, so you might as well use them.

Finally, place a culture building on a choke point to gain your races benefits for being in culture. This will also help stop enemy culture from destroying your choke if you have no caps present. Though, dead astroids (which seem to be common chokes) have no logical slots unless your TEC

Try to use Desert or Terran worlds as Choke points, then use the Logistical slots for Frigate Factories. I've already written this strat out else where, and a few others have mentioned it, but anyways, here it is:

Build 2 factories at each phase lane, one on either side of the phase in arc (the 45 degree arc in which a fleet can phase in). Support each with Repair Bays and Hangars (imo, better choices then guns. Better range and more flexibility, especially Advent Hangars). Then, when you see a fleet incoming (so having the phase detection technology is important), select the appropriate factory, and start building ships with single clicks, that way, you can utilize the glitch where ships can exit from 1 factory. This way, you can build and position multiple ships at a single point while taking only a little longer (a second or 2, which isn't much) then speed building (shift-clicking, which would drop ships at 5 seperate factories, scattered). By the time an enemy fleet arrives, you should have a fairly healthy counter fleet in it's path, supported by fighters/bombers and repair bays. This may not stop an enemy fleet cold, especially if it's supported by several cap ships, but it'll give pause, and should allow you to kill off many fleet ships, maybe even force a cap ship or 2 to retreat, making deeper pushes with the fleet unfeasible.

I'll usually put in 5 hangers on the opposite side of where I expect the enemy to phase in, and then the rest of my points in turrets as close as I can to that point. Late game, I will scuttle enough turrets to put in a jump inhibitor. I park my fleet between the turrets and my planet. The statics will usually take care of most pirates, and will augment my fleet against a determined human opponent. If I fight under the guns of my turrets with help from the hangers, it's usually a big help.

If it's a human opponent, the same thing applies, except I keep a reserve fleet just outside the gravity well of an adjacent planet. A humans scouts will tell him what I've got already, and they will show up with overwhelming odds. If he doesn't see my reserves, I have the advantage. I also make that system my rally point for new units. As I crank them out, the system gets nastier and nastier, until I launch an offensive.

Better still, hold the choke point with statics and a small fleet, and attack from another angle. A decent choke point is no substitute for a raging fleet behind his lines. Usually there's a back door somewhere, although I had one random map where the only way to enemy territory was through the pirate base !

I don't use repair bays much. Defense against an AI doesn't require them, and a human will either arrive with such a numerical advantage that they won't be much help or they will focus fire them right off the bat. Repair cruisers are a better option by far. I don't want to have to fall back to repair.

Well, I am a Strike Craft specialist, so I use at least 8-10 hangers, sometimes i go to 12. I normally fill em with 2/3 bombers and 1/3 fighters. Depending on the number of slots I have left, I put a turret to protect my frigate factory/trade port.

The rest of my Chokepoint defense is centered around 4 CVE groups (Carrier Vehicle Escort) filled with Fighters. I position 1 each at the Phase Lanes and keep 1 at the middle of the gravity well between the lanes and the planet, and 1 at the far side of the planet away from the enemy entrance lanes.

My Standard escort carrier group consists of:

1 x Command Cruiser
2 x Repair Cruisers
6 x Carrier Cruisers
5 x Heavy Cruisers
2 x Flak Frigates
10 x LRM Frigates
20 x Light Frigates

The best defense is a flexible one of static hardpoints and flexibility from mobile defenses. It would even be better if we could deploy mine fields around jump lane entry points, but thats discussed in another topic.

To those saying that I need a real fleet of Heavy Cruisers and a lot of frigates, I find that strike craft are the best counter to any fleet, so long as you can micro them well and prioritize your targets.

I make a small fleet of about 15-20 maybe 25. TEC: 10Colbalts, 2Robotics, 2Cielos, 2-3 Kodiaks. Advent: 10disciples, 1Guardian, 3Dominas, 2-3Destras. Vasari: 8Ravastras, 2Kanrak, 2Subverters, 2Overseers, 2-3Enforcers. NO CARRIERS FOR ALL RACES!!! Place alot of hangers and keep the bomber/fighter ratio 2-2.5:1. Fortify the planet(s) behind the chokepoint enough so about a dozen enemy ships damaged or otherwise are destroyed with ease.

Great tips & tricks! Keep them coming.

From what I'm seeing so far:

>>> Strike craft are a sensitive subject, some people use them, and others avoid them completely. In any case, keep more bombers vs fighters.

>>> Phase Inhibitors can help with fleets merely "passing through" to your ungaurded areas.

>>> Turrets can be easily outranged, making hangers more superior.

>>> Repair Bays are good but won't affect a determined endgame fleet.

>>> It's good to Capture a few planets beyond your choke point, netting valuable time for you to prepare your defences/fleet for the attack.




Advent = Upgraded Hanger Defense + 1 or more Temple of Com (+ culture vision research)
Tec = Repair Bays + Support Fleet + Frigate Factories (Bonus points for Industrial Jug)
Vasari = Phase Stabilizer + Regen Bays + More Phase Stabilizers in back-up planets for instant back-up phase jumps.

"Chokepoints" are meaningless unless you have phase jump inhibitors. That is really the only requirement for a chokepoint. Otherwise, why would anyone care if someone loaded up a planet or asteroid with the maximum number of tactical guns and hangars? Just bypass it. Besides, chokepoints usually don't defend anything all that important. Moreover, the only important thing to attack, especially early in the game, is the homeworld, not some chokepoint dangling out in space.

It really only matters against the AI. A human player will just skirt the edge of the gravity well (far outside the range of any static defense) and go hit some other planet.

For this reason the best choke point defense is a fleet of ships, and 2 repair bays. If they star to bypass your chokepoint build some repair bays in the next planet and follow their fleet.

I usually align my defenses based on the number of entry points. If im the TEC - shield gen, gravity distortion, 3-4 hangers, 1-2 repair stations, 8-12 turrents.

Half of the hangers are bombers. The main threat to a planet are the siege frigates. The turrents are arrainged close to the planet, but in such a way that they are facing the entry point of the well. Hangers are intermixed with the turrents and backed by the repair station.

Fighters and bombers are positioned away from their hangers and are instead waiting at the entry points. That when once the attack starts they can get in a couple of straff runs before the enemy gets into turrent range.

Depending on the type of attacker a larger planet will hold out for plenty of time and will do a good deal of damage (against the AI ofcourse). Sometimes the enemy will leave once the siege frigates are destroyed - which is basically my bases only aim. Maintain the planet.

Besides reinforcments are on the way

Hangers aren't all that useful for choke point systems because you won't have enough of them in the early games to make a difference, and when you have enough - the enemy fleets are too big.

The only places I find hangars useful is in the systems immediately BEHIND the choke points, because it's a huge pain to chase down scouting enemy ships with your fleet. Hangers let you automatically hunt down and kill the scouts so that your enemies don't have a clear idea of your interior lines.

Zero Hero, is right with the culture, being one of the things you need, for a great defense.

But I would add, that culture is the most important defense of any planet. First if you even loss, the enemy can't colonize till your culture is gone. But the most important, is you own culture bounes(or as Zero Hero put it "races benefits"). This is more important late game, where your larger fleets recive a benfits, the most from it.




CaptainPepmus, is wrong, when it comes to this. If you can destroy the enemy fleet, when it attacks one of your world, then it not only reduces the defense power of that enemy, but also the defense power. Fight your enemy when you have the upper hand to destory there fleets. Remember, that if you attack one of your enemys, worlds, THEY have the bounes. All ways attack, will put you in more danager, where your biiger fleet, will lose to a smaller enemy fleet.

In the end, most of every thing we do, is to support the fleet, and your defense should reflect this. That is wht the culture bounes are the most important, as they increase the power of the fleet. The 15% damage increase(for the Vasari) is like adding another ships to your fleet, for ever 8 you have in your fleet(the other ones, are just as powerful).

Another important defense building is the Vasari Nano weapons jammer. It can support, both the defense systems of any world, and your fleet. What it does, when full upgraded, is reduce the fire rate of enemy ships, by 30% and Planetary bombardment by 45%. The reduce rate of fire, of 30% is equal to the redcue in damge of 33% over the same amount of time. This can help your fleet greatly, by reduceing the damage dealt to them.

repair stations loss the power over time, but ever little helps.

PJI help to protect other worlds, as it takes longer for enemy fleets to jump. It alos helps your fleet, as it takes longer for the enemy, to go after them, as well as longer for the enemy to get away.

The best of all the Tactical structures, has to be the Vasari Phase stabilizer. It allows your fleet, to move faster, and to attack alot faster, then you enemy normally sees.

Other defense like hangers and turrents are only good, as defense against Pirates.

Everyone will have their own preference, and really, in this game, to each their own. But in this scenario where you have a precious choke point, I would do the following. Since this is a chokepoint, your fleet will either be there or close by. That means repair bays.

Another thing I'd do on such a thing is put about 4-6 turrets all around the planet as close to the planet. This is to prevent siege frigates from just flying around your defenses and bombarding your planet. After this, a hanger is good to have. I don't like these too much though. You don't get much bang for your buck or tactical slots. However, if you know your fleet will be too far away to defend your worlds, these are convenient. All it takes is 6 groups of fighters, one run on an LRM, and it goes pop.

In general, your rule of thumb should be 1. Fleet, 2. Defenses. A fleet always trumps defenses. Fleet with defense is just sick when used together.

I rarely build defense for the purpose of augmenting my fleet. If the enemy has a greater offensive force than me, I'll try to build ships and hit his vulnerable planets instead of engaging him directly.

However, I use defenses to prevent exactly that from happening on my end. The most important key is the phase jump inhibitor- Otherwise the enemy will skirt out of range of your turrets and ignore your hangers. PJIs make them actually pay in blood.

PJIs are also great for securing the soft interior of your empire. The jump delay means you can arrive back at the heart of your empire before the enemy can reach the homeworld or important tech center. It gives you time to build defenses, and makes raids a much more difficult thing to pull off. You can use PJIs to break up reinforcements from a main force and keep the enemy separated.

Good or bad this is how I do it in multiplayer.

First I do not rely on defenses to stop a enemy fleet, only to delay and support my defense fleet.

I do not use defenses to defend a planet from bombing, only orbital structures.

Depending on the location and enemy player, I will either put all my structures in the rear far out of the way or where I'm likely to engage the enemy fleet and place all my defenses around those structures. This can be good for wasting the enemies time allowing more time for you to respond or to support your fleet.

I don't use hangers, I don't feel they are worth the cost. I will add more turrets and throw in a few flacks in need be.

Repair bays are the backbone of my defense, with up to 6 repair bays if faced with a impending assault on a planet. And sometimes the antimatter recharger (for my ships). Turrets are a afterthought if I can afford them.

I defend my core worlds better then my front line worlds (though front line planets may have more repair bays). I have bypassed too many pretty static defenses, raped and pillaged undefended core worlds and showed up where I'm not expected to fall into the same trap of focusing on the front line worlds.

I also leave a small defense fleet which I constantly increase in size as my attack fleet is off attacking someone. My static defenses help offset the small size and go toe to toe with larger attacking fleets.

-Edit-
For single player, 2/3 repair bays, 4/6 hangers (i use fighters only) and fill the remaining slots with turrets. This seems to stop/hold off all but the largest fleets. Offset this with LRMs (cheap and effective with repair bays keeping them alive longer) and the AI is going to have a very hard time.


I only defend front line worlds and the AI never attacks beyond them if they are defended.

Since slots are limited, I place one or two guns at each phase lane and do the research to get them upgraded so at last they'll fire every now and then. Then I usually place 10 light frigates and two heavy kodiaks nearby. Small investment, and if you have groups like that protecting each phase lane, then the others rush to help out too.

Later in the game when I have several capital ships, I leave one capital ship to cover each of my key planets along with the mini fleets. I am starting to realize how bloody tough those things really are. Thay can take one hell of a beating (even when shields are down) and dish out worse back. I just dont find the Gauss guns very useful side from drawing fire. Much too slow. The guns and mini fleets are cheap and quickly replaced. If you're concerned and a few of your phase lanes face nasty guys, just kick up the size of the mini-fleets. Having heavy cruisers really help though, so do get the research done quick. Those things are tough and do lots of damage (as you can see I am a TEC fan so far).

Repair hangers backing these guys up always add major toughness to the mini fleets. Dont depend on static defenses to keep your planet in shape. They just arent up to the task by themselves.

Question: where do you get 40 - 48 tactical slots from? (and thats assuming you're not Advent and 60/72)

Seems to me the only time you have that kind of slottage is on those rare worlds with High Security protocol or Weapons Testing Facility.

I have an every planet 5-10 hangers all with bombers and they can take care of a fleet with two or three caps as laong as there is a pji. single player

Build a huge fleet, then build jump inhibitors. I find this is the best defense. Do not build hangers. Instead, build a few turrets around the jump inhibitors (1 or 2). These punish your opponent for wasting his time destroying one before you decimate his fleet anyway with your awesome superior firepower.

It's kind'a sad when building Hangers and turrets are "not worth it". I understand that with chokepoints, making defences too strong can lead to impassable stalemates, but as it is, I wish that when I spent that much time/money/resourses on a planet packed to the rim with defences, that it made an opponent flinch a bit. As it is, Repair bays seem the only thing worth really building; I wish it were otherwise (big space defence guns are my favorite part of most sci-fi movies/games).

Heck, I'd love to see turrets get their range increased 200%, even if it reduced their damage by half. . .

Forgive my mistake: I was referring to the total number of strike craft squadrons, So to get the number of hangers, just divide by 2. I will say however, that you can get up to 8 hangers on particular worlds as without the High Security protocol or Weapons Testing Facility due to the extra slots from tech trees and full upgrades in certain mods.

In standard games you max out at roughly 35 tac slots on desert worlds or asteroids, so just divide by 4 and you get the total number of hangers - 8 with 3 gun platforms to boot.

Again, sorry for the confusion about how I defend a chokepoint.