Sea Battles[]
Sea battles involve only sea tiles (except for ice-shelf tiles) and can only be instigated and reinforced by seafaring- or embarked-units (including those in nearby fortresses).
Seafaring Unit Classes[]
There are 4 new classes in total, each of them unlockable through new Technologies. The speed and cost-effectiveness of “Interceptors” mean they are great at closing with and dragging down the larger “Juggernaut” class artillery ships, but “Frigates” will make match-wood of them thanks to crowd control abilities. Meanwhile the aforementioned juggernauts are particularly good at sinking frigates, and can also damage the fortification of coastal cities using the new "coastal bombardment" army action:
There is also a final “Submersible” class, able to ambush enemy fleets and to hide beneath the sea during battle until the opportune moment. In practice Submersibles are invisible on the map and ignore sea weather penalties. In battle, at their beginning of their turn, submersibles dive, gaining a substantial Defense bonus which lasts until their next attack. They can also traverse enemy units in battle:
Seafaring Unit Equipment[]
Ships have a weapon slot, up to two armor slots (“hull” and “prow”) and 1 to 2 accessory slots, depending on their class.
The hull slot offers a choice between speed ("foil" type hull) and durability ("plating" type hull) while each weapon slot provides a choice between two possible weapons:
Fomorian "Boarding Vessel" (Interceptor class)
"Satchel Charges": Has a chance to stun the target.
"Boarding Spikes":Increases the damage of the unit based on its remaining life
Fomorian "Fireship" (Frigate class)
"Endless Flames": Cone area-of-effect, deals damage over time to affected units.
"Dust Focal": Beam area-of-effect, also reduces the attack of affected units
Fomorian "Artillery Ship" (Juggernaut class)
"Broadside": Increases the attack range of the unit in battle.
"Trebuchet": Increases fortification damage dealt during a coastal bombardment
Iron items are available from the start and cost industry. More advanced versions of all the equipment become available by researching at least one of the existing technologies that usually unlock equipment made of the different level of strategic resources.
Sea Weather[]
A new layer to the world called the “sea weather layer” is added exclusively on ocean tiles. Each hexagon tile in the sea weather layer might have one weather effect applied.
Unlike forests and mountains on the ground, all the sea weather effects move of 1 tile to the East (2 in winter) at the beginning of each turn. In addition, the entire sea weather layer is completely regenerated at the beginning of each season:
Lightning[]
Adventure map: Fleets take damage (45% of Max Life) at the beginning of their turn, if their tile is affected by this weather effect.
Battle area: Units take damage (15% of Max Life) at the beginning of the round, if their tile is affected by this weather type.
Fog[]
Adventure map: Fleet vision is blocked by tiles affected by this weather type. Note that fleets can see out of fog tiles, just not into or beyond them. This means that a fleet in the fog is effectively invisible.
Battle area: Units in an affected tile gain 30% of Defense bonus against ranged attacks.
Seaweed[]
Adventure map: The movement cost of affected tiles is increased from 1 to 2. Battle area: The movement cost of affected tiles is increased from 1 to 2.
Rain[]
Adventure map: +50% Army Upkeep when starting the turn on an affected tile. Battle area: -3 morale to units on an affected tile.
Turbulence[]
Adventure map: The movement cost of affected tiles is decreased from 1 to 0.5.
Battle area: The movement cost of affected tiles is decreased from 1 to 0.5. Units in an affected tile have a 30% Attack penalty imposed on them.
Embarked units[]
Embarked land units and seafaring units can be combined freely, but the attributes of all land units are set to a fixed value whenever they are embarked, and their capacities no longer apply. They are effectively replaced with a weak “transport ship” unit when travelling by sea.
The attributes of this transport ship are defined by the empire, not by the unit. However, the unit’s level influences the amount of life the transport ship has.
Embarked heroes have stronger “flagship” transports and their skills continue to apply on the sea.
Sea Fortresses[]
 |
 |
|---|
An ocean region can contain between 0 and 3 fortresses depending on its size and topological importance. It is possible to take control of fortresses through diplomacy, combat or quests. Fortresses have a garrison but do not have fortification so they need units to protect them.
Fortress Composition[]
A fortress is composed of a central “citadel” tile and up to 4 “facility” tiles. Each fortress tile can give Influence, Science or Dust. On their side, Facilities grant very specific bonuses to their fortress’s owner:
A fortress’s owner can garrison units inside: units in garrison cost less upkeep and regenerate faster.
Capturing a fortress provides exploration (but not vision) of the citadel tiles of all the oceanic region’s other fortresses.
Roaming Fleets[]
At the beginning of the game, fortresses are controlled by a neutral faction of enigmatic and rather hostile creatures called Fomorians. Masters of sea-craft, they can control and create warships.
Neutral-controlled fortresses periodically spawn warships which gradually fills out their garrison in order to patrol their regions. Fomorians of one region become hostile to major empires only once they have been attacked first, trying to take back fortresses if necessary.
Fortresses in neutral regions can be attacked if they are Fomorian-controlled or if the empire is at least in cold war with the owner.
It is not possible to Bribe, Convert, Pillage or Besiege a fortress.
Facilities[]
The bonuses provided by sea fortresses are “made flesh” in the form of Facility tiles adjacent to the central citadel. These can provide either strategic or luxury resources or a significant and world-unique bonus which increases as more facilities are captured.
|
|
|
|---|
Resource Facilities[]
Strategic Resource Facility
Provides its owner with one strategic resource at the start of the turn. Extraction technologies are not needed.
Luxury Resource Facility
Provides its owner with one of the luxury resource at the start of the turn. Extraction technologies are not needed.
Unique Facilities[]
Vision Facility
Increases by 2 the vision range of all fortresses belonging to the owner.
The owner's fortresses can detect invisible units within their vision range.
Opens when the most-advanced empire reaches Era 1.
Food Facility
Automatically creates a Food stockpile every 10 turns (on normal speed) for the current facility’s owner once the facility is opened.
The counter is never reset, even if the owner changes.
Opens when the most-advanced empire reaches Era 1.
Industry Facility
Automatically creates a Industry stockpile every 10 turns (on normal speed) for the current facility’s owner once the facility is opened.
The counter is never reset, even if the owner changes.
Opens when the most-advanced empire reaches Era 1.
Science Facility
Automatically creates a Science stockpile every 10 turns (on normal speed) for the current facility’s owner once the facility is opened.
The counter is never reset, even if the owner changes.
Opens when the most-advanced empire reaches Era 2.
Luxury Boost Facility
This fortress grants +50% Luxury resource on all luxury resource facilities on empire
Opens when the most-advanced empire reaches Era 2.
Strategic Boost Facility
This fortress grants +50% Strategic resource on all Strategic resource facilities on empire
Opens when the most-advanced empire reaches Era 2.
Center of Influence
Increases the owner’s gross influence income by 10 and by a further 1% per fortress they control.
Decreases the other empires’ gross influence incomes by 10 and by a further 1% per fortress the controlled by the owner of the Center of Influence, including the Fomorians.
Opens when the most-advanced empire reaches Era 3.
Cargo Nexus
Increases by 5% the dust and science income provided by all of the empire’s sea trade routes.
Further increases this income by 1% per fortress controlled by the owner.
Opens when the most-advanced empire reaches Era 3.
Ship Efficiency Facility
The production cost of all the owner’s seafaring units is reduced of 10%.
Production costs are further reduced by 2% per fortresses controlled by the owner
Opens when the most-advanced empire reaches Era 3.
Dust Accumulator
Increases the owner’s gross dust income by 10 and by a further 1% per fortress they control.
Decreases the other empires’ gross dust incomes by 10 and by a further 1% per fortress the controlled by the owner of the Dust Accumulator, including the Fomorians.
Opens when the most-advanced empire reaches Era 4.
Vile Tide Facility
The empire controlling this fortress will no longer be targeted by the sea monster.
Ship Optimization Facility
The attack attribute of all the owner’s seafaring units is increased of 10%.
The attack and defense attributes of all the owner's seafaring units is further increased by 5% per fortress they own.
Opens when the most-advanced empire reaches Era 4.
Sky Shaker Facility
This fortress grants the ability to periodically reset the weather layer to a chosen state.
Opens when the most-advanced empire reaches Era 5.
Ocean Control[]
Once an empire controls all the fortresses in an ocean region they gain control of the region itself. Controlling a region provides bragging rights but also significant benefits:
Team color: the region takes the color of the empire which controls it, much like a land region.
Naming Rights : It becomes possible to rename the ocean.
Trade Routes: The science and dust yield of ocean trade routes is doubled if they cross only self or friendly controlled oceanic regions.
Facility Resource Production: The strategic and luxury resource production of deposits in a controlled oceanic region is increased by 50%.
Fortress Vision Bonus: The vision range of all fortresses is increased by 3.
Regeneration: As on land, units in an ally controlled ocean region regenerate at a higher rate.
Retrofitting: As on land, units in a controlled ocean region can be retrofitted.
It is necessary to declare war on an empire in order to attack fortresses in an oceanic region that they control. However border policies do not apply on the sea: you can enter the oceanic region of an empire which has closed their borders!
Sea Monster[]
In mid-almost late game, a global competitive quest might start, mostly depending on the average number of technologies unlocked per empire. Empires can attempt to defeat the creature for a significant treasure... provided that they are powerful enough!
This boss-like creature has its particularities: powerful, strong regeneration abilities, 100% submersible (furtive), unit designs changing through the game.
It is composed of a massive maw and many appendages that must all be destroyed to completely annihilate the monster.