Fleetsaving
Fleetsaving moves valuable ships and loaded resources away from a station while you cannot manage them. It reduces exposure to an ordinary attack on the origin, but a mission is not a guarantee of safety: destination, mission events, visibility and return timing still matter.
Choose a mission deliberately
| Mission | What happens | Main planning risk |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy to another owned station | Ships remain there after arrival | They are exposed if they arrive while you are away |
| Transport to another owned station | Cargo unloads there; ships return | Resources stay at the destination, not in the returning fleet |
| Harvest | Eligible salvage ships collect a field and return | Field availability, travel time and phalanx visibility still matter |
Check the mission's rules in the Launch Pad. Deep-space holds and Exploration are not risk-free substitutes: they can have encounters or losses. NPC empire automation is held, but human players still scout and attack.
Before going offline
- Confirm the selected playable galaxy and origin station.
- Select available movable ships. Solar Satellites cannot fly, and ships already in missions or other custody are not available to select again.
- Load the supplies you intend to move. Base holds are 10,000 for Small Cargo and 50,000 for Large Cargo, before research. Travel fuel is paid separately from the hold; keep enough Deuterium at the origin to launch.
- Choose a valid destination and station slot, preferably one you control for Deploy or Transport.
- Read the full-speed arrival and return preview. Add a buffer beyond your expected absence.
- Launch, then verify the accepted mission appears in your mission list. A rejected or unconfirmed launch has not protected the fleet.
New launches use 100% speed; there is no low-speed slider to stretch a short route overnight. Distance, the slowest ship, drive research and mission rules determine the actual trip. Use the preview instead of an old mission's timing or a guessed fuel formula.
Understand where your resources will be
Transport unloads cargo at the destination. If you wanted those resources kept in flight until you return, an unattended destination can defeat that plan. Deploy arrives and stays rather than automatically returning. Harvest needs the correct salvage hulls and target; additional fleet cargo and mission rules determine what can be carried.
Idle cargo ships do not automatically store or protect resources at a station. Only resources actually loaded onto an accepted mission move with that fleet. Leave enough fuel behind if other ships may need an emergency launch.
Visibility and recall
Do not rely on old moon fleetsaving guides: normal moons were consolidated into stations, and moon creation/destruction are unavailable. Eligible station traffic can appear in Sensor Phalanx reports. Varying your schedule is useful, but it does not make a route invisible.
Recall depends on the current mission state. Check the return time after recalling; it is not universally “half the remaining flight time.” A fleet in return flight cannot be launched again until it arrives. A Jump Gate transfers immediately and leaves ships docked at its destination; it does not keep them safely in transit overnight.
When you return
Check incoming attacks and current mission times before letting the fleet settle. Be present around arrival and confirm ships and resources reached the intended place. Splitting a fleet can spread timing risk, but consumes more mission capacity and increases the number of arrivals to manage.
For a longer absence, review Isolation Mode and its entry conditions. It is a separate protection mode, not something an ordinary fleetsave automatically enables.