This is a guide listing the unit blueprints you can get from defeating minor factions. I've also added some opinions on what blueprints can be useful to the different policy trees.

These independent minor factions are the one planet neutral factions spread across the galaxy. There is a random chance to get one of their unit blueprints when defeating them.

I think of the units as 3 Tiers. Others may think there are 4 tiers (with "9" or "10 cost" units, or "Limit 1" units, being their own tier). I'm fine with either way, but there are no "Tier 4" (ie, 9 or 10 Cost, or Limit 1 units) that come from minor factions.

This is my own system, not a system within the game itself. I think of them this way as units within these "tiers" tend to have similar stats. I'm just listing them this way so you can see the relative strength of the units as compared to the other units you can get.

Tier 1 - starter units.

Tier 2 - first units unlocked in a policy tree by research.

Tier 3 - advanced units unlocked in a policy tree by research.

Here are some unit blueprints that should be targeted with specific policy trees in mind:


Policy Tree: Black Khalif Jihad

Key Attributes:

• Blackhole Gun
  
• Power Shield
  
• Auto Repair

In my opinion, the best unit blueprint available from neutral planets. All Titans are great but this one may be the best. Useful for any faction, but especially strong for the Black Khalif.

Permanent 50% damage reduction from Power Shield + Auto Repair. Blackhole Gun for area damage against multiple units and strong melee against single units. Transfer lets it teleport around the battlefield for easier flank and rear attacks.

Combined with Black Khalif's Blackhole Gun policies, a couple of these will quickly wipe out enemy armies.


Policy Tree: Emishi Pirates, Royalists, Eastgalaxy, any ammunition or missile policy tree

Key Attributes:

• Missile
  
• Magnetic Field
  
• Loot

A 6 missile warship, the Emishi policy tree's missile bonuses can make this a very powerful unit. Loot also helps reduce supply needs. Downside is it's 7 Cost in fleet capacity.

This unit is really essential for the Emishi, their policy tree only has one advanced Missile warship (Yawata) which has a Limit of 1. Without it they are heavily reliant on their instakill and tempt mecha, which are great but it's good to have some surefire big missile damage as insurance in case of poor luck.

Royalists and Eastgalaxy could definitely put them to use as well, thanks to their ammunition policies. If you play a custom faction and can get it, Qinglong plays well with any of the policy tree with missile or ammunition bonuses.

Eastgalaxy has units (Magellan, Kraken) that are probably better for their policy tree since they're only 6 Cost and get the rail gun accuracy and energy reduction policies.

But the Qinglong is a much higher damage dealer than the Luna Battlecruiser for Royalists, trading versatility (Luna has both lances and cannons) for the higher missile damage from the damage + accuracy bonuses.


Policy Tree: Any Mecha focused policy tree

Key Attributes:

• Tier 3 Mecha
  
• Power Shield
  
• Indomitable

While I like Silver Shields and Black Riders better they're a bit tougher to target and tend to get rushed by other factions. Additionally, Mamelukes might be the weakest Tier 3 mecha and a more useful blueprint is available at Malacca with the Fast Merchantman.

I specifically point out Rattan Soldiers because they can be targeted together with several other units like the support ships below.

If you are playing a custom faction you can start at Granada and target several of these blueprints. Thanks to Power Shield, Rattan Soldiers are a great choice to be your front line fighters to absorb the first enemy attacks and bait enemies into counter attacks. Indomitable helps keep them alive longer than other units getting hammered by enemies, but only slightly.

Rattan Soldiers also have slightly higher Agility than some of the Tier 3 mecha.

These guys are really defensive specialists compared to their peers, survivors who can be the "tank" for your other units. Just like the historical Rattan Shields, these guys can take a lot of damage without splitting or shattering, protecting those behind the shield.



Policy Tree: Any

Key Attributes:

• 5000 Energy
  
• Cannons
  
• Replenish

The most versatile support ship in the game (not counting the Parasite Carrier). Replenish allows multiple units to be resupplied, and with 5000 Energy it can keep your units in a fight for a long time if necessary.

Unlike other support units, this one is far from defenseless. 6 Cannons make this unit somewhat dangerous for enemies.

It can even be a useful attack ship in some situations, though this would be secondary function as they are not going to replace actual Warships.

One negative is it's 7 Cost, which may make it harder to fit into fleets than the next unit:


Policy Tree: Any

Key Attributes:

• 6 Movement
  
• 4200 Energy
  
• Overhaul

This might be the most valuable support ship in the game, (again, aside from the Parasite Carrier). It's the fastest support ship in the game, with 6 movement. This means you don't have the issue basic support ships have with only 3 movement. It can keep up with your fleet movements in battle, and escape dangerous situations that would usually destroy a support ship that gets too close to enemies.

It's also a 6 Cost unit, which enables it fit in better to a fleet than the 7 Cost Shuinsen Transport.

While it doesn't have a weapon and doesn't have Replenish, meaning it can only supply 1 unit at a time, the movement is just too good to ignore. Overhaul can be useful in some situations as well, especially nukes or other things that cause status afflictions to multiple units.

Here are few other units to consider with specific policy trees, usually with custom factions starting close to particular neutral planets.


Policy Tree: Black Khalif Jihad

Reason:

• Save research points and turns

This unit takes 1000 Research Points (RP) and 5 turns to get, 4 turns with Prophetic Words researched first.

Capturing it from Blackstone can save significant time and RP, letting you get to other policies faster. The amount of time and RP really make it worthwhile if you're able to capture Blackstone anyway, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.


Policy Tree: Any mecha focused policy tree

Reason:

• Elite mecha

These two mecha units are pretty good. Silver Shields are amazing, arguably the best mecha blueprints in the game due to Chase and Power Shields.

However, both of these units can be difficult to target unless you move fast. Black Riders especially, since Gedrosia can get taken in the first few turns. Silver Shields can sometimes be available longer, but both Lycurgus and Aerie tend to get bounties on Thessaly and Antigonus, which can lead to 5 or 6 fleets swarming it very early in the game on some occasions.

I usually find more benefit for a mecha focused policy tree to get the Fast Merchantman, Shuinsen Transport, and Rattan Soldiers by starting at Grenada. Especially if you are playing with Westwastes policy tree, since they already have a Mecha with Chase and you can use the Power Shield boosts for Rattan Soldiers to use them as defensive units taking the brunt of enemy attacks and to set up your other unit's attacks.


Policy Tree: Royalist, Eastocean, Black Khalif Jihad

Reason:

• 8 cannon, 6 cost Warship

The ammunition policy trees that give a boost to accuracy can make the Elder Battlecruiser pretty good. Since cannons are low accuracy and low damage, I try to focus on other types of damage. But with the +10 accuracy from these policy trees (+15 from Royalists) and the ammunition bonus damage, these ships are much more valuable. When used with lock from a support ship, with the accuracy bonus you're looking at 90% accuracy (95% Royalists).

With ammunition damage bonuses of 10% or more for these policy trees and Lock from support ships, you're talking about an average of:

950.4 damage per attack for Black Khalif;
993.6 for Eastocean; and
1048.8 for Royalists.

That's above what Lances will average even for a fully researched Grand Armada (3 lances average with 10% damage and 10% accuracy bonuses average 891 damage, 990 with Lock). It's not even that far off Northsky's lance damage (3 lances with full Northsky bonuses averages 1026, 1140 with Lock).

And since Beam Field is far more common than Magnetic Field, the Elder Battlecruiser can be pretty dangerous to most of the factions in the game.

For a Black Khalif Jihad policy tree, this is really more about saving Research Points and Research turns since it's already in their policy tree... might as well get it so there's one less thing to research.


Policy Tree: Free Stars, Eastgalaxy, any policy tree with ammunition damage bonus

Reason:

• Siege Guns with Chase

Siege Guns are a guaranteed 900 damage unless they have Carapace, (670 damage to Carapace). With the 30% ammunition damage bonus from Free Stars and Eastgalaxy, these Siege Guns with 100% accuracy will do 1170 damage per attack.

Combining the guaranteed damage with Chase, now you have a unit that can wipe out multiple units per turn in the right conditions.

With Free Stars 20% ammunition energy reduction, they become even better as their energy usage drops to 216 Energy per attack instead of 270.

Other policy trees with ammunition bonuses like the Regent or Royalists help them, too.

Policy Tree: Eastgalaxy, any ammunition policy tree

Reason:

• Railgun (ammunition) units with low cost

These two railgun units are more useful for Eastgalaxy, but can help some other ammunition policy trees as well.

Blowgun Submarine especially benefit from not only the Rail Gun policies from Eastgalaxy, but also the strong Submarine policies. 30% damage, 10% accuracy, -10 Energy use per rail gun, 15% power, 20% Energy, and 1 movement... this sub is really strong for a 4 cost unit now.

Ghost Drones can fill a niche for Eastgalaxy as well, especially if they get the independent hero Bill who gives +10% accuracy to fighters in his fleet. But it's probably not going to be a unit you use in the end game.

Any ammunition policy tree will obviously improve these units as well, especially if they have fighter bonuses for the Ghost Drone. Wouldn't try too hard to get these units unless I'm Eastgalaxy targeting the Blowgun Submarine (since they already have a supply ship that can compete with the Shuinsen Transport), but they can be useful for some factions.


Policy Tree: Any ammunition focused policy tree

Reason:

• Artillery for ammunition weapon trees

If you're going to take Rawa and have an ammunition policy tree, there are obvious benefits to getting the mid-tier artillery here. Not a great unit, but still pretty useful for a 5 Cost unit when it gets damage bonuses.

Rattan Soldiers are probably going to be the better option, however, for the Mecha policy trees or someone like Northsky.


Policy Tree: Iron Wing, Eastocean, Free Stars

Reason:

• good missile fighter at 4 Cost

If you're playing Iron Wing, this is the only neutral planet blueprint to target other than the support ships. It's stats are better than the Wildwolf fighter, but it doesn't have loot and has mildly more upkeep. Overall, I use it more than Wildwolf fighters, though it's not terribly important as they're marginally better and you're gonna focus on the Fenrir and Garuda fighters as the game does on.

Eastocean can really benefit a missile fighter with it's ammunition weapon policies and fighter policies. Free Stars could use the fighter, too, with it's 30% damage bonus and 20% energy reduction.

While any ammunition weapon type policy tree can benefit them, they generally aren't much help to fighters leaving this a sort of weak unit by the end game without some fighter bonuses.


Policy Tree: Emishi, Eastgalaxy, Free Stars, any ammunition policy tree

Reason:

• Surprisingly deadly 4 Cost submarine

3 Missiles + Emish policies = very deadly attack sub. For only 4 cost, you get a unit that can average 576 damage (648 when used with Lock from a support ship). That's pretty good, especially since most units have Beam Field and can't negate the damage. Even Magnetic Field can be bypassed by surprise attacks from subs in "diving" status. The movement bonus from Emishi help, too.

Eastgalaxy can give any ammunition sub a boost with their policies. Same for Free Stars, with their Ship policies applying as well as their ammunition damage bonus and ammunition energy reduction.

Other ammunition policy trees like Royalists, Eastocean, and Regent (among others) can use this sub, too.

Emishi is probably the only one who really should try for this unit, the other policy trees probably prefer the Heliopolis Siege Gun. But if you end up with the Javeline while using ammunition policy trees, it's still pretty useful.


Policy Tree: Free Stars

Reason:

• 4 Cost Fighter with 6 Machine Guns at full strength

It's not bad for Free Stars, who can put it to use replacing their 3 Cost Duelists. But honestly the Elder Battlecruiser is the better option at Hegra, just like it is for everyone else.


Policy Tree: Emishi, mecha policy trees

Reason:

• Missile Mecha for the mecha policy trees

Maybe controversial, but I don't find the Iron Soldiers all that useful for Omnics. I prefer the Doom Starfort as a possibly useful unit in panic attempts to defend planets... I just don't use Iron Soldiers for Omnics.

But...



They're very useful for mecha policy trees that can give them a solid boost. Also, the ranged damage from missiles can compliment the combat weapon (melee) heavy playstyle of some of these policy trees as secondary damage dealers to soften up enemies for the big hitters.

Policy Tree: Eastgalaxy, any ammunition policy tree

Reason:

• 4 Rail Guns on a 5 Cost Warship with Beam Field

These monsters can absolutely devastate Imperial units.

Obviously this is perfect for Eastgalaxy policy trees, but hard to get from Ghost Sphere as Omnics rush the planet and you can't start too close to it. (Well, Casablanca is kind of close but it's a terrible starting point for a custom faction).

Any ammunition policy tree can make these ships very strong for a 5 Cost, Limit 5 unit.


Policy Tree: Pella

Reason:

• Mithril Drill warships

If you're playing with Pella's policy tree, these ships can be useful. Especially if you're not using Mercenary Culture type, so you don't have any Ram ship until you get the Limit 1 Seleucus Megaship. So getting some more ships with Mithril drill is much more valuable than the other options on the Moai, Salamis, and Thessaly.

With Rawa, you probably still want the Rattan Soldiers unless you're just going to ignore mecha (and therefore half their policies).

While you could use Salamis and Thessaly to target Heliopolis Siege Guns and Silver Shields to save on research points and research time, I think getting Trident Battleships from one of them is more important. If you are using the Mercenary culture, then it doesn't matter since you'll already have Trident Battleships as a starter unit.

If you can get one of these blueprints, or both (if you're doing Mercenary culture and starting at Granada or Yizhou), then you can really bully enemies by setting up chain attacks to ram enemies into oblivion. Or at least pushing the most dangerous enemies off the map if they're close enough.