Stellaris – Starbase Guide

Last updated on October 10th, 2024 at 02:13 pm

In Stellaris, starbases are essential structures that are the backbone of your empire’s defense, economy, and expansion. This guide will break down the different types of starbases, their key modules and buildings, and offer strategies for maximizing their effectiveness in various stages of the game.

General Information

• Levels:
  • Outpost (available at the start of the game)
  • Starport (available at the start of the game; first level with modules (2) and buildings (1))
  • Starhold
  • Star Fortress
• Every upgrade to the next level of starbase allows for 2 more modules and 1 more building with the final level only unlocking the fourth building slot
• It’s best to specialize starbases via modules and buildings
  • Modules: External extensions of starbases that determine the role of the starbase
  • Buildings: Internal additions to a starbase that either improve the function of modules or add buffs to the starbase
• FTL Inhibition technology will give each starbase an FTL Inhibitor, preventing enemy ships from leaving a system unless it’s by the hyper lane they came from
• Different types of starbases
  • Shipyards
  • Economic/trading hub
  • Anchorage
  • (Border) Defense
• Starbase priority
  • Border defense starbases
  • Shipyard starbases (usually only need 1)
  • Anchorage starbases / economic/trade starbases

Border defense starbases

• Purpose: Border defense; defense of wormholes and gateways
• Build at choke points (only one hyper lane goes deeper into your space)
• Each starbase comes with built-in weapons and defenses
• Individual weapons and defenses cannot be changed; starbases are always auto-designed; tier 3 is the maximum level for all weapons
• Module choice should depend on techs available to you; better lasers/kinetic weapons -> Gun Battery; better missiles -> Missile Battery
• The main factors for combat strength are building choice and defense platforms (defense platforms can be customized)
• Auras from starbases stack with auras from ships in the system
• Modules
  • Gun Battery (adds lasers/kinetic weapons)
  • Missile Battery (add missiles)
  • Hangar Bay (adds strike craft)
    • Great for fighting corvettes; accuracy counters corvette’s evasion
    • Generally the best defensive module; even better in Black Hole systems (disengagement chance in these systems is reduced by 50%)
• Buildings (early game priority)
  • Disruption Field Generator
  • Target Uplink Computer
  • Communications Jammer
• Buildings (with Hangar Bay)
  • Communications Jammer
  • Target Uplink Computer
• Buildings (late game, lone starbase)
  • Communications Jammer
  • Mercenary Garrison
  • Target Uplink Computer
  • Defense-Grid Supercomputer (adding Defense Platform Cap is the best option for lone starbases)
• Buildings (late game, starbase + fleet in the system)
  • Disruption Field Generator
  • Command Center
  • Mercenary Garrison
  • Communication Jammer

Shipyard starbases

• Purpose: Building ships
• Modules
  • Shipyard
• Buildings
  • Crew Quarters/Crew Gestation Chambers (as Hive Mind)/Service Umbilicals (as Machine Intelligence) -> –25% Docked ship upkeep
  • Fleet Academy/Battle Simulators (as Gestalt Consciousness) -> +100 Ship Starting Experience (ships start at level 2 -> +10% Ship Weapons Damage)
  • Titan Assembly Yards
  • Colossal Assembly Yards
  • Hyperlane Registrar
• Location
  • Never directly at the border but close to a location where you expect to need ships
  • Preferably near a gateway
  • Preferably in a nebula to hide them from enemy sensors

Anchorage starbases

• Purpose: Boosting naval capacity; lowest value purpose for a starbase
• Modules
  • Anchorage (+4 Naval Capacity)
• Buildings
  • Naval Logistics Office (+2 Naval Capacity from each Anchorage)
  • Hydroponics Bay
  • Resource Silo
• Location:
  • Choose a location for potential additional buildings (e.g. enclave buildings or Black Hole Observatory)

Economic/trade starbases

• Purpose: Boosting the economy, gathering and protecting trade value
• Modules
  • Trade Hub
  • Solar Panel Network (only for Gestalt Consciousness)
• Buildings
  • Offworld Trading Company
  • Hydroponics Bay (requires Hydroponics Farming tech)
  • Resource Silo (better than using them on planets; planet building slots are more valuable)
  • Nebula Refinery (requires starbase to be in a nebula and the Zero-G Refineries)
  • Deep Space Black Site (only in colonized systems)

Further reading: https://stellaris.paradoxwikis.com/Starbase