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