Pax Autocratica Beginner Guide

Pax Autocratica mixes colony management with FPS roguelite runs, and new players usually bounce off one of the two sides. This guide covers the systems that actually matter in the first few hours of Early Access.

1. The loop in one sentence

You run the colony to fund and equip expeditions, and you run expeditions to bring back resources and prisoners for the colony. Neither half works alone — starving the base while you're off fighting, or hoarding soldiers at home, both end badly.

2. Colony first, guns second

Early on, the colony side is the bottleneck. The community wiki's advice is consistent: start with colony production and citizen control before you worry about loadouts. A stable base means expeditions have ammo, food and backups. Priorities in order:

• Production. Get basic resource chains running — you'll need steady income before any expansion.
• Citizen management. Work, fear, loyalty, bonds and feuds are the five stats that drive everything. Loyal citizens work harder; scared ones work too, until they snap.
• Policies. The policy layer (fear, hunger, loyalty, control) is where you tune the dial. Harsh policies buy short-term output at the cost of long-term stability.

3. Expeditions: prepare before you drop

Expeditions take you into star sectors with your soldiers — think of them as the FPS roguelite runs. Before you launch one:

• Check your squad's weapons and cores (more on those below).
• Expect the run to be randomized — the sectors, enemies and rewards change, so don't plan a perfect build ahead of time.
• Bring prisoners home when you can. Captured enemies can be imprisoned, converted into true believers, recruited, or sacrificed — all four options feed different colony strategies.

4. Cores: the roguelite build layer

Cores are where combat builds come from. There are weapon cores, combo cores, and soldier builds — the wiki breaks them into loadouts, ammo pressure, and the choices that shape each run. Early tip: don't hoard cores for a "perfect" run. Spend them, learn what combos feel good, and let the roguelite do its thing — runs are meant to be replayed.