Distant Worlds 2: The Ultimate Guide to Troops

by Lordtoto01 / Distant Worlds 2, Game Guides / 15 Mar 2022

In Distant Worlds 2, there are numerous troop types, some of which are faction-specific, while others are shared by all races. They serve as offensive and defensive units, and knowing how to manage them is essential for establishing a powerful empire. This guide provides a brief overview of all troops, how and when to recruit them, and a few pointers on how to properly organize them.

Interested in learning more about the game? Read the rest of our Distant Worlds 2 guides to better understand how to play the game.

Distant Worlds 2 Troops Overview

Troops defend your colonies against enemy invasions (other empires and creatures). You can also use them to attack enemies or invade colonies in distant worlds.

Each faction has its own unique infantry troops that you can recruit without building any special planetary facility.

Race	Type	Attack/Defense	Size, Recruitment cost, and Upkeep cost
Ackdarian*	Defender Brigade	90/90	5,000/$2,500/$200
Atuuk	Hunting Party	68/68	5,000/$2,500/$200
Boskara*	Executioner Hive	135/135	5,000/$2,500/$200
Dhayut	Mercenary Brigade	126/126	5,000/$2,500/$200
Gizurean	War Swarm	92/92	5,000/$2,500/$200
Haakonish*	Battlematon Brigade	125/125	5,000/$2,500/$200
Human*	Strike Trooper Brigade	120/120	5,000/$2,500/$200
Ikkuro	Sentinal Force	134/134	5,000/$2,500/$200
Ketarov	Battle Group	72/72	5,000/$2,500/$200
Kiadian	Battle Trooper Brigade	128/128	5,000/$2,500/$200
Mortalen*	Conqueror Force	140/140	5,000/$2,500/$200
Naxxilian	Fighting Clan	129/129	5,000/$2,500/$200
Quameno	Battle Mech Brigade	96/96	5,000/$2,500/$200
Securan	Scout Group	76/76	5,000/$2,500/$200
Shandar	Protector Force	81/81	5,000/$2,500/$200
Sluken	Terminator Brigade	130/130	5,000/$2,500/$200
Teekan*	Trapper Group	65/65	5,000/$2,500/$200
Ugnari	WarBot Brigade	72/72	5,000/$2,500/$200
Wekkarus	Guardian Brigade	84/84	5,000/$2,500/$200
Zenox*	Robo-Guard Force	105/105	5000/$2,500/$200

* Playable Factions

Read our Distant Worlds 2 Faction Guide for detailed coverage on all the playable factions.

Troop readiness is measured on a scale of 1 to 100.

100 means all your troops are well-rested and ready for battle. Troop readiness takes a hit when your fleet suffers losses during combat.

Build medical facilities to accelerate troop healing/readiness.

How to Recruit troops in Distant Worlds 2

Troops have both Recruitment and Upkeep costs. Only recruit the troops you require because upkeep costs can quickly add up and pressurize your economy.

Troop maintenance cost only applies to fully trained units. Any troops that are being recruited do not have any upkeep costs.

You will have to train troops and then assign them to groups to use them in battle (defense and invasion). Here are a few factors that affect troop recruitment time:

Colony Size – A larger population recruits troops faster.

Type of Government – Certain governments offer bonuses for faster troop recruitment.

Other bonuses – Certain characters and facilities also provide recruitment rate bonuses to your troops.

Click on the ‘Manage Troops’ option under the ‘Selection Panel’ to recruit new troops.

New troops appear in the empty slots as you construct more buildings to unlock them.

Types of Troops in Distant Worlds 2

In Distant Worlds 2 there are five types of troops.

Infantry – It’s the basic defensive troop that’s available to you from the beginning. Each faction has its own infantry units, each with its own set of strengths and weaknesses.

Armored – The primary troops used for attacking. You need an Armor Barracks Facility to start recruiting armored troops.

Planetary Defense – Specialized defensive troops capable of intercepting the enemy as they are traveling from their landing ships to the planetary surface.

Special Forces – Highly-trained infantry units used to take out a colony’s defenses during an invasion. This includes ground facilities, enemy generals, and other defending units. The Defending Special Forces focus on dealing with Invading Special Forces units. You’ll need the Special Operations Barracks facility to recruit these troops.

Titans – Very powerful high-end attack units. You’ll need a Titan Manufacturing Center facility to recruit these units.

Here is a list of all the special units, along with other information.

Type, Building Required	Size	Attack/Defense	Recruit, Upkeep
Armored (Armor Barracks)#	10000	360/120	$3,750/$375
Special Forces (Special Operations Barracks)##	5000	240/90	$5,000/$500
Synthetic Brigade (Synthetic Troop Foundry)	4000	120/120	$20,000/$200
Aerospace Defense Brigade (Planetary Defensive Center)###	1500	48/72	$20,000/$2,000
Battle Robot Brigade (Robotic Troop Foundry)	4000	60/60	$1,250/$125
Titan Company (Titan Manufacturing Center)#	20000	600/360	$50,000/$1,000

# Infantry evasion

## Sabotage

### Intercept

Each troop’s attack and defense stats are unique. As a result, while some are better at attacking, others are suited for defending.

Not all troops are of the same and take up more or less space in transport ships depending on their overall size.

The tech tree has a bunch of upgrades for each of the specialized troop types, which improve both their attack and defensive power.

How to Garrison troops in Distant Worlds 2?

You can garrison troops in your colonies to prevent them from being picked up by troop transport ships.

Always garrison a certain number of troops in your colonies to prevent them from easily being taken over by the invading forces.

Garrisoned troops have a blue line underneath the unit icon.

Managing Ships and Fleets troop Loadouts

Select Army Templates from the Military menu to specify the troops you want to load into a fleet. It’s a great place to start if you’re a beginner since the system recommends the percentages for each troop type you should include in a fleet.

Learn more about the early game in our Distant Worlds 2 Beginners guide.

The transport ships load troops based on the percentages mentioned within the template. You can edit them if you’d like or create new templates altogether.

Distant Worlds 2: Ultimate Guide to Space Combat & Ship Types

The loading capacity of the transport ships is limited by troop availability. You might not get a full fleet if there aren’t enough ungarrisoned troops available in your colonies.

The transport ships will try to substitute available spaces with other troops in case there aren’t enough of a specified troop type to fill the fleet.

Miscellaneous Tips

Avoid recruiting too many troops because the upkeep costs can wreck your economy. Read our economy guide on Distant Worlds 2 for more information.

Only recruit troops if you’re about to launch an invasion.

Parting Thoughts

The troop management system is quite detailed and will take you a while to learn everything. The tech tree, best troop comps for specific situations, and figuring out the right amount of troops to keep on a retainer to prevent your economy from collapsing is all a part of the learning process. Hopefully, you’ve found this guide helpful, and if you have any ideas for future guides, share them in the comments below.

Lordtoto01

I’ve loved games ever since I was a child. I like playing them and sharing my feelings with other like-minded individuals. I started off writing as a hobby, and a few years later, my love for games is still as lively as ever and I intend to spread it throughout the gaming community.
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