[This chapter is for reference only.]
War and fleets were undoubtedly an unavoidable topic in Stellaris.
In this chapter, I will teach you how the rules of war work and how to outfit your ships.
In the early and even middle stages of an economy-focused playthrough, you do not need to worry about your fleets. Your nearby alien friends will protect you, because the xenophilic United Nations of Earth can get along with most aliens.
Of course, once your economic development carries you into the mid-to-late game, the fleet issue will gradually rear its head.
The essence of an economy-focused playstyle is to give you the strength to churn out ships confidently in the late game. Ultimately, it all comes down to developing your economy. That way, even if you know nothing about ship builds or tactics, your powerful logistics and ship production can make up for everything.
You absolutely cannot go without a few powerful fleets of your own. I will teach you how to outfit your ships and build your fleets.
Now find Fleet Management in the UI on the left. You will see that you have just one small fleet, consisting of only three corvettes. Its fleet power is displayed beside it: less than 500.
However, you should understand that fleet power on paper can differ wildly from actual combat performance. Comparing the displayed numbers before a war can only give you a rough idea. To see how strong a fleet really is, you have to send it into battle.
Your choice of ship weapons and other modules will profoundly affect your fleet's strength. Now find and open the Ship Designer. This is where we will do our work.
In the very early game, you do not need to research other weapons. Blue Lasers alone will suffice.