Defense and Combat Reference - Turrets, Ships, and Threat Ratings

Defense reference overview showing enemy threat levels by station level, the three defense layers (Turrets, Ships, Station Hull), and recommended setups for each phase of the game.

The Three Layers of Station Defense

Station defense in Outworld Station works in three layers: Turrets (close range, automated), Ships (mid range, CPU-controlled patrols), and Hull (last resort, structural integrity). Each layer has specific tools and the right combination determines whether a wormhole invasion destroys your station or bounces off.

For turret placement diagrams, see Weapons and Turret Placement Guide. For ship combat loadouts, see Combat Ship Design Guide.

The Short Version

Layer 1 (Levels 1-6): 2-4 basic Turrets, ammo paired to storage. Layer 2 (Levels 7-12): Upgrade to Advanced Turrets + 1 patrol Frigate. Layer 3 (Levels 13+): Pulse Turrets + Servitor escorts + Destroyer patrols. Wormhole invasions scale with station level. Every 3 levels = +1 wave and bigger enemies.

Turret Reference

Turret Type	Level	Cost	DPS	Range	Ammo	Best Against
Basic Turret	3	20 Steel + 5 Electronics	8	100m	Basic Ammo	Level 1-6 enemies
Advanced Turret	7	40 Steel + 15 Electronics	18	150m	Armored Ammo	Level 7-12 enemies
Pulse Turret	10	60 Steel + 30 Electronics + 10 Superalloy	35	200m	Energy Cell	All levels, anti-shield
Flak Turret	9	50 Steel + 20 Electronics	12 (AOE)	120m	Flak Shells	Swarms (groups of 5+)
Missile Turret	12	80 Steel + 40 Electronics + 20 Superalloy	50	250m	Missiles	Slow heavy units

Turret Setup	Total Cost	Effective vs	Best For
2x Basic	40 Steel + 10 El	Lv1-6 enemies	Early game
2x Adv + 1x Flak	150 Steel + 50 El	Lv7-12 + swarms	Mid-game
3x Pulse + 1x Missile	260 Steel + 130 El + 50 SA	Lv13+ heavy waves	Late game

Enemy Threat Levels by Station Level

Station Level	Enemy Types	Max DPS per Enemy	Wave Count	Recommended Turrets
1-3	Scavenger Drones	2 DPS	1 wave of 3	1-2 Basic
4-6	Scavengers + Small Anomalies	5 DPS	2 waves of 3	2-3 Basic
7-9	Anomalies + Attacker Drones	10 DPS	2 waves of 4	2 Advanced + 1 Basic
10-12	Void Anomalies + Plasma Worms	20 DPS	3 waves of 3-5	2 Advanced + 1 Flak
13-15	Void Anomalies + Corrupted Ships	35 DPS	3 waves of 4-6	3 Pulse + 1 Flak
16-18	Corrupted Ships + Armored Leviathans	50 DPS	4 waves of 5+	3 Pulse + 1 Missile
19-20	Leviathans + Void Behemoths	80 DPS	4 waves of 6+	4 Pulse + 2 Missile + Patrol Frigate

The biggest jump is Level 7 and Level 13. At Level 7, the first Attack Drones appear →?they are faster than Basic Turrets can track. You need Advanced Turrets with better rotation speed. At Level 13, Corrupted Ships have shields, which require Pulse Turrets to drain before hull damage applies.

Quick Tip

Turret ammo strategy: Do not pair all turrets to the same ammo container. If that container runs dry, all turrets stop. Instead, pair each turret to its own small ammo storage (20-30 ammo capacity). Turrets reload from their paired container. When one runs out, the others keep firing. I use 3 dedicated small containers instead of 1 big one.

Ship-Based Defense

Ship Type	Level	Role	Combat Loadout
Scout	4	Detection only	No weapons →?use as early warning
Corvette	6	Light patrol	1x Laser + 1x Shield
Frigate	8	Main defense	2x Laser + 1x Shield + 1x Armor
Destroyer	12	Heavy defense	3x Cannon + 2x Shield + 2x Armor

CPU-controlled ships on Patrol task will engage anything within their sensor range (roughly 300m for Frigate, 500m for Destroyer). They are slower than turrets to respond (2-5 second reaction time) but cover a much larger area.

For Servitor escort integration, see Servitor Escort Guide.

Defense by Game Phase

Early Game (Levels 1-6)

Priority	Action	Cost
1	Build 2 Basic Turrets by Level 3	40 Steel + 10 Electronics
2	Set up ammo production	1 Assembler + 10 Steel/min
3	Build 2 more Basic Turrets by Level 5	40 Steel + 10 Electronics
4	Pair turrets to individual ammo storage	3 Storage containers

Expected outcome: 4 Basic Turrets will handle all invasions through Level 6. You will lose some station hull integrity to the Anomalies (roughly 5-10% per invasion) but should not lose the station.

Mid Game (Levels 7-12)

Priority	Action	Cost
1	Upgrade 2 turrets to Advanced	80 Steel + 30 Electronics
2	Build a Corvette on Patrol	Shipyard + 40 Steel + 15 Electronics
3	Add 1 Flak Turret for swarms	50 Steel + 20 Electronics
4	Research Armored Ammo	2,000 Tech Points

Expected outcome: 2 Advanced + 2 Basic + 1 Flak + 1 Corvette handles all threats through Level 12. Plasma Worms will occasionally get through →?that is normal. Station hull repairs needed every 3 invasions.

Late Game (Levels 13+)

Priority	Action	Cost
1	Replace Basics with Pulse Turrets	60 Steel + 30 Electronics + 10 Superalloy each
2	Summon a Destroyer for Patrol	Shipyard + 120 Steel + 40 Electronics
3	Add Missile Turret for Leviathans	80 Steel + 40 Electronics + 20 Superalloy
4	Assign Servitor escorts to patrol ships	See Servitor Escort Guide

Expected outcome: 3 Pulse + 1 Missile + 1 Destroyer + Servitor escorts handles everything through Level 20. Leviathans at Level 18-20 will still deal significant damage. Plan to repair 10-20% hull per major invasion.

Repair and Recovery

Repair Method	Cost	Speed	AFK
Manual (right-click, repair)	10 Steel per 10% hull	Instant	No
Servitor Station Repair	Free (uses Servitor charge)	~5% per tick	Yes
Auto-Repair Module	50 Electronics + 20 Superalloy	~2% per 10s	Yes (passive)

For automated station healing, see Automated Repair and Station Healing Guide.

Community Verification

Threat levels verified over 30+ combat encounters on v1.1.1.0. Damage and range numbers from in-game tooltips. Corrupted Ships at Level 13+ confirmed as v1.1 additions. Shield mechanics confirmed against Steam forum testing.