Unbidden Crisis Guide: How to Prepare for and Beat the Extradimensional Invaders

The Unbidden are energy beings invading from another dimension. Unlike a straightforward “big robot horde” crisis, their fleets can keep reinforcing mid-battle through their portals — which means a war of attrition works against you, not for them.

Early warning signs

• Anomalies or unexplained energy readings tied to “dimensional horror” style events, appearing on the map, are a strong sign the crisis is about to start.
• The crisis typically begins mid-to-late game (the exact timing depends on your crisis strength/timing settings) from a rift that opens somewhere in the galaxy.

Combat notes: why attrition warfare doesn’t work here

The Unbidden’s fleets keep getting reinforced through their portal, so if your fleet just sits and grinds on the front line, you’re effectively buying them time to reinforce — not the other way around. The correct approach:

1. Prioritize destroying the portal itself rather than trying to mop up every invading fleet one by one. As long as the portal stands, reinforcements never stop.
2. Prioritize shields over armor — the Unbidden’s weapons are mostly energy-based, so shield-heavy fleet designs hold up noticeably better against them.
3. Concentrate your force for decisive strikes. Splitting your fleet to garrison multiple fronts is much less effective against this crisis than massing up and taking out portal nodes one at a time.

Pre-war checklist

• Aim for total fleet power at least 120% above the crisis warning threshold before engaging, to leave yourself a margin of error.
• Unlock at least one ascension perk that directly boosts fleet survivability or output before the crisis hits — see the Ascension Perks wiki entry.
• Check that your main fleet designs already lean shield-heavy for energy damage — see Ship Design Basics.
• Diplomatically, try to avoid being at war with a neighbor when the crisis breaks out — fighting on two fronts will badly slow your response.

The Unbidden isn’t a crisis you out-scale by brute force alone — how you prioritize destroying the portals matters more than raw fleet tonnage.