EVE Galaxy Conquest: Master Your Commanders

Introduction

This guide compiles everything I know about Fleet Commanders in Eve Galaxy Conquest. Here, you’ll learn about the different types of commanders, the distinctions between Lead and Deputy Commanders, their stats and talents, upgrade mechanics, and much more.

If you’re looking for information on how ships work in the game, check out my comprehensive guide on ship stats. For fleet compositions, I have separate posts on the Top 10 fleets for Season 1 and Another 10 fleets for Season 2. Lastly, if you’re after a quick meta overview, take a look at my Ship Tier List and Commander Tier List.

All Commanders List

This section provides a detailed breakdown of each commander. You’ll find insights on how every talent works, which implants are effective, and which ships and commanders create the best synergy.

Disclaimer: There are currently 64 commanders, making this almost a book-worthy project! I’ll be adding them here one by one, so bookmark this page and check back regularly. In the meantime, let me know in the comments which commander you’d like me to cover first—I’ll prioritize based on demand!

1. Karth
2. Vepas
3. Mens
4. Santimona

Commander Stats Explained

Let’s start with the stats. Just like ships, some commander stats scale with level and red-star promotion, while others remain static and can only be altered by structures, implants, or talents during combat.

Below is a breakdown of each stat, from top to bottom:

Level (Lv.)

• Ranges from 1 to 50 and is determined by the commander’s experience.
• Directly affects other stats and the number of talent points available (1 point per level).
• As mentioned in my Top Game Tips post, level transfers between commanders are possible—allowing for strategic adaptations to different playstyles and goals.

Experience (EXP)

• Gained through almost any activity a commander participates in.
• Both Lead and Deputy Commanders earn the same amount of EXP, unless modified by specific effects.
• EXP is not gained faster by using fewer commanders in a fleet.
• The EXP curve is nonlinear:
  • Lv. 1 → 2 requires just 1 EXP.
  • Lv. 30 requires 500K EXP.
  • Lv. 49 → 50 requires a massive 14.4 million EXP.

To level up efficiently, there are strategies like the Infinite Vexor EXP Farm, covered in my Season 2 Fleet Comps Guide.

Stamina

Default value is 120, but Can increase to 140 by unlocking the Command Matrix passive talent (gained after a 3-star promotion).

• Each action consumes 15 Stamina, with a regen rate of 1 Stamina per 3 minutes (1 action every 45 minutes).
• Increasing the Stamina pool does NOT affect regen speed.
• You can reduce stamina recovery time by constructing Booster Arrays on Level 10 resource tiles:
  • Each maxed Booster Array reduces regen time by 5 minutes for one action (-4 seconds * 5 structure level * 15 stamina = 300 seconds).
  • You can build up to 3, reducing the regen time to 30 minutes per action.

Squad Capacity

• Determines the number of ships a commander can operate.
• Starts at 100 squads, increasing by +100 per level.
• At Level 50 with Command Matrix, max capacity is 5,300 squads.
• The number of ships per squad varies by ship type (explained in my Ship Stats Guide).
• Squad capacity applies to both Fleet Commanders independently, meaning adding a Deputy Commander doubles the fleet’s total ship count by up to another 5,300 squads.

Data Rate

Same as for ships, this stat determines turn order for all units in battle.

• A higher Data Rate means the commander acts earlier in the turn cycle.
• Works the same for ships and commanders, with actions queued based on raw Data Rate values.
• Does NOT scale with level or promotions—only implants or temporary combat effects can modify it.

Offense

• Scales with level and promotions.
• Affects two key aspects:
  • Ship Squad Damage Buff (only if the commander is the Leader).
  • Talent-specific effects (applies only if explicitly mentioned in the talent description).

Tactics

• Functions similarly to Offense, but instead:
  • Reduces damage taken by Ship Squads, the buff applied during the pre-combat phase (again, only if the commander is the Leader).
  • Modifies talents of that commander if specified in descriptions.

Types of Commanders

There are several ways to categorize commanders—by role (support, damage dealer, healer) or by stats. From a statistical perspective, commanders fall into three main types:

1. Offense-Oriented Commanders
   • Their Offense stat is nearly twice as high as their Tactics stat.
   • Typically possess two or even three damage-dealing talents.
   • Best suited for high-damage fleet compositions but can be fragile.
2. Tactics-Oriented Commanders
   • Primarily healers or damage mitigation specialists.
   • Their Tactics stat is significantly higher than their Offense stat.
   • Ideal for defensive and sustain-heavy fleet compositions.
3. Hybrid Commanders
   • Balanced stats, with both Offense and Tactics at similar values.
   • But their stats are either:
     • Slightly lower than pure Offense or Tactics commanders by ~15%, or
     • have a significantly lower Data Rate, making them act slower in battle.
   • They provide flexibility and can adapt to different fleet strategies.

My Preference: I generally prefer Tactics-Oriented and Hybrid Commanders as Lead Commanders. However, in glass cannon fleet compositions, where every percentage of damage matters, an Offense-Oriented commander can be the better choice.

Lead vs. Deputy Commanders – What’s the Difference?

Every fleet composition has two commander slots:

• Lead Commander (top slot, closer to the ship icon).
• Deputy Commander (bottom slot).

If you hover over the Offense and Tactics stats, a tooltip will display the % of bonus damage or damage reduction applied to ships. These two buffs are the only difference between the Lead and Deputy Commander roles. Both will have data listed, but only Leader’s buff application will be in your combat logs.

How These Buffs Work:

• Offense → Provides a % damage increase to the fleet’s ships.
• Tactics → Grants damage reduction % before armor and other mitigation effects during combat.
• Both buffs are applied during the pre-combat phase, which can be confirmed in battle logs.

Stat Scaling Example:

• An Offense-Oriented commander as a Lead typically offers 600 Offense and 300 Tactics, giving:
  • ~12% ship damage increase.
  • ~6% damage reduction from Tactics.

Why I Prefer Tactics/Hybrid Commanders as Lead:

• Tactics provides a 10-12% damage reduction to all incoming damage, improving fleet sustain.
• Offense’s 12% buff applies only to ship-damaging modules, which are not always the primary source of fleet-wide damage output.

For sustain-heavy fleets, Tactics or Hybrid commanders in the Lead slot increase survivability, making them the superior choice in most scenarios.

How to Increase Commander Stats

The Offense and Tactics stats can change significantly as a commander levels up and gains promotions (also known as red-stars). Below is a general breakdown of how these stats scale:

• Stat Growth Over Levels → Leveling up increases both Offense and Tactics significantly. Leveling (1 → 50) gives a ~222% boost to Offense and Tactics.
• Stat Growth Over Promotions → Red-star upgrades also improve stats but have a smaller impact than level-ups. Stars (0 → 4) at Level 50 give an additional 11.25% boost.

How Much Do Stats Increase?

The overall difference between a Lv. 1, 0-star commander and a Lv. 50, 4-star commander is approximately 258%. However, level plays a bigger role in this increase than promotions.

This means if you’re missing commander files for promotions, it’s not a game-changer (raw stats wise)—you can still compete effectively by focusing on leveling.

Legendary vs. Epic Commanders

• Legendary commanders have a higher total stat budget—about 20% more than Epic-tier commanders.
• If you compare a 0-star Legendary commander to a 4-star Epic commander, the Legendary still has about 8% better stats.

However, raw stats aren’t the key factor when choosing commanders—Talents are what truly matter in fleet composition.

Talent Types

Note: Talents are sometimes referred to as “abilities” or “skills,” but they all mean the same thing. To avoid confusion, I will consistently use “talents” throughout this guide.

Everything in this section also applies to ship modules, except that modules gain levels by spending ISK, while talents level up using talent points.

Command Talents

These talents activate before battle starts or at the beginning of each turn. They typically provide non-dispellable buffs.

Examples:

• Some last for a set duration, e.g., “applies for the first 3 turns.”
• Some trigger effects, e.g., “whenever the ship takes damage, do X.”
• Some combine probability and effects, e.g., “each turn, there’s a 40% chance to do X” or “for the first 3 turns, when the ship takes damage, there’s a 30% chance to Y.”

Active Talents

These talents trigger during a commander’s or ship’s turn, based on probability. Each activation is rolled independently, meaning multiple talents can trigger at the same time.

Examples:

• “45% chance to deal kinetic damage.”
• “40% chance to apply a buff.”

Passive Talents

Similar to Command Talents, but these only activate when a specific condition is met. Passive talents often do not appear in combat logs, making their effects harder to track.

There are two types of passive effects:

1. Supplemental Enhancers – Boost existing talents, e.g., “Increases the damage of Talent X by 20%.” These apply every time the associated talent triggers.
2. Trigger-Based Effects – Activate under specific conditions, e.g., “When your wings attack twice, heal them for X.”

Tip: It is generally worth investing at least 1 talent point into a passive talent, as the first point often grants 50% of its full effect.

Talents Wording & Terminology Clarifications

Understanding how talents are worded is crucial, as small details can make a big difference. Here are two common sources of confusion:

1. “You / Yours” in Talent Descriptions
   • “You” does not refer to the player or entire fleet.
   • It refers only to the commander using the talent.
   • Example: If Vlad’s talent says “Increases crit rate by 30%,” it only affects Vlad—not the ships or other commanders.
2. “Your/Enemy Wings” vs. “All Wings”
   • “Your Wings” / “Enemy Wings” refers only to ships—not drones.
   • If a talent says “All your wings” or “All enemy wings,” it includes drones.
   • Sometimes it explicitly mentions “Wings and Drones,” both ships and drones are affected.

This distinction is critical—just three extra letters (“all”) can completely change a talent’s effect. For example, all Santimona’s talents only affects ships.

Implants

The Implants tab provides additional ways to customize commanders, enhancing their strengths and modifying their combat effectiveness. A detailed breakdown of optimal implants for each commander will be available in their individual profiles. However, let’s address some common misconceptions about implants:

Implant Effects – Do They Affect Ships?

• No, implants only affect the commander wearing them.
• They do NOT provide bonuses to ships or the fleet as a whole.
• If they buff kinetic damage – only for talents of that particular commander.

Do Set Bonuses (e.g., “+8% Offense”) Affect Ship Buffs?

• No, implant set bonuses apply only after ship buffs during pre-phase.
• This means Offense bonuses from implants only boost commander talents, not ship stats—unless the talent specifically states otherwise.
• However, raw stat increases from implants do affect ship performance as their effect applied before combat pre-phase.

Choosing the Right Implants for Your Fleet

When selecting implants, always consider your fleet’s goals and how to maximize effectiveness:

• Does your commander use both energy and kinetic talents? → Avoid Kinetic Damage implants—instead, go for Tile Defender or Pirate Damage implants, which boost all damage types.
• Focusing on PvP? → Data Rate implants might be more useful, as turn order can determine victory.
• Are all damaging talents scaling from Tactics? → Pick a Tactics-focused implant set!

Sometimes, non-set legendary implants with strong raw stats provide more benefits than full implant sets. Always evaluate individual stats before committing to a full set.

Additional Bonuses

Here, I’ve gathered a few extra mechanics that can boost commanders’ performance. Some of these are easy to miss, but they can make a big difference in both PvE and PvP.

Bond Friendship Bonus

The last tab in a commander’s UI usually contains flavor text, like their bio or history. But sometimes, it also lists hidden bonuses if you pair that commander with another specific commander in the same fleet. These synergy bonuses can be quite powerful—one of my personal favorites is Empire Generals. If you have the right commanders, it’s definitely worth checking out!

Faction Affinity

If both commanders and the ship in your fleet belong to the same faction, you’ll get an extra 10% buff—but it’s actually split into 5% bonus damage and 5% damage reduction. The catch? You need to fully construct Faction Embassies to unlock this, and that’s pretty late-game content. If you’re planning for the long haul, it’s something to keep in mind.

Formation Bonus

Just like ships, commanders can have up to 2 formations, and if you align them correctly, you get up to a 15% damage boost and 15% damage reduction when countering an enemy fleet. This is a crucial mechanic to master early on, as it plays a big role in both PvE and PvP.

That said, some fleet compositions and synergies can outperform a fully optimized formation bonus. So, while it’s great to align formations, don’t force it if another setup works better for your strategy.

Commander Reset

One last important mechanic to know about commanders is resets. There are two types:

1. Reallocate (Talent Reset)

• Does exactly what it says—reallocates talent choices.
• No cooldowns, no cost.
• The only requirement is that the commander must be inside your homebase.
• Some commanders need frequent resets based on the activities they’re assigned to.
• If you used a level transfer, you might also need to reset talents.
• Don’t be afraid to use this 10 times a day—it’s part of the gameplay!

2. Full Reset (Recover Commander)

• This fully refunds everything you’ve spent on a commander:
  • All promotion files (red star upgrades)
  • All materials used for skill tier unlocks and talent points
• Just like the Talent Reset, it can only be performed at your homebase and the commander must be unassigned from a fleet.
• 72-hour cooldown (separate from a ship reset cooldown).
• In an emergency, you can use an item called “Initialization Protocol” to bypass the cooldown. These can be bought from the market for Military Exploits (sometimes) or 500 Nova Kredits.

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Final Thoughts

That’s it for now! I hope this guide helps you feel more confident in managing your commanders and making the most of their talents. The community desperately needs more theorycrafters, and I hope this series of articles helps educate more players to step up and join the ranks of explorers.

Fly confidently,
o7