What Is Vacation Mode?
Vacation Mode is a temporary protection mechanic for players who cannot log in for an extended period. When active, your empire enters a dormant state: you cannot be attacked, but you also cannot attack, build, or research.
Open Empire → Account → Vacation Mode → Enable.
What Protections Vacation Mode Provides
While Vacation Mode is active:
- No fleet can target your planets for Attack missions — incoming attacks are automatically redirected with an “Empire in vacation mode — cannot engage” message
- Resource income continues at 50% of normal rate (you still produce, just at reduced yield)
- Defense structures remain active (Planetary Shields, Defense Platforms) against non-attack events (e.g., scouts can still scan you)
- Alliance bank interest continues accumulating
- Your planets remain on the galaxy map and visible to other players
What Vacation Mode Does Not Protect Against
- Planets you colonize during vacation mode cannot be defended if attacked after vacation ends (5-tick grace period applies after deactivation)
- Scout missions still succeed — your planet composition is visible
- Steal ships can still attempt raids (success rate unchanged)
- You are removed from the active leaderboard while in vacation mode (your score is frozen, not deleted)
How to Activate
- Open Empire → Account → Vacation Mode
- Select the duration: 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, or custom (up to 7 days)
- Confirm — activation takes effect at the next tick (approximately 5 minutes)
- All active fleets must be recalled before vacation activates — any fleet in transit blocks activation
How to Deactivate
Open Empire → Account → Vacation Mode → Disable. Deactivation is instant but triggers a 5-tick grace period before your empire is fully accessible again. During the grace period you can build and research but cannot attack (incoming attacks are still blocked).
Cooldowns
| Subscription tier | Max duration | Cooldown between uses |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 48 hours | 5 days |
| Explorer | 72 hours | 3 days |
| Commander | 5 days | 48 hours |
| Admiral | 7 days | 24 hours |
You cannot stack vacation periods. The cooldown begins when vacation mode deactivates, not when it was activated.
Strategy Notes
Use vacation mode proactively before known absences — do not activate it while under active attack (activation is blocked if a fleet is en route to your planets). Coordinate with your alliance: a vacationing member is a production gap that the alliance must compensate for.
Some players use short vacation periods as a tactical tool to deter coordinated takedowns — it costs enemies their attack windows. This is legal within game rules.
Continue to Subscription & Cosmetics for tier details.