How to Capture Enemies and Run Prisons in Pax Autocratica

Use capture rounds on weakened humanoid enemies, research the Prison blueprint before you run out of cells, and convert captives into base labor.

Capturing is a separate combat choice, not the result of defeating an enemy with normal damage. Carry special capture rounds, weaken a humanoid target, use the capture attack, and bring the captive home to a Prison that converts it into base labor. The field half and the base half are one chain: capturing without prison capacity wastes the captive, and prison capacity without capture rounds sits empty.

What it is

Enemies can be captured during battle and returned to the base as captives. The Prison is the detention facility that holds and converts them, and it can also reform disloyal soldiers. For a base in early development, the tutorial presents this chain as a way to secure additional labor.

How to unlock it

Capture rounds. The first capture tutorial transfers special capture rounds from the base stockpile to the player. There is no published permanent unlock level or price for every future round, so the safe checkpoint is the moment the tutorial introduces those rounds and the capture input becomes available.

The Prison. After the first expedition returns with unsettled captives, the tutorial directs you to research the Prison construction blueprint at the Command Center. Only after that research completes can the building be placed.

Research the blueprint before bringing home more captives than you can hold.

How to operate it

In the field

Select a humanoid enemy you intend to capture.
Lower the target's health instead of finishing it with normal damage.
Hit the target with the special capture round.
Read the displayed capture chance and repeat only if the target survives and you still have rounds.
Return to base with the captive.

Special rounds are required — ordinary ammunition cannot capture. The displayed chance rises as the target is worn down.

Back at base

Transfer expedition captives into the finished Prison. Their willpower and convictions waver as detention time increases, and the facility offers methods that accelerate conversion. Eventually, converted captives become new labor for the base.

When capacity becomes the bottleneck, approach the Prison, open its level panel, and upgrade it after the required materials are ready.

Numeric rules

Capture chance. One recorded attempt showed 4%, then 7%, then 20% as the target was worked down. Those values demonstrate a changing on-screen chance, not a fixed universal formula. There is no published health-to-chance equation, so this guide does not invent one.

Prison capacity. The Early Access launch build allows 2 Prisons with 5 cells each, for a total of 10 captives. Holding more than that requires upgrading the Prison. Because the game is in Early Access, treat 2 × 5 as the launch setup rather than an immutable maximum.

Common mistakes

Killing the target with ordinary damage before attempting capture.
Entering a fight without special capture rounds.
Treating any one observed percentage as the guaranteed chance for every enemy.
Capturing enemies before the Prison blueprint has completed research.
Returning with captives when every cell is already occupied.
Confusing pending imprisonment with a completed transfer into a cell.
Assuming conversion is immediate; it advances with time in detention.
Treating the opening ten-captive arrangement as the maximum after upgrades.

When to use it or avoid it

Use capture when the base needs additional labor and you have both capture rounds and prison capacity. Build the Prison when captures are becoming part of your labor plan, and upgrade it before another expedition if the current cells are already full.

Do not force an attempt when an expedition is already too dangerous or when every prison cell is occupied — a failed capture can consume time and ammunition without solving the base bottleneck. Equally, do not spend early research and construction time on extra capacity when you have no capture rounds or no intention of taking captives yet.

Return to the Beginner Guide. Plan safe returns with Expeditions, research the blueprint at the Command Center, and understand the opposing groups in Factions.

FAQ

Can normal ammunition capture an enemy?

No. The tutorial specifically requires special capture rounds.

Do I need to weaken the target first?

Yes. A weakened humanoid can be captured, and the displayed chance increases as the target weakens.

What is the starting captive capacity?

Two Prisons with five cells each, for ten captives in the Early Access launch build.

Does a captive become labor immediately?

No. Conversion is a process that advances during detention and can be accelerated by Prison methods.

Can the Prison do anything besides hold captives?

It can also reform disloyal soldiers, though the game does not spell out that process in enough detail to document it further here.