When do aliens attack you?

[joyodongo]

Even though I don't attack them, they seem to randomly attack my units, but I don't have a clear criteria of when and why do they attack you?
Anyone has this issue clear?

Thanks in advance.

 

[TyfoonTurk]

my feeling it's when you are 2 hexes away from a nest and the first turn is free

 

[GeoModder]

Every unit within 2 hexes of a nest is likely fair game.
Colony pods are 'eaten' at first opportunity.
Workers are pretty vulnerable too.
Weak military units (rangers for instance) are attacked as well.
At sea expect dragons surrounding and destroying your ships.
Only when the aliens' icon color is blue they'll leave all your units alone.

 

[Adjuvant]

I think the worms kinda meander about and if you happen to be in the space they move to, you get wrecked, unless you have explorer/trade route protection. Otherwise, I see them get protective at 3 hexes from a nest, and more-so at 1 or 2 spaces.

 

[Ryoga]

Every unit within 2 hexes of a nest is likely fair game.
Colony pods are 'eaten' at first opportunity.
Workers are pretty vulnerable too.
Weak military units (rangers for instance) are attacked as well.
At sea expect dragons surrounding and destroying your ships.
Only when the aliens' icon color is blue they'll leave all your units alone.

More or less like he said according to my experience except (for what I can tell)

colony pods and workers are safe as long as they are in your borders, but not from siege worms.
Additionally it doesn't seem to me that aliens actively pursue them even when out of your borders. It seems more like they still wander randomly and if they happen to end on a hex occupied by a civilian unit they eat it.
The same is true for trade convoys\vessels, except those are more likely going to "suicide" themselves by running directly into the jaws of the aliens.

 

[Duskblood]

I'm still not sure, but here's been my experience.......

For the first few turns, just keep away from the aliens if you want to be friendly.

After a few turns, ok to be among land-based aliens but don't attack.

If you end up next to a nest, move away the first chance you get. If I remember correctly, for Explorers, there is a virtue (?) that make it so aliens will ignore your explorers. Good to get for those expedition spots right next to nests!

It's my understanding that there are two different kinds of aliens - normal and Colossus. I believe Siege Worms and Krackens are in the Colossus category, so attacking them won't matter to the 'normal' land based aliens if you want to stay friendly. (Plus you want to get the Seige Worm quest complete).

Still not sure where Sea Dragons fit in. I thought they were 'normal' aliens, but I'm currently in a game where the land-based ones leave me alone, but the Sea Dragons are killing anything they find of mine on the seas. Maybe they are on two different counters?

 

[Ryoga]

It's my understanding that there are two different kinds of aliens - normal and Colossus. I believe Siege Worms and Krackens are in the Colossus category, so attacking them won't matter to the 'normal' land based aliens if you want to stay friendly. (Plus you want to get the Seige Worm quest complete).

You probably think so because you have sniped those "colossal" aliens from afar which does not degenerate alien relationship in any case.

You can kill all the aliens that you want, as long as you aren't on an adjacent hex, your general relationship won't decrease (but they still can get angry to the individual unit that attacks them)

 

[Halbbruder]

If you end up next to a nest, move away the first chance you get. If I remember correctly, for Explorers, there is a virtue (?) that make it so aliens will ignore your explorers. Good to get for those expedition spots right next to nests!

That's purity level 1. If Will Millar sticks to his word, that explorer buff might be nerfed eventually. Purity level 1 is so good, you can complete the alien eradication quest really quickly and get level 2 purity in no time.

Aliens attack when:
- they have been attacked in the previous turn.
- your unit is 2, sometimes 3, hexes from a nest
- their aggression level increases into yellow/red.
- you have a lone colonist roaming about