The further you progress in the game, more Combat targets will be unlocked for you. Once you reach Operations level 10, your ships can engage in combat with other players' ships. And as soon as you upgrade your Operations to level 15, you can also engage in Station Combat.
 
Combat Targets
There are several types of valid combat targets that you can find in System view.
  • Roaming hostile ships - these ships will have red labels.
  • Other players’ ships - these ships will have blue labels.
  • Other players’ stations - these will be placed around housing planets in some Systems.
  • Mission combat targets - these ships have yellow labels and a Mission marker.
  • Swarm hostiles - much stronger groups of hostile ships, also labeled red.
  • Armada targets - marked with a triangular shape and various colors, depending on the type. While these may look like space stations at first, Armadas are dangerous targets that require the help of your Alliance mates to defeat.
Attacking a Target
Select a target on the System map to open a preview window of your target. This window will show you the exact target type, strength and estimated difficulty. Tap on the SCAN button for more details. Tap on the ATTACK button to send your selected ship to attack that target. Only targets that can be attacked will have an ATTACK button in the preview window.
 
Player vs. Player Ship
You are protected from attacks and will not be able to attack other players' ships until your Operations building reaches level 10. Once you get there, any of your ships becomes vulnerable to player attacks if it is roaming around or idle in System view. To ensure balance in the game, players can only attack other players whose Operations level is close to their own.
 
Player vs. Player Station
Once you reach level 15, you can participate in Station Combat. Tap a station to attack it with your selected ship. Stations have their own defenses, and if the attacked player has any ships docked, they would also join the Combat. Defeating a station may require several attempts. Once a station has been attacked, a 10-minute peace shield will automatically be activated, preventing further attacks for the duration of the shield, and giving the player enough time to apply a longer shield. Note that you will not be able to attack stations that belong to players in your Alliance. To learn more, make sure to check our Station Combat FAQ.
 
Armada Targets
You can find more information about Armada Targets on our specific article for that matter, click here to know more about this topic.