To capture and convert prisoners in Pax Autocratica, prepare Capture Rounds and prison capacity before departure, weaken a target with ordinary damage, check the displayed Capture Rate, switch to the capture ammunition, and make the attempt. A successful target returns with the expedition and can enter the Prison process. Conversion actions have different risks, and the system remains an active Early Access improvement area.

Prepare Before the Expedition

A capture run begins in the colony. Bring Capture Rounds, confirm that the Prison is researched and functional, and leave enough capacity for the target. Decide what kind of enemy is worth the risk before entering combat. Carrying special ammunition without a prison plan can turn a successful battlefield action into an inventory or capacity problem on return.

Build 24747486 added three higher-grade Capture Rounds intended to improve the chance against Elite and Boss targets. This expands the available preparation beyond older advice that assumes only the basic round. Higher-grade ammunition improves opportunity; it does not establish that every Elite or Boss is capturable or that any attempt is guaranteed.

Prepare the squad for control as well as damage. The goal is to weaken and isolate the intended target without allowing uncontrolled fire to finish it. A loadout that excels at wide, automatic area damage can be awkward during the final capture window. Bring an option that lets the player stop, aim deliberately, and manage nearby enemies.

Use this departure check:

  • Capture Rounds are in the active expedition inventory.
  • The Prison has an available place or a known fallback for the return.
  • The player knows the ammunition-switch control.
  • The squad can survive while one target is isolated.
  • Food, staffing, and essential colony work can continue during the trip.

Weaken and Capture the Target

Fight normally until the target is weak enough for a meaningful attempt. Watch the interface rather than relying on a universal health percentage. The game exposes a Capture Rate, and that live value is the useful decision signal. Stop ordinary damage when the intended target reaches the capture window.

The current default interaction described by active play is F for the capture attempt and holding F to switch capture ammunition. Verify the prompt shown by the current control scheme, especially when using a controller or remapped input. The displayed prompt takes priority over a remembered key.

The clean battlefield sequence is:

  1. Remove or distract nearby enemies that could force rushed movement.
  2. Weaken the chosen target with ordinary damage.
  3. Stop uncontrolled fire and create space around that target.
  4. Read the current Capture Rate.
  5. Select the appropriate Capture Round.
  6. Make the attempt and respond to the result before resuming full damage.

Do not publish or rely on a fixed probability for every enemy type. Target class, current state, ammunition grade, and build behavior matter, and a complete controlled probability table is not available here.

Handle a Failed Capture

AG-14 changed the immediate danger after failure. When a capture attempt fails, the target receives a short period in which ordinary attacks will not kill it. The Leader's melee can bypass that protection. This is important because old advice may tell players that any follow-up hit immediately ruins the opportunity.

Treat the protection as time to regain control, not permission to attack carelessly. Stop squad pressure where possible, move out of overlapping danger, and decide whether another capture attempt is worth the ammunition and exposure. Avoid an automatic melee input near the protected target because the Leader exception can still end it.

The patch description does not provide a universal duration or exact retry formula. Use the current visual feedback and Capture Rate. If the encounter becomes unsafe, survival and the expedition objective may be more important than forcing another attempt.

Return to the Prison

A successfully captured enemy returns with the expedition. With usable Prison capacity, the target should enter the prison system. Current play also indicates that a captured target can be held in inventory when capacity is unavailable, but the exact interface location and later transfer steps can change during Early Access. Check Ship, Inventory, and Prison views before assuming the capture was lost.

If the prisoner does not appear where expected, verify capacity, staffing, and the return inventory. Confirm that the battle result showed a successful capture rather than a failed attempt. Restarting or repeating the expedition should be a later troubleshooting step, not the first response to a hidden inventory location.

The prison chain is part of colony planning. It needs room, workers, and attention. The Base Layout Guide explains how to reserve a zone without forcing every building onto a decorative center line.

Choose a Conversion Action

The current conversion system includes Interrogation choices such as Indoctrination and Electrocution. Indoctrination works on resistance through the prison process. Electrocution carries explicit risks, including death and trauma. It should not be presented as a free shortcut or the universally fastest correct choice.

Read the prisoner's current state before choosing. Consider whether the colony needs a future worker or soldier badly enough to accept the risk. Preserve rare or strategically valuable targets when a safer path is available. If the interface shows a special state such as Iron-willed, do not assume a fixed counter without confirming the current option and effect.

The developers have identified capture and prisoner conversion as systems that need more depth and can feel frustrating. That status means buttons, pacing, probabilities, and available actions may continue to change. Keep the Build ID visible whenever recording a repeatable method.

Troubleshoot the Process

Capture prompt does not appear: confirm that Capture Rounds are available, the correct target is weak enough, and the current prompt or remapped control is being used.

The squad kills the target: isolate it earlier, reduce uncontrolled area damage, and stop concentrated fire before switching ammunition. Be especially careful with Leader melee after a failed attempt.

The prisoner is missing after return: check the Prison, ship or expedition inventory, and available capacity. Confirm that the capture result succeeded.

Conversion seems blocked: inspect prerequisites, prison staffing, the prisoner's current state, and whether an action has already been used in the current cycle. Exact daily action counts and special-state formulas are not stated here because they have not been reproduced on Build 24747486.

Old guide shows different ammunition: AG-14 added three advanced Capture Rounds and changed failure protection. Use current names and prompts rather than an Early Access launch-day list.

A reliable capture workflow protects the target, the squad, and the colony-side capacity. Prepare before leaving, use the live Capture Rate, respect the risk of conversion choices, and treat unsupported exact probabilities as unknown rather than filling the gap.