Stellaris FTL Inhibitors - Lock Your Enemy Down

Do you have an enemy spaceship problem? Are you plagued with annoying hostile fleets roaming through your space but don't have enought ships to stop them? You need FTL Inhibitor technology!
In this video I break down how FTL inhibitors work, how to get them and when they stop working in Stellaris. Lets dive in!
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:39 Icons
1:07 Basic function
1:47 Planet based inhibitors
2:08 FTL inhibitor technology
2:30 Devastation
2:56 Jump drives
Stellaris Mechanics Explored Playlist: • Stellaris Mechanics Ex...
Stellaris Version 3.1.2
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And please comment with any feedback, any ideas or if you disagree!

[@ryanschmidt3319]

So one thing I would be interested in is Starbase and defense platform design. Things like what is it better to have: Hangar Bays or gun platforms or missile luanchers on the Starbase itself and what designs are best for the defense platforms (again hanger bay, large weapons, small weapons, medium weapons, missiles). As well how do Ion Cannons compare in terms of practical defensive capability? When do fleets overpower starbases? Is it possible to build a fortress citadel that can be effective even in the late game against a battleship fleet?

[@slipknottin]

Hanger bays are always the best because the strike craft still work even after their platforms get destroyed. Unless that’s been fixed in a recent update.

[@hulmhochberg8129]

@@slipknottin i think that got fixed a while ago.

[@IamChalker]

Hangar Bays are, hands down, the best thing for Starbases. Defense Platforms also should have them, as well as a couple of ion cannons way later down the line. Just too good.

[@hulmhochberg8129]

i always go for hangars in early to mid game. after that its L slots and then a few ion cannons.

[@Salt_Is_Dew]

Depends at what point of the game you are at early hangers are pretty good but if you don't have hangers teach then small Crystal hull is also a must as defence platform to make super cheap but when destroyers come some unless you have hangers a medium slot will help but platforms are meant to just soak damage for the starbase late game large weapons will be needed and will it be effective against battleships no but at that point if you are reliant on starbases you are kind of fucked as battleships can and will rip starbases apart but if they have large slots and have protons then it could deal some damage before dying but hangers due to the bug can have them attack even when dead so unless the fleet as PD or flak it will hurt them at bit but thats an exploit so eh use it if you want So Early hangers can fuck up Corvettes and Destroyers Mid You will want a mix of mediums or nothing but hanger spam Late proton launchers as they can at least deal something to battleships before dying Early template 2 hangers if you have it full crystal plating If no crystal leave it without but if you wish full it with 50% 50% Mid Template 2 Hangers Full Crystal Plating and If face players Medium slots like 1 hanger and 2 medium full crystal You'll need some Armor and shields at this stage so put 2 each on or go full if you want Late Proton launchers which are 2 large full crystal If it is against players just leaving the Defence Platforms as just the weapons will be more cost effective I believe as they will ever be rolling pure arty or proton launcher but IDK as I haven't played against over players Missile Never use even for ships they suck ass Mid Game you can use starbases somewhat but the can be Overpowered by good fleets but they can still put up a fight but they will fall Late game is when ships over power starbases as you get bigger fleets and bases have limited amount of upgrades and Platforms to use

[@dmytrogudzenko6140]

It's a magnet! It was more obvious when it was colored properly.

[@maxriley9540]

He calls it a magnet at 1:45 🧲

[@janmauritzkortenkamp5440]

I think in Denmark they call it U. Side effect form the long winters.

[@icecold1805]

HAHAHA I didn't care enough to write the comment but yeah, as soon as he mentioned U I couldn't stop thinking about this

[@ryanschmidt3319]

I always thought it was a magnet, not a u Edit: Nevermind, you mentioned it.

[@puppyguard2689]

I was literally just about to comment this exact thing.

[@grahamturner2640]

Starbases have their use in the early game, as ships aren't all that powerful. However, later on, I use fortress habitats for FTL inhibitors, and I completely dedicate them to that job. All buildings are defense-related and upgraded so I can have a lot of soldier pops, and thus, defensive armies. Plus, it's good for my naval capacity, as technology and tradition paths only get it up so far (maybe 500 at most), so it's necessary to have soldiers. The Warrior Culture civic isn't anywhere near as effective, as you'll need fewer duelists than entertainers and they produce less naval capacity than soldiers despite being specialists and soldiers being workers, and you can't get duelists and FTL inhibitors from the same building. The only use case I see for that civic is if you're trying to attack those fortress habitats, as it will be quicker due to a 20% increase in army damage from the civic, which means fewer armies lost.

[@GeneralBrae]

I love using the Planetary Habitats from the Planetary Diversity mods for this, can do a decision to turn them into military habitats with dedicated soldier job districts and they're cheaper to set up in the early-mid game

[@grahamturner2640]

@@GeneralBrae how much does it cost compared to an orbital habitat?

[@GeneralBrae]

@@grahamturner2640 Depends on the planet type. Barren habitats on planets (not moons) are the best early go-to and they're 750 alloys and 75 influence so quite a bit cheaper than orbitals, but with the same number of building slots (iirc orbitals are 1500 alloys?)

[@igncom1]

Mid-late game fortress habitats for fleet cap and protection is when I feel the inhibitors really shine as otherwise I find it hard to stomach putting fortresses on normal worlds. I do want to try a jack of all trades planet design at some point, even if unsuitable later into the game.

[@shorewall]

I love fortress habitats. :D

[@StarboyXL9]

Fortresses on worlds can be useful in very early game when a planet spawns in a crucial choke point. Even if the planet isn't proper type for your habitability colonize it anyway, build and upgrade fortresses on it to harden the choke, and when you get the ability to build habitats build a fortress in-system and turn the world into something more useful, say with terraforming.

[@rainemiller5016]

This is why I build fortress worlds where I can. Slap a planetary shield generator on it, fully upgrade that space station and make them work to leave the system. I downloaded the gigastructures mod and it actually makes playing tall worth it imo. I really wish paradox would allow you to build better defense platforms or maybe another citadel in the system 😕 they have made playing tall completely worthless. The only good play style is to play wide

[@warbrain1053]

Maginot world going thicc

[@TechnoMinarchistBall]

You used to be able to build fortress stations whererver you wanted in the early games versions and slap inhbiters on each of them. Created systems full of them.

[@rainemiller5016]

@@warbrain1053 I still haven't figured out how to make one. Currently in my first playthrough with the mod

[@warbrain1053]

@@rainemiller5016 build maginot building on a planet if megastructure researvched Then build maginot world megastructure on the planet

[@majstealth]

@@TechnoMinarchistBall which didnt really help since back then you had warp and direct flight, not just hyperlanes....

[@corwintexley2090]

One thing that I think should be noted is that if you use a jump drive to perform a tactical jump into a system with an FTL inhibitor, your fleet will be unable to leave the system without disabling it. This is because the fleet didn't technically enter the system via a hyperlane, meaning the last hyperlane it used either doesn't exist or is connected to two unrelated systems.

[@entropic-decay]

for modded players, maginot worlds from gigastructural engineering are probably the best thing to use for FTL inhibition.

[@whitedeath64]

This video wouldn’t have anything to do with last streams ending would it?

[@MontuPlays]

... No comment...

[@filipwolffs]

I saw the title of this video and I was like "Yeah, no, I know where this came from."

[@Safirex5]

I love how quickly this video came out after the last steam.... lol Loved the stream, learned something new when it ended XD

[@temparalflux914]

One of my earlier runs (this year as im still a stellaris noob), i bottlenecked my territory, was feeling good my 8K Starbases would stop anything for the time being..only to be declared war and have a fleet just walts right past them..i was like..well whats the point of having a Starbase defence then? Then i researched it and found i needed this Tech..started again.

[@Pulse10201]

Do FTL inhibitor‘s stop fleets from using worm holes, L gates, or jump gates? I’ve noticed building a defensive habitat in terminal ingress in the L gate cluster doesn’t interrupt the enemy from using L gates.

[@MontuPlays]

No it doesn't stop someone using a wormhole or an L-gate!

[@thewhompingwampa2671]

AFAIK, Inhibitors can't stop enemies entering wormholes and Gates. I know because a nearby enemy empire once kept sending it's fleets into a wormhole my main Shipyard was located in.

[@justarandomtechpriest1578]

@@thewhompingwampa2671 send your fleet the other way

[@thewhompingwampa2671]

@@justarandomtechpriest1578 This was a year ago.

[@williamschubert4819]

Nothing that isn't FTL is inhibited by the FTL inhibitor. The gates and wormholes are just two points of space far apart connected together so no FTL is needed.

[@leeleavelle716]

You: Uses fortress worlds and citadels to defend your systems. Me: Simply uses planet cracker

[@khabirmohamad7222]

Thanks Montu. As always, your vids are a great help for the likes of me who are really new to the game. Appreciate it guv’.

[@zetarhythm3503]

I like to put a single stronghold and shield generator on all of my worlds in the late-game, but my most defensible systems will have a fortress world/habitat.

[@KG-1]

Recently learned how research and stored research add up to research progress. I think all of that deserves a good tutorial treatment. Really emphasizes the need for lots of labs to not bottleneck use of arch and anmly research bonanzas. Can be compared to matching contributions in a 401k plan for us thanks.

[@spacebumpkin1565]

Praise be to Montu

[@robertyang4365]

Holy cow I didn’t realize there was a planetary building that could make an entire planet an FTL inhibitor. Super useful for significantly slowing down your enemies!

[@NoxietyPrime]

Especially if you stick a Planetary Shield Generator on the same world as the fortress!

[@christiaanwiesenekker4737]

I love planetary FTL inhibitor, especially with the new subterranean origin and reanimators.

[@lividgravy5143]

I knew what an FTL inhibitor did, but thanks for explaining the jump drive! I was confused on a recent game as to why the unbidden just ignored my planet that had one but that explains it lol

[@obi-dan-kenobi7202]

I have a habitat design I use in most games, the Magino Habitat. It’s basically a habitat with 1 shield generator and the rest fortresses. Expensive on the minerals and motes front, but when surrounded by powerful enemies or fallen empires it gives you time to get ready if attacked and a safety net if an offensive gets foiled, good practice to have a fleet in range to catch jump drive fleets

[@StarboyXL9]

You can spawn defense armies with enforcer jobs. You only really need 1 or 2 fortresses on a planet. The rest can be enforcers without too much of a loss in defense power. This used to be really good on saving motes before that became the upkeep for Judgement Halls as well.

[@simonlawrence1582]

What happens if you used a jump drive to get into a system with an inhibitor but you don't take it out and want to leave?

[@MontuPlays]

You have to jump drive out again!

[@warbrain1053]

Sheisse!! Big brain

[@holymann2251]

Just get good man

[@thyrussendria8198]

In my last game, I was in a nice corner of the galaxy where I could build up a wall of starbases around my few worlds, it had the neat little side effect of fully bugging out Marauder Raiders as all my worlds were protected behind the inhibitors and thus stopped them from just basically right-clicking on my planet

[@AngryDuck79]

Just to point out, if it hasn't already, the icon for the inhibiter isn't a U, it's a horseshoe magnet. The implication being that enemy ships get metaphorically stuck to it.

[@ashc4h488]

If only there were a starbase building that prohibited ALL exit from the system once entered...

[@warbrain1053]

Maginot world in gigastructures

[@novachair6476]

Would be nice for Terminal Egress specifically. That or more the L-gate closer to the starbase itself since AI will pop in to TE and go straight out to another L gate, making TE a less valuable strategic area

[@alyarin9000]

Find two systems in a row with suitable planets Disable the fortress to let the enemy through the first system into the second Re-enable the fortress If the enemy goes back, they enter your first system where you have a fortress world. If they go forward, they enter your second system where you have a fortress world Leave nothing for them to initiate combat with, and laugh as they cannot escape by any means

[@litchgath]

FTL inhibitors are always an essential tech for me

[@Tim_Sviridov]

"Inhibit that like button." *confused screaming*

[@mrbunnyban]

I find that Missile Silo+Target Uplink Computer is usually enough to force ships to engage with my starbases. AI doesn't anticipate the extra range of the Missiles and after their ships get hit they are forced to engage the starbase.

[@maiqtheliar789]

FTL inhibitors are a key cornerstone for any defensive system even if you have massive fleets they can't be everywhere so I try to have FTL inhibitors in at least every border system at the bare minimum. Late game I tend to have at least 1 in every system. Preferable to have a couple per system if possible. Makes them have to work that much harder to break through your lines. 1 on a star base and one or two on different planets in the same system won't hold forever but it does buy you a lot of time for you to either build a fleet or move in one you already have to deal with the issue. I'm a turtler that loves to build megastructures so I don't always keep a massive fleet around if I am trying to build just one more Dyson Sphere or just one more Stellar lifter but I also don't neglect my defense to do it. My only goal in defense is to buy enough time to turn my massive production capability from megastructures to ships just long enough to obliterate the attackers and then go back to building megastructures and FTL inhibitors fill that role very nicely for a fraction of the cost it would take to actually build a fleet in peacetime and maintain it.

[@calebslusher62]

I think the best way to completely lock down a system and delay your opponents might be to have a planetary Inhibitor and a Habitat Inhibitor on the opposite end of the system. Maybe throw in a Starbase Inhibitor for good measure, and watch as the enemy fleet has to take three times as long to clear out the system so they can move through.

[@ftldesignbureau7891]

Guess I’m inhibited

[@JokeFoMatch]

Nice

[@felixrowan3740]

Damn, I've underestimated FTL inhibitors!

[@Seth90]

Fortress World with an FTL Inhibitor, World Cracker goes BRRRRT . . Edit: That said, I'm really more of a Neutron Sweep person :3

[@AuthorOfNewborne]

I never knew about this. Dam i need to use habbitats more often

[@dark_fire_ice]

I wish Stellaris would contract out the team behind Sins of a Solar Empire for the space combat

[@danielgloyd4529]

Rarely is an FTL inhibitor useful, but when it is it is very useful. Most of the time I have my fleets in possition, so the enemy isn't going into my territory anyways. I can only recall 2 times where an inhibitor saved me from some losses. Both times with a planet in a choke point, and the enemy flew around ¼ the galaxy to hit a flank on the other side of my empire.

[@ameiru1]

Pffft stopping at 50 percent devastation.

[@AsbestosMuffins]

the base game needs something like gigastructure's maginot world with an AOE FTL inhibitor

[@legendaryziggs]

I've been playing this game since launch and I JUST found out that fortresses provide FTL inhibitors...

[@aceofkestrels]

Three questions: I havn't played stellaris for quite some time, but I remember an inhibitor icon that was coloured orange. Were they removed or do I just remember incorrectly? If you jump into a system with an inhibitor using a jump drive, can you use all hyperlanes normally or can you only jump out again? Similarly, what happens if you enter a system with an inhibitor using a wormhole or gateway?

[@Ranto294]

FTL inhibitor: noooo you can't just use jumpdrive to sneak past me! Maginot world inhibitor: ayo man. *ACCESS DENIED* Wanna destroy planet with obliterators? *ACCESS DENIED*

[@Blacksnyder]

Have you made a video on defense platforms? I don't know what to use, I usually just spam hanger bays and neutron launchers.

[@williamschubert4819]

Pretty much avoid them as much as possible but use Hangars until they get cruisers and proton and neutron launchers when you get them no matter what. Battleships!

[@Hemdael]

Is there a similar thing you can do to stop ships going 'L-gate, Terminal Egress, L-gate' to force them to fight at Terminal, or do they work like the Jump Drive? I feel very vunerable even with fortifications at my L-gate...

[@boomstick7506]

"Little u" bruh have you not seen a magnet before?

[@noahgray543]

inhibitors are why I would rather blow my alloys on habitats with strongholds rather than build fleets. I can't imagine how frustrating it feels to have to take _every. single. system._ sometimes with multiple habitats or worlds, just to advance forward.

[@necrorifter3059]

I always wonder but is there megastructure or gigastructure from the mod that give large alloy production since base one is still too slow.

[@ericrollin2331]

There is one called Superstructures actually that has something for that. It unlocks several megastructure like buildings after researching some midgame techs (the 10k starbase research at least) that produces relatively large quantities of all the basic resources if you have the appropriate planets/stars available. Alloys for instance require either pulsars or neutron stars, you can crack open barren planets for minerals, turn gas giants into massive fusion reactors, convert moons around habitable world's into agricultural rings, farm asteroid belts for consumer goods, nebulae can net you motes/gas/crystal (10 each per star you can farm I believe) and several more general quality of life building options. Most of the structures cost 5k alloy to build, I think an 1800 day build time and most have a decent sized upkeep so you'll need a decent economy to support your first couple until you can snowball it. Two warnings: 1. I'm not sure if this is a problem on my end (mod conflict or something) or with the mod itself but I haven't been able to build about 80% of the structures in my most recent games and prior to that (with even more mods active than now) I could never get the nebula extractors to build. 2. Always, ALWAYS disable the Wormhole Initiative when you start the game. It allows you to spawn random wormholes and the AI used to love to spam them and lag the game into oblivion.

[@senyaak-5637]

Why didn't I seen this before (((

[@megumin_6548]

Jump driving ship get stuck in ftl inhibition system forcing them use the jump drive to get back out (150 days cooldown).

[@TheoneandonlyVaken]

Necrons go BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrr

[@trojan8550]

Hello! What is with the Unbidden? Are they immune to the FTL inhibitors?

[@thaddeusgenhelm8979]

They use Jump Drives so they can jump out of/past FTL inhibitors. It's possible there's some other sort of wonkiness going on, but even just "by the rules" they have ways to bypass them.

[@TheRandomMuffinMan]

So quick question. How do FTL Inhibitors affect Jump drives? Can they just jump into or over the system?

[@zotaninoron3548]

I thought they were supposed to be horseshoe magnets.

[@molybdaen11]

So thats why my inhitors are no longer working - the jump drives are immune to it.

[@jonnofish7567]

I think the symbol is a magnet.

[@NicoDiAngelo603]

I've just realised I've never made a fortress world in stellaris. 🤣

[@narekj4308]

Wait, I don't quite remember, what happens when you jump into a system with an ftl, which hyperlane, if any, can you escape from?

[@holy3979]

Pretty sure you can only jump out I think.

[@yongdrup1062]

I think I read somewhere or maybe heard in a video that I shouldn't trust the fleet power of my Starbase and that in a battle between a star base and a fleet of the same fleet power the fleet most likely always wins, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about it.

[@alexandererhard2516]

Yeah that's probably true. I don't know how fleet power is calculated, so I can't give an 100% sure explanation for why. But if it doesn't include evasion, that would be a good reason why (especially for Stations that don't have Hangar Modules or Defensive Platforms with Hangars). Having 30% Tracking from most Medium weapons against 60% Evasion Corvettes reduces your accuracy from 75% to 45% (for kinetics) or 90% to 60% (for lasers, don't know about Plasmas, which automatically replace lasers on Starbases), therefore reducing your damage output by 33 to 40%, while anyone targeting Starbases won't have that problem, as Starbases have 0 Evasion.

[@yongdrup1062]

@@alexandererhard2516 ah I see, I've always wondered why my 5k power Starbase were losing to 4.5k enemy fleets.

[@JamilLynch]

Do FTL inhibitors affect wormhole travel?

[@Silver_Lloyd]

Did you really just *not* use the Emperor TTS scene for "Access Denied"

[@linfraredl4906]

it's a magnet

[@Dropem7777]

One thing I have had several times is the ai can just magically by pass ftl inhibitors. Literally had one just ftl in and then move on the edge to the next lane an inch over and ftl away and I was like wtf. They just skipped my forwards base when it has the U.

[@StarboyXL9]

Sounds like a bug

[@sipofsunkist9016]

I’m too busy eating planets to make FTLs out of them lithoid teravore is it chief.

[@tophattechpriest6218]

The problem is. A fleet is only able to move through one lane… while the station is active. Nothing is stopping a sufficient fleet from destroying the station then moving on. And if your in a full war you would want to take all the star bases. So I don’t see the point

[@MontuPlays]

Fortress Worlds

[@gusgee1337]

Wouldn't inhibiting the "like" mean NOT hitting "like" ?

[@PhotriusPyrelus]

"Inhibit that like button" Instructions unclear, do you mean press dislike?

[@LuminousLead]

Don't let the like button pass you by =D

[@azgan123]

Calls magnet symbol "little U" jesus

[@machixius]

Ftl inhibitor? I think you mean the thing that never works because my star bases are always taken right away instead of bypassed.

[@zachpaterson2585]

Isn’t that ‘U’ a horseshoe magnet?

[@fluffieboi3139]

Habitat spam be like

[@caelestigladii]

Starbases should need to be invaded before it changes hands. The higher tiers that is.

[@ryaeon9793]

we should mod starbase as ticking bomb.. when module installed and starbase is 50% health (hull) will blow and intantly destroyed to other faction hand. but it will remove their shield, slow their space movement -50% and give 100% more time to go to other system. (space jump)

[@therealbahamut]

Wait...does anyone NOT research FTL inhibitors??? It's kind of an automatic tech as far as I'm concerned.

[@concunsion9757]

first!

[@That_Guy_Named_Epyk]

Correlia huh your on vanilla hmm

[@s.novozhilov1856]

One of the most useless staff. It can stop only virgin bot empire. Absolutely pointless against fleet with more than 50k fleet and NOT stupid commander. 1,5 month bombardment (against shield and fortress world) and move wherever you want.

[@chaoticroderick1805]

And what if I have multiple fortress habitats in there? Suddenly it take much longer... especially with the debuff that comes with jump driving....

[@s.novozhilov1856]

@@chaoticroderick1805 what if enemy didn't use jump? What if all is going on at 2240 AD? What if enemy only need to raise devastation only to 50% and than move forward? what if you didn't manage to reach habitats or had time to build only one? What if enemy have second allied fleet, what will come very soon? WHAT IF ITS FUCKING MP AND ORDINARY GAME LAWS ARE NOT APPLIED HERE?! In harsh reality, fortress world and shields is not the way to win war, but only way to postpone defeat when enemy is stronger. neutron launchers and alloys- thats all what really matters.

[@chaoticroderick1805]

@@s.novozhilov1856 not if you build tall friend. Your Defensive power shall be unmatched if you know how to play tall well.

[@l1ghtd3m0n3]

Literally 3 videos later and this is useless on Crisis

[@wolfhunter98]

0:46 255 hours in, and I never realized planets could have FTL inhibs. o.o Also I really hate there is no counter to jump dives minus a mod turning them off. Even if it was some big costly mega that made a X system range bubble around it.

[@chaoticroderick1805]

Habitat with an ftl drive will stop them leaving the system via hyperplane for a while 😉