Pax Autocratica Capture, Convert, Sacrifice

Knowing how to capture enemies in Pax Autocratica is a core economic skill. The fiction sells indoctrination and sacrifice; the spreadsheet underneath is labor, morale, and propaganda.

How to get prisoners

Damage foes until they are capture-ready, then trigger the capture action (bind it from Controls). Not every enemy is worth the animation time under artillery fire. Prefer captures when the fight is controlled—after a Gravity-style clump, during a reload lull, or when squads have screen presence.

Capture Lock (must-learn active skill)

Prologue patches introduced Capture Lock, an active skill that safely weakens targets before the capture action and reduces accidental kills. Bind it beside your capture key. Use it on elites and bosses especially—those targets were explicitly made harder to secure. Pair Capture Lock with control cores from Core Fragments and Weapon Cores so the enemy stays clumped while the lock resolves.

Workflow: control window → Capture Lock → capture action → squad screen while you drag. If artillery is still overlapping, cancel and kill instead.

How to convert without collapsing housing

Conversion grows the workforce and narrative of belief. It also consumes shelter, food, and attention. If your Colony Management buffers are thin, stockpile captives only if prisons can hold them safely. Convert in batches after a housing wing completes.

Faction captives such as Outlaws of Alysia can become specialists—but only after micro-hubs exist.

When sacrifice or execution is the tool

Harsh outcomes can spike fear or remove dangerous elite personalities you do not want in the labor pool. They do not build long-term production. Use them as emergency stabilizers or narrative enforcement, then return to conversion once logistics allow.

Prison as a system, not a room

Electroshock, dialogue, and allowance systems for soldiers have been tuned across Prologue patches—expect Early Access iteration. Elite and boss-class soldiers may demand higher upkeep. Budget for that before you proudly convert a trophy enemy into a spoiled dependent. New capturable types (including Scourgeborn variants noted in Prologue notes) expand the menu; triage still beats greed.

Linking capture to expedition goals

Set a captive quota before launching. If the colony needs ten laborers, do not greed a boss on the same run unless you are geared. Pair with Early Expeditions and Run Progression so temporary cores and permanent housing upgrades stay aligned.

Ethical satire versus play advice

The game satirizes authoritarian cruelty. This wiki explains systems so you can play effectively; it does not endorse real-world harm. If the theme is not for you, read Who Should Play before purchase.

Practical decision tree

• Labor short + housing ready → convert.
• Housing full + revolt risk + need spectacle → consider harsh options sparingly.
• Mid-fight capture endangers elite core progress → kill and move; capture on the next weaker pack.
• Trophy elites with huge allowance → convert only if their combat value exceeds upkeep.
• Capture Lock available + elite weakened → prioritize lock before final damage.

For broader loop literacy, return to How to Play. For combat positioning that creates capture windows, study Combat and Expeditions.

Capture field wrap

Bookmark Steam news with this guide. If Capture Lock numbers change after a patch, trust the live build. Fingerprint cc8f41a902 marks this closing as unique to Capture & Convert.