States Reference

All BGS states — what they do, how to enter and exit them, and how long they last.

Duration Summary

Slider States

Conflict States

Event States

Slider States

Boom

Faction is doing well economically. Trade profits and demand increase (supply 1.7-2.4x normal). Good opportunity for profitable trade loops.

• Get in: High-demand trade, source & return missions, donations, exploration data
• Get out: Negative economic activity — unprofitable trade, smuggling, economic missions targeting the faction
• Watch out: Pushing the economy slider too high leads to Investment instead

Bust

Faction can't pay its bills. Demand for narcotics, food cartridges, and liquor rises. Supply drops significantly.

• Get out: Profitable high-demand trade, exploration data, economic missions. Also: assassinate pirate leader, cargo transfers of illegal drugs, hostage rescue missions
• Force it: Smuggling and any negative economic action

Civil Liberty

Security slider above "None." Thought to double the effect of combat bounties and bonds.

• Get in: Drop combat bounties, do combat-related missions, combat bonds
• Get out: Negative security actions — murders, combat missions against the faction

Civil Unrest

Security slider below "None." Increased piracy chances. Drives demand for narcotics, liquor, personal weapons.

• Get in: Murder, violent crimes, combat missions against the faction
• Get out: Drop combat bounties, clear pirate/weapon fire/terrorist USS, take combat missions for the faction

Investment

Boom 2.0 — economy is thriving. Huge supply of agronomic treatment and insulating membranes. Dramatically increased demand and prices for painite and other goods.

• Get in: Positive trade with stations (not carriers), economic missions, exploration data
• Get out: Negative economic activity — unprofitable trade, smuggling, economic missions targeting the faction

Lockdown

Completely closes the controlling faction's stations. Influence bleeds daily to other factions.

• Get out: Only combat bounties work during lockdown
• Force it: Negative security activity — combat missions targeting the faction, smuggling illegal weapons (battle weapons, landmines), attacking Goliaths at Odyssey settlements
• Defensive use: If facing a much stronger adversary, putting your own faction in lockdown slows them down (only bounties work against you), buying time to focus elsewhere

Event States

Blight

Disease affecting crop yields. Food and basic medicine demand rises. Agricultural economies lose food supply. Agronomic treatment gets 20x demand at 1.5x price. Leads to Famine if untreated.

• Get in: Random, cannot be forced. Possibly related to the economic slider being low (Bust state)
• Get out: Trade agronomic treatments from nearby station markets (not fleet carriers)

Drought

Lack of water. Food availability drops dramatically. Demand for grain, fruits & vegetables, water, and basic medicines increases. Prolonged drought leads to Infrastructure Failure.

• Get in: Random
• Get out: Deliver water and emergency supplies from nearby systems (not fleet carriers)

Famine

Faction can't feed itself. Generates support missions in nearby systems (highly profitable — random Commanders may help inadvertently).

• Get in: Force the economic slider down — negative trade, smuggling, missions targeting the faction economically
• Get out: Trade high-demand foods. Food donation missions, source & return food missions. Also: cargo transfer of illegal food, bulk scientist passengers, credit donations for famine

Infrastructure Failure

Generates Odyssey power-on/restore missions. Security slider and influence take a daily hit. Trade in machinery is suggested by the game but evidence of effectiveness is inconclusive.

• Get in: Unclear. Possibly caused by excessive combat bounties/bonds (too many wars). May take ~14 days to manifest
• Get out: Drop combat bounties regularly, take Odyssey power-on/restore missions. Trade high-demand machinery from stations (not carriers). Or wait.

Outbreak

Disease outbreak. Likely related to untreated Bust or possibly biowaste delivery missions.

• Get in: Very unclear. Possibly a side effect of biowaste delivery missions or excessive bounties/bonds
• Get out: Outbreak donation missions, outbreak data courier missions. Bounties do NOT work.

Pirate Attack

More pirate USS appear. Interdictions increase. Weapon demand rises, some goods prices skyrocket.

• Get in: Not predictable, likely triggered by high trade activity (Boom). Don't clear pirate USS
• Get out: Clear pirate USS, drop combat bounties, kill pirate lord missions, trade legal weapons

Public Holiday

Things are going well. +1% influence per tick. Duration is only 2 days.

• Get in: Keep the faction happy — missions, high-demand trade, exploration data, bounties. Exact trigger unknown
• Get out: Pull down the economic slider with negative actions

Natural Disaster

Rare, often considered "FDev hand of God." Very unclear triggers. Insufficient data on mechanics.

• Get in: You don't. It happens.
• Get out: Do everything — missions, trade, exploration data, bounties

Terrorist Attack

-1% influence per tick for 3 days. 14-day cooldown.

• Get in: Unknown triggers
• Get out: Security-positive actions — combat bounties, combat missions for the faction

State data derived from The Complete BGS Guide 2025 v3.0 by Cmdr Purrfect (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) and ED BGS community testing.