Prisoner conversion in Pax Autocratica begins before the target is captured. You need a deliberate target, correct capture method, safe squad behavior, available custody, and a colony able to complete whatever the live interface requires next. Capturing more enemies than the state can process creates risk without creating useful citizens.
Confirm capacity before leaving the colony
Inspect the prison or custody interface, current occupants, related research, and any conversion controls visible in your public-branch save. Do not use the Demo’s cell limit or process as a base-game rule. Make room or finish the existing case before planning another capture.
Decide what role you hope the prisoner can fill, but treat that as a goal rather than a promise. Eligibility, attributes, and conversion outcomes must be read from the actual target and current panels.
Capture without destroying the candidate
Use the Capture Guide to select the live capture ammunition or action. Control squad fire and area effects before the attempt. Directive AG-14 added advanced Capture Rounds and temporary kill protection after a failed attempt, but the Leader’s melee can bypass that protection; stop melee as well as gunfire when preserving the target.
After success, verify that the prisoner appears in the expected inventory or custody state. Do not proceed based only on the battlefield animation.
Read the conversion requirement precisely
Do not assume that waiting alone completes every case. Check whether the process displays a facility, research, input, assignment, political action, or time condition. Directive AG-12 changed prison research time, proving that fixed durations can age quickly even within Early Access.
If progress stops, capture a screenshot or note the exact status, then verify one requirement at a time. Repair the structure, restore access, provide the displayed input, or complete the named research. Avoid issuing unrelated policies merely to make a hidden timer move.
Evaluate the person after conversion
Once integration is confirmed, inspect the new citizen’s visible conditions, relationships, capabilities, age, and current political state. Give them a low-risk assignment first and observe a full cycle. Conversion produces a person inside the colony system, not an interchangeable inventory item.
Colony role
Fill a real shortage without displacing the only worker who already sustains that chain.
Military role
Test visible equipment and behavior before building a squad plan around the recruit.
Political state
Watch fear, loyalty, happiness, and relationships after assigning the converted citizen.
Long-term fit
Include age, recovery, and replacement needs rather than judging only immediate output.
Avoid a conversion backlog
Capture selectively. A prisoner occupying capacity while research or staffing is missing can block a more valuable future target. Before the next expedition, decide whether the current captive is progressing, can be resolved, or requires a deliberate pause in capture activity.
Keep one custody slot as operational margin when capture is part of the next mission. That margin lets the state accept an unexpected high-value candidate without abandoning the current objective. If every slot is occupied, make the next expedition about supplies or progression while the existing conversions finish. The decision connects prison throughput to expedition planning instead of allowing two independent queues to compete invisibly.
If the problem is social rather than procedural, consult Loyalty and Fear. For workforce placement after integration, use Worker Management.
Sources checked August 15, 2026
- Pax Autocratica on Steam — current capture, conversion, citizen, and colony loop.
- Official Steam News — advanced Capture Rounds, failed-attempt protection, prison timing, and ongoing conversion work.