A place for strategy around the rest of your life

Your orders keep moving

A building can finish and a fleet can reach its destination while you are offline. You do not have to watch the timer count down. Come back to your reports, see what changed and choose your next move.

The rest of the world keeps moving too. After your starting protection ends, logging out does not stop another governor from attacking. Taking on a war asks more of your attention than tending a quiet island. There is no promise that a fixed number of minutes will keep you ahead.

Book a longer break before you leave

Open Settings, then Shuttered. Activating Shuttering protects your islands: hostile fleets turn back without a battle, spies return without intelligence, and neglect pauses. Your alliance keeps your seat.

You have up to 21 days per rolling year, used in one stretch or split between breaks. For example, a seven-day break uses seven days of that allowance. It is not a fresh three-week allowance every time you activate it.

While shuttered, you can read mail and reports, browse the map and chat. You cannot issue the usual building, training, research or attack orders. Open marketplace listings are withdrawn. The handbook lists what stays available.

Check the limits before making plans

• You cannot shutter while hostile fleets are already heading for your islands.
• You cannot shutter while holding a contested objective island.
• The first 24 hours must pass before you can end a booked break early.
• After reopening, you must wait 12 hours before shuttering again.

Your islands are protected during the booked period, but your rivals continue building. Time-limited council matters can lapse. Shuttering protects a planned absence; it does not freeze everyone else's progress.

Simply disappearing is different

Shuttering does not activate automatically. After 14 days of unshuttered silence, islands become Forsaken and your alliance seat is given up. At 30 days, the Black Tide may begin claiming your islands. Activate protection before a planned absence and check when it will end.

You can read the full Shuttering rules before deciding whether this pace suits you. The world never resets, but battles and abandonment can still cost you islands.