Settlement slots determine how many settlements a particular colony can support. Patch 11.75 calculates availability from that founding colony’s unlocked capacity, qualifying settlements still owned by the player, and colonization fleets currently pending from that origin. Evidence
Slots belong to an origin
Capacity is not one empire-wide pool. A settlement records the colony from which it was founded, and the slot check is performed against that origin. When preparing a launch, select the intended origin first and read its current settlement display.
Losing an outpost
An outpost is not a permanent lifetime charge. If it leaves the player’s owned-base collection, it no longer counts against that player’s slot. A base with no remaining building levels also fails the current slot-occupancy test. The original colony may then use the capacity again, provided the slot is still unlocked.
Losing the founding colony is different: its capacity does not migrate to another colony. A replacement settlement must launch from an origin that independently exposes an available slot.
Pending launches
A colonization fleet already traveling from the origin counts while pending. This prevents the same capacity from being promised to multiple destinations. Recheck the origin after a launch is cancelled, resolved, or destroyed rather than assuming the slot display has already changed.
Quick answers
Does a conquered outpost consume the former owner’s slot forever? No. Once it is no longer in that player’s qualifying owned settlements, it stops occupying the slot associated with its founding colony. Evidence
Can a different colony automatically use the freed capacity? No. Capacity belongs to the founding origin; another colony must have its own available slot.
Can I queue a replacement while the original colonization fleet is unresolved? A pending colonization fleet counts against the origin, so the live slot panel must show availability before another launch.
What if the founding colony was lost? Its capacity does not migrate. Select another surviving colony and inspect its independently unlocked capacity.
For the full launch workflow, see Founding a colony or outpost. If the action remains unavailable, follow Troubleshooting colonization and outposts.
Live-world confirmation
After losing an outpost, verify ownership and the origin’s slot panel before building a replacement plan. The safest statement is “the slot should be available under the current rule”; the live launch screen remains authoritative for the exact world state.