Empire

Version

This article has been verified for the current PC version (3.10) of the game.

An **Empire** is a group of planets and star systems that are ruled by the same government and controlled by a single player (or AI). Empires may have a variety of governments such as a democracy, oligarchism, despotism or imperial rule.

There are 24 playable Empires availaible in Stellaris. You can play as any of the preset Empires, or make your own.

Ethics are the most defining features of a space empire; they affect the behavior of AI empires, likely technologies, available policies and edicts, valid government types, the opinions of other empires, and - perhaps most importantly - provide the fuel for internal strife in large and diverse empires.
Civics are the second-most defining features of a space empire; they affect the finer details of the empire's internal structure as well as having certain effects on the empire's behavior.

It should be noted that the name of the player empire and its government structure can always be changed in the government window.

## Capital

The capital is the ruling seat of an empire as well as the final destination for all its trade routes. An empire's capital can be moved once every 10 years for a cost of 250  influence if the empire is at peace. An empire's capital planet and system are marked by gold star corners on the system and galaxy maps. The capital has its own set of unique designations.

## Empire size

 Empire size represents the increasing difficulties of managing a large empire. Each point of  empire size above **100** increases tradition cost by **+0.2%** and technology cost by **+0.1%**. This penalty is affected by certain authorities and a single technology, as noted in the table on the right. Empire size also affects several other mechanics, typically increasing the cost to perform certain actions. Specifically, each point of empire size has the following effects:

* **+10** unity cost to reform the empire's government
* **+10** plus **+6** per planetary ascension tier unity cost to increase planetary ascension tier
* **+1%** edict cost
* **+0.25** infiltration daily for other empires building a spy network
* **+0.5** naval capacity use required to maintain power projection
* **+0.1%** Progress points needed to launch an Agenda

 Empire size is increased by each of the following owned by the empire:

 District | 0.5

Each of these categories is affected by its own set of modifiers:

Note that the "from pops" modifiers listed above apply on an empire-wide basis, whereas the "per pop" modifiers (also presented in game as "from pops") apply only to specific pops (e.g. those with the given trait), and the "Per Planetary Ascension Tier" bonus only applies to the pops and districts for a specific colony. These are three different categories of size modifier: All groups are additive within themselves, but multiplicative between each other. As an example, pops with the  Docile trait in a sector governed by a level 1 governor in a  Fanatic Pacifist empire with  Beacon of Liberty with 2 levels of planetary ascension on all colonies with no planetary ascension bonuses will each contribute the following to the empire size:

Total

=
Base

×
(
1
−

Per pop modifiers
)

×
(
1
−

From pop modifiers
)

×
(
1
−

From tier
)

=
1

×
(
1
−

[
0.10
0.02
]
)

×
(
1
−

[
0.30
0.15
]
)

×
(
1
−

[
0.1
]
)

0.4356

=
1

×
0.88

×
0.55

×
0.9

{\displaystyle \begin{align}
\text{Total} & = \text{Base} & \times (1 - & \text{Per pop modifiers}) & \times (1 - & \text{From pop modifiers}) & \times (1 - & \text{From tier}) \\
& = 1 & \times (1 - & [0.10 + 0.02]) & \times (1 - & [0.30 + 0.15]) & \times (1 - & [0.1]) \\
0.4356 & = 1 & \times 0.88 & & \times 0.55 & & \times 0.9 \end{align}}

## Sector systems

Sectors are administrative regions within an empire. Every empire starts with a core sector, with the homeworld as the sector (and empire) capital. All sectors extend up to four hyperlanes away from the sector capital. All contiguous systems within that range are included in the sector; sectors cannot extend across systems that belong to a different sector, a different empire, or are unowned. Sectors also cannot extend through wormholes or gateways. Each sector can have a leader assigned to it, applying their level effects and traits to all colonies in the sector. Any colony which is not in a sector can be selected as the sector capital of a new sector, with the planet becoming marked by blue star corners on the system and galaxy maps. The new sector immediately adds all contiguous systems up to four hyperlanes away to itself.

It is also possible to change a sector capital to a new colony at any time at no cost. This immediately updates the sector's contained systems as if creating a new sector. Changing the core sector's capital requires moving the empire capital with the usual cost to do so.

Sectors of empires that are not  Gestalt Consciousness or  Fanatic Purifiers can be turned into a subject empire. The new empire will have the same ethics, authority, civics and technologies but not sovereign civics.

All sectors, including the core sector, can be given a Sector Focus. Choosing a Sector Focus will make the sector develop itself automatically towards a given direction as long as it has resources, reducing micromanagement.

## Relative power

Relative Power is a measure of how much empires are ahead of one another in terms of resource production, fleet power or researched technologies. A Relative Power of **Superior****/****Inferior** means that an empire has 50% more (1.5x) resource production, fleet power or researched technologies and a Relative Power of **Overwhelming****/****Pathetic** means that an empire has 150% more (2.5x) resource production, fleet power or researched technologies.

Relative Power is split into three categories: Fleet Power, Economic Power and Technology Level.

**Fleet Power:** The combined fleet power of every owned fleet.

* **+1** per 1 Fleet Power

**Economic Power:**
A weighted sum of all monthly *income*, including income from trade agreements. Monthly *spending* is not part of this score. The various resources are weighted the same as their *base* market price (base energy price for 1 unit):

* **+1** per  Minerals or  Food
* **+2** per  Consumer Goods
* **+4** per  Alloys
* **+10** per  common strategic resources
* **+20** per  rare strategic resources

**Technology Level:** 60 + the combined base Tech Cost of all researched technologies, divided by 100. Repeatables only count 0.33x as much as regular technologies.

* **+60** Base Technology Level
* **+0.01** per 1 base Tech Cost of all researched technologies, including repeatable technologies

The formula to calculate the overall power of an empire is:

# Overall Power
Fleet Power
∗
2
Economic Power
∗
3
Technology Level
∗
1

{\displaystyle \text{Overall Power} = \text{Fleet Power} \* 2 + \text{Economic Power} \* 3 + \text{Technology Level} \* 1}

## Victory score

Victory score tallies an empire's total accomplishment. The empire that has the highest score when the Victory Year arrives is declared winner. The Victory Year is configurable and can be disabled altogether. An empire will always declare victory, if it's the only one that can do so. All players may continue the game session normally even after an empire declares victory and the victory is, in practical terms, of little concern.

The Victory Window shows a total score for each empire and its ranking, as well as a breakdown by category. The categories are as follows:

**Economic Strength:** **+1** per 1 Economic Power based on Relative Power **OR** **+5000** if the Empire has no economy.

**Technology Level:** **60 +0.25** per 1 Technology Level over 60 based on Relative Power

**Number of Systems:** **+10** per system

**Number of Colonies:** **+50** per colony

**Number of Pops:** **+2** per pop, regardless of type

**Subject Empires:** **+50%** of a subject empire's score is given to the overlord

**Federation:** **+10%** of each other federation member's score is shared by all federation members

**Crisis Ships Killed:** **+10** per crisis ship destroyed

**Relics Collected:** Each Relic grants a large amount of score. The score of each Relic is shown on the Relics page.

## Empire modifiers

Empire Modifiers are gained through a variety of actions such as event choices or diplomacy with enclaves. They affect the entire empire and as such bring large benefits or penalties.

The following modifiers are permanent. They are always positive and last the entire game.

## Unique empires

The following empires can appear during the game as a result of certain events. The species' climate preference will always match its homeworld.

### Imperial Fiefdom empires

The  Imperial Fiefdom origin will generate a unique overlord and between 1 and 4 unique vassals depending on galaxy size. After 40-65 years from the game start, the vassals will offer to become a subject to the origin empire if they have **Inferior** relative power towards it. Accepting will grant a small reward.

### Minamar Specialized Industries

Minamar Specialized Industries is an empire created by the  Broken Shackles and  Payback origins. For the most part it plays like any regular empire with an advanced start, the only thing setting them apart being the  Your Ladder To The Sky origin. It has  Fanatic Materialist and  Authoritarian ethics and uses  Corporate authority and  Indentured Assets and  Public Relations Specialists civics regardless of whether  MegaCorp is installed or not. Their main species has the  Tomb World preference,  Charismatic,  Intelligent,  Decadent and  Wasteful traits. Their homeworld is a relic world.

Empires with the  Broken Shackles and  Payback origins have **−1000**  Opinion towards and from Minamar Specialized Industries and cannot choose the  Proactive first contact dialogue option with Minamar Specialized Industries. The homeworld of Minamar Specialized Industries will contain enslaved pops from both empires' species.

#### Broken Shackles interactions

Empires with the  Broken Shackles origin have the following interactions with Minamar Specialized Industries:

* Encountering Minamar Specialized Industries gives **−10**  Stability until First Contact is completed
* Completing First Contact with Minamar Specialized Industries gives **+10%**  Unity for 10 years
* If forced into a Federation with Minamar Specialized Industries gain **−10%**  Happiness and **−25%**  Governing Ethics Attraction for 10 years
* If at war against Minamar Specialized Industries gain **+10%**  Unity, **−10%**  Ship Upkeep, **−50%**  Army Upkeep, **−50%**  Army Cost and **+100%**  Army Build Speed
	+ If the war ends in surrender gain **−10%**  Happiness for 10 years
	+ If the war ends in status quo gain **−5%**  Happiness for 10 years
	+ If the war ends in enforcing demands gain **+10%**  Happiness, **+15%**  Unity, **+20%**  Governing Ethics Attraction, **+10%**  Monthly Consumer Goods, **+5%**  Monthly Resources and **+10%**  Specialist Pop Resource Output for 10 years

#### Payback interactions

Empires with the  Payback origin have the following interactions with Minamar Specialized Industries:

* If the empire has a shortage situation after establishing communications with Minamar Specialized Industries it will gain the option between receiving a significant amount of the deficit resource or a small amount of Unity. This can only happen once every 5 years.
* The first time the empire technologically enlightens a pre-FTL civilization after establishing communications with Minamar Specialized Industries the empire will gain a choice between the Certified Educator empire modifier or a large amount of  Unity.
* The first time the empire kills a guardian after establishing communications with Minamar Specialized Industries it will gain a choice between a large amount of  Energy or a small amount of  Unity.
* As long as the empire isn't at war with Minamar Specialized Industries, they will ask the empire to pay 5000  Energy, 10000  Energy or 5  Pops every 15 years (paying the full amount at once is impossible, if using console commands to have unlimited resources MSI will recognize and refuse to accept them). The empire will have 2 ways to approach them. Winning with either approach will end all interactions with Minamar Specialized Industries.
	+ After paying 2 times the empire will get a choice between the Payback casus belli or focusing on diplomacy. If focusing on diplomacy then 10 days after the empire joins the  Galactic Community it will gain an objective choice between passing the Equal Standing Act or Non-Interference Act  Pre-FTL Stance resolution, as well as all minor sanction resolutions. Passing the required  Pre-FTL Stance resolution will grant a large amount of  Unity. Passing all required resolutions will grant even more  Unity and the Rightful Due empire modifier while Minamar Specialized Industries will gain a Planetary Revolt situation.
	+ Refusing to pay will cause a debt collector fleet to attack the capital system. The fleets can be defeated relatively easily but defeating them 3 times will result in Minamar Specialized Industries declaring war with the Animosity casus belli. If already a subject of Minamar Specialized Industries they will impose harsher terms of agreement. Defeating Minamar Specialized Industries in war will grant the choice between the Free From Strife empire modifier or unlocking the Punishment casus belli and Stop Atrocities wargoal.
* If Minamar Specialized Industries is destroyed by an endgame crisis the empire will gain the Underdog modifier.