Pre-FTL species

Version

Please help with verifying or updating older sections of this article. At least some were last verified for version 3.9.

This article is for the PC version of Stellaris only.

There are two types of species that did not achieve FTL in the game: pre-FTL civilizations and pre-sapient species. They can be made plentiful or outright disabled via the galaxy generation options.

**Pre-FTL civilizations** are civilizations that have yet to develop the technology necessary for interstellar space travel. They advance through multiple ages as their history is written and can become full-fledged interstellar empires if they are technologically enlightened by another spacefaring empire or left alone enough to develop on their own. Pre-FTL civilizations have a 3% chance to spawn in each habitable system, modified by the *Pre-FTL Civilizations and Pre-Sapient Species* game setting.

**Pre-sapient species** are species with intelligence beyond animals but which did not achieve sapience yet. It will take millions of years for them to become sapient, but spacefaring empires can accelerate this process, turning the pre-sapients into productive galactic citizens within the span of just a few decades. Pre-sapient have a 5% chance to spawn on each habitable planet, modified by the *Pre-FTL Civilizations and Pre-Sapient Species* game setting.

## Pre-FTL civilizations

Pre-FTL civilizations exist in various ages of development they slowly go through, visible after an observation post has been constructed. They usually have the  Developing Nation origin, but also have a 5% chance to have a regular origin as long as the required DLC is installed

Pre-FTL civilizations can always be invaded and conquered as long as their system has been claimed and the Pre-FTL Interference policy is set to Aggressive Interference. Pre-FTL civilizations have no means to resist a technologically superior invader, although Post-Atomic civilizations can be harder to conquer early game. Conquered worlds will get the Stellar Culture Shock modifier for 10 years, which locks out the former primitive pops from using colony ships, being resettled, joining Factions or being released as a Vassal. It also brings **−20%**  Stability, **−33%**  Resources from Jobs, and **−50%**  Empire Sprawl from Pops.

A  Nanobot Diffuser can be used on a primitive world instead of conquest but will generate a temporary **−40**  Opinion from every other empire.

### Awareness

Awareness is a measure of how aware a pre-FTL civilization is that alien life exists and goes from 0 to 100. It determines how many years Stellar Culture Shock lasts if an empire reveals its presence and, if  First Contact DLC is installed, whether an Observation Post constructed above the pre-FTL civilization will produce Observation Insights.

Awareness has a chance to decrease each year by 1 as long as it is above 10. It also has a chance to increase whenever unnatural things happen in the same star system. The chance for Awareness to increase or decrease depends on the civilization's age.

* +1 each time an uncloaked ship enters the system or decloaks (6 months cooldown)
* +1 each time a starbase or station is constructed
* +2 each time an uncloaked science ship surveys the planet
* +2 each time an uncloaked fleet uses emergency retreat
* +5 each time an asteroid or ship is destroyed or disengaged
* +5 each time a planet is colonized
* +5 each time a megastructure is built or upgraded
* +20 each time a planet is terraformed
* +20 each time a planet is destroyed
* +20 each time a neighbor system is destroyed
* +2 each year as long as an uncloaked Observation Post is present
* +2 each year as long as a planet is colonized

Awareness can also be manually increased or decreased via espionage.

### Age advancement

Pre-FTL civilizations will advance through ages as their history is written. Having an Observation Post built will notify its empire of every age advancement and let it check progress towards the next age by hovering over the age in the diplomacy screen. Depending on the current age and  Awareness, it takes the following amount of years to progress to the next age:

 Renaissance Age - Machine Age
 Atomic Age - FTL Discovery

After the mid-game year is reached pre-FTL civilizations will advance twice as fast.

Early Space Age civilizations that don't have an Observation Post built in orbit will eventually develop basic hyperdrives, turning them into a normal empire. If a Starbase was built around the star the new empire will ask the owner for control of it. Should the request be accepted they will be granted control of the Starbase and all colonized planets in the system and gain a temporary **+100**  Opinion towards the former owner. If the request is refused the civilization will be annexed. Annexing the civilization will cost **200**  Influence if  Xenophile or  Fanatic Xenophile while granting it control of the system will cost **200**  Influence if  Xenophobe or  Fanatic Xenophobe.  Genocidal empires only have the option to annex the civilization.

There is no catch-up mechanism for these empires. Unless they advance very early in the game, they will likely be quickly conquered or turned into a  Protectorate.

When the pre-FTL civilization discovers hyperdrives there is a 20% chance to be replaced by a machine intelligence empire instead. This cannot happen if the civilization has the  Mechanist,  Shattered Ring or  Void Dwellers origin. In addition to regular options, an empire owning the system can pay 200-300  Influence to subjugate the machine empire unless it has the  Driven Assimilator or  Determined Exterminator civic.

#### Nuclear war

Every 50 years there is a chance for any pre-FTL civilization that reached at least  Atomic Age to start a nuclear war. The chances are the following:

* 49.6% chance nothing happens. This outcome is twice more common if the pre-FTL civilization is  Pacifist or  Fanatic Pacifist.
* 49.6% chance planet becomes a  Tomb World with the  Metal Boneyards planetary feature and the pre-FTL civilization reverts to  Stone Age. Only 2  Pops will survive.
* 0.4% chance the planet becomes a  Toxic World with a deposit of 3  Society and the pre-FTL civilization is destroyed. This outcome is twice more likely if the pre-FTL civilization is  Militarist or  Fanatic Militarist. If the  Toxoids DLC is installed the planet will gain the  Toxic Terraforming Candidate modifier.
* 0.4% chance the planet becomes a  Tomb World with the  Metal Boneyards planetary feature and the pre-FTL civilization is destroyed. This outcome is twice more likely if the pre-FTL civilization is  Militarist or  Fanatic Militarist.

Pre-FTL civilizations with the  Shattered Ring or  Void Dwellers origins cannot have nuclear wars.

### Asteroids

Very rarely an asteroid might be on a collision course with a planet inhabited by a pre-FTL civilization. Destroying the asteroid will grant **150-2000**  Minerals and add 5  Awareness to the pre-FTL civilization. If the  Non-interference Act resolution has been passed the empire will be in breach of galactic law for 10 years. If the asteroid isn't destroyed before it hits the planet one of the following will happen:

* 74% chance the pre-FTL civilization reverts to  Stone Age and only 2  Pops survive.
* 24% chance the Observation Post is destroyed and the pre-FTL civilization gains 5  Awareness. If the  Non-interference Act resolution has been passed the empire will be in breach of galactic law for 10 years.
* 2% chance the pre-FTL civilization gains 10  Awareness and progresses through the ages faster. This can only happen if the pre-FTL civilization reached  Atomic Age or  Early Space Age.

### Observation posts

Observation Posts are stations that can be constructed above the homeworld of a pre-FTL civilization. Having an Observation Post enables diplomacy and espionage of the pre-FTL civilization and will notify the empire of any age advancements.

If the civilization is not aware of aliens the Observation Post will be able to conduct Passive or Aggressive observation and produce resources that scale with the  Infiltration level on the pre-FTL civilization. Both types of observation can trigger various events. If  First Contact DLC is installed and at least one Observation Post is built over the homeworld of a pre-FTL civilization that isn't aware of aliens the empire will gain the Observation Insights situation.

Any Observation Post will slowly increase the  Awareness of the pre-FTL civilization. Observation Posts can cloak if the required technology has been researched, canceling this effect.

* **+0.5** Observation Insights Progress
* **+2-6** Physics Research
* Subtle Interference
  **Aggressive Observation** | * **+5-15** Society Research
* **+1** Observation Insights Progress
* **+2-10** Physics Research
* Aggressive Interference

#### Diplomacy

Aside from improving and harming relations, regular diplomacy actions and agreements are not available with pre-FTL civilizations. However there is a small number of agreements available only towards pre-FTL civilizations:

* **Reveal Our Presence** is the only option if the pre-FTL civilization hasn't been made aware of alien life. It will make the civilization aware and enable diplomacy but will also cause Stellar Culture Shock for a number of years.
* **Offer Societal Guidance** costs **0.1**  Influence and **5**  Unity each month and will slowly shift the pre-FTL civilization's ethics to match the empire's.
* **Provide Technology** costs **0.1**  Influence and **5**  Research each month and causes the pre-FTL civilization to advance through the ages 3 times faster, or 4.5 times faster if the  Equal Standing Act resolution has been passed. This option is only available if the Pre-FTL Enlightenment policy is set to Allowed. If the agreement is active when the pre-FTL civilization discovers FTL it will become a subject of the empire owning the Observation Post, gain a temporary **+100**  Opinion with it, and the owner's  Xenoist faction will be pleased for 20 years.
* **Form Commercial Agreement** costs **0.1**  Influence and **5**  Minerals each month and produces **0.5-4.5**  Trade Value depending on the pre-FTL civilization's age. If the  Equal Standing Act resolution has been passed and the planet contains planetary features that produce advanced resources those will be obtained as well. The agreement also enables empires with  Corporate authority to open branch offices on the pre-FTL civilization's planet if the the civilization reached  Atomic Age or  Early Space Age. This option is only available if the  First Contact DLC is installed.

## Pre-sapient species

As opposed to primitives, planets of pre-sapient species can be colonized. The pre-sapient pops do not require either Housing or Amenities. The  Pre-Sapients policy determines their status, and if set to Protected enables the construction of Alien Zoo buildings on worlds that contain pre-sapient pops. Unlike sapient species, pre-sapients can be purged without diplomatic repercussions.

Terraforming a planet will cause the death of any pre-sapient pops on the planet.

Sapient pops can be turned pre-sapient with the  Devolving Beam colossus weapon.

### Policies

The Pre-Sapients policy determines whether an empire tolerates pre-sapients living on their worlds or not. It is unlocked when a world within the empire's borders has a pre-sapient pop on it, or the empire's science ship discovers pre-sapients by surveying or via an anomaly.

### Jobs

Pre-sapients are not normally productive, but with the  Pre-Sapients policy *Hunted*, or *Protected* along with an  Alien Zoo, they do produce resources. Pre-sapient jobs have their own stratum, also called *Pre-sapients*.

* **+2** Minerals if pop is  Lithoid
* **−1** Minerals if pop is  Lithoid
* Alien Zoo
* **−1** Minerals if pop is  Lithoid
* Alien Zoo
* Warrior Culture

### Uplifting

For pre-sapient species the option to create templates is replaced with the option to Uplift them. The planet must be colonized and within the player empire's borders. Uplifting a species requires the  Epigenetic Triggers technology and costs 3000  Society Research. Uplifted species become part of the empire that uplifted them and get a **+10%**  happiness bonus when inhabiting that empire's planets due to getting the  Uplifted trait. Finishing an uplift also grants 50  influence.

When an uplift is complete, the pre-sapient species receive the default species rights according to the host empire, even if it is displacement from their own home. Most uplift processes tend to be rocky (70% chance of -5% planet mineral output).

Unlike pre-FTL civilizations, pre-sapients will never advance to sapients on their own in-game.