Empire Development

Empire Development is the left-hand tree on the Technology Screen.  It contains technology necessary for Diplomacy, government reform, and Pacific Conversion - the ability to absorb other factions systems using Influence. Other technologies provide new and powerful ship types, as well as boosts to population growth, influence, and approval. Unlocking Stages rewards the player with new laws, and unlocking the final stage allows players to build Obelisk of Space time, which trigger a Wonder Victory once enough are built.

The northern half of the tree provides new ship designs and upgrades connected as facilitating techs, as well as food improvements. The southern half of the tree unlocks new choices for diplomacy, including alliances, as well as overcolonization penalty reduction for large empires and the ability to colonize Toxic and Barren planets.

Support modules and upgraded hulls are available that require Strategic Resources.

### Note:

* Technologies unique to a faction are written like this: Tendrils of the Church (Vodyani)
* Technologies with a variation for a faction are written like this: Graviton Research (Variation: Sophon)

## Stage One

Players start with this stage already unlocked. The base cost for technologies in this stage is 95 Science. Unlocking this stage grants Flexible Bureaucracy, Cerebral Reality and Drone Networks.

* Planetary Landscaping
* Off-World Agribusiness

## Stage Two

The second stage is unlocked by researching one technology from Stage One. The base cost for technologies in this stage is 152 Science. Reaching this stage also unlocks Grant Bureau, Mining Probe Start and Stellar Analytics.

* Efficient Shielding (Unique ships per Faction)
* Botanical Scanning (Variation: Sophon, Horatio)
* Behemoth Blueprints (Behemoth)
* Xenology (Variation: Ship Bound)
* Adaptive Bureaucracies (Variation: Continuum Sculptors, Unfallen)

## Stage Three

The third stage is unlocked by researching two technologies from Stage Two. The base cost for technologies in this stage is 571 Science. Reaching this stage also unlocks Developing Empire Laws and Improved Commercial Drives.

* Agri Drugs (Unique ships upgrades per Faction)
* Extreme Composites (Unique ships upgrades per Faction)
* Split-Second Ablatives (Unique ships per Faction)
* Applied Cryogenics (Unique ships per Faction)
* Xeno Anthropology (Variation: United Empire)
* Citadel Blueprints (Behemoth)
* Inter-Species HR (Variation: Vaulters)
* HyperPACs (Variation: United Empire, Continuum Sculptors, Unfallen)

## Stage Four

The fourth stage is unlocked by researching four technologies from Stage Three. The base cost for technologies in this stage is 1522 Science. This stage also includes a unique technology for six of the factions, and also unlocks Improved Commercial Drives.

* Liquid Composites (Unique ships per Faction)
* Emperor's Shadow (United Empire)
* Veil of the Essence (Vodyani)
* Personal Singularities (Riftborn)
* Genetic Recoding (Horatio)
* Resonator of the Heart (Unfallen)
* Untracable Markets (Lumeris)
* Insectoid Translation (Cravers)
* Space Loop (Vaulters)
* N-Dimensional Industry
* Dependency Algorithms (Unique ships upgrades per Faction)
* Low-temperature Construction (Unique ships upgrades per Faction)
* SLC (Supra-Light Content) Systems
* Citadel Basic Upgrade (Behemoth)
* Cultural Invertics
* Perfect Negotiations (Variation: Lumeris, Unfallen)

## Stage Five

The fifth stage is unlocked by researching four technologies from Stage Four. The base cost for technologies in this stage is 3805 Science. Reaching this stage unlocks more law slots with Exemplary Empire Laws and the Obelisks of All Space Time System Improvement, which are extremely expensive system improvements that are required for the Wonder Victory. It also gives a +1 speed bonus to civilian ships with Improved Commercial Drives.

* Far Halo Shipyard (Unique ships upgrades per Faction)
* Chlorophyll Chemistry (Variation: Lumeris)
* Chaotic Meteorology (Variation: Unfallen)
* Nano Aquaculture (Variation: Ship Bound)
* Citadel Advanced Upgrade (Behemoth)
* Citadel Extensions (Behemoth)
* Dust-9 Production (Variation: Vodyani)

Researching three Stage Five technologies is a requirement for unlocking Might Of The Endless and Power Of The Endless for research.