Diplomacy

Version

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

Diplomacy

**Diplomacy**

Relations

Galactic community

Federation

**Diplomacy** in Stellaris draws on the model of previous Paradox games and offers an alternative to warmongering.

## Envoys

Envoys are minor leaders that can be assigned to perform various diplomatic tasks. Once an envoy is assigned to a task, it cannot be reassigned again for a year. Envoys can be assigned to the following tasks:

* Improve Relations with another empire, which grants  **+0.25** opinion per month to and from the target empire (up to **+150**) and removes the relation requirement for positive diplomatic actions
* Harm Relations with another empire, which grants  **−0.5** opinion per month to and from the target empire (up to **−150**) and removes the relation requirement for negative diplomatic actions
* Assign to a first contact, and they will investigate and discover the aliens for you
* Assign to build a Spy Network, which will increase  infiltration in another empire over time. With an active Spy Network, Operations can be carried out.

Each Empire starts with 2 Envoys by default and can gain additional ones in the following ways:

## Diplomatic actions

Many diplomatic actions have a 10-year cooldown once chosen. Some of these are unilateral while others need to be accepted by both sides which becomes a matter of acceptance. Most diplomatic actions require certain a Relations level or an envoy being sent to improve or harm relations.

Maintaining any form of lasting treaty generates  Trust, which increases  Opinion. The maximum amount of Trust obtainable is limited by the most valuable treaty between both parties. Acquiring the Direct Diplomacy perk from the  Diplomacy tradition tree grants  **+50** trust cap. Trust decays by **−0.25** per month if there is no new income (i.e. no ongoing treaty that generates trust).

### Unilateral agreements

Unilateral agreements are diplomatic actions that are only proposed and ended by one of the empires, with no input from the recipient. Rivalries can only end 10 years after they were proposed.

### Bilateral agreements

Bilateral agreements are mutually-beneficial diplomatic actions that when offered by an empire must also be accepted by the recipient in order for them to take effect. Agreements can be ended at any time by either empire but doing so will cause a temporary  Opinion penalty.

All bilateral agreements aside from Embassy require either Embassy or the  Diplomatic Networking tradition. Defensive Pacts and Federations can only be made or broken when neither empire is at war with anyone. Federations also require the  The Federation tradition.

### Acceptance

The acceptance of diplomatic agreements by computer empires is determined by multiple factors.

#### Personality

The most specific factor that determines an empire's acceptance rate is its AI personality.

### Trade deals

Trade deals are instant or monthly transfers of resources or other assets between two empires. Deals that transfer monthly resources last between 10 and 30 years; once the AI fills their stockpile, long-term contracts become only viable option. It is possible to break long-term trade contracts if not enough resources are stockpiled, but this causes an  opinion penalty. Diplomatic trades often can yield better deals than the market. The AI will never accept mixed long-term/instant trades. Although  Gestalt Consciousness empires have no use for  consumer goods or  Zro, they are still willing to trade for them.

Trading requires a **neutral** or **positive** attitude between the two empires. Empires holding a **negative** attitude will accept only gifts (giving them resources without them giving anything in return). Fallen empires only trade if they are patronizing or enigmatic towards the proposing empire and will never trade strategic resources. Resources cannot be traded between overlords and subjects if the terms of agreement include contribution or subsidies in that resource.

 Trade willingness shows how much an empire is open to trading with other empires and is dependent on their AI personality. The lower their trade willingness is, the more favorable a trade deal has to be for them to see it as fair. Empires with less than 75% trade willingness will never make offers.

In addition to resources, the following things can be traded diplomatically:

* Communications: Valued based on the number of new contacts. Does not include Enclaves. Fallen Empires always refuse.
* Active Sensor Link: Valued based on distance, neighboring empires being more interested. Allows the empire receiving the link to see everything the granting empire can see. Only available as a timed deal. Fallen Empire always refuse.
* Transfer System: Available only towards neighbors during peacetime, it is the most valued trade option and can be used to offer to cede one of your star systems, usually non-preferred planets that are too expensive to terraform or adapt pops to, or as a way to ease opinion penalty of claims or border tension. The AI will always refuse to accept systems that contain colonized Holy Worlds or border the Militant Isolationists.

#### Subject trade deals

Subject empires have additional trading options with their overlord:

* Borrow Fleet: Gives the subject temporary control a fleet. Valued based on how much of the total fleet power the fleets represent.
* Pledge Loyalty: Only available from a subject towards the overlord as a timed trade deal; if the subject has  **150** opinion or better towards the overlord, it gives  **+2.5** loyalty monthly, otherwise **+1.5** monthly.
* Share Empire Data: Adds  **+20** intel from the giver to the recipient; can be given by the overlord if they have 80 or less intel on the subject; can be given by the subject if they have 40 or less intel on the overlord.
* Loyalty: Only available from a subject towards its overlord, each point of loyalty will increase trade acceptance by **1**. Loyalty can be used even if the value would become negative, up to **−100**.
* Transfer Leader: Requires a tier 2 specialized subject, transfers a subject leader to the overlord. Valued based on the leader's abilities. Requires both empires to have the same authority if  Gestalt Consciousness.

Specialist subjects have additional, unique trade options which extend their bonuses to the overlord, usually at the cost of their own:

#### Trade acceptance

The trade acceptance number shows how much the other empire favors a deal. A trade acceptance lower than **1** means that the other empire sees the deal as disadvantageous for them and will always refuse it. A trade acceptance of **1** means that AI empire sees the deal as fair and will always accept it. A trade acceptance higher than **1** means that the other empire sees the deal as advantageous for them and will give a temporary bonus to their  opinion, up to a limit of **+100**.

## Favors

Favors can only be obtained through events and have two purposes. First, an empire can call upon Favors to add another empire's Diplomatic Weight to theirs (**+10%** per favor) when voting Resolutions in the Galactic Community as long as they don't already vote identically. This does not decrease the other empire's diplomatic weight for the vote. Second, Favors increase the acceptance rate of certain diplomatic agreements or federation laws by **+5** for each Favor. An empire can owe another empire up to 10 Favors.

Multiple empires can call upon Favors from the same target empire and one empire can simultaneously call upon Favors from multiple target empires.

## Attitude

Each empire will have a specific attitude towards other empires dictated by their AI personality, diplomatic interactions and the relative power of both empires.

## Genocidal Diplomacy

Empires with the  Fanatic Purifiers civic can only engage in diplomacy with empires of the same primary species. Note that this other empire will still have **−1000**  Opinion towards Fanatic Purifier, unless it is also a Fanatic Purifier (in which case they have **+200**  Opinion towards each other).

Empires with the  Determined Exterminator civic can only engage in diplomacy with empires with  Machine Intelligence authority or  Mechanical main species.

Empires with the  Devouring Swarm and Terravore civics cannot engage in any diplomacy at all, not even with identical empires. Envoys are thus only useful to them for Espionage and First Contact.