Traditions

Version

This article has been verified for the current PC version (3.0) of the game.

Traditions

Traditions

Ascension perks

The Shroud

Traditions are abilities or bonuses unlocked with the  unity resource. Traditions can be seen as a representation of the socio-cultural evolution of the empire as it expands and develops. Traditions help define an empire by allowing the adoption of traditions trees that suit its particular play-style. Completing a tree allows the empire to pick an  ascension perk to further enhance themselves.

Properties

Traditions tab.

Traditions are grouped into 7 Tradition Trees.

• Each tree must be adopted before the individual traditions can be adopted. Adopting the Tradition Tree grants the Adoption Effect.
• Adopting a Tradition grants its abilities and bonuses and unlocks the Traditions it linked to.
• Adopting all 5 Traditions in a tree grants the Finisher Effect, as well as an  Ascension Perk slot.

Tradition swaps

Some empires have some traditions, or even entire tradition trees, that don't fit the empire by flavor and/or playstyle, swapped into other traditions. Authorities and Civics that can cause tradition swapping can normally only be picked during the empire creation phase and cannot be removed or replaced after the game starts by usual means.

For example, the A New Life tradition grants +10% Pop growth speed, but  Machine Intelligence empires makes little or no use for this effect and will have it swapped into +10% Pop Assembly Speed that better fit their playstyle.

This page does not show tradition swaps that involve only narrative changes to the names and flavor texts.

Cost

The cost of unlocking a tradition depends on how many traditions the empire has already unlocked as well as whether the  Empire Sprawl is larger than  Administrative Capacity. Adopting and completing a tree both increase the unlocked traditions factor by 1. The tradition cost formula is the following:

${\text{Tradition cost}}=\left[300\,+\,\left(8\,\cdot \,{\text{Unlocked traditions}}\right)^{1.7}\right]\,\cdot \,\left(1\,+\,0.05\,\cdot \,{\text{Unlocked tradition trees}}\right)\,\cdot \,\left(1\,+\,0.006\,\cdot \,{\text{Empire size above cap}}\right)$

Example
An empire has completed one tradition tree and opened another, for a total of 8 unlocks (5 + 2 opens + one extra for finisher) and 2 open trees. Their empire size is 3 over their limit.

${\text{Tradition cost}}=\left[300\,+\,\left(8\,\cdot \,8\,\right)^{1.7}\right]\,\cdot \,\left(1\,+\,0.05\,\cdot \,2\,\right)\,\cdot \,\left(1\,+\,0.006\,\cdot \,3\,\right)\approx \,1653$

Tradition trees

There are 7 Tradition trees and each of them has a theme.

Expansion

Expansion traditions are themed around colonizing faster, growing the population faster, and generally expanding the empire.

Adoption effect: +25% Colony development speed
−10% Starbase influence cost		+1 Pop on new colonies
−25% Empire Sprawl from Systems and Planets	−20% Starbase upkeep	+10% Pop growth speed Tradition Swaps: +10% Pop Assembly Speed
Finisher effect: +1 Max District for all non-artificial planets Tradition Swaps: Orbital Habitat cost −20%

Domination

Domination traditions were originally focused around subject empires, but are now focused around strengthening the empire's governance through reducing crime, improving the performance of workers and slaves, and gaining better rulers and governors.

Adoption effect: −33.3% Clear Blocker cost Tradition Swaps: Orbital Habitat upkeep −20%
+2 Governor level cap	+1 Housing from upgraded planetary capitals, all habitat capitals, and all residence buildings excluding slave huts and overseer residences Tradition Swaps: +2 Housing from Synaptic Nodes −25% Empire Sprawl from Districts	+5 Crime reduction from jobs Unlocks Enhanced Surveillance edict Tradition Swaps: −10 Deviancy on all planets
+2 Ruler Level Cap		+5% Worker and Slave Output  Slaves benefit twice from this Unlocks Extended Shifts edict Tradition Swaps: +5% Menial Drone Output Unlocks Drone Overdrive edict
Finisher effect: +1 Monthly influence

Prosperity

Prosperity traditions are focused on improving the empire's economy by improving planets and improving the work performance of specialists.

Adoption effect: +20% Mining Station output
−10% Building and District upkeep		−10% Building and District Cost +25% Planet Build Speed
+5% Specialist and Complex Drone Output	City Districts: Get an extra +1  Clerk Trade Districts: Get an extra +1  Clerk Residential Arcologies: Get an extra +3  Clerks City Segments: Get an extra +5  Clerks Tradition Swaps: +5% Monthly Energy Credits	City/Hive/Nexus Districts: Get an extra +1  Housing Residential Arcologies: Get an extra +3  Housing City/Hive/Nexus Segments: Get an extra +5  Housing Tradition Swaps: +1 Building slot for Orbital Habitats
Finisher effect: +1 Merchant Job per 50 Pops Tradition Swaps: +1 Synapse Drone Job per 20 Pops +1 Maintenance Drone Job per 20 Pops

Harmony

Harmony traditions are focused on improving the empire's population by increasing leader lifespan, reducing their food consumption and sprawl, and improving stability.

Adoption effect: −10% Organic Pop Food Upkeep Tradition Swaps: −10% Lithoid Pop Minerals Upkeep
+20 Years leader lifespan Tradition Swaps: +1.5 months Unity per necrophaged Pop (up to a maximum of +100 or a minimum of +5)	−25% Pop Demotion Time	+25% Governing Ethics Attraction
+15% Fire Rate within the empire's borders (both ships and starbases) +33% Ship Build Speed while in a defensive war		+5 Stability on all planets
Finisher effect: −10% Empire Sprawl from Pops

Synchronicity

 Gestalt Consciousness empires have their Harmony tradition tree replaced by Synchronicity. Despite the change in name, Synchronicity is still based around improving the empire's population along with a bonus to defense.

Adoption effect: −10% Organic Pop Food Upkeep Tradition Swaps: −10% Lithoid Pop Minerals Upkeep −10% Robot upkeep
+20 Years leader lifespan Tradition Swaps: −50% Leader accident chance	−20% Leader upkeep	Coordinators: +3 Administrative Capacity  Coordinators: −2 Deviancy Tradition Swaps:  Synapse Drones: +2 Amenities
+15% Fire Rate within the empire's borders +33% Ship Build Speed while in a defensive war		+5 Stability on all planets
Finisher effect: −10% Empire Sprawl from Pops

Supremacy

Supremacy traditions are focused on improving the empire's military capabilities, through the ability to field larger fleets, improvements in ship construction and maintenance, better admirals, as well as building stronger and more starbases.

Adoption effect: +2 Starbase Capacity and +20% Army Damage
−10% Ship Build Cost +25% Ship Build Speed	−10% Ship Upkeep +20% Naval Capacity	+10% Ship Fire Rate +20% Bombardment Damage to Enemy Planets
+20 Fleet Command Limit +2 Admiral Level Cap		+20% Starbase Damage −33% Starbase Upgrade Cost −33% Defense Platform Build Cost
Finisher effects: War Doctrine policies and Supremacist diplomatic stance unlocked

Diplomacy

Diplomacy traditions are, as the name says, focused around diplomacy with other empires. This is done through the introduction of federations, improvements to the galactic market and trade.

Adoption effect: −50% Diplomatic Influence Cost and unlocks the Diplomatic Grants edict
Can create Federations +1 Available Envoys	+10% Trade Value
+100% Federation Naval Capacity Contribution	−10% Market Fee +1 Branch office building slots (This will add a corporate slot to your planets when taken) Tradition Swaps:  Corporate authority gives +5% branch office trade value and −10% Market Fee	+5 Trade Protection for all trade routes
Finisher effect: +33% Trust Growth and +50 Trust Cap

Adaptability

 Inward Perfection,  Barbaric Despoilers,  Fanatic Purifiers,  Hive Mind, and Necrophage empires have their Diplomacy tradition tree replaced by Adaptability. In contrast to Diplomacy, Adaptability traditions are themed around helping their empire achieve self-sufficiency, which is accomplished through improvements to pops, increased habitability and improvements to planetside construction, resettlement and reduction of hostile orbital bombardment damage.

Adoption effect: −10% Pop housing usage
+10% Monthly Food output Tradition Swaps: 15% Refund per demolished building (),,() +1 Available Envoys and can create Federations	+10% Habitability
−25% Bombardment Damage from Enemy Fleets +25% Defense Army Damage	+1 Building slot for all planets Tradition Swaps:  Corporate authority gives +5% branch office trade value and −10% Market Fee	−33% Resettlement Cost
Finisher effect: Unlocks Planetary Prospecting Decision Tradition Swaps: Unlocks Orbital Surveying Decision

Versatility

 Machine Intelligence empires have their Diplomacy tradition tree replaced by Versatility. Versatility is themed around improving the flexibility of the Machine populations and diplomacy performance with other Machine empires.

Adoption effect: −10% Pop Assembly Cost
Can create Federations +50 Trust Cap from Machine Intelligence empires +20 Opinion from Machine Intelligence empires	−10% Pop housing usage
−10% Market Fee	−5% Upkeep for all Jobs	−33% Resettlement cost
Finisher effect: 50% Refund per demolished building or district

Discovery

Discovery traditions are focused around research and space exploration. It grants bonuses to research and improves the performance of scientists and science ships.

Adoption effect: +20% Anomaly Research Speed and unlocks the Map the Stars edict
+35% Survey Speed +50% Science Ship Disengage Chance	+1 Research Alternatives +2 Scientist Level Cap
+10% Research Station Output Unlocks the Research Subsidies edict	+25% Leader Experience Gain +1 Leader Level Cap
	−20% Researcher Upkeep
Finisher effect: +10% Research speed

Ascension perks

Finishing an entire tradition tree or acquiring the  Ascension Theory technology unlocks an ascension perk slot. Ascension perks can be viewed as defining characteristics that emerge as a product of the socio-cultural evolution represented by the Traditions intertwining with the empire's identity (its Ethics, Civics, Government and Population). Ascension perks represent the empire's greater-scope ambition(s) and, in the case of the three Ascension paths, its ultimate final fate.

Ascension perks often favor either a tall or wide gameplay, with some that allow access to gameplay mechanics not available through Traditions alone. This includes the three ascension paths, the ability to build deep-space megastructures, the ability to use terraforming to create special planets and other powerful abilities. An empire can have up to 8 Ascension perks.

Due to the difficulty of unlocking an ascension perk slot, it is prudent to delay making a choice, especially if the desired perk cannot be selected if any required technologies have not been researched yet. In addition, once chosen, the Ascension perk is permanent and cannot be changed.

Tier 0 ascension perks can be taken from the start. Tier 1 ones require 1 previous ascension perk, tier 2 ones require 2 previous ascension perks and tier 3 ones require 3 previous ascension perks.

	Ascension perk	Tier	Effects	Prerequisites	AI weight	DLC
	Consecrated Worlds	0	Consecrate World decision	Spiritualist	10
	Eternal Vigilance	0	+25% Starbase Hull Points +25% Starbase Damage +25% Defense Platform Damage +5 Defense Platform Capacity	Star Fortress technology	10 15 if Xenophobe 30 if  Inwards Perfection
	Executive Vigor	0	+2 Edict Capacity		10
	Imperial Prerogative	0	+20% Administrative Capacity	Corporate	10
	Interstellar Dominion	0	−20% Claim Influence Cost −20% Starbase Influence Cost		10 20 if  Xenophobe 30 if  Fanatic Xenophobe
	Mastery of Nature	0	−33% Clear Blocker Cost Mastery of Nature decision		1 5 if second ascension perk 10 if first ascension perk
	Nihilistic Acquisition	0	Unlocks the Raiding bombardment stance	Is either:  Gestalt Consciousness Authoritarian Xenophobe  Barbaric Despoilers	10 if not Genocidal
	One Vision	0	−10% Pop Amenities Usage +10% Monthly Unity +50% Governing Ethics Attraction	Machine Intelligence	10 20 if  Authoritarian or  Spiritualist 30 if  Fanatic Authoritarian or  Fanatic Spiritualist
	Shared Destiny	0	−50% Subject integration influence cost +100 Subject Trust Cap +2 Available Envoys	Corporate  Inward Perfection Genocidal	5 if has any  Vassal
	Technological Ascendancy	0	+10% Research Speed +50% Rare technology chance		10 20 if  Materialist 30 if  Fanatic Materialist
	Transcendent Learning	0	+2 Leader Level Cap +50% Leader Experience Gain		10
	Universal Transactions	0	−15% Branch Office Cost Commercial Pacts are free	Corporate  Criminal Heritage	10
	Voidborne	0	+20% Habitat Habitability +2 Habitat Building Slots Can upgrade Housing buildings on Habitats Can always research the next tier of Habitat technology	Orbital Habitats technology	10 20 if  Pacifist 30 if  Fanatic Pacifist or  Void Dwellers
	Xeno-Compatibility	0	+33% Immigration pull +20% Pop growth speed if world has at least 2 different species Hybrid Species	Xenophile Any biological alien pop living in empire  Gene Tailoring technology  Gestalt Consciousness	10 20 if  Xenophile 30 if  Fanatic Xenophile
	Enigmatic Engineering	1	+2 Encryption Destroyed ships don't leave debris Enemy Steal Technology operations fail		10 20 if  Materialist 30 if  Fanatic Materialist
	Grasp the Void	1	+5 Starbase Capacity		10 15 if Xenophobe 30 if  Inwards Perfection
	Engineered Evolution	1	+3 Genetic modification points Clone Vats building −25% Modify Species special project cost Gene Seed Purification research option	Gene Tailoring technology Mind over Matter The Flesh is Weak  Machine Intelligence	10 if at least 10 worlds
	Mind over Matter	1	Telepathy research option Psi Corps building Psionic Armies Primary species gains the Latent Psionic trait New leaders have a 20% chance to get the Psychic trait Existing leaders can get the Psychic trait through events Increased Spiritualist ethics attraction	Psionic Theory technology Engineered Evolution The Flesh is Weak  Mechanical main species  Gestalt Consciousness	2 if at least 10 worlds 20 if at least 10 worlds and Spiritualist
	The Flesh is Weak	1	−10% Robot upkeep +10% Pop Assembly Speed Special Project to turn all pops into cyborgs All biological pops gain the Cybernetic trait All biological leaders gain the class appropriate Cyborg trait Assimilation Citizenship option Increased Materialist ethics attraction Enslaved robots will never rebel	Droids technology Engineered Evolution Mind over Matter  Mechanical main species  Gestalt Consciousness	2 if at least 10 worlds and not  Necrophage 20 if at least 10 worlds and Materialist and not  Necrophage
	World Shaper	1	−25% Terraforming Cost Gaia World terraforming option	Climate Restoration technology Is either:  Gestalt Consciousness  Rogue Servitor  Driven Assimilator	5
	Arcology Project	2	Arcology Project decision	Anti-Gravity Engineering technology  Gestalt Consciousness  Agrarian Idyll	10 20 if  Pacifist 30 if  Fanatic Pacifist
	Galactic Force Projection	2	+20 Fleet Command Limit +80 Naval Capacity		10 20 if  Militarist 30 if  Fanatic Militarist 20 if has Perk
	Hive Worlds	2	Hive World terraforming option	Hive Mind  Climate Restoration technology Terravore	10
	Machine Worlds	2	Machine World terraforming option	Machine Intelligence  Climate Restoration technology	10
	Master Builders	2	+50% Megastructures build speed +1 Megastructures build capacity	Mega-Engineering Technology	10 20 if  Pacifist 30 if  Fanatic Pacifist
	Synthetic Age	2	+2 Machine Modification Points −33% Modify Species special project cost	Machine Intelligence  Machine Template System technology	10
	Evolutionary Mastery	2	+3 Genetic modification points −25% Modify Species special project cost Genetic Resequencing research option Can add or remove the Hive-Minded trait by assimilation	Engineered Evolution  Glandular Acclimation technology	100
	Synthetic Evolution	2	+1 Robot Modification Points −50% Modify Species special project cost +10% Robot output Special Project to turn the empire synthetic A new robotic species will be created and can be named. All organic pops and leaders become that species All organic pops have their traits replaced with Mechanical Every organic army is turned into an Android Assault Army. Machine Intelligences regard you as a machine empire −40 opinion from Spiritualist empires −60 opinion from Fanatic Spiritualist empires −20 opinion from every empire that is not Materialist, Fanatic Materialist, Machine Intelligence or Synthetic	The Flesh is Weak special project  Synthetic Personality Matrix technology Synthetics technology  Mechanical main species  Gestalt Consciousness	100
	Transcendence	2	+2 Codebreaking +2 Encryption +10 Base intel level Primary species gains the Psionic trait Assimilation Citizenship option All primary species leaders gain the Psychic trait Special Project to breach the Shroud	Mind over Matter  Cybernetic main species  Mechanical main species  Gestalt Consciousness	100
	Become the Crisis	2	Unlocks Menace and the Crisis tab	Xenophile Pacifist  Rogue Servitor Subject Galactic Sovereign Corporate Sovereign Not the Galactic Custodian	7.5 if Militarist, Xenophobe or  Gestalt Consciousness 75 if Genocidal
	Colossus Project	3	Colossus ship type Colossus Project Special Project	Titans technology	10 20 if Militarist or Xenophobe 100 if Determined Exterminator 200 if  Fanatic Purifiers 2.5 if Pacifist 1 if Xenophile
	Defender of the Galaxy	3	+50% Damage to endgame crisis factions +50% Damage to crisis empires +20 Opinion from all empires		20 if any crisis happened (Includes Gray Goo L-gate Outcome)
	Galactic Contender	3	+20% Diplomatic Weight +33% Damage to Awakened Empires +33% Damage to Fallen Empires +33% Damage to The Gate-builders	Communications with a fallen or awakened empire	10 20 if an awakened empire exists
	Galactic Wonders	3	Unlocks research options for some Megastructures based on the DLC installed: Ring World Dyson Sphere Matter Decompressor	Mega-Engineering technology Built or repaired a multi-stage megastructure	10 20 if  Pacifist 30 if  Fanatic Pacifist

References

Game concepts