This article has been verified for the current PC version (2.8) of the game.
A gas giant with four units of research resources and one unit of the very rare Zro aerosol.
In Stellaris, the economy is based on the production and consumption of resources and services either from a specific planet or throughout the empire. It relies heavily on Pops working on different Jobs, or mining stations built over various celestial bodies.
Resources can vary from fairly common food crops to very rare substances such as dark matter and also physical minerals to "produce" knowledge, such as research.
In that way, resources are very important and ought to be quickly scouted, exploited, and developed.
There are three kinds of resources: Material, Abstract and Strategic.
All material resources and strategic resources (except Trade Value) must be stocked. All empires have a 15000 basic storage capacity for each resource except energy, which has a 50000 basic storage capacity. An empire can build Resource Silos buildings on colonized planets and starbases to expand their stockpile capacity. Any produced resources that cannot be stockpiled are simply wasted.
Material resources are the most straightforward and important type as they provide the means to expand both geographically, developmentally and technologically. They are gathered and stockpiled on a monthly basis, but not necessarily on the same day. While they all have a stockpile, how that stockpile and the excess is used varies fundamentally between each resource.
Advanced resources are resources that are produced by refining them from cruder raw minerals.
Resource
Major uses
Major source
Description
Alloys
Starbase and Ship Cost
Ship Upkeep
Megastructure Cost
Alloy Foundries Buildings ( Metallurgist Jobs)
Ministry of Production building improves Alloys from Jobs
Mining Stations (rare)
Alloys are advanced resources with a military application, which we need to construct Ships and Starbases.
Consumer Goods
Gestalt Consciousnesses empires do not use consumer goods except for Rogue Servitors
Pops Upkeep
Various Specialist Jobs Upkeep
Colony Ship Cost (Unless Gestalt Consciousness)
Distribute Luxury Goods decision
Civilian Industries Buildings ( Artisan Jobs)
Ministry of Production building improves Consumer Goods from Jobs
Trade Value conversion ( Consumer Benefits policy)
Consumer Goods is an advanced resource that represents various gadgets, luxuries and goods necessary to give your Pops a good life and perform intellectual Jobs such as Research.
While not technically a type of resource, Trade Value is an important part of an Empire's economy.
Resource
Major uses
Major source
Description & Strategy
Trade Value
Gestalt Consciousness empires do not use Trade Value
Collected Trade Value is converted into Energy, Consumer Goods and / or Unity based on the Trade Policy
Pops (varies based on Living Standards, Civics and/or Traits)
Various jobs
Galactic Stock Exchange building increases planetary overall Trade Value
Celestial Body deposits (no stations required)
Branch Office buildings
Trade Value represents civilian day-to-day economic activity. Starbases collect Trade Value and convert it into resources such as Energy Credits if connected to your capital planet through a Trade Route. Trade Value that is directly collected by your capital Starbase does not need a trade route to generate resources.
Abstract Resources represent non-physical assets that an empire has access to. They are mostly concepts that represent complex sociopolitical activity within the empire's leadership and population.
Resource
Major uses
Major source
Description & Notes
Influence
Claims Cost
Starbases Cost
Decisions and Edicts Cost
Diplomatic Pacts Upkeep
Integrating Subjects
Influencing Elections
Reforming the Government
Faction Interactions
Each empire has a base income of +3 and only a few factors can increase it
Factions (+2 in total, affected by Faction Approval)
Protectorates (+0.25 each)
Rivals (+0.5 each)
Other common sources of Monthly Influence
Egalitarian: +25% or +50% from Factions
Authoritarian: +0.5 or +1
Gestalt Consciousness: +1
Parliamentary System: +25% from Factions
The Living State technology: +1 from Factions
Autonomous Agents technology: +1
Finishing the Domination tradition tree: +1
Will to Power ambition: +5
Faction suppression: −1
Faction promotion: −2
Integrating a subject: -5
Influence () represents political clout, and is used for many things, like enacting Edicts, making Claims, building Outposts and dealing with Factions.
An empire can store only 1000 Influence and the storage amount cannot be increased.
Strategic resources are special rare resources required to both build and maintain advanced buildings and ship components. They are much harder to obtain than the common basic resources and are therefore also much more highly valued. Strategic resources can be obtained by either extracting them from natural deposits or manufacturing them synthetically. Natural strategic resource deposits are always visible but requires specific technology to exploit. Synthetic versions are produced from minerals, albeit at a steep price. All strategic resources can also be manufactured from Dimensional Fabricator buildings.
Resource
Major uses
Required tech
Major source
Description
Exotic Gases
Advanced Plasma weapon components
Advanced Shield components
Strategic Resource edicts
Advanced Buildings Cost and Upkeep
Cyto-Revitalization Center
Hall of Judgement
Energy Nexus
Advanced research buildings
Hyper-Entertainment Forums
Executive Retreat
Organic Paradise
Exotic Gas Extraction
Exotic Gas Refineries ( Gas Refiner Jobs)
Gas Extraction Wells (rare planetary features required)
Gas Giant deposits (rare)
Toxic World deposits (rare)
Rare and exotic gases with a variety of uses, particularly in the operation of advanced energy-based weaponry and force fields. Some of the gases can also be used as starship fuel or even as recreational drugs.
Rare Crystals
Advanced Laser weapon components
Advanced Hull components
Strategic Resource edicts
Advanced Buildings Cost and Upkeep
Advanced consumer goods buildings
Commerce Megaplexes
Advanced housing buildings
Advanced unity buildings
Xeno-Outreach Agency
Rare Crystal Mining
Synthetic Crystal Plants ( Translucer Jobs)
Crystal Mines (rare planetary features required)
Ice Asteroid deposits (rare)
Frozen World deposits (rare)
These crystals have properties that make them extremely effective at focusing laser beams, and they are also a critical component in most advanced electronics. In addition, many cultures treasure them as decorations and adornments.
Volatile Motes
Advanced Kinetic and Missile weapon components
Strategic Resource edicts
Advanced Buildings Cost and Upkeep
Food Processing Centers
Mineral Purification Hubs
Advanced alloys buildings
Fortress
Mote Stabilization
Chemical Plants ( Chemist Jobs)
Mote Harvesting Traps (rare planetary features required)
Asteroid deposits (rare)
Molten World deposits (rare)
These preternatural particles contain a tremendous amount of energy which could be exploited in energy production, as fuel or even as explosives.'
Zro
Psionic Shields component
Zro Distillation
Toxic World deposits (rare)
Gas Giant anomalies
An extremely rare aerosol of exotic particles. It has been deposited on a number of worlds through meteor impacts, but its true origin is a mystery. If ingested by psionically-gifted individuals, zro acts as a very potent (and addictive) drug that enhances PSI abilities.
Dark Matter
Dark Matter Deflectors component
Dark Matter Reactor component
Dark Matter Thrusters component
Dark Matter Drawing
Black Hole deposits
This exotic substance has many properties that seemingly defy several natural laws. Harvestable concentrations can only be found near Black Holes or in certain nebulas.
Living Metal
Strategic Resource edicts
Living Metal
Anomaly deposits
Destroyed Contingency Sterilization Hubs
Sentinels archaeology site
Sold rarely by the Racket Industrial Enterprise caravan
This inorganic metal shows characteristics usually seen only in biological life forms. It will always attempt to regenerate back into the shape it was stabilized into.
Nanites
Nanite Repair System component
Nanite Transmuter building upkeep
Strategic Resource edicts
L-Cluster celestial bodies
Simple but powerful nanoactuators, allowing for complex manipulations and experiments of macroscopic scales.
If an empire's stored stockpile for a certain resource drops to 0 with negative income, a resource shortage will occur. Resource shortages should be avoided at all costs as they impart massive penalties.
The Market can be utilized to overcome a short term deficit but this isn't a long term solution, because the resources you buy from the market will become more and more expensive and what you sell will become cheaper and cheaper overtime.