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Leader
A leader is a named character that leads a significant part of the Empire, as Governor, Scientist, Admiral or General. The ruler is a specific subtype of Leader and in many cases elected from the existing leaders.
The name of a leader can be changed at any time by clicking on it.
Contents
Gaining and losing leaders[edit]
All values in this section can be modified by leader traits, edicts, technology, policies, traditions, civics and ruler traits.
Leaders other than Rulers may be dismissed at any time. Dismissal is irreversible.
Leader pool[edit]
While some events and diplomatic options may give leaders, the most common way to get leaders is to recruit them from the leader pool. There is one pool for each type of leader, other than Rulers who cannot be recruited directly. Each leader pool will contain 3 leaders, or 4 if the empire has the Delegated Functions civic. If a leader is recruited another one will be added to the pool.
A leader can be recruited from the pool for a base cost of 200 energy credits, modified by the following:
Source | Cost |
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-50% |
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-50% |
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-20% |
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+50% |
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+100% |
When a leader is recruited, a replacement in the leader pool is generated immediately. Thus, it is possible (though potentially expensive) to "re-roll" leaders in the pool by recruiting and immediately dismissing leaders. Alternatively, leaders in the pool are replaced automatically after 10 years.
Once recruited, leaders can be freely assigned to different posts (for example, moving a governor from one planet to another sector), be left without an assignment, or be dismissed.
Each Leader save for the Ruler has a monthly upkeep of 2 energy credits.
Age[edit]
Each leader has an age in years and has a base guaranteed lifespan of 80 years, which can be improved by certain species traits, leader traits, and technologies.
After passing their guaranteed lifespan, leaders have a chance of dying every month. The probability is 0.2% per year that has passed since their guaranteed lifespan. After 20 years past their guaranteed lifespan this increases to 2% per month. The mean lifespan with no modifiers is 88 years, 6 months.
Hovering over a leader's age will show the leader's guaranteed lifespan and current chance to die each month.
Leaders with the Mechanical,
Machine Unit or
Chosen One traits are immortal and will never die from old age. Rulers of
Hive Mind empires are likewise immortal.
Initial age[edit]
The initial age of a new leader can vary.
Condition | Age |
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Default | 28-50 |
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18-26 |
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2-10 |
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10-20 |
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50-80 |
Death by accident[edit]
While Mechanical and
Machine leaders are immortal they can still die by accident, regardless of their age. Every 10 years there is the following chance of a leader suffering an accident and dying:
- 88%: nothing happens
- 2%: Survey Ship scientist dies
- 2%: Engineering Research Leader dies
- 2%: Society Research Leader dies
- 2%: Physics Research Leader dies
- 2%: Admiral commanding a fleet dies
- 2%: Governor governing a sector dies
Note that this is rolled per empire, not per leader. For a role with exactly one leader, this represents a mean active lifespan of 500 years. The chance for accidental death can be negated entirely by removing each leader before the decade begins, then returning the leaders after a month passes.
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Available only with the Synthetic Dawn DLC enabled. |
Machine Intelligence empires can adopt the
Self-Preservation Protocols Tradition to reduce the weight of accidents by half, reducing the chance for an accident to occur for each role to 1.06% (6.38% total), for a mean active lifespan of 940 years.
Skill level[edit]
The skill level of a leader determines their basic bonuses, which depend on leader type (ruler, governor, etc.). By default, skill ranges from a minimum of 1 to a maximum of 5. The skill cap can be increased to a max level of 10 through certain traditions, traits, civics, and the leader enhancement policy.
A leader's skill increases after accumulating a certain number of experience points, shown in the table below. Upon gaining a level, a leader's experience total resets to 0 and they have a chance to gain a leader trait. A leader who has previously gained a trait from leveling cannot get another trait from leveling. Leaders who already have three or more traits and scientists researching technologies cannot gain a leader trait by leveling. The restriction on scientists can be circumvented by assigning them to another task, such as surveying or assisting research, right before they hit the required experience points for the next level.
Level | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X |
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XP | 200 | 475 | 825 | 1250 | 1750 | 2325 | 2975 | 3700 | 4500 |
Trait gain chance (admirals and scientists) | 10% | 14.3% | 21.7% | 35.7% | |||||
Trait gain chance (generals, governors, and rulers) | 20% | 27.3% | 38.5% | 55.6% |
The following modifiers affect the speed at which a leader gains experience:
Leader classes[edit]
Leaders are divided into 5 classes that determines their possible assignments, bonuses, experience sources and available traits.
Class | Bonus per level | Experience gain | Assignment | Notes |
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5 per month if ruler 1 per month if heir |
Empire |
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5 per month when governing | Sectors |
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3.5 per month when leading research 3 per month when assisting research 10 per survey 50 per researched anomaly 100 per completed special project 75 per archaeology site chapter |
Research departments Science ships |
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5 per month when suppressing piracy 5 per space battle 0.5 per destroyed ship on either side 0.25 per disengaged ship on either side |
Military fleets |
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100 per ground battle 0.25 per destroyed army on either side |
Planets Transport fleets |
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Leader traits[edit]
Non-ruler leaders are generated with one pre-existing trait suitable for their class.
Every time a leader gains a level, they have a chance to receive an additional trait, unless they:
- are a scientist leading research.
- already have 3 traits
- have already gained a trait via level-up
Class | Trait | Effect | Species | Requirements | Description | |
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Any | ![]() |
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Organic | This leader is quick to adapt new methods and ideas if they prove superior. | ||
Any | ![]() |
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Organic | This leader is resilient and in excellent physical condition, dramatically increasing life expectancy. | ||
Any | ![]() |
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Organic | This leader is particularly eager for an assignment. | ||
Any | ![]() |
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Robotic | This leader has unusually flexible programming, and is capable of quickly adapting new methods and procedures if they prove superior. | ||
Any | ![]() |
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Robotic | This leader was only recently upgraded to a sufficiently autonomous state to allow for command positions. | ||
Any | ![]() |
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Organic | ![]() |
The powerful psionic energies of the Shroud have slowed the natural aging process of this leader. | |
Any | ![]() |
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Any | The personal development and skills of this leader seem to have plateaued at their present level. | ||
Any | ![]() |
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Organic | This leader is stubborn and slow to accept new methods and ideas, even if they have proven superior. | ||
Any | ![]() |
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Robotic | This leader has particularly rigid programming that only rarely permits behavioral modifications, even when such changes would improve efficiency. | ||
Any | ![]() |
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Organic | This leader has fallen to substance abuse to cope with the stress, which has had a detrimental effect on physical health. | ||
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Organic | This leader is an architect at heart, investing in more efficient construction practices. | ||
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Organic | This leader seems really to be concerned about the welfare of his people. | ||
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Organic | This leader is exceptionally charismatic, enforcing their will with ease. | ||
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is firmly entrenched in the labyrinthine web that makes up the political machine. | |
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Organic | This leader aims to expand their borders, reducing the Outpost build cost and Colony Influence cost. | ||
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Organic | This leader is known for their insatiable curiosity, valuing space exploration above all else. | ||
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is considered to be unusually perceptive, spotting talent where others see only eccentricity or incompetence. | |
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Organic | This leader feels strongly about securing and protecting agrarian food sources. | ||
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is an expert at organization possessing the necessary micromanagement skills to command very large starship formations. | |
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Organic | ![]() |
This ruler understands the value in using military station to secure territory. | |
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader rose through the ranks of military command. | |
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is eager to reign over distant stars. | |
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Organic | This leader reaches for the stars. | ||
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Organic | This leader has a firm grip on the means of production. | ||
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Organic | This leader is a shrewd economist, capable of maximizing financial potential. | ||
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is well aware of the importance of properly-structured supply chains. | |
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is enthusiastic about advancements in military technology and ship construction. | |
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is particularly charismatic, and fresh recruits are practically lining up to serve their nation. | |
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Organic | This leader is a reformer, dedicated towards building the society of tomorrow. | ||
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Organic | This leader recognizes just how vital the exploitation of offworld resources is for a star nation. | ||
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Organic | This leader does not shy away from conflict reducing the Cede Planet and Cede Frontier Outpost War Demand costs. | ||
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader seeks to remake worlds in their image. | |
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is intent on promoting the construction of Corvettes. | |
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is intent on promoting the construction of Destroyers. | |
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is intent on promoting the construction of Cruisers. | |
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is intent on promoting the construction of Battleships. | |
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is the immortal nexus of the vast cognitive apparatus that constitutes a Hive Mind. | |
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Robotic | ![]() |
This leader is the core intelligence that oversees and directs all actions in a Machine Empire. | |
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Organic | This leader was raised around hydroponic farms, and has several ideas on how agrarian yields may be improved. | ||
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Any | This leader is an architect at heart, investing in more efficient construction practices. | ||
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is a veteran of the armed forces, with intimate experience of its structural inefficiencies. | |
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Organic | ![]() ![]() |
This leader is peculiarly familiar with state bureaucracy and administration. | |
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Organic | This leader has a background in landscaping, eventually turning their attention towards larger projects. | ||
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is infamous for their ruthless pursuit of efficiency, and is capable of getting the most out of slave labor. | |
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Organic | This leader is naturally inclined towards the sciences, and seeks to foster a curiosity about the natural world in their subjects. | ||
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Organic | ![]() |
This drone entity has the ability to improve synaptic connections in its vicinity. | |
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader is a former fleet officer, and is personally invested in promoting a strong inter-planetary presence. | |
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Organic | This leader is incorruptable and harbors strong convictions regarding what is right and wrong. | ||
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Robotic | ![]() |
This leader constantly runs theoretical models on a secondary memory core for the purpose of improving starship construction efficiency. | |
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Robotic | ![]() |
This unit has the ability to boost administrative data flows in its vicinity. | |
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Robotic | This leader devotes an unusually large percentage of its processing power towards analyzing the natural sciences and promoting their study to others. | ||
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Robotic | This leader has mastered the art of quickly and efficiently transforming alien terrain into a parking lot. | ||
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Robotic | ![]() |
This leader has an unusual interest in warbot design, and is constantly improving and tinkering with our existing models. | |
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Organic | This corrupt leader is willing to sell out anyone and anything if it increases their personal wealth. | ||
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Racket | ![]() |
This leader has an almost uncanny ability to reduce and repurpose industrial waste. How do they do it? It's best not to ask. | |
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Numistic | ![]() |
A level nine Shakvah with enhanced mind focus and inner gaze... | |
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Organic | ![]() |
Recruited from one of the independent merchant Enclaves, this leader is particularly adept at maximizing Trade value. | |
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Gray | ![]() |
Gray is in reality a dense swarm of billions upon billions of advanced nanites. | |
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Oracle | ![]() |
The Oracle sees all. | |
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Any | This leader excels at the study of alien artifacts and structural remnants in the field. | ||
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Any | This leader is perhaps less meticulous than others. | ||
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Any | This leader pursues their research with unusual fervor. | ||
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Any | This leader is thorough in their examinations of unknown phenomena. | ||
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Any | This leader is prone to sudden bursts of inspiration. | ||
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Robotic | This leader can conceive no greater calling that to catalog the entirety of the universe. | ||
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Organic | This leader was born to roam the stars. | ||
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Any | Each Scientist can only have one expertise trait | This leader is, following years of study, considered an expert within the field of Computing. | |
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Any | Each Scientist can only have one expertise trait | This leader is, following years of study, considered an expert within the field of Field Manipulation. | |
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Any | Each Scientist can only have one expertise trait | This leader is, following years of study, considered an expert within the field of Particles. | |
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Any | Each Scientist can only have one expertise trait | This leader is, following years of study, considered an expert within the field of Industry. | |
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Any | Each Scientist can only have one expertise trait | This leader is, following years of study, considered an expert within the field of Materials. | |
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Any | Each Scientist can only have one expertise trait | This leader is, following years of study, considered an expert within the field of Propulsion. | |
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Any | Each Scientist can only have one expertise trait | This leader is, following years of study, considered an expert within the field of Voidcraft. | |
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Any | Each Scientist can only have one expertise trait | This leader is, following years of study, considered an expert within the field of Biology. | |
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Any | Each Scientist can only have one expertise trait | A sound understanding in the craft of war gives this leader innovating insight into the process of military reform. | |
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Any | Each Scientist can only have one expertise trait | This leader is, following years of study, considered an expert on settling on New Worlds. | |
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Any | Each Scientist can only have one expertise trait | This leader is, following years of study, considered an expert within the field of Statecraft. | |
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Organic | Each Scientist can only have one expertise trait | This leader is, following years of study, considered an expert within the field of Psionics. | |
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Organic | ![]() |
This leader has created a simple neural network to help with data processing tasks. | |
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Organic | ![]() ![]() |
This leader has created a complex neural network capable of independent decision-making and even introspection. | |
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Organic | This leader is unwilling to collaborate with others. | ||
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Organic | Stay Calm anomaly event | A towel has immense psychological value. | |
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Organic | Hired from a Curator Enclave | This leader hails from the Curator enclave. His understanding of technology and exploration is unmatched. | |
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Any | ![]() |
Recently sustained psychological trauma is interfering with this leader's performance. | |
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Organic | Archaeology Site bad outcome | This leader has sustained irreversible physical injury that has lowered their life expectancy significantly. | |
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Any | Can be gained from victories | This leader is an agressive admiral, always looking to pour as much fire on the enemy as possible within the least amount of time. | |
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Any | Can be gained from defeats | This leader is a cautious admiral, avoiding unnecessary risks and taking care to always maintain in which fleet units can mutually support each other against the enemy. | |
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Any | ![]() Can be gained from repairs |
This leader is a natural engineer, having the knowledge and skills to organize and oversee starship repairs without the benefit of a spacedock. | |
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Any | Can be gained from leading a fleet | This leader has mastered the field of logistics, and knows how to manage supplies to keep upkeep costs down. | |
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Any | Can be gained from space battles | This leader believes that speed and rapid maneuvers are the keys to success in any space engagement. | |
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Any | Can be gained from leading a fleet | This leader is an expert in reconnaissance, having the technical skill to always get the most out of long-range starship sensors. | |
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Any | Can be gained from victories | This leader fights deviously, relying on misdirection and surprise to get the better of the enemy. | |
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Any | Can be gained from space battles | This leader refuses to even consider the possibility of retreat when battle has been joined, preferring instead to fight to the death if necessary. | |
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Any | Can be gained from defeats | This leader is slow and indolent, performing duties with little energy or initiative. | |
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Organic | Can be gained from defeats | This leader is nervous and apprehensive and can be easily overwhelmed in the minutia involved in handling large formations of starships. | |
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Robotic | Can be gained from defeats | This leader suffers from an unstable code base, resulting in jittery and sometimes illogical behavior. | |
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Any | Defeating the Ether Drake | This Admiral has proven themselves in fierce combat. | |
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Any | Destroying a Caravan | This leader has ample experience stopping the flighty Caravaneer fleets dead in their tracks. | |
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Organic | A Rendezvous Horizon Signal Event | Experienced a troubling future. | |
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Marauder | Rescued or hired for 2000 ![]() |
This Leader hails from a space-based warrior culture, and has been taught unorthodox hit-and-run tactics from an early age. | |
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Reth Unddol | Defeating the Tiyanki Matriarch | When it comes to warfare, this leader is mercilessly obsessive, and singular in purpose. | |
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Cybrex | This Cybrex leader is equipped with ancient tactical databases from their civilization's violent past. | ||
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Extradimensional | For unknown reasons, the vessels under the command of this extradimensional fleet lord seem to rapidly stutter in and out of existence as they move, which has the effect of increasing their sublight speeds. | ||
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Extradimensional | Some extradimensional fleet lords have learned to use the ethereal nature of their vessels to greatly enhance their evasive capabilities in combat. | ||
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Prethoryn | The Prethoryn creatures operating under this fleet consciousness have managed to attain an unusual level of affinity to one another. Their firing discipline has greatly improved, leading to a higher rate of fire. | ||
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Sentinel | Sentinel fleet commanders possess detailed knowledge of Prethoryn anatomy and tactics. | ||
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Prethoryn | The hunting instincts of this fleet consciousness has driven the Prethoryn creatures under its dominion into a frenzy. Their eagerness for battle drives them ever forward. | ||
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Great Khan | The Great Khan is a charismatic leader, a brilliant tactician, and, if the rumors are true, a powerful psychic. | ||
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Any | This leader is particularly skilled at inflicting casualties on the enemy, offering no quarter and expecting none in return. | ||
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Organic | This leader can seemingly conjure up supplies from nowhere, decreasing the maintenance costs of ground forces. | ||
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Organic | This inspiring leader has an undeniable charisma, being worshiped as a hero by the troops. | ||
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Organic | This leader is always in the thick of it, bucking the spirits of the troops by leading from the front despite the risks involved. | ||
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Organic | This leader is unusually concerned with the lives of others, taking care to avoid unnecessary deaths among their own soldiers as well as any civilians caught in the fighting. | ||
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Robotic | This leader is fascinated by the fragile minds of organics, and how they can most efficiently be broken through the creative use of terror tactics on the battlefield. | ||
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Robotic | This leader is very adept at cannibalizing parts from fallen or malfunctioning warbots to keep others running longer | ||
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Organic | This leader commands from the rear, preferably as far away from the frontlines as possible to avoid exposure to 'unnecessary dangers'. | ||
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Robotic | This leader frequently suffers intense bouts of shame and regret over enemy casualties due to an erratic morality core. | ||
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Marauder | Hired for 2000 ![]() |
This Leader hails from a space-based warrior culture, and has been taught unorthodox hit-and-run tactics from an early age. |
Class dependant traits[edit]
Certain species traits grant leaders a unique trait that offers different benefits depending on the leader type. The Erudite trait will not give its leader class bonus if added to a species with the
Cybernetic or
Psionic trait.
Unique leaders[edit]
A few leaders can be obtained through events and, unless the empire's main species has traits that give unique bonuses to leader classes, are usually superior to regular leaders.
References[edit]
Governance | Empire • Ethics • Government • Civics • Policies • Edicts • Leader • Factions • Population • Species rights • Economy • Technology • Traditions • Crime |
Exploration | Exploration • Map • Species • Anomaly • Events • FTL • Fallen empire • Pre-FTL species • Precursors • Spaceborne aliens |
Colonization | Colonization • Celestial body • Planetary features • Planetary management • Districts • Buildings • Ship • Starbase • Megastructures |
Diplomacy | Diplomacy • Trade • Subject empire • Federations • Galactic community • AI personalities |
Warfare | Warfare • Space warfare • Land warfare • Ship designer |
Others | Traits • Terraforming • Pop modification • Slavery • Crisis • Preset empires • AI players • Easter eggs |