Guardians
Guardians are extremely powerful Spaceborne aliens added in various DLCs. They can be found in special predetermined systems and rival moons in size and mass. They are marked with a skull icon both in the fleet power box and on the galactic map, and the exact strength number can only be seen with debug mode on. Each guardian has a unique event chain. While one can just stumble over one during exploration, they can also be found with the help of the Curator Enclave. Guardians have an immense amount of health and should only be engaged mid-late game. Defeating most guardians will start a Leviathan Parade Opportunity situation.
Guardians get various bonuses to make them stronger based on the game difficulty. AI empires will only attack a guardian if their fleet power is at least 40k.
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Available only with the Necroids DLC enabled. |
Empire with the Reanimators or
Permanent Employment civic that kill an organic guardian will gain the option to issue a special project that costs 10000
society research to resurrect the guardian on their side. Reanimated guardians cannot be merged into fleets or be commanded by admirals, but they retain their original strength and power while taking up only 32 naval capacity, making them very useful even well into the late-game. Unlike conventional warships which consume energy and alloys, owned guardians must be kept fed and thus have a very high food upkeep.
Asteroid Hives[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Leviathans DLC enabled. |
A random system in the galaxy will have an asteroid belt containing 5 unique crystalline asteroids with deposits of 6-8 Minerals and 6 unselectable asteroids with one of them producing a chirping-like sound. Entering the system for the first time will display an event window hinting that there's more to the system than meets the eye.
If the system is claimed with a Starbase the Asteroid Hives will awaken with the following MTTH based on the number of constructed mining stations:
Mining Stations | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
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MTTH | 100 years | 33.3 years | 11.1 years | 3.7 years | 1.2 years | 0.4 years |
The Asteroid Hives use only strike craft as their weapons. As a result carrier ships are the ideal counters as the Asteroid Hives have no point-defense themselves and launched strike craft will engage and destroy the enemy ones before attacking the guardians. In addition carrier ships have point defenses themselves.
Defeating all 6 Asteroid Hives will grant 500 Energy and 2000
Society research in addition to allowing the system to be safely mined.
Automated Dreadnought[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Leviathans DLC enabled. |
A random system in the galaxy with two habitable worlds will be defended by the Automated Dreadnought, an ancient warship of old locked in patrol mode. The Automated Dreadnought uses regular ship components and can be countered by ships with high shielding and mixed laser/kinetic weaponry.
Weapons | Utility | Core |
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Defeating the Automated Dreadnought gives the following two choices:
- Salvage the dreadnought for 5000
Energy and
Minerals and 30x monthly (1000~5000)
Engineering research.
- Issue a special project to repair and use it that costs 50000
Engineering research. Dreadnought is the same as listed above except that it loses Leviathan modifiers for
Hull and
Shields, but it receives two additional
Hyper Shields. Its
Jump Drive will be upgraded to a
Psi Jump Drive if the empire has the technology. The components will not be able to be upgraded/changed even if better tech is available (jump drive included after fully repairing it).
Enigmatic Fortress[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Leviathans DLC enabled. |
A random class A star system in the galaxy will house the Enigmatic Fortress, a massive space station guarded by numerous unique defense platforms. The Enigmatic Fortress uses regular components and can be countered by ships with high armor and mixed laser/kinetic weaponry. The installation consists of the following stations:
1 Ancient Vault | 2 Ancient Guardian | 2 Ancient Warden | 4 Ancient Defender | 8 Ancient Sentinel | |
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Weapons | |||||
Utility | |||||
Core |
Defeating the Enigmatic Fortress will start a lengthy event chain that must be completed to gain its rewards. Letting the timer expire at any point will result in the vault repowering.
Successfully investigating the Enigmatic Fortress will grant 1000-5000 Research across all fields as well as unlock the
Enigmatic Encoder and
Enigmatic Decoder technologies.
Infinity Machine[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Leviathans DLC enabled. |
A black hole system in the galaxy named Gargantua will house the Infinity Machine, the only guardian in the game that's not hostile. At first no interaction with the Infinity Machine is possible but a year or two after being discovered the guardian will send a transmission and start a special project that requires 360 days and at least a level 3 scientist leader to be finished. Completing the special project allows the following options:
Materialist empires can attempt to hack the Infinity machine. The chance of success is 50% and will permanently grant a +5%
Research Output empire modifier as well as either the
Positronic AI or the
Zero Point Power technology on a success. If both were already researched it will grant 1000-5000
Society research. For
Gestalt Consciousness empires this is the only option. This approach destroys the Infinity Machine.
Spiritualist empires can declare the Infinity Machine a divine object, granting a +5%
Happiness empire modifier.
Militarist empires can destroy the Infinity Machine with an army without fighting it to gain the same bonuses as when defeating it.
- All empires can communicate with the Infinity Machine after the special project is completed.
Militarist and
Fanatic Egalitarian empires can tell it the liar's paradox but the guardian merely finds paradoxes boring. The empire can offer to help it and start a special project that requires 1800 days and a science vessel to be finished. Finishing the project will have one of the following outcomes.
- 50%: the project fails but the Infinity Machine will reward the empire with the
Positronic AI technology. If already researched it will grant the
Zero Point Power technology. If both were researched it will grant the empire a +5%
Research Output empire modifier.
- 25%: the project succeeds and the Infinity Machine enters the black hole. It will grant the
Positronic AI technology. If already researched it will grant the
Zero Point Power technology. If both were researched it will grant 150
Influence. In addition the black hole will get a 4
Research deposit.
- 25%: the project succeeds and the Infinity Machine enters the black hole and shrinks it to a smaller size renamed Pantagruel which will get a 10
Research deposit. The empire will get 200
Influence and permanently gain the Mirror of Knowledge modifier (+10%
Research Speed). In addition, a Curator Enclave can be contacted and given some info for 500
Engineering Research.
- 50%: the project fails but the Infinity Machine will reward the empire with the
Alternatively, the Infinity Machine can be attacked, forcing it to open and become aggressive. The guardian comes equipped with lasers, strike craft, heavy shields and regeneration components and has good evasion. As a result, shielded fleets using kinetic weapons are the ideal counter. Destroying the Infinity Machine will allow it to be broken down for 700-4000 Minerals and 250-500
Influence. Alternatively empires that are not
Gestalt Consciousness can study its nature to permanently unlock the next tier of
Mechanical Pop research. Destroying the Infinity Machine removes any empire modifier.
Total stats | Armaments | Utilities | Core components |
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Horizon Signal[edit | edit source]
If the Horizon Signal event chain has been started, entering the Gargantua system (whether it is the first time or not) will have the Infinity Machine initiate contact and ask you for 800 Energy and
Minerals. Refusing either of the two options results in the guardian asking again next time a ship enters the system. Accepting results in the Infinity Machine disappearing like the Horizon Signal science ship and adding a 10
Society Research deposit to Gargantua.
Spectral Wraith[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Leviathans DLC enabled. |
The Spectral Wraith is a guardian that can only appear during the mid-game. A random pulsar in the galaxy when surveyed will reveal a unique Pulse Germination modifier. The first empire that surveys the pulsar will be shown an event window pointing to the date when the mid-game starts and hinting that is the system where the Spectral Wraith will spawn.
Unlike other guardians the Spectral Wraith is completely mobile and can travel anywhere in the galaxy. It will spawn in one of three colors: red, yellow or blue. In systems whose star has the same color (M for red wraiths, G for yellow wraiths, and A or B for blue wraiths) the Spectral Wraith will gain -50% Armor and
Evasion. Other star types do NOT trigger this debuff, even if the color mentioned in the star's description matches (e.g. Red Giants have no effect); and it also will not trigger in binary/trinary systems. Aside from the debuff, the color variation is purely cosmetic.
Combat:
- The hull has 20k HP, 10k Armor and a serious 75% Evasion. With aforementioned debuff reducing it to 5k Armor, 25% Evasion. Accordingly, small Energy Weapons offer the necessary amount of Tracking and bonus vs. armor, but with the high hull/armor ratio most fleets will perform fine.
- Its Weapons deal 100% to hull, 200% to Armor, 50% to Shields, at 80% Accuracy, 75% Tracking.
- Destroyers or Cruisers with small to medium guns and heavy shields or crystal plating should be ideal and available.
- Defeating it is possible starting ~5k Fleet power, assuming a perfect counter-build. With ~10k the player is able to defeat it trivially even with suboptimal conditions like large guns and a pulsar system. This makes it one of the weakest Leviathans, although it is difficult to catch.
Total stats | Armaments | Utilities | Core components |
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Defeating the leviathan gives a permanent empire modifier with the following effects:
Stellar Devourer[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Leviathans DLC enabled. |
A random unary star system in the galaxy will appear empty on sensors but reveal the Stellar Devourer when entered, a glowing spaceborne entity that feeds upon stars. If the Stellar Devourer was engaged and did not lose at least 67% HP it will attack one of the attacker's systems until the starbase is disabled and then stay for 90 days until retreating. If the system is colonized all planets will get −25% Happiness and
habitability until the guardian leaves.
The Stellar Devourer's weapons are mostly energy and torpedoes, so shields and point defense are an effective counter. It has extremely high hull and point-defenses, but no armor or shields, making hull-damaging weapons such as plasma weapons and particle launchers the most effective counter.
Total stats | Armaments | Utilities | Core components |
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Defeating the Stellar Devourer will give the choice to either Study the egg sac, or to study the corpse, which will issue a special project to investigate its remains that takes 60 days to be finished. Once examined it will give the following options:
- Harvest the body's energy deposits for a large bonus of 10,000
Energy, 2000
Minerals and 80
Influence.
- Try to reignite the Sun in the leviathan's home System. The Project has a 30% chance to kill the scientist and its ship but is guaranteed to turn the whole System more habitable: All Frozen Planets will become Arctic planets. All other planets undergo a temperature increase as well, rerolling them completely.
Xenophobe and
Militarist empires have the option to instead gain the unique
Stellar Devourer Trophy planetary feature (+8
Unity, +5%
Happiness ) on the empire capital, as well as 500
influence.
Corrupted Avatar[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Distant Stars DLC enabled. |
A randomly placed system with a wormhole will open an event window when first entered, mentioning a signal coming out of the wormhole and hinting that this specific wormhole is different from the rest. Exploring the wormhole will reveal its connection to a trinary system in the galaxy with no hyperlane connections. Said system is guarded by a Corrupted Avatar (aka Psionic Entity). The Avatar uses only energy weapons that ignore armor but do -75% damage to shields. It has moderate hull and strong shields but no armor or PD, making missiles and strike craft very effective.
Defeating the Corrupted Avatar allows free access to the system, which contains a Gaia World which when surveyed will reveal a level V anomaly. Investigating the anomaly grants access to the
Neural Tissue Engineering technology to organic empires or 300-1000
Society Research if
Machine Intelligence. The gas giant in the system will also have an
Exotic Gases deposit.
The Corrupted Avatar can be avoided by setting a science ship's stance to passive and guiding it around the guardian. This approach does not allow colonizing the Gaia World but it does allow the research reward to be claimed.
If a Sentry Array has been completed the system housing the Corrupted Avatar can be seen but cannot be entered with Jump Drives until the system has been entered via the wormhole first.
Unlike other guardians the Corrupted Avatar will always be present if the required DLC is installed. Its system is accessible only via a wormhole which will appear even if wormholes were disabled on game startup.
In the Utopia DLC Corrupted Avatars can also appear for 10 years following Shroud failures. They have the same stats but do not grant any reward upon being defeated.
Tiyanki Matriarch[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Distant Stars DLC enabled. |
A random system in the galaxy with a Gaia World and another habitable world will be home to the Tiyanki Matriarch, the eldest member of the species and the only one to be aggressive when approached. The Matriarch has two weapons - one that ignores armor and does -75% damage against shields and one that deals double damage against both shields and armor. The Matriarch has a buff which gives it +100% weapon damage. It also has significant armor and very high hull but no shields and as a result should be engaged with energy weapons.
Total stats | Armaments | Utilities | Core components |
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Defeating the Tiyanki Matriarch will breach the Galactic Law if the Tiyanki Conservation Act Resolution was passed and the empire is a member of the Galactic Community. Doing so will also incur a fine of −5000 Energy Credits.
Defeating the Tiyanki Matriarch gives the following rewards:
- If the empire researched the
Leviathan Transgenesis technology it unlocks the
Polymelic trait for genetic modification.
- Reth Unddol, a renowned paragon.
Genocidal empires will kill him for 120-350
Unity instead.
- AH4B, a mid-game level battleship with 4k fleet power. It comes equipped with the following components:
Weapons | Utility | Core |
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Voidspawn[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Distant Stars DLC enabled. |
The Voidspawn is an unborn guardian, hidden within a size 20 Dry world orbiting a class G star. Within a year after colonizing a planet in the system, an event will mention how the dry world has a pulse. Within the next half a year the planet will change its appearance, add 30
Devastation and create 3 Rifts Blockers. Within another half a year one of two things will happen. Either the pulse will stop or the planet will once again change its appearance, add 30
Devastation and create 3 Rifts Blockers. Should the latter happen the Voidspawn will hatch in a few months, destroying the colony and turning the planet into a Cracked World with a 20
Society Research deposit. A month later it becomes hostile.
The Voidspawn uses only guided weapons. It has high hull and armor but no shields, making energy weapons effective against it.
Total stats | Armaments | Utilities | Core components |
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Defeating the guardian grants 600-6000 Unity and brings the option to start a special project to research what was left of the egg planet that takes 140 days. Finishing the project and grants the
Gargantuan Evolution technology. Alternatively empires that researched the
Leviathan Transgenesis technology can choose to unlock the
Voidling trait for genetic modification.
If the Voidspawn did not hatch the planet will return to its original appearance once all Rifts Blockers are removed.
Scavenger Bot[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Distant Stars DLC enabled. |
A random class M Red Giant star system will contain an ancient battlefield debris field patrolled by the Scavenger Bot, an ancient construct constantly scrounging the debris field for new parts.
The guardian uses only guided weapons. It uses equal amounts of shields and armor but has no point-defense and barely any evasion, making both guided weapons and strike craft very effective against it.
Total stats | Armaments | Utilities | Core components |
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Defeating the Scavenger Bot grants the following rewards:
Nanite Repair System technology
Nanite Autocannon technology
Nanite Flak Battery technology
Two random tier V component techs or a large amount of
Engineering research if all techs were already researched.
- The system has two broken worlds that bring in a total 20
Minerals and 1
Nanites when mined.
Space Dragons[edit | edit source]
Space Dragons are giant dragon-like guardians that are the sole survivors of the universes they were born in. Despite their different appearances they all fight identically. Space Dragons use only energy weapons that do slightly less damage to shields and have high hull and armor but no shields itself. As a result, shielded fleets equipped with energy weapons are the ideal counter.
Total stats | Armaments | Utilities | Core components |
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If an admiral leads a fleet that defeats either the Ether Drake or the Sky Dragon it will gain the Dragonslayer trait. In addition the empire will eventually unlock the
Artificial Dragonscales technology, or 100-4000
Minerals and 1000-100000
Society research if the technology was already obtained from the other dragon.
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Available only with the Utopia DLC enabled. |
Empires that reasearched the Leviathan Transgenesis technology prior to defeating a Space Dragon will unlock the
Drake-Scaled trait for genetic modification.
Ether Drake[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Leviathans DLC enabled. |
A random class F star system in the galaxy will feature a Molten World called Dragon's Hoard guarded by the Ether Drake, a dragon-like guardian the size of a moon. Initially, the Ether Drake will guard Dragon's Hoard, but if it loses more than 20% HP to an attacker, it will destroy two random starbases belonging to the attacker. After the Ether Drake leaves if the systems were colonized the starbases will be rebuild into frontier outposts. If the Ether Drake loses 85% HP it will retreat to Dragon's Hoard and heal.
Defeating the Ether Drake grants the following rewards:
- 300
Influence
- The Empire gains the
Ether Drake Trophy Relic
- If an Admiral was leading the fleet that defeated it, it may gain the
Dragonslayer trait
- The Dragon's Hoard, which outputs 30
Energy and 30
Minerals. Building a mining station above it will reveal both of the following within 50 years, though not necessarily at the same time:
- Remains of the Ether Drake's mate: The remains can be studied to unlock the
Artificial Dragonscales technology. Alternatively, they can be grinded for 100-4000
Minerals and 1000-100000
Society research.
- Ether Drake's egg: The egg can be smashed for 300
Influence or used in a timed special project that takes 50000
Society research to hatch a controllable Ether Hatchling with about 7K Fleet Power. Unlike the controllable Space Amoeba, the Ether Hatchling will never grow to a full sized Ether Drake.
- Remains of the Ether Drake's mate: The remains can be studied to unlock the
Shard[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Ancient Relics DLC enabled. |
Shard is a guardian that fights identically to the Ether Drake. She appears upon the conclusion of the Kleptomaniac Rats Archaeology Site excavation.
If the Relic World is colonized, Shard will destroy the colony in two years if she's not defeated.
As the excavation already requires claiming the system, the starbase can be upgraded into a bastion citadel in preparation for the fight. Alternatively the final Chapter of the site can be delayed to better prepare technologically.
If Shard spawns adjacent to a Fallen Empire, it will send a fleet to defeat her, rendering the Rubricator unobtainable.
Defeating her grants the Rubricator Relic and begins A Dirge for the Shard Opportunity.
Sky Dragon[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Aquatics DLC enabled. |
All empires with the Here Be Dragons origin will start the game with a Sky Dragon guardian. The guardian is allied with the owner of its system and can only be attacked by empires who are at war with the system owner.
Between 6.5 and 13.5 years after the game has started the owner of the system will get a notification that the Sky Dragon is hungry and be given the option to let it land on the capital, refuse or observe.
- If refused the Sky Dragon will kill 2 pops and add two blockers on the capital.
- If observing the Sky Dragon will kill 1 pop and then feed.
- Allowing it to land costs 75
Influence and the Sky Dragon will feed.
Feeding the Sky Dragon takes 14-16 years, during which the capital will gain the Feeding Dragon planetary feature. When feeding is complete the empire will be given a reward to choose between a small amount of
Research or 1000
Energy and 100
Exotic Gases. The Sky Dragon will not protect the system while feeding but if another empire attempts to invade the planet the guardian will cancel feeding and protect the system.
If the system owner researches at least 2 Society and 2
Engineering technologies during the first 13-49 years it will gain the option to issue one of two special projects:
- Remote Dragon Scanning special project grants a moderate amount of
Society research.
- Dragon Specimen Gathering special project brings the following outcomes:
- 30% chance the science ship and scientist are destroyed and the project can be attempted again with a different outcome
- 55% chance the project can be attempted again with a different outcome
- 15% chance the project succeeds and the empire will unlock the next
armor technology.
- If the project is attempted a second time there is a 75% chance the Sky Dragon will kill 2 pops and add two blockers on the capital. The chance is reduced to 25% if the dragon was fed. If this second attempt is successful, gain 50% of the science cost for the next
armor technology instead of 100%.
After either special project has completed and the empire has established communications with at least 70% of the galaxy a first contact will be established with the Sky Dragon. Finishing the first contact grants 150 Influence and an increased amount of
Unity.
After establishing first contact with the Sky Dragon and picking 6 ascension perks, or 4 ascension perks and finishing a tradition tree unlocked by an ascension path, the guardian will ask the empire to help raise its children. Refusing will grant 500 Influence but the Sky Dragon will disappear. If the offer is accepted the empire will gain control of Sky Dragon and unlock the
Dragon Hatchery starbase building.
If the empire with the Here Be Dragons origin kills the Sky Dragon it will gain an empire modifier that gives +20%
Governing Ethics Attraction and +10%
Monthly Unity in addition to the usual space dragon rewards.
Sky Dragon gains only half of the usual guardian bonuses from higher game difficulty.
Dimensional Creatures[edit | edit source]
Dimensional Creatures are nightmarish guardians that originate from a different dimension. Defeating any of them will start the Horrific Inverse Mass situation.
Dimensional Creatures cannot move but their tentacles can strike across the entire system. Their weapons ignore armor but do -75% damage to shields. They have equal amounts of shields, armor and hull as well as no evasion, making shielded fleets using the long-ranged Kinetic Artillery or size X weapons the ideal counter.
Total stats | Armaments | Utilities | Core components |
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The Worm[edit | edit source]
The Worm will appear in the capital system of an empire at the end of the Horizon Signal event chain if its offer has been refused. Defeating it grants the following rewards:
- 1500-3000
Energy
- 1000-8000
Physics Research
- If the
Ancient Relics DLC is installed it gives the
Scales of the Worm relic
Dimensional Horror[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Leviathans DLC enabled. |
A random black hole system in the galaxy will appear empty on sensors but reveal the Dimensional Horror when first entered. There are no interactions with it beyond killing it. Defeating the Dimensional Horror will leave behind a dimensional rift with a special project that takes 140 days to be researched. Once examined, it will give the following rewards:
- 4000-6000
Physics Research
- 4000-6000
Society Research
- Unlocks the
Jump Drive technology with 50% progress if not already researched
The Elder One[edit | edit source]
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Available only with the Leviathans DLC enabled. |
A random planet in the galaxy might contain an archaeological site named The Broken Gates. It has 4 chapters, each one granting 10-50 Minor Artifacts. Upon completing the final chapter the Elder One will begin manifesting and the empire will get the choice to either prevent it and gain 350-10000
Engineering Research or release it. Releasing it will destroy the system identically to a Star-Eater and the Elder One will emerge but not become hostile. If let out the Elder One will contact the empire 10 days later and offer to rebuild the starbase of the destroyed system and grant an empire modifier that gives +6%
Research Speed and −10%
Growth Speed. Refusing will grant 150-300
Influence but the Elder One will become hostile.
If the Elder One is killed the empire modifier provided will be removed.
Exploration | Exploration • FTL • Anomaly • Archaeological site • Relics • Pre-FTL species • Fallen empire • Events • Spaceborne aliens • Guardians • Marauders • Caravaneers |
Celestial bodies | Celestial body • Colonization • Terraforming • Planetary features • Planet modifiers |
Species | Species • Traits • Population • Pop modification • Species rights • Ethics |
Governance | Empire • Government • Civics • Policies • Edicts • Leader • Factions • Technology • Traditions • Situations |
Economy | Economy • Planetary management • Districts • Buildings • Holdings • Jobs • Designation • Trade • Megastructures |
Diplomacy | Diplomacy • Relations • Galactic community • Federations • Subject empires • Intelligence • AI personalities |
Warfare | Warfare • Space warfare • Land warfare • Starbase • Ship • Ship designer • Crisis |
Others | The Shroud • L-Cluster • Unique systems • Preset empires • AI players • Easter eggs |