Economy

Version

This article has been verified for the current PC version (3.2) 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.

Resource storage capacity

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’ on colonized planets and a ‘Resource Silo’ on starbases to expand their stockpile capacity. Any produced resources that cannot be stockpiled are simply wasted.

Material resources

Material resources are the most straightforward and important type as they provide the means to expand 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.

Basic

Basic resources are directly gathered from celestial bodies or resource districts.

Resource	Main uses	Description
Energy credits	Leader Cost and Upkeep Clear Blockers Cost Terraforming Cost Campaign Edicts Cost Various Upkeep Robotic Pop Upkeep Market purchases	Energy Credits () is an energy backed currency accepted by all space-faring races. You can gain more energy by: Building Generator Districts on the surface of colonized planets. Using Construction Ships to build Mining Stations around energy rich planets or stars. Selling resources on the Market.
Minerals	Buildings and Districts Cost Stations Cost Manufacturing Jobs Upkeep Lithoid Pop Upkeep	Minerals () is a collective term for the basic resources we need to construct ships, stations and planetary buildings. We can gain more by: Building Mining Districts on the surface of colonized planets. Using Construction Ships to build Mining Stations around mineral rich planets or asteroids. Buying more on the Market.
Food	Biological Pop Upkeep Colony Ship Cost for Biological Empires	Food () represents the various nutrients required to sustain and grow Pops. You can gain more by: Building Agriculture Districts on the surface of colonized planets. Buying more on the Market.

Advanced

Advanced resources are resources that are produced by refining them from  minerals.

Resource	Main uses	Description
Alloys	Starbase and Ship Cost Ship Upkeep Megastructure Cost	Alloys () are advanced resources with a military application, which we need to construct Ships and Starbases. We can gain more by: Building Alloy Foundries buildings on the surface of colonized planets. Building Industrial Districts on the surface of colonized planets. Buying more on the Market.
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	Consumer Goods () is an advanced resource that represents the various gadgets, luxuries and goods necessary to give your Pops a good life and to perform intellectual Jobs such as Research. You can gain more by: Building Civilian Industries buildings on the surface of colonized planets. Building Industrial Districts on the surface of colonized planets. Buying more on the Market.

Abstract 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	Main uses	Description & notes
Influence	Claims Cost Starbases Cost Decisions and Edicts Cost Diplomatic Pacts Upkeep Integrating Subjects Influencing Elections Reforming the Government Faction Interactions	Influence () represents political clout, and is used for many things, like enacting Edicts, making Claims, building Outposts and dealing with Factions. The gain rate remains fairly constant throughout the game, but can be increased by: Winning the support of Factions in your empire. Declaring other empires your Rivals. Having Protectorates. Enacting the Edict "Ambition: Will to Power" (cost Unity). Acquiring the Domination Tradition: Colonial Viceroys. Acquiring the Society technology: The Living State / Autonomous Agents. An empire can store only 1000 Influence and the storage amount cannot be increased. Some anomalies and archaeological sites offer Influence as a one-time reward.
Unity	Traditions Cost Ambition Edicts Cost	Unity () is used to unlock new Traditions. We can increase our output by building an Autochton Monument or other buildings that provide jobs which produce Unity.
Physics research  Society research  Engineering research	Researching Technologies Finishing Special Projects	Physics / Society / Engineering Research () is used to research new technologies. We can increase out putput by: Building Research Labs buildings on our colonies. Using Construction Ships to build Research Stations around mineral certain planets or stars. Research speed is based on monthly research points production, and only then multiplied by Research Speed modifiers. Research can be stored by not working on any research or special project. The moment a research or special project takes place stored research is used to double the progress speed until the storage is emptied.

Trade value

Trade value is a planetary resource as opposed to an empire one and is converted into  energy credits,  consumer goods and / or  unity based on the empire's trade policy.  Gestalt Consciousness empires do not use it.

Resource	Major source	Description
Trade value	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.

Strategic resources

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 Extraction Wells (rare planetary features required) Nebula Refinery (if Exotic Gas Extraction has been researched) Gas Giant deposits Toxic World deposits	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 - Advanced administrative (bureaucracy) buildings - Xeno-Outreach Agency	Rare Crystal Mining	Synthetic Crystal Plants Crystal Mines (rare planetary features required) Ice Asteroid deposits Frozen World deposits	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 Mote Harvesting Traps (rare planetary features required) Asteroid deposits Molten World deposits	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 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 Star-Eater construction Aetherophasic Engine upgrade	Dark Matter Drawing	Black Hole deposits Black Hole Observatory (if Dark Matter Drawing has been researched) Star-Eaters	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	Living Metal Mega-Construction edict	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 Nanite Actuators edict		L-Cluster celestial bodies	Simple but powerful nanoactuators, allowing for complex manipulations and experiments of macroscopic scales.

Shortages

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.

Energy	Minerals	Food	Alloys	Consumer Goods	Influence	Exotic Gases	Rare Crystals	Volatile Motes
−50% Minerals from jobs −75% Army Damage −75% Shield hit points −75% Ship weapons damage	−50% Alloys from jobs −50% Consumer goods from jobs −75% Robot build speed −25% Lithoid pop happiness −75% Lithoid pop growth	−25% Biological pop happiness −75% Biological pop growth −75% Organic Assembly Speed	−75% Ship armor −75% Fire rate	−25% Pop happiness −50% Research from jobs −50% Unity from jobs No happiness from living standards	−20% Happiness	−25% Job output	−25% Job output	−25% Job output

References

Game concepts