This article has been verified for the current PC
version (3.6) of the game.
Traditions represent the socio-cultural evolution of an empire as it expands and develops and consist of abilities, edicts, or bonuses unlocked with the
unity resource. Traditions are a key mechanic for tailoring the playstyle of an empire by allowing the player to reinforce the empire's strengths or lessen its weaknesses. Completing a tradition tree unlocks a slot for an
ascension perk, which provides even further enhancements.
The cost of unlocking a tradition depends on how many traditions the empire has already unlocked, as well as the
empire size cost. The tradition cost formula is the following:
"Tech/tradition cost" refers to the game setting. "Empire size effect" is a modifier to the effect of empire size on its associated penalties, including tradition cost; it is affected by certain authorities. The adoption and finisher effects both count as traditions in their own right, so starting a group counts as one tradition, and unlocking the last tradition in a group counts as two.
Several of these parameters are controlled by defines.[1]
Traditions are grouped into tradition trees with 5 traditions each, as well as a bonus for adopting the tradition tree and one for finishing it. Each empire can select up to 7 tradition trees.
The Discovery tradition tree focuses on exploration and research and is available to all empires.
+20% Anomaly research speed
Unlocks the Map The Stars edict
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To Boldly Go / Exploration Drones / Sensing Tendrils
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Science Division / Research Path Optimization / Mindlink
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+35% Survey speed
+50% Science Ship Disengage Chance
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+1 Research alternatives
+2 Scientist Level Cap
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Databank Uplinks
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Polytechnic Education / Iterative AI / Hyperadaptive Evolution
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+20% Research Station output
+20% Research from Starbase buildings
Unlocks the Research Subsidies edict
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+25% Leader Experience Gain
+1 Leader Level Cap
|
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Faith in Science / Uplink Latency Reduction / Synaptic Broadcast
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−20% Researcher Upkeep
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+10% Research speed
Can create Research Cooperative federations without being Materialist or a Machine Intelligence if the Federations DLC is enabled and The Federation is also taken
Scholarium tier 3: +1000 Research points in Research Caches
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The Domination tradition tree focuses on better managing planets and is available to all empires.
−33% Clear blocker cost if not Void Dwellers
Void Dwellers: −20% Habitat upkeep instead
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Colonial Viceroys / Autonomous AI / Meeting of the Minds
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Imperious Architecture / Modular Depots / Synaptic Extensions
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Public Trust Officers / / Judgment Corps / Deviancy Protocols / Divergence Suppression
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+2 Governor Level Cap
+0.5 Monthly Influence
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: +1 Housing from upgraded capital buildings
: +1 Housing from all housing buildings
Hive Mind: +2 Housing from Synaptic Nodes
Machine Intelligence: −25% Empire Size from districts
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: +1 Unity per Enforcer
: Unlocks the Enhanced Surveillance edict
Gestalt Consciousness: −10 Deviancy on all colonies
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Privy Council / Multithreaded Core Functions / Synaptic Network
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Workplace Motivators / Drone Network
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+2 Ruler Level Cap
+50 Edict fund
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Gestalt Consciousness: +5% Menial Drone Output
Gestalt Consciousness: Unlocks the Drone Overdrive edict
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−10% Empire Size from Pops
Can create Hegemony federations without being Authoritarian or Rogue Servitor if the Federations DLC is enabled and The Federation is also taken
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The Expansion tradition tree focuses on the expansion of territory and colonies and is available to all empires.
+25% Colony Development Speed
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Reach for the Stars / Signal Relay Stations / Amoebic Synapses
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Colonization Fever / Automated Colonization Units / One Mind
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−10% Starbase Influence Cost
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+1 Extra pops when establishing colony
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Courier Network / Extensible Software / Limited Autonomy
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Galactic Ambition / Cogs in the Machine / Blot out the Stars
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A New Life / Hotjoin Protocols / Spawning Frenzy
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−25% Empire Size from Systems and Colonies
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−20% Starbase Upkeep
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+10% Pop Growth Speed
Machine Intelligence: +10% Pop assembly speed instead[3]
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+1 Max Districts on non-artificial colonies if not Void Dwellers
Void Dwellers: −20% Habitat Build Cost
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The Prosperity tradition tree focuses on various empire-wide bonuses and is available to all empires.
+20% Mining Station Output
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Administrative Operations / Superconductive Power Transmission / Chitinous Architecture
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Standard Construction Templates / Prefabricated Buildings
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−10% Building and District Upkeep
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−10% Building and District Build Cost
+25% Planetary Build Speed
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The Pursuit of Profit / Creative Collectives / Peak Performance / Neural Signal Boosters
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Interstellar Franchising / Efficiency Algorithms / Efficiency Instincts
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Public Works Division / Modular Superstructures / Optimized Nexus / Extended Hives
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+5% Specialist and Complex Drone Output
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−5% Upkeep from Jobs
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+1 Housing per City/Hive/Nexus District
+3 Housing per Residential Arcology[4]
+5 Housing per City/Hive/Nexus Segment
Void Dwellers: +1 Building slot for Orbital Habitats instead
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+5% Resources from Jobs
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The Supremacy tradition tree focuses on fleets and armies and is available to all empires.
+20 Naval Capacity
+20% Army Damage
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Master Shipwrights / Modular Hull Templates / Organic Architecture
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Fleet Logistics Corps / Automated Underway Replenishment / Nutrient Arks
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Overwhelming Force
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−10% Ship Build Cost
+25% Ship Build Speed
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−10% Ship Upkeep
+20% Naval Capacity
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+10% Ship Fire Rate
+20% Orbital Bombardment Damage
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War Games / Combat Variable Mitigation / Three-Dimensional Awareness
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The Great Game / Diplomatic Target Prioritization / Hunter's Eye
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+20 Fleet command limit
+2 Admiral Level Cap
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+20% Damage against Starbases
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Unlocks War Doctrine policies
Unlocks the Supremacist diplomatic stance
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The Diplomacy tradition tree focuses on improving the benefits an empire can gain through diplomacy and is not available to empires with the
Inward Perfection or
Devouring Swarm civics.
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The Federation
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Diplomatic Networking / Diplomatic Networking
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Can create Federations
+1 Available envoys
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+3 Unity per Embassy
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Entente Coordination
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Direct Diplomacy
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Eminent Diplomats / Improved Envoy Drones
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+100% Federation Naval Capacity Contribution
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+50 Trust cap
+33% Trust growth
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+5 Diplomatic Acceptance
1% Monthly chance to gain a Favor per Improve Relations envoy action
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+10% Diplomatic weight
+1 Available envoys
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The Adaptability tradition tree focuses on using planets more efficiently and is not available to
Machine Intelligence empires.
−10% Pop Housing Usage
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Enhanced Recycling
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Environmental Diversification
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−10% Building and District strategic resource cost and upkeep
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+10% Habitability
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Survival of the Fittest
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Adaptive Ecology
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Appropriation
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−25% Orbital bombardment damage
+25% Defense Army Damage
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+1 Building slot for all colonies
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−33% Resettlement Cost
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Unlocks the Planetary Prospecting Decision if not Void Dwellers
Void Dwellers: Unlocks the Orbital Surveying Decision
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The Harmony tradition tree focuses on better managing the empire and is not available to
Gestalt Consciousness empires.
−10% Pop Upkeep
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Mind and Body / Unity of Self
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Kinship / Kinship
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The Greater Good
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+20 Years Leader Lifespan
+1 Leader Level Cap
Necrophage: +5-100 Unity per converted pop instead
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−10% Empire Size from Pops
−75% Pop Demotion Time if not Shared Burdens
−20% Leader Upkeep if Shared Burdens
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+25% Governing Ethics Attraction
−10 Crime
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Harmonious Directives
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Utopian Dream
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+50 Edict fund
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+5 Stability on all colonies
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+25% Planetary Ascension Effect[5]
Can create Holy Covenant federations without being Spiritualist if the Federations DLC is enabled and The Federation is also taken
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The Mercantile tradition tree focuses on trade and is not available to
Gestalt Consciousness empires.
+5 Trade protection
+1 Collection range
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Trickle Up Economics
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Adaptive Economic Policies / Federal Trade Fleets
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Unlocks the Consumer Benefits Trade Policy if not a member of a Trade League federation
Unlocks the Marketplace of Ideas Trade Policy if not a member of a Trade League federation
+50% Federation Naval Capacity Contribution if member of a Trade League federation
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Commercial Enterprise
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Marketplace of Better Ideas
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Insider Trading
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+10% Trade Value
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−10% Market Fee
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+10% Trade Value
Can create Trade League federations without having the Corporate Dominion or Merchant Guilds civics or Corporate authority if the Federations DLC is enabled and The Federation is also taken
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The Politics tradition tree focuses on power in the
Galactic Community and is only available after the Galactic Community has been formed. It is not available to 

genocidal empires.
+1 Envoy
+0.1 Monthly influence per Envoy assigned to the Galactic Community
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- When a resolution passes with this empires support,
+1 Favor with empire who proposed it
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−25% Resolution Propose Cost
−25% Resolution Veto Cost
+2.5% Diplomatic Weight per Envoy assigned to the Galactic Community
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Whenever a resolution proposed by this empire passes, gain 18x unity output (250 ~ 1000000)
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- Whenever another empire's resolution passes,
+25% Diplomatic Weight until a resolution proposed by this empire passes.
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−25% Veto Cooldown
−25% Emergency Measures Cooldown
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+10% Diplomatic Weight
Unlocks the Politics Traditions resolutions
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The Synchronicity tradition tree focuses on better managing the empire and is only available to
Gestalt Consciousness empires.
−10% Pop Upkeep
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Self-Preservation Protocols / Cloned Organs /  Unity of Mind
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Synchronized Agents
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Integrated Preservation / Instinctive Synchronization
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Hive Mind: +20 Years Leader Lifespan
 Necrophage Hive Mind: +5-100 Unity per converted pop
Machine Intelligence: −50% Leader accident chance[6]
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−20% Leader Upkeep
−10% Empire Size from Pops
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: +2 Amenities from Synapse Drones if Hive Mind
: −2 Deviancy from Evaluators if Machine Intelligence
: +30% Automatic resettlement chance if Machine Intelligence
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Flexible Governing Algorithms / Flexible Thought Routines
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Collective Reasoning
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+50 Edict fund
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+5 Stability on all colonies
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+25% Planetary Ascension Effect
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The Unyielding tradition tree focuses on defense and is available to all empires.
+2 Starbase capacity
+50% Starbase Upgrade Speed
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Resistance is Frugal / Resistance is Frugal / Resistance is Frugal
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Defensive Zeal
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+25% Defense Army Health
+0.5 Unity per Defense Army
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+33% Starbase Hull Points
+33% Starbase Damage
+33% Defense platform damage
+33% Defense Platform Hull Points
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Never Surrender / Never Surrender
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Fortress Doctrine / Guardian Subroutines / Vigilant Thought Processes
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−25% Orbital Bombardment Damage Received
−25% War Exhaustion
+25% Hostile claim influence cost
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+2 Starbase capacity
−50% Starbase Upgrade Cost
+4 Hostile Operation Difficulty for the Sabotage Starbase operation
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Bulwark of Harmony / Bulwark of Harmony / Bulwark of Harmony
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+15% Ship Fire Rate within the empire's borders
33% Ship Build Speed while in a defensive war
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+50% Defense platform cap
−20% Starbase Upkeep
Can create Martial Alliance federations without being Militarist if the Federations DLC is enabled and The Federation is also taken
Bulwark tier 3: −0.5 Hostile Ship Daily Hull Regen in owned systems
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The Subterfuge tradition tree focuses on espionage and counterespionage and is available to all empires.
+1 Codebreaking
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Information Security
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Operational Security / Subterfuge Drones
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+1 Encryption
+5 Chance to Evade
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+1 Codebreaking
+2 Operation Skill
+10 Tracking
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Non-Disclosure Agreement / Updated Security Algorithms / No Loose Ends
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Double Agents
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Shadow Recruits
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+1 Hostile Operation Difficulty
+20% Hostile Operation Infiltration Required
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+10 Intel per failed Hostile Operation
+1 Available Envoys
+10 Maximum Infiltration Level
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+50% Infiltration Speed
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+50% Infiltration Level refund for successful Operations
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The Versatility tradition tree focuses on various empire-wide bonuses and is only available to
Machine Intelligence empires.
−10% Pop Assembly Cost
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Universal Compatibility
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Spatial Optimization
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+50 Trust cap from Machine Intelligence empires
+1 Available envoys
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−10% Pop Housing Usage
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Adaptive Programming
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Material Analysis
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Operational Proxies
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−10% Market Fee
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−5% Job Upkeep
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−33% Resettlement Cost
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+2 Amenities from Maintenance Drone jobs
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Ascension tradition trees require one of the Ascension path perks (or
Teachers of the Shroud), and as such are all mutually exclusive.
The Synthetic tradition tree requires either the
Synthetic Evolution or the
Synthetic Age ascension perk.
+25% Leader Experience Gain
+1 Leader Level Cap
Machine Intelligence: Can assimilate robotic pops instead
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−10% Robotic pop amenities usage
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Unlocks a special project to turn all organic non-Livestock pops mechanical and unlock Synthetic assimilation
Fanatic Purifiers: +10% Pop assembly speed also
Machine Intelligence: +1 Machine species trait picks instead
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+10% Robot output
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−50% Modify Species special project cost
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+2 Robot modification points
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+1 Roboticist from capital buildings if not Machine Intelligence
+1 Mechanical species trait picks if not Machine Intelligence
+1 Replicator from capital buildings if Machine Intelligence
Leaders (but not your Ruler) gain the Synthetic trait if Machine Intelligence
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The Cybernetic tradition tree requires either the
The Flesh is Weak or the
Organo-Machine Interfacing ascension perk. Its traditions can only be unlocked after the special project unlocked by adopting the tree is completed.
Unlocks a special project to give all pops the Cybernetic trait
Driven Assimilator: Doubles unity and society research gained for each pop assimilated; also adds engineering research per assimilated pop.
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Unlocks Cybernetic Assimilation
 Homicidal: +10% Pop growth speed on planets with ongoing purges instead
Driven Assimilator: +1 pops assimilated each year and can assimilate hive-minded pops instead
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−10% Cybernetic pop upkeep
−10% Empire Size from Cybernetic Pops if Hive Mind
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Cybernetic pops can have cyborg traits
+1 Organic species trait picks
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Unlocks the Assembly Standards policy
Driven Assimilator: Unlocks the Create Crucible World decision instead
Hive Mind: −50% Empire Size from Districts instead
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−50% Modify Species special project cost
Robot modification points apply to biological pops as well if not Hive Mind
+2 Augumentation Drone jobs from Spawning Pools if Hive Mind
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+10% Resources from cybernetic pops
+1 Organic species trait picks
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The Genetic tradition tree requires the
Engineered Evolution ascension perk.
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Genetic modification can remove positive and overtuned traits
Genetic modification can add negative traits
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+1.5 Monthly Organic Pop Assembly from Clone Vats buildings
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+2 Genetic modification points
Genetic modification can add biological ascension traits
Unlocks assimilation into or out of Hive Minds
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−50% Modify Species special project cost
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+1 Organic species trait picks
Genetic modification can change species portrait
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The Psionic tradition tree requires the
Mind Over Matter ascension perk. Empires with the
Teachers of the Shroud origin only require the
Psionic Theory technology.
All pops gain the Latent Psionic trait
Teachers of the Shroud: Adds the Telepathy technology as a research option instead
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Unlocks the Psi Corps building
Unlocks the Psi Corps orbital ring building
Adds the Thought Enforcement technology as a research option
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Main species replaces the Latent Psionic trait with Psionic
Unlocks Psionic assimilation
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Unlocks a special project to enter the Shroud
+5% Resources from Psionic pops from each Telepath job
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+2 Codebreaking
+2 Encryption
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−10% Edict upkeep
−20% Shroud delve cooldown
Can confirm an established Covenant
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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 Origin, 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 advanced deep-space megastructures, the ability to use terraforming to create special planets, and becoming a Galactic Nemesis. 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 because the required technologies have not been researched yet. In addition, once chosen, an ascension perk is permanent and cannot be changed.
Tier 0 ascension perks can be taken from the start. Tier 1 perks require 1 previous ascension perk to be taken, tier 2 perks require 2 previous ascension perks, and tier 3 perks require 3 previous ascension perks. The higher the AI weight, the more likely an AI empire will select that ascension perk.
Ascension paths are special tier 1 ascension perks that will unlock a tradition tree and a unique technology to research. Each empire can take only one ascension path perk and only if fewer than 7 tradition trees have been taken. Empires with the
Teachers of the Shroud origin are locked into the Psionic ascension and cannot take any of these perks.
AI empires won't take ascension path perks if they own fewer than 6 colonies, and they won't take
Gestalt Consciousness ascension path perks if they have fewer than 10.
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Ascension perk
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Prerequisites
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Tradition tree
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Research option
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AI weight
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Description
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DLC
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Engineered Evolution
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Gene Tailoring technology
 Teachers of the Shroud origin
 Machine Intelligence
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Genetic
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Gene Seed Purification
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15
- x0 if below 6 worlds
- x3 if
Hive Mind
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To leave our genetic destiny in the hands of nature is an inefficient and excruciatingly slow process. Why not jump-start the future of our species?
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Mind over Matter
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Psionic Theory technology
 Teachers of the Shroud origin
 Gestalt Consciousness
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Psionic
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Telepathy
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100
- x0 if below 6 worlds
- x0.1 if not
 Spiritualist
- x10 if
Become the Crisis
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Only a fraction of the potential contained within our minds has been unlocked. The latent psionic abilities of our species are only now beginning to manifest in certain individuals.
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The Flesh is Weak
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Integrated Cybernetics technology
 Don't have the Teachers of the Shroud origin
 Not Gestalt Consciousness
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Cybernetic
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Quantum Neuro-Links
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20
- x0 if below 6 worlds
- x0.5 if not
 Materialist
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The limits and constraints imposed on us by our feeble organic bodies are simply unacceptable. To reach our full potential, we must turn to cybernetic implants.
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 |
Organo-Machine Interfacing
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Hive Mind
Integrated Cybernetics technology
Driven Assimilator
Has assimilated at least 30 pops
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Cybernetic
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: Quantum Neuro-Links
: Adaptive Cybernetics
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20
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The limits and constraints imposed on us by our creators are simply unacceptable. To reach our full potential, we must turn to cybernetic implants.
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Synthetic Evolution
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Synthetics technology
 Teachers of the Shroud origin
 Gestalt Consciousness
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Synthetic
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Synthetic Personality Matrix
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20
- x0 if below 6 worlds or
Necrophage
- x0.1 if not
 Materialist
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It is time to abandon the flawed organic vessels that imprison our minds. By transferring our neural patterns into synthetic bodies, we will achieve a higher state of being.
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Synthetic Age
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Machine Intelligence
Machine Template System technology
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Synthetic
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Binary Motivators
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20
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The age of organics has come and gone, the future of the galaxy belongs to the machines. This is the dawn of a synthetic age.
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- ↑ Specifically:
- The base cost of 300 is controlled by
TRADITION_COST_AMOUNTS
- The cost per tradition of 8 is controlled by
TRADITION_COST_TRADITION
- The exponent of 1.8 is controlled by
TRADITION_COST_TRADITION_EXP
- The empire size threshold below which no penalties apply (100 in the above formula) is controlled by
EMPIRE_SIZE_BASE
(this also affects technology cost)
- The magnitude of the effect of empire size (0.002 in the above formula) is controlled by
EMPIRE_SIZE_COST_TRADITION_PENALTY
- The full formula also contains a multiplier term for number of tradition groups unlocked (
). The multiplier of 0 is controlled by TRADITION_COST_MULT_TRADITION_GROUP
.
- ↑ These bonuses stack.
- ↑ Does not apply to Synthetic or Mechanical empires.
- ↑ Gestalt Consciousness empires do not gain this bonus.
- ↑ Because Planetary Ascension isn't unlocked until you have three Ascension Perks, the finisher for the diplomacy tradition will do nothing until you complete that many tradition trees.
- ↑ Leader malfunction events are triggered on a decade pulse. With this tradition, each bad event has a 50% lower weight. Since the weight for no event is unchanged, the probability of a bad event is actually reduced to 53.17% of normal.
- ↑ Specifically,
Plantoids,
Lithoids,
Leviathans,
Distant Stars,
Ancient Relics, or
Aquatics