Planetary features
Planetary features represent notable areas found on natural planets. They determine the number of Districts the planet can support and some features exclusively obtained by events can provide various bonuses to planets. If a planet is terraformed into Ecumenopolis,
Hive World, or
Machine World it loses all of its planetary features, including event features. Hive Worlds and Machine Worlds do not lose the deposit features that determine the max number of Strategic Resource buildings.
Features[edit | edit source]
Deposit features[edit | edit source]
These planetary features are generated on each natural planet and determine the number of resource Districts and Strategic Resource buildings the planet can support. If a planet is terraformed these features may be changed to new ones with the same effects that fit the planet class by flavor.
Dry planets are 50% more likely to have planetary features that increase the limit for Generator Districts or Mote Harvesting Traps. Wet planets are 50% more likely to have planetary features that increase the limit for Agriculture Districts or Gas Extraction Wells. Cold planets are 50% more likely to have planetary features that increase the limit for Mining Districts or Crystal Mines. Gaia planets are 50% more likely to have planetary features that increase the limit for Gas Extraction Wells, Mote Harvesting Traps and Crystal Mines.
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Habitat features[edit | edit source]
These planetary features are added on habitats when built orbiting the appropriate resource deposits.
Anomaly features[edit | edit source]
These planetary features can be added by random anomalies on habitable planets.
Decision features[edit | edit source]
These planetary features can be added by certain decisions on owned planets.
Event features[edit | edit source]
These planetary features do not naturally generate on planets. They can be created exclusively by certain events and controllable factors.
Feature | Source | Effects | Description | |
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Ancient Bombardment Craters | What Happened Here (20% chance) |
This world was subjected to intense orbital bombardment long ago. Parts of the surface are still pockmarked with impact craters. | |
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Ancient Battlefield | What Happened Here (20% chance) |
The civilization that once inhabited this world was destroyed by an invading force from somewhere beyond their solar system. This ancient battlefield is littered with ancient debris from their desperate last stand. | |
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Irradiated Ruins | What Happened Here (20% chance) |
Remnants from a massive nuclear war waged by the two global superpowers that once inhabited this world. | |
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Cave Shroom Veins | Feral Overload event chain (Exterminate the Cave Mushrooms special project) |
Ridding the caverns of fungus revealed rich mineral veins. | |
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Spore Vents | Feral Overload event chain (Utilize the Cave Mushrooms special project) |
Shroom spores can be refined for industrial use. | |
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Migrating Forests | Migrating Forests event chain | The mobile forests of this world frequently migrate en masse to new regions, disrupting efforts at building roads, power lines and other infrastructure. | |
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Migrating Forests Reserve | Migrating Forests event chain (Study Migrating Forests special project) |
This entire region has been set aside for the migrating forests that are native to this world. Here they can roam in peace, without causing damage to urban centers. | |
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Subterranean Contact Zone | Subterranean Civilization event chain (Establish Communications special project) |
An area where Subterranean dwellers and Surfacers can work together towards peace and prosperity. | |
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Subterranean Farming Caverns | Subterranean Civilization event chain (Preemptive Strike special project) |
A network of vast caverns which contain numerous fungal farms, hunting areas, and lakes teeming with edible flora and fauna. | |
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Subterranean Generator Areas | Subterranean Civilization event chain (Preemptive Strike special project) |
Subterranean rivers and the geothermal energy from the molten core of the planet offer vast potential for energy generation. | |
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Subterranean Mining Sites | Subterranean Civilization event chain (Preemptive Strike special project) |
Underground tunnels lead to a variety of mineral-rich ore veins inaccessible from the surface. | |
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Juvenile Nemma | Unsteady Ground event chain | A young Nemma which we have bred and is now large enough to be capable of carrying some of our industry. | |
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Nemma Mining Operation | Unsteady Ground event chain (Start the Nemma Mining Operation special project) |
The careful balance of drugs and pain inhibitors allows us to drill into the Nemmas while still residing on them. | |
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Lotus Corrie | Impossible Corrie event chain | ![]() |
An improbable geological feature has emerged. Strange and reflective crystal deposits line its curved walls. |
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Blue Lotus Prototype | Impossible Corrie event chain | ![]() |
This highly experimental facility seeks to transmute everyday silicates into useful alloys. |
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Blue Lotus Crater | Impossible Corrie event chain | Site of an accidental, runaway transmutation of rock and other matter into a single, precious alloy. | |
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Blue Lotus Facility | Impossible Corrie event chain (Blue Lotus Facility special project) |
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An industrial-scale facility which transmutes everyday silicates into useful alloys. |
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Blue Lotus Ruin | Impossible Corrie event chain (Blue Lotus Facility special project) |
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Ruined site of a once-promising, experimental facility for transmuting rock and other matter into alloys. Nothing now remains, save this minor seam. |
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Destroyed Vault | Hidden Vault event chain | All that remains of the vault is a crater filled with machinery and debris. Although most of it is now useless, it provides easy access to recyclable materials. | |
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Manufactorium Scrapyard | Hidden Vault event chain | ![]() |
Specialized salvaging yards are dismantling the old machinery and turning the scraps into useful materials. |
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Operational Manufactorium | Hidden Vault event chain | An alien Manufactorium, fully operational and producing precious resources for the empire. | |
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Mutant Landfill | Abandoned Terraforming Equipment event chain | A putrid mass of dead mutated horrors. Their volatile organic matter has twisted together to form a structure of sorts. | |
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Titanic Lifeforms | Titanic Life event chain | ![]() ![]() |
Numerous Titanic aliens make this area their home, it would be wise to avoid it. |
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Underground Vault | Underground Vault event chain | A massive underground vault, intended as a bomb shelter by this world's original inhabitants. The vault's occupants turned on each other when their food ran out. | |
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Metallic Puddles | Metallic Puddles event chain | Rare meteorology allows Puddle Technicians to harvest food and alloys simultaneously. | |
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Party Fever | Dancing Plague event chain | ![]() |
Something about this planet induces feelings of exhilaration and the irresistible urge to dance, as well as certain aphrodisiac urges. This has made the world a prime destination for partygoers young and old who seek to shed their inhibitions and experience the thrill of the planet's perpetual dancing festivals with abandon. |
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Portal Research Area | The Doorway event chain | A secure complex has been built around the Dimensional Portal to house research staff dedicated to probing its mysteries. | |
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Fungal Study Zone | No One Listens | ![]() |
The 'spying' mushrooms found here are an endless source of cryptic insights into their strange biology, and how they connect to one another. |
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Impact Crater | Space Bounty | ![]() |
A crater from a large meteor impact. Minerals from the meteor itself can still be found at the site. |
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Nanite Swarm Remains | On the Origin of Nanites (Destroy the Swarm special project) |
A fine powder of all that remains of the massive nanite swarm that evolved on - and once covered, Parvus III | |
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Odd Factory | An Odd Factor | ![]() |
A well-crafted facility that produces high value resources, left on the planet by a different civilization. |
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Ancient Particle Accelerator | Ruined Particle Accelerator | This old particle accelerator was built using a novel design, and the surviving terminals within the structure contain a massive amount of research data composed by what must have been a brilliant theoretical physicist. | |
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Living Snow Reserve | Unusual Snow situation (Observe it Peacefully approach) |
A reservation where the Living Snow can live in peace and explore its new state of being. And where, in turn, we can observe the unique chemical reactions it is able to produce. | |
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Space-Time Anomaly | The Mysterious Labyrinth situation (Explore its Interior / Monitor it from Afar approach) |
A remarkably stable space-time anomaly left behind by an extradimensional species which conducted research on the planet. The scientific implications of its existence are, apparently, quite profound. | |
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Machine Interface Center | Geomagnetic Storm situation | A specialized center where malfunctioning drones are paired with biological assistants. | |
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Archaeological Site | Archaeological Site discovery | ![]() |
This area contains ancient archaeological finds that are being excavated. |
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Loop-Plowed Farm | Horizon Signal event chain | ![]() |
The food crops lean into the wind, somehow. |
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Spiral-Hewn Mine | Horizon Signal event chain | ![]() |
Narrow shafts twist around spiraling mineral veins. |
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Minor Artifacts Deposit | ![]() |
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Archaeological sites on this planet have already been extensively researched, but many objects of lesser value yet remain to be studied here. |
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Shrouded Crater | ![]() ![]() (30% chance) |
Part of this planet has been devoured by a shroud entity. The remaining crater is home to swirling purple mists, and people tend to disappear in the vicinity. | |
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Radiotrophic Preserve | ![]() |
An isolated area filled with low pressure and a very radioactive atmosphere keeps the natives of this world alive. | |
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Cryonic Clones Monument | ![]() |
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Hundreds of alien clones were left sealed in cryostasis chambers when this Ring World was still a ruin. Now fully restored, the clones have been preserved in this monument. |
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Processing Pens | ![]() |
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The fungoids native to this planet were genetically engineered to be docile... and delicious. In these vast processing pens, the fungoids are nourished and then harvested. |
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Numa's Breath | ![]() |
This stable vent reaching into the planet's crust was created by The Numistic Order. | |
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Sentinels | ![]() |
The Sentinels guard this land; it may not be disturbed. The Sentinels counts as Defense Armies, and will come to the planet's aid if there's an invasion. | |
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Sentinels Metal | ![]() |
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The broken remains of nine monumental automatons made from an unusual metal alloy offer an ample supply of Living Metal. |
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Federation Monument | ![]() |
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This spaceborne monument stands witness to the unity, strength and splendor of the interstellar federation that constructed it. |
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Feeding Dragon | ![]() |
The mighty Sky Dragon has landed, and is proceeding to devour its way through a startling amount of food. | |
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Crashed Cargo Ship | ![]() |
The cargo ship destroyed a housing district, but opened up an unexpected mineral vein. | |
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Crystalline Remains | ![]() |
The broken remains of the crystalline entity that dwelled under the crust of this world. Its many tentacles all turned into rich mineral veins. | |
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Shattered Crystalline Remains | ![]() |
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The broken remains of the crystalline entity that dwelled under the crust of this world. Its many tentacles all turned into rich mineral veins. |
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Freeport | ![]() |
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An area dedicated to intergalactic trade with pre-FTL countries. |
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Remote Holdings | ![]() |
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We have acquired possessions, and are managing them remotely. |
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Arcane Device | ![]() |
This ancient machine is nestled deep within government vaults on our planet. A relic of the ingenuity of our beloved ruler, its matter replication technology remains incomprehensible to us. |
Homeworld features[edit | edit source]
These features can only be found on empire homeworlds:
Earth features[edit | edit source]
Earth has a set of custom planetary features when selected as the empire homeworld, detailing its history before the events of Stellaris.
Unique features[edit | edit source]
These features can only be found on certain planets in the galaxy.
Feature | Sources | Effects | Description | DLC | |
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Abandoned Mining Tunnels | ![]() |
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Many of the ruins on the planet's surface were built by minerals extracted from these tunnels. Although most have been mined to depletion, there are still several with rich yields. | |
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Ancient Reactor Pits | ![]() |
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These deep pits near the planet's equator once housed its primary energy generators. Much of the surprisingly sturdy infrastructure has survived, and new reactors can be slotted into it. | |
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Central Spire | ![]() |
This towering structure appears to have served as the administrative center of the planet. Its central location and mostly intact interior provides an unmatched opportunity to research this world. | ||
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Dense Ruins | ![]() |
The study of the dense ruins that cover this Relic World are a boon to science, but their presence also limits the amount of livable space. | ||
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Immense Solar Array | ![]() |
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This solar array is nearly the size of a small continent. Most of it has been smashed beyond repair, but the underlying power infrastructure has survived, making it a good site for energy production. | |
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Industrial Sector | ![]() |
This entire region once served as as the industrial heartland of the planet. The factories and refineries that are operated here have long stopped working, but vast amounts of scattered resources can still be found in the area. | ||
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Ancient Sunken City | ![]() |
The cities of the Polarians once covered the frozen ocean before their icy foundations melted away. | ||
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Valley of Zanaam | ![]() |
This Valley is home to a mysterious obelisk that is covered in letters from a dead alien language. It hums with power and those in its proximity suffer headaches. | ||
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Organic Slurry | ![]() |
An ocean of organic slurry, the processed remains of the former biomass of a planet. | ![]() | |
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Junk Canals | ![]() |
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These narrow canals shake around the junk piles, and some adjacent soil is surprisingly fertile. | ![]() |
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Junk Hollows | ![]() |
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These hollows deep beneath the surface junk would serve well as isolated reactor chambers. | ![]() |
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Junk Wastes | ![]() |
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The wastes stretch as far as one can see, with occasional pieces of larger junk jutting up out of the ground. | ![]() |
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Irradiated Valley | ![]() |
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The solarflare has washed this isolated valley with heavy radiation. | ![]() |
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Technological Cache | ![]() |
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The interior of the former MSI warship provides us with an unmatched opportunity to unlock the secrets of their technology. | ![]() |
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Aggressive Flora | ![]() |
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Aggressive flora has overgrown this land, hunting for prey. Security-oriented personnel are issued to keep the overgrowth in check. | ![]() |
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Aggressive Wildlife | ![]() |
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Aggressive wildlife scours the land on the hunt for prey. Settlements need increased protection to curtail this threat. | ![]() |
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Crashed Ships | ![]() |
Old ships litter the planet, inhibiting the potential mining operations in the area. Though, they provide an easily accessible source of alloys. | ![]() | |
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Fallen Shipyard | ![]() |
An old orbital shipyard smashed onto the planet. It contains a lot of valuable resources that could be extracted and studied. | ![]() | |
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Volcanic Activity | ![]() |
Active volcanoes melt underground mineral deposits, allowing for far easier resource acquisition. | ![]() | |
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Ancient Facilities | ![]() |
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These ancient facilities contain research data on pulsars, shielding technology, and extracting energy from the most dangerous suns. | ![]() |
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Scarred Land | ![]() |
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Scarred lands and burnt-out wastelands are impossible to use outside of harnessing the potential power from the constant pulsar flares. | ![]() |
Blockers[edit | edit source]
Blockers are obstacles that reduce District Cap and may block some planetary features from being exploited. They can be cleared by spending resources and time and some of them may have rewards when cleared. Clearing can be done while the planet is being colonized or after the colony is completed.
If a natural planet is terraformed into a planet class other than Ecumenopolis, all of its blockers are cleared and rewards are given. If it was terraformed into
Hive World or
Machine World, the planetary feature it unblocks will be lost.
Natural blockers[edit | edit source]
These blockers can be found on habitable planets. Most of them require a certain New Worlds technology to be cleared.
Relic World blockers[edit | edit source]
There is a number of blockers that can be exclusively found on Relic Worlds. They are expensive but rewarding to remove.
Shattered Ring World blockers[edit | edit source]
Shattered Ring Worlds that are not a homeworld (the ones created by the Guaranteed Habitable Worlds setting) will have a number of additional blockers that impair the functionality of the segment.
Detox blockers[edit | edit source]
Toxic Worlds that have been terraformed will have one of each of the following blockers. They give more penalties to the colony than regular blockers and take a year to remove.
Homeworld blockers[edit | edit source]
Each empire homeworld start with at least three blockers that don't require technology to be removed. They reward either a Pop or a planetary feature when cleared. The blocker types can vary based on government and origin.
Blocker | Empire | Removal cost | Removal time | Rewards | Description | |
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Sprawling Slums | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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This region is covered by vast shanty towns and slums filled with the poor and the outcast. It contributes nothing to society.
Can be added by the Lost to Bureaucracy event |
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Collapsed Burrows | ![]() |
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This site once housed extensive underground tunnel systems inhabited by the Hive, but was abandoned due to overexploitation of local resources and wildlife. |
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Unsupervised Settlement | ![]() |
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A pocket of organic society on this world still exists outside of machine supervision. Violence, disease and starvation runs rampant inside the settlement's walls, whose inhabitants have regressed technologically by several centuries. |
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Settled Ruins | ![]() |
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A scattered population of scavengers are eking out a desperate existence in the ruins of this once major city. |
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Lithoid Monoliths | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Incredibly rich outcroppings of minerals that seem to be comprised of petrified lithoids.
If this planet is NOT empire homeworld, instead it costs |
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Buried Lithoids | ![]() |
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These lithoids were driven deep into the ground when they fell from orbit.
Also appears on all worlds colonized by a Meteorite Colony Ship |
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Industrial Wasteland | ![]() |
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This region is covered by ruined industrial complexes and toxic soil; detritus from a past age of progress.
Can be added by the Lost to Bureaucracy event |
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Abandoned Strip Mine | ![]() |
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This area was heavily strip mined in the past, by older and more primitive machine models that unfortunately were not programmed to take future development of the region into account. |
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Radiation Zone | ![]() |
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A region that was the target of numerous nuclear warheads. Though the radiation in this area has gone down since the initial impact, it is still unfit for habitation barring a major clean-up effort. |
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Great Pacific Garbage Patch | ![]() |
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A swirling miasma of plastic refuse covers a good portion of Earth's largest ocean. |
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Forgotten Civilization | ![]() |
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The ruins of a forgotten civilization that lived here before us. |
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Long-Abandoned City | ![]() |
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The crumbling remains of what must once have been a major population center on the planet. No traces of its past inhabitants remain. |
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Former Organic City | ![]() |
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The charred and irradiated ruins of what was once a major organic population center. Those buildings that still remain standing contain nothing but ashes now. |
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Silent Ruins | ![]() |
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This once major settlement is now a crumbling ruin, occupied only by the decaying bodies of those organics that chose self-termination rather than be assimilated. |
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Battlefield Remnants | ![]() |
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Tens of thousands of burnt warmachines and the twisted skeletal remains of organic soldiers litter the ground at this former battlefield. Residual pockets of radiation interfere with most electronics. |
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Malfunctioning Replicator Bay | ![]() |
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This replicator bay built into the Machine World is malfunctioning, producing endless piles of grappling clamps. |
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Decrepit Tunnels | ![]() |
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These ancient and decrepit tunnels have never been fully explored or cleared. | |
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Ancient Rubble | ![]() |
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Broken down machinery and other debris obstructs workers from utilizing the entire segment. | |
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Ship Debris | ![]() |
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The debris from the crashed slaver ship covers a massive area, blocking development of the planet.
Cannot be removed if planet has a Crashed Slaver Ship archaeological site |
Event blockers[edit | edit source]
A number of blockers can be created exclusively by certain events and controllable factors. These blockers do not block any planetary feature or require any technology to be cleared but still decrease the District Cap and may have other negative effects.
Blocker | Source | Removal cost | Removal time | Description | |
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Terraforming Residue | Terraforming Complications event | ![]() |
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The results of a partially successful terraforming process have created areas of strange biological abominations. |
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Impact Crater | Asteroid Sighted event | ![]() |
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Something collided with the surface of this world at some point, creating this massive impact crater. |
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Subterranean Entrance | Subterranean Civilization event chain | ![]() |
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A large hole in the ground that leads into the extensive cave network stretching beneath the surface of this world. |
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Rifts | Voidspawn hatching | ![]() |
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Seismological phenomena are causing the planet crust to crack, spewing out sulfuric gases and toxic slime. |
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Fungoid Extermination Residue | Paradise Lost event chain | ![]() |
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This toxic goo is all that remains of the exterminated Fungoids. |
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Lithoid Devastation | ![]() |
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A lithoid devouring swarm has despoiled this region. With great effort it may be possible to undo the damage.
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Nature Preserve | ![]() |
Instant | A section of natural beauty decreed by the Overlord to never be tampered with.
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Overlord Spawning Complex | ![]() |
Instant | A large hulking biomass, alive and pulsating as it is slowly producing new workers for the hive.
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References[edit | edit source]
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 |