Overview
Fit for: Stellaris 1.6.2 and Utopia. Here you will find the strongest empire builds fit for your power hungry needs. Use these pre-set builds to crush your enemies, or make adaptations to fit your preferences, and rule the galaxy.
Introduction
Hello and welcome!
In Stellaris we generally have one of three players when it comes to designing an empire:
Those who role play, those who crunch numbers, and those who find themselves in-between.
Regardless of your playstyle, below you will find the strongest builds fit for Stellaris 1.6.1 With the release of Utopia, some changes have been made, and we’re here to accommodate. Use these preset builds or adapt them to compliment your playstyle. Remember this is a guide after all.
The Sentients – Sky Net
Nonadaptive (Habitability -10%) Intelligent (Science Output +10%)
Natural Engineers (Engineering output +15% Talented (Leader Skill levels +1)
Oligarchic, Science Directorate.
Technocracy (+1 Research Alternatives)
Mechanist (4 pops start as robotic, 5% reduced maintenance, Jumpstart on engineering tree)
Fanatic Materialist (-20% Robot Maintenance, 10% Research Speed)
Xenophobe (Rivalry influence gain +15%, Border Range +15%)
Overview: I’ve been tinkering with these guys since 1.2.5 Back then I would purge my entire population and replace them entirely with synthetics. Luckily we no longer need to be so drastic. The math isn’t exact, buttt, it’s pretty close. This empire focuses on building tall. As a materialist empire, you have roughly +25% to the engineering tech tree, and +30% while ticking the Engineering Research Grants, pushing you around +50% to Engineering tech at the start. Technological Ascendancy will grant you a massive boost to your research making you vastly superior if you can survive your first encounters. You are vulnerable in your early years. You care not for early colonization because you will focus on research and robotic colonization methods later, making your nonadaptive trait less of a hindrance. The extra research alternatives will largely increase your chances of getting that needed rare tech which is a major boost in galactic warfare.
The advanced engineering tech will easily allow you to hold your own against fanatic military fleets, within reason of course. As your late game empire fills with Synthetics and ultimately the Synthetic Evolution ascendance tree. Your Synthetic pops will have -25% Consumer goods cost and 20% bonuses to Minerals, Energy and Science, With a whopping +50% bonus to robot build speed and -60% maintenance costs, this will allow for massive, rapid colinization efforts. If this empire is nurtured properly, and left unchecked, it will grow out of control. You will become a very dangerous advesary.
Avian Armada – War Mongers
Talented (Leader Skill Levels +1)
Quick Learners (Leader Experience Gain +25%)
Oligarchic, Military Junta.
Distinguished Admiralty (+8% Fire rate)
Meritocracy (+1 Leader Skill Levels, +1 Leader Pool Size)
Fanatic Militarist (Army Damage +20%, Fire Rate +20%)
Materialist (-10% Robot Maintenance, +5% Research Speed)
Overview: In Stellaris you want it all, and this is an extremely powerful starting empire. Simple yet elegant in design, Your leaders will all start with 3 stars. This grants you access to a very strong early game, with a strong bonus to your starting research speed. You should recruit a general with a fire rate bonus, which will put your starting fleet at a whopping +34% ish bonus fire rate with all said and done. You will easily destroy your first neighbor, allowing you to ignore colonization ships and focus on the war machine. Your 3 star scientists will be ever closer to reaching 5 stars and finishing your precursor events long before any other empires, allowing you to gain many of the discovery awards the galaxy has to offer. With such a solid beginning, you can easily expand and rule the galaxy.
Megacorp – Minerals
The one thing that always remains true, minerals win wars. Deep beneath the oceans of this aquatic mega corporate empire, lie enough riches to forge a forever undefeated nation. Swarming with knowledge, indentured servitude, and willpower. This mega-corporation will rule the galaxy through corporate domination.
Thrifty (+15% Energy Credits)
Industrious (+15% Minerals)
Conservationists (Consumer Goods cost -20%)
Nonadaptive (-10% Habitability)
Solitary (-5% Happiness)
Mining Guilds (Empire Mineral Production +10%)
Slaver Guilds (Slave Food/Mineral output +10%)
Oligarchic, Irenic Bureaucracy.
Authoritarian, (Resettlement cost -25%, Slave Unrest -10%)
Xenophile, (Trust Growth +25%, Diplomatic Influence Cost -25%)
Pacifist, (Monthly Unity +20%, Core Sector Systems +2)
Overview: This is one of the beefiest empire builds you can hope to acquire. It is my absolute favorite, and nothing is more true. Minerals truly win wars. More minerals equal more ships, More ships equal more territory, more territory equals a larger empire. Minerals feed the war machine, if you need energy you build more energy production tiles With Minerals. Minerals, minerals, minerals. Expand, conquer, make friends, who cares! As long as you have minerals.
Using the authoritarian system allows you to boost your mineral production, even more so by increasing your slave production through the society tech tree. Roughly a century later, give or take based on rng, you will have the option to add a third civic adding the megacorp civic for a truly rich empire. Using Xenophile will increase trust, making long lasting trading partners in times of need, such as trading allies to fuel you in times of war. Lastly the pacifistic empire will add (+2 Core systems a friendly plus, but more importantly (20% Unity) Which is a must for faster expansion mid/late game. Through profit, exploiting your friends, and presenting yourself as a friendly pacifist empire, You can take on even the mightest war hardened empires.
Cevellian Republic – Diplomacy
Natural Sociologists (Society Output +15%)
Charismatic (Ruler Opinion +25)
Enduring (Leader Life Span +15%)
Talented (Leader Skill Levels +1)
Nonadaptive (Habitability -10%)
Fantatic Xenophile (Trust Growth +50%, Diplomatic Influence Cost -50%)
Pacifist (Monthly Unity +20%, Core Sector Systems +2)
Democratic, Moral Democracy
Free Haven (Migration Attraction +50%)
Syncretic Evolution (4 pops start as another subservient species)
Overview: This is almost considered hardmode when you think about the self-serving war mongering empires. Uniting the galaxy takes patience and effort. Much like playing a support class, you have to focus on controlling the battle through maintaining your team, not yourself.
You will not have the strongest fleet, or the most resources, you will also not be the most technologically advanced. You will however, be the most attractive. Winky Face* Through the use of diplomacy, migration treaties and federations your empire will grow. Even the angriest, hate filled empires will find love for you in their hearts. While others waste minerals on wars you will keep yourself at bay, preparing, waiting. Through the use of diplomacy you will find research agreements, through federations your empire will be strong. When hard times come, you will be able to unite all empires to serve a greater cause. As weaker empires fall you will accept, and integrate them into your empire. Like they say, the best way to defeat your enemies it to make them your friends.
(Due to the complexity of stellaris, this isn’t the perfect way to appease every race. The Honor bound warrios hate Fanatic Paci Ethos. You can fix this by replacing your Pacificst Etho with Egalitarian. This will work better technically, however your Empire will not make sense from an RP Perspective. What you choose, I will leave up to you.)
Builds that never came to be:
The Weeping Angels: A cut-throat, religious fanatical empire favoring politics and compliance.
͝t͉͓̪̯͚̖ͅh̠̤̻̟̭e͙͙͔ ̯͙̤̠r̻͓es͔̜u̢͓͉̟͍lt̸̳̗ ̢̦̦͔͇o̬̪̮̤͈f̢̦̮͇͎̹̙̭ ̫t̙̝͙͕̩͜h͚͚͇̗a̬̤͚̻͉͚͙t̻̞̩͉̩ is҉̱ ̞͍̤͕̙ͅf̯̜a͖̯̝n̦͓̥͙͝a̤͞t̪͚̣͚̜̝ͅi̙͈̣c̠̜͙̺ͅi͙͜ͅͅs̜m̡͙̻̺̣̣.͙̦̦̜ ͚̻̘
̜̦͙̯͉̪̬͝Ḁb̺s̸̮̝̥̤͖̮̤o̡͇ͅḽu̶͙̬̞̳̻t̀e̙̘̥̬ ̷̗̙̲p̞̰o̰̬͕͠w̨̲̙̤̦͉̫e̟̺̭̥̘̟̲r̪̳ ̼̩̱̬i̩̘̝̥̟͢s̘̣͙̯̜̬͔ ̜̯g͘ṛ͙͖͠ą͕̥̲̱͔͈n̞̯̯̤̜͎̥t̩̘͉̯e̜̙̘͖̺̜̪d͜ ̤͖̘̫̖͟t̗͖̳͙̜̟̯͟h̝̩̠r̻̜͕o̗̞̪͚u̗̻̤͚̦͠g̦͍̻̖̥͍̞h̲͡ ͉͟ͅt̵̘͉͈h̘̯̙̞͘e͏͚͉̦͕̩ͅ ̝̰͚̭̖̥g͇̙̦ó̭̼͉͖̝͓d̼s҉̝̩͎
̮̜͓̙O͙̪b͓͇͘e͎͠y͚̬ ̪̗̹̫̼ͅṳ̺̣̖s͍͕̻͖͟ͅ ̩͕͈̙͚͞ͅo̖̘͇̳͜r͍̺̬̩̣̩ ̬̹̟̠̫̝͖b̯u̵̱͖r̳̤͙̩̞ͅͅn̲̹̣̪ ̮̙͖̟i̳n͓̰̦ ̛̖͈̲͇͍͉t̰̘̟̭̦h̸͇̩͈̘͍e̶͓̤͍̼ ̳̼̼̪͡ͅh͔̫̝̺̪ơ̥͈̫̗͚̗l̴̬̫y͎̜͔͞ ͕l̸̠͉i̮g̻̞͎͇̙̜͎h͖̫̳̤̣͓t̵̘͈̩.̜
͇̘ͅ
The Flood: A parasitic entity whos strength is only rivaled by the Prethoryn Swarm.
̴̻͕̰̣̼ͅI̦̭͉̹͍̺n̖̺v̶̤̱̣ok̟̜̠̖i̪̣̣̤̤̰ṉ͔̞̩̤͠ͅͅg̴̥̱̻ ͈̫̱̱̲t͙͝ḫ̨e͓̮̰̤̦͖̰͘ ̪̲͈ͅf͉̭͕͙͙͉e̳e̺̣͇͙̗̺͕l͏͎i̭n͓̤̬g͍͉̯̥̬͠ͅ ͘o̦͙͕f̝̲ ̱͙̭̱̼̖͢c̥͎͉h̬̯̪͈͘a͙̳̦̟͞o̡̙̼s̜.̘̣͕̻̗̺͟
̮̪̗̬̻W̼̥͚̟̰̺͞ͅi̜̩̤͝t̠͓͇̗̻̺̩h͙̠̤͉͓̣͢ ̵̞o̝̞̪̪̪̳̱u͍̟͈t͔̼̟̠̩̺͈ ̱͞o̢̤r̰̕d͓̱̝̻e̦͡ͅͅr͎̘̙ͅ.̨
͏̪̹̥̹̣Ṯ̝͕̹͎̜̝h͔̲̭͇ḙ͓ ̳͎̲̣͎ͅF̴̠̜̫̫ͅl̼͍̙̦͖̗͞o͙̣̥̮̦̖̟ơ̙͕̺̟d̗̼͈̭͢ ̬̟̕h͓̗̼̜̜̗͠i̝̮͔̜̗͟ͅv̱e͉̻͚-̷̱̦͎͎m̲̖i͚̖̱͕n̶̻͖͖̳͓̘d̛ ̠̼͍͎o̙̱̱̝̺̠͞ͅf̙̗͇̣̳̥̠ c̯̮͉̜̣̞h̜̙̕ͅa͖̗͉o͔̪s̢.̬̻͚̪̗̰ ͍̘͍̹̲̦́M̪̞̝̪͝e̹̮͇͚͓ͅ!̜̙͚
̛̩̩͍͉̗͔H͉͎̹͍͟e̗̖̥͘ ̘̙̦̗̕w҉̫h͖͙͎̠̦̤̖o̡̹̲ ̨W̜͇̳a̳͔͕̝̙̞̙í̠̲͖̹t̻̖̱̖s̠̜͚̮͍̘͠ ̹̥̰̻̮͡B̻̹̻̰̦̥̟͘ę̠̞̖̘̣̞h̩̼̦͚͙̫i̧̤̲ͅͅn͈̥̬̺̼̫d̗̭̪͚̙̗ ̬̳́T̗͓͉̱̘̹͡h͏̮̗͍͔̤̣͔e̲̞͔͔̪͔̜ ̨̻̤͖̺̘W̧̠͚̥̫̲ạ͇͖l̪̩͇̙̱ͅͅl̜̠̮̹͈ͅ.̗̼̬̠͖̯͍
͉̼̹̥̣̱ͅŢ͓̝̤̘͙̝h҉̳͔̜e͠ ̬̠̖̟F̼̦̪l͏̺̹̠̟̮̠̰oo҉̦̱͚̬͙̖d̫̰̖!̻̭͖̰͍̖
Trial by fire: Updates no longer coming.
Thanks for taking the time to read through this guide. Of course, nothing in Stellaris is perfect. You will often find yourself needing to adjust and alter builds to better suit your specific needs. Feel free to make your own personal suggestions if you find certain gramatical errors, builds or general aspects of this guide lacking. Fly safe, and lead your Empire through the ashes of your fallen enemies. It is time to test your might…
