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.
Please help with verifying or updating this section. It was last verified for version 3.10.
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]
Tradition trees[]
Please help with verifying or updating this section. It was last verified for version 3.10.
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.
Discovery[]
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
Unlocks the Chart the Unknown agenda if Galactic Paragons DLC is installed
+35% Survey Speed
+50% Science Ship Disengage Chance
+1 Research Alternatives
+1 Scientist Capacity
+1 Scientist Starting Skill Levels
+20% Research Station Output
+20% Research from Starbase Buildings
Unlocks the Research Subsidies edict
+1 Leader Pool Size
+10% Leader Experience Gain
−20% Researcher Upkeep
+10% Research speed
Can create Research Cooperative federations if Federations DLC is installed
Scholarium tier 3: +1000Research points in Research Caches
Domination[]
The Domination tradition tree focuses on better managing planets and is available to all empires.
The Supremacy tradition tree focuses on fleets and armies and is available to all empires.
+20 Naval Capacity
+20% Army Damage
Unlocks the Military Backup agenda if Galactic Paragons DLC is installed
−10% Ship Build Cost
+25% Ship Build Speed
−10% Ship Upkeep
+20% Naval Capacity
+10% Ship Fire Rate
+20% Orbital Bombardment Damage
+20 Fleet command limit
+1 Commander Capacity
+1 Commander Starting Skill Levels
+20% Damage against Starbases
Unlocks War Doctrine policies
Unlocks the Supremacist diplomatic stance
Diplomacy[]
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.
−50% Diplomatic Influence Cost
Unlocks the Diplomatic Grants edict
Unlocks the Build Relations agenda if Galactic Paragons DLC is installed
Can create Federations
+1 Available envoys
+3 Unity per Embassy
Allows advanced diplomatic actions without an Embassy
+100% Federation Naval Capacity Contribution
+50 Trust Cap
+33% Trust Growth
+5 Diplomatic Acceptance
1% Monthly chance to gain a Favor per Improve Relations action
+10% Diplomatic Weight +1 Available envoys
Adaptability[]
The Adaptability tradition tree focuses on using planets more efficiently and is not available to Machine Intelligence empires.
−10% Pop Housing Usage
Unlocks the Conquer Nature agenda if Galactic Paragons DLC is installed
−10% Building and District strategic resource cost and upkeep
+10% Habitability
−25% Orbital bombardment damage
+25% Defense Army Damage
+1 Building slots for all planets
−33% Resettlement Cost
Unlocks Planetary Prospecting Decision if not Void Dwellers
Resources from Habitat Planetary Features if Void Dwellers
Harmony[]
The Harmony tradition tree focuses on better managing the empire and is not available to Gestalt Consciousness empires.
−10% Pop Upkeep
Unlocks the Inner Stability agenda if Galactic Paragons DLC is installed
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 Skill Level of official assigned to the Galactic Community
Unlocks the Pioneer Politics agenda if Galactic Paragons DLC is installed
When a resolution passes with this empire's support, +1 Favor with empire who proposed it
−25% Resolution Propose Cost
−25% Resolution Veto Cost
+2.5% Diplomatic Weight per Skill Level of official assigned to the Galactic Community
Whenever a resolution proposed by this empire passes, gain 18x unity output (250 ~ 1 000 000)
Whenever another empire's resolution passes, +25% Diplomatic Weight until a resolution proposed by this empire passes.
Ascension tradition trees require a specific technology and one of the Ascension path perks (or Teachers of the Shroud). As such they are all mutually exclusive.
The Cybernetic tradition tree requires either the The Flesh is Weak or the Organo-Machine Interfacing ascension perk and the Integrated Cybernetics technology. Its traditions can only be unlocked after the special project unlocked by adopting the tree is completed.
+5% Resouces from Psionic pops from each Telepath job
+2 Codebreaking
+2 Encryption
−10% Edict upkeep
−20% Shroud delve cooldown
Can confirm an established Covenant
Ascension perks[]
Please help with verifying or updating this section. It was last verified for version 3.10.
Finishing an entire tradition tree or acquiring the Ascension Theory technology unlocks an ascension perk slot. Ascension perks represent the empire's greater-scope ambitions and, in the case of the ascension paths, its ultimate 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 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.
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 perk
Tier
Effects
Prerequisites
AI weight
DLC
Archaeo-Engineers
0
+1 Scientist Capacity
+33% Archaeotech Weapon Damage
−10% Minor Artifact Ship Cost
+2 Jobs from Faculty of Archaeostudies building
+60% Shields from Ancient Suspension Field components
+100% Shields from Ancient Pulse Armor components
+5% Armor from Ancient Rampart starbase modules
+10% Armor Hardening from Ancient Rampart starbase modules
+33% Effects from Starbase buildings unlocked by Archaeostudies
Ascension paths are special tier 2 ascension perks that will unlock a tradition tree and an agenda with the same name that will unlock technologies required to advance through them. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.