Best Traditions In Stellaris

Key Takeaways

• Adaptability amplifies resource output, crucial for economic success, despite being overshadowed by other Traditions.
• Aptitude focuses on enhancing Leaders, though more beneficial in late-game scenarios due to its specialized advantages.
• Genetics offers cosmetic customization of species, synergizing well with Clone Army origins in Stellaris gameplay.

In 4X games, the player must Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate, and there are almost always multiple ways to do so. Some prefer diplomacy, others swift and decisive military action. There are planets to survey and economies to dominate, and with so many ways to proceed, it’s as easy to sabotage one’s own plans as it is to flourish.

Stellaris is one of the deepest and most complicated 4X games around. When anarchist bird-people, market-controlling robots, and Imperialist lizards under the protection of a giant space dragon are all playable options, it’s clear there are a lot of important choices to make. The choice of Tradition is one of the most important in the game, as these culture-wide philosophies will guide the player’s strategic decisions in countless ways. Here are the best Traditions in Stellaris.

Updated on December 2, 2024, by Rhenn Taguiam: With Season 8 being transformed into a unique Dynamic Bundle that can be purchased at a discounted rate, Stellaris fans may be eager to dig into its content as Season 9 waits around the corner in the New Year. This current Season includes the Machine Age DLC, the Cosmic Storms Mechanical Expansion, and the Grand Archive Story Pack – all emphasizing new takes on the sci-fi story and how players may want to expand their galactic empires. However, fans who want to dive deep into the Stellaris experience should consider also maximizing their time in the game, particularly with Traditions that can help steer their civilizations in the gameplay style they want. Among must-have Traditions for players include being able to manipulate their biology, their skillset towards something, their propensity for expansion, and how fast they can adapt to changes.

14 Adaptability

Acquire In The Face Of Housing Issues

• Adoption Bonus: -10% Pop Housing Usage, Unlocks the Conquer Nature Agenda if Galactic Paragons
• Finisher Bonus: Capital Designations give +5% Output to all Jobs, Resource Designations give +10% Output to their Jobs, Specialist Designations give +5% to their Jobs, Other Designations receive different effects

Players who are playing an interplanetary strategy title like Stellaris know that their supremacy lies not just in how they conquer other planets but in how they maximize using each planet that falls under their purview. This is especially emphasized by Adaptability which allows players to maximize the resource output they get from the planets they have. While the skill tree is split into different components, diving deeper into Adaptability lets players explore various ways they can save on costs.

In the context of other Traditions, Adaptability can’t shine on its own – especially since its rather weak bonuses aren’t on par with other similar Traditions that can provide buffs to specific aspects of Adaptability. However, this Tradition is still useful in specific situations, such as when players have Housing woes or if they want to relocate their Pops.

13 Aptitude

Focus On Improving Leaders

• Adoption Bonus: +1 Leader Trait, unlocks Leadership Conditioning Agenda
• Finisher Bonus: +1 Leadership Capacity for each Class

Leaders are an important kind of personnel in Stellaris gameplay, especially since they provide civilizations the means to expand into different roles with their bonuses and unique skills. Acquiring this Tradition immediately gives players an additional Leader trait and unlocks the Leadership Condition Agenda, although some might consider its deeper traits more interesting to have. For instance, players may eventually branch out into Leaders costing less, having more Leaders joining them, or adding an extra starting Trait.

Despite its rather strong bonuses to Leaders, some consider Leadership more of a late-game buff to a player’s strategy instead of being among their primary options. For instance, the additional Experience gain down the line isn’t as substantial to merit an entire Tradition. Leader upkeep isn’t as important as players don’t have a lot of reasons to shuffle them throughout their playthrough. While being able to reduce the maximum number of Negative Traits can be beneficial, it should be stacked with other effects to make an impact. The best opening to use Aptitude would be upon the acquisition of a lot of Leaders or the expansion of the Council – that way, players have room to play with a lot of Agendas.

12 Genetics

More Flavor Than Anything Else

• Adoption Bonus: Unlocks Clone Vats, unlocks Genetic Pursuit
• Finisher Bonus: -33% Clone Vats upkeep, can now research Botanical Transgenesis (Plantoids), Silicate Transgenesis (Lithoids), Leviathan Transgenesis (Leviathans, Aquatics, Distant Stars, Ancient Relics)

Having an actual civilization comprised of clones is what makes the Clone Army interesting in Stellaris gameplay, and Genetics is a vital Tradition for players who want to make it succeed. At its core, Genetics allows players to tinker with the Species Tree in order to add or remove parts of the genetic makeup of their current species – in turn resulting in wildly different characteristics that can affect their performance in the game.

Compared to other Traditions, choosing Genetics feels more like an aesthetic choice than anything else. Being able to fiddle around with the Species Trees can give results to wildly different perks. However, the most interesting with Genetics is its synergy with the Clone Army origin, as the increased output from Clone Vats will now sync with Genetics being able to introduce massive Pop Growth.

11 Domination

Subjugate The Neighbors And Make Them Grateful For It

• Adoption Bonus: Gain a 5% bonus on Worker and Slave output, reduce Slave political power by 25%, and unlock the Civil Exclusion Council Agenda
• Finisher Bonus: Empire Size from Pops is reduced by 10% & able to form a Hegemony type Federation

Playing as a hostile empire that wishes to only subjugate and control instead of straight up slaughtering everything can be tricky, especially when integrating the population of the defeated enemies. Domination Tradition immensely helps as it increases Worker and Slave output while also reducing Slaves’ political power, rendering them insignificant in terms of the political landscape within the empire.

Moreover, the Tradition Tree allows the player to have their empire’s diplomatic position to be more aggressive against other empires in their vicinity and absorb the neighbors into their own empires, as the Finisher Bonus of the tree reduces Empire Size from Pops Size by quite a respectable amount, which is 10%. By subjugating the neighbors, an empire with the Domination Tradition Tree will be able to divert its attention towards stronger opponents, such as the deadly Endgame Crises.

10 Enmity

Oppose The Entire Galaxy And Gain Benefits From It

• Adoption Bonus: Gain a 3% bonus on Pop Growth/Assembly per neighboring rivals and unlock the Second Strike Council Agenda
• Finisher Bonus: Gain 1 Envoy & able to have the Antagonistic diplomatic stance

Although having many Rivals does not necessarily mean that an empire is innately hostile, as it can also result from being surrounded by empires with different ideologies, having the Enmity Tradition Tree allows an empire to greatly benefit from those rivals, as they will passively reward the empire for having many rivals, as long as they are in a neighboring border.

This can be useful for empires that incidentally are surrounded by empires with differing ideologies or innately hostile empires, such as Devouring Swarms and Determined Exterminators. By having this Tradition Tree, an empire will be able to keep up with its enemies by increasing growth, increasing its potential power should the rivalries escalate to war in the near future.

9 Mercantile

Peacefully Grow By Trading With The Galaxy

• Adoption Bonus: Gain 5 Trade Protection, 1 Collection Range, and unlock the Open Market Council Agenda
• Finisher Bonus: Gain a 10% bonus on Trade Value & able to form a Trade League-type Federation

Peacefully co-existing with other neighboring empires is usually more beneficial than having to go to war against them, and that is made possible with the adoption of the Mercantile Tradition Tree. Mercantile grants the player various bonuses for trading, such as increasing their trade values and cutting Galactic Market Fees, which can be astronomical in the late game.

Moreover, having a huge trade value will usually make an empire more positively regarded by the whole Galactic Community, as they will want to have Commercial Pacts to have a steady energy credit generation without costing anything. An empire that will benefit massively from this Tradition Tree would be the Megacorp, as they value Trade Value above anything else, as long as they are not a Criminal Heritage civic-adopting empire.

8 Synchronicity

Hive Mind Empire’s Special And Strong Tradition

• Adoption Bonus: -10% Pop Upkeep, unlock Revision Council Agenda
• Finisher Bonus: +25% Increased Planetary Ascension effect

There is a caveat when recommending Synchronicity as one of the best Traditions in the game: it isn’t the best for every empire. From their Traits to their Origins, all empires have qualities that set them apart. Only Hive Minds can make this Tradition truly shine. The starting bonus of reduced Population Upkeep is nice, but the Tradition’s true value lies in other ranks. Synchronicity makes a great first Tradition for Hive Minds due to the bonuses offered by the Integrated Preservation route.

Maintenance Drones are normally a huge drawback of Hive Mind empires, and the +2 Amenities offered by Synapse Drones under the Synchronicity Tradition allow the player to overcome this weakness. It can be difficult to build a strong economic foundation when playing Stellaris as a Hive Mind, a problem that Synchronicity single-handedly solves. Whereas the other Traditions are more general and can be recommended for basically any empire, the specialist use of Synchronicity makes it a special case.

7 Unyielding

Bolster The Empire’s Defense Against The Hostile Galaxy

• Adoption Bonus: +2 Starbase capacity, +50% faster Starbase Upgrade, unlock Impenetrable Border agenda
• Finisher Bonus: +50% Defense platform maximum capacity, -20% Starbase upkeep, able to create Martial Alliance Federation

The Unyielding Tradition has one of the best starting bonuses of any Tradition: +2 Starbase Capacity and +50% Starbase Upgrade Speed. This combination gives the player a significant jump-start for the expansion of the empire. Even if the player doesn’t have a turtling strategy in mind, having defensive bonuses can be game-changing, and Unyielding offers some of the best defensive bonuses in the game.

Unyielding isn’t just good when it comes to Starbases, however. It also helps guard one’s planets against orbital bombardment, something the player is sure to see a lot of during protracted wars. Massively reducing the amount of damage taken from enemy bombardments means the player can spend less time worrying about the consequences when war comes home and instead focus on how to expand their empire. Though it doesn’t offer offensive bonuses the way Supremacy does, it will help the player hold their own at war.

6 Discovery

Faster Technological Acquirement And Exploration Of The Galaxy

• Adoption Bonus: +20% faster Anomaly Research, unlock Map The Stars edict & Chart the Unknown Council Agenda
• Finisher Bonus: +10% increased Research speed, able to create Research Cooperative Federation

Exploration is one of the 4 E’s of 4X games, and Discovery takes that to heart. The main drawback of this Tradition is that several of its benefits cease to be useful by the mid or late-game. For this reason, the player will want to choose Discovery early on, either as their first, second, or third Tradition to get the most value from it. Its starting bonuses are +20% Anomaly Research Speed and the Map the Stars Edict, both of which help the player turn over and get a handle on their galactic surroundings much faster than their opponents.

Discovery is a strategically interesting Tradition since it forces the player to plan in two stages: the early game when the large resource bonuses are still relevant, and the late game when other research and exploration are no longer the player’s main priorities. The Discovery Tradition is harder to use than some other Traditions but can be powerful in the right hands, whether the player is building their first Starbase or eyeing their next Ascension Perk.

5 Supremacy

Strengthen The Naval Capability Of The Empire For Attack And Defense

• Adoption Bonus: +20 Naval Capacity, +20% Increased Army Damage, unlock Military Backup Council Agenda
• Finisher Bonus: Unlock war Doctrine policy & Supremacist diplomatic stance

A key part of 4X games is the ability to field a military that can destroy one’s enemies and protect one’s interests. The Supremacy Tradition is perfect for players who want to lean into their military capabilities. It isn’t just good for warmongers, however. Players who want to make good use of their diplomats and envoys will find a lot to love about Supremacy, as well, due to the increased bargaining power that this Tradition grants. Supremacy doesn’t make the best starting Tradition, since the player may not have a strong enough economic foundation to support the large fleets that Supremacy naturally wants to field.

Choosing this Tradition gives the player an immediate boost to their military strength in the form of increased Naval Capacity and Army Damage. Having a greater number of ships that are more powerful and cost fewer resources is obviously powerful. The best part of the Supremacy Tradition, however, is that it unlocks the Supremacist diplomatic stance and the War Doctrines Policy. For military-minded players, there is no substitution for War Doctrines. Supremacy may rely on other Traditions to lay the groundwork, but when it is allowed to develop, there’s little stopping it.

4 Prosperity

Boost Economical Advantage To Take Over The Galaxy

• Adoption Bonus: +20% Increased Mining Station output, unlock Favored Society Council Agenda
• Finisher Bonus: +5% Increased Resources from Jobs

Whether the player controls a planet-devouring alien swarm, an unfeeling AI network, or a collective of peaceful merchants and diplomats, there is one thing that always matters: having a strong economy. The galaxy-spanning empires of Stellaris aren’t just big and complicated; they’re also expensive. Launching new survey ships, building mines, and maintaining an armada strong enough to defend oneself all take money. Without the best Civics and a solid plan for handling one’s economy, that’s a problem.

The Prosperity Tradition provides the player with a series of economic boosts, beginning with a decent bonus to Mining Station outputs. Better yet is the reduction of building costs, allowing the player to create new districts on the cheap, scaling up their empire very quickly from humble beginnings. The best part of the Prosperity Tradition comes in the form of a boost to the production of every worker on every planet. Nothing in Stellaris stimulates the player’s economy quite like this benefit, and combined with the lesser economic bonuses and cost reductions that Prosperity provides, this Tradition ensures the player can out raise and spend their competition.

3 Statecraft

Maximize The Council’s Abilities To Obtain Steady And Stable Advantages

• Adoption Bonus: +50 Increased Edict Fund, Unlock Departmental Efficiency Council Agenda
• Finisher Bonus: Decrease Empire Size by 5%

With the addition of the new Council mechanic thanks to the Stellaris downloadable content, Galactic Paragon, Leaders become more crucial than ever with the help of the Council mechanic in the empire’s government gameplay loop. With the help of the Statecraft tradition, players will be able to maximize the Council fully as it will be able to pass Council Agendas in rapid succession to increase the empire’s resources and power in the galaxy.

Moreover, it will also allow the player to rapidly level up the leaders that have council positions with the help of its Tradition perks that allow them to acquire experience per the launched Agenda. When accompanied by other leader-oriented tradition trees such as Aptitude, Statecraft can be a massively useful tradition to max out during the early game.

2 Politics

Navigate And Dominate The Tricky Galactic Community Landscape

• Adoption Bonus: +1 Additional Envoy, +0.1 Influence gained monthly per Skill Level of Official assigned to Galactic Community, Unlock Pioneer Politics Council Agenda
• Finisher Bonus: +10% Increased Diplomatic Weight, Able to propose unique Resolutions in the Galactic Community

During the early game in Stellaris, a player might not pay too much attention to the political landscape of the galaxy as they would not have met all other galactic empires yet. However, as time goes on and communication has been established, the Galactic Community will be made sooner or later, and the player will be obliged to take part in the galactic political landscape, should they not choose the extreme path of either isolation or total adversity as a Fanatical Purifier.

With the help of Politics tradition, the player’s empire will be able to impose their will and enact beneficial resolutions to their empire without worrying about other empires’ opinions. As they consolidate power and economy, their diplomatic weight will be massively improved by the tradition tree. Moreover, finishing the tree will allow them to enact unique Galactic Community resolutions, such as Constitutional Immunity, which will make them immune from the breach of Galactic Law, allowing them to do as they please without having to abide by the Galactic Community’s enacted resolutions.

1 Expansion

Focus On Getting Ahead

• Adoption Bonus: +25% Colony Development Speed, -20% Habitat capital and district alloy upkeep, unlock Super Colonies Agenda if Galactic Paragons
• Finisher Bonus: +1 Maximum Districts on Non-Artificial Planets, +1 Maximum Districts on Habitats if Void Dwellers

One of the first things that comes to mind when playing a space-set game like Stellaris would be colonization and expansion. After all, what better way to rub into another species of one’s superiority than to subjugate them? This is where Expansion comes in. Upon acquiring its adoption benefit of having faster colony development speed, players can branch out into either lower overall costs of upkeep or increased population performance – important elements when considering having to expand one’s use of the invaded colonies.

Being able to secure extra Pop on a colonized planet can help players focus on scaling upwards instead of focusing too much on improving the said planet, helping players focus on the early game and reach the mid-game faster instead of being stuck in this improvement loop.