Stellaris: Best Traditions To Pick (2024)

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 June 14, 2024 by Evan Arnoldi: Thanks to the constant updates that Paradox Entertainment gives to Stellaris in the form of free gameplay updates, patches, and downloadable content, there is a continual trend of Tradition Trees becoming viable as both the game and the players progress through each of their saves. These Traditions can be game-changing once completed, as they give an Ascension Perk point to the player, and the Tradition finisher bonuses themselves are sometimes far more powerful than the individual Traditions.

Keeping up to date with the right Traditions to prioritize during a game can help a player survive the harsh galaxy of Stellaris with all of its horrors, glory, and mysteries, especially when neighboring a Fallen Empire with a Militant Isolationist type or a Devouring Swarm.

1 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.

2 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.

3 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.

4 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 allows 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.

5 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.

7 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.

8 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.

9 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.

10 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.

Stellaris

Platform(s)

PC , PS4 , Xbox One

Released

May 9, 2016

Developer(s)

Paradox Development Studio

Genre(s)

4X , Grand Strategy