Simone Lawson
Stellaris is a space grand strategy game by Paradox Interactive, where players explore the galaxy, meet strange new races, and engage in an advanced diplomacy system. Diplomacy in Stellaris offers an alternative to warmongering, where players can negotiate, build alliances, and trade resources with other empires. Each empire has a unique attitude influenced by their AI personality, ethics, and relative power, dictating their diplomatic interactions. Players can employ envoys to perform diplomatic tasks, such as improving or harming relations, espionage, and first contact. Trade deals, ethics, and shared threats also play a crucial role in shaping inter-empire relations. With complex interactions and an array of choices, Stellaris provides a challenging and engaging diplomatic experience in a highly detailed universe.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Nature of diplomacy | An alternative to warmongering |
| Envoys | Minor leaders that can be assigned to perform various diplomatic tasks |
| Envoy tasks | Improve relations, harm relations, first contact, build a spy network |
| Cooldown | Many diplomatic actions have a 10-year cooldown once chosen |
| Unilateral agreements | Diplomatic actions proposed and ended by one empire, with no input from the recipient |
| Bilateral agreements | Mutually beneficial diplomatic actions that must be accepted by the recipient |
| Trust | Generated by maintaining any form of lasting treaty; maximum amount obtainable is limited by the most valuable treaty between both parties |
| Trust decay | -0.25 per month if there is no new income |
| Trade deals | Instant or monthly transfers of resources or other assets between two empires |
| Trade deal duration | 10-30 years |
| Trade penalties | Breaking long-term trade contracts causes an opinion penalty |
| Trade benefits | Trade deals often yield better deals than the market |
| Trade requirements | Neutral or positive attitude between empires |
| Trade exceptions | Fallen empires only trade if they are patronizing or enigmatic towards the proposing empire; they will never trade strategic resources |
| Ethics | Empires that more closely align ethically are more likely to engage in diplomacy |
| Ethics exceptions | Empires with the Fanatic Purifiers civic can only engage in diplomacy with empires of the same primary species |
| Diplomacy tips | Give gifts, guarantee independence, use edicts to boost diplomacy |
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What You'll Learn
Envoys can be assigned to improve or harm relations
Envoys are minor leaders that can be assigned to perform various diplomatic tasks in Stellaris. They can be used to improve or harm relations with another empire. Improving relations grants +0.25 opinion per month to and from the target empire (up to +150) and removes the relation requirement for positive diplomatic actions. On the other hand, harming relations grants 0.5 opinion per month to and from the target empire (up to -150) and removes the relation requirement for negative diplomatic actions. It's important to note that once an envoy is assigned to a task, it cannot be reassigned for a year.
The effectiveness of envoys in improving or harming relations depends on various factors. One factor is the number of envoys assigned to the task. While using multiple envoys can speed up the process, there is a cap on the influence they can exert. The cap for improving relations is +100, and for harming relations, it is -100. Additionally, having an embassy can boost the power of envoys, with embassies providing a 3x power boost to improving relations.
The success of envoys also depends on the alignment of ethics between empires. Empires with closely aligned ethics are more likely to engage in diplomacy. If the ethics of the empires are not aligned, it can be challenging to change their opinion of you, and you may need to resort to alternative methods such as giving gifts or guaranteeing independence.
It's worth noting that AI empires can also use envoys to harm relations with you. In such cases, you may need to take extra measures to counter their efforts and improve relations. This can include offering additional incentives or changing your diplomatic stance to a more cooperative one.
Overall, envoys can be a powerful tool in the diplomatic aspect of Stellaris, allowing players to influence the relationships between empires. By strategically assigning envoys and considering the ethical alignment of empires, players can improve or harm relations to further their strategic goals.
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Trade deals and their durations
Trade deals in Stellaris are a form of diplomatic action and an important aspect of the game. They involve the transfer of goods, resources, or other assets between two empires, often yielding better deals than the market. The success of a trade deal depends on the relationship between the empires involved. A neutral or positive attitude is required for trade, while empires with a negative attitude will only accept gifts.
Trade deals can be instant or monthly transfers, with monthly resource transfers lasting between 10 and 30 years. It's important to note that long-term trade contracts can be broken if there are insufficient resources, but this will result in an opinion penalty. When negotiating a trade deal, players can choose to barter or simply pay for the goods or privileges. The likelihood of finalizing an exchange is indicated by a colour-coded system, with green indicating a favourable probability.
The duration of a trade agreement is an important consideration. While some players might opt for shorter-term deals, longer-term trade routes can provide benefits such as reduced piracy risk. Additionally, certain agreements, such as sharing resource localization, can block aggressive policies, so players should refrain from signing them with empires they intend to conquer.
When creating a trade route, players must build and upgrade starbases, ensuring their collection areas overlap to form a continuous chain. Each upgraded starbase has one outgoing trade route, which can be manually rerouted to any other starbase. Trade value is then sent "downstream" along the chain until it reaches the capital system, where it can be converted into tangible resources.
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Ethics and their impact on diplomacy
Ethics play a crucial role in diplomacy in Stellaris, influencing an empire's interactions and relationships with other empires. Each empire in the game has a specific attitude towards others, dictated by factors such as AI personality, diplomatic interactions, and relative power.
An empire's ethics are fundamental to its identity and can have a significant impact on its diplomatic approach. Empires with similar ethics are more likely to engage in diplomacy and maintain positive relationships. For example, empires that align closely in terms of ethics are expected to be more receptive to diplomatic actions such as trade deals, alliances, and cooperation. Conversely, empires with vastly different or opposing ethics may struggle to find common ground and could even become rivals or enemies.
The ethics of an empire can also influence its ability to compromise and adapt in dire circumstances. While empires generally adhere strongly to their ethics, they may be willing to make concessions or temporary alliances if faced with imminent threats, such as conquest or dangerous neighbours. Additionally, the ethics of an empire can impact its eligibility for certain diplomatic actions. For instance, empires with specific civics, such as Fanatic Purifiers or Determined Exterminators, have restrictions on diplomacy based on the species or authority of other empires.
Furthermore, ethics can influence the internal dynamics of an empire, which indirectly affects its diplomatic capabilities. Each pop within an empire embraces a single, moderate ethic, and as the empire grows, its population becomes more diverse in its views and desires. Over time, the ethics of the pops can drift, leading to potential shifts in the empire's overall ethics. These shifts can impact the empire's diplomatic standing, as other empires are notified of these changes, potentially altering their perceptions and relationships.
Understanding the ethics of your empire and potential allies or enemies is crucial for successful diplomacy in Stellaris. Aligning with empires that share similar ethics can increase the likelihood of favourable diplomatic outcomes, while recognizing irreconcilable ethical differences can help anticipate potential conflicts or challenges in forming alliances.
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How to build trust and improve relations
Diplomacy in Stellaris is a complex affair, with many factors influencing the outcome of your diplomatic efforts. Building trust and improving relations are key aspects of successful diplomacy in the game. Here are some strategies to achieve that:
Firstly, pay attention to ethics and find empires with similar values. Empires with ethics similar to yours are more likely to engage in diplomacy and build positive relations. For example, if you have a Materialist faction, they may dislike Spiritualists, but they will favour other Materialists. Finding empires with similar ethics can make your diplomatic efforts more effective.
Secondly, use gifts and trade deals to your advantage. Gifts can influence opinion and build trust. Relative to how much they appreciate it, give gifts to empires you want to build relations with. You can also offer favourable trade deals, which can cause their attitude towards you to improve. Trade deals can be instant or monthly transfers of resources, and they require a neutral or positive attitude between empires. Fallen empires, for example, will only trade if they are patronizing or enigmatic towards you.
Thirdly, guarantee independence to build trust. This can give a significant bonus to opinion and is a good way to start building trust. However, be careful when breaking the independence guarantee, as it can lead to a negative modifier for some time. Additionally, stay away from guaranteeing independence or signing defence pacts with empires that have rivals, as this may hurt your relations with their rivals.
Another strategy is to share research and sensor information. Sharing sensor data and research agreements can help build trust. You can also trade star charts for minerals and then gift those minerals to the empire you want to build relations with. This can be an effective way to improve relations over time.
Lastly, maintain lasting treaties. Most diplomatic actions require a certain level of relations or an envoy to improve relations. Maintaining any form of lasting treaty generates trust and increases opinion. The maximum amount of trust obtainable is limited by the most valuable treaty between both parties. Acquiring the Direct Diplomacy perk can also increase your trust cap.
By following these strategies and paying attention to the ethics and attitudes of other empires, you can effectively build trust and improve relations in Stellaris.
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The role of espionage in diplomacy
Espionage has long been a feature of diplomacy, with ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians and the Greeks employing spies in various capacities. Espionage, or spying, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information, often for military purposes or to gain an advantage in international relations.
In the context of Stellaris, espionage can be a useful tool for diplomacy. Envoys, or minor leaders, can be assigned to perform diplomatic tasks, including improving or harming relations with another empire. While empires with certain civics, such as Devouring Swarm and Terravore, cannot engage in any diplomacy, they can still utilize envoys for espionage. Spies can be used to infiltrate another empire, steal technology, and sabotage the enemy. They can also spread disinformation, such as giving false reports about military movements, or find dissidents within the organization and influence them to defect.
In addition to espionage, there are other diplomatic actions in Stellaris that can be utilized. Trade deals, for example, can be a form of diplomacy, although they require a neutral or positive attitude between empires. Diplomatic trades can often yield better deals than the market, and Gestalt Consciousness empires may be willing to trade for consumer goods or Zro, even if they have no use for them. Giving gifts and guaranteeing independence can also help to boost diplomacy.
However, it is important to note that ethics and values play a significant role in diplomacy in Stellaris. Empires that have similar ethics to your own will be more likely to engage in diplomacy, while those with opposing ethics may be more difficult to negotiate with. For example, Materialists may dislike Spiritualists, and Evangelizing Zealots dislike Materialists. Therefore, espionage may not always be necessary, and understanding the ethics of other empires can help guide diplomatic efforts.
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Frequently asked questions
Stellaris is a complex strategy game where diplomacy is key. Each empire will have a specific attitude towards other empires, dictated by their AI personality, diplomatic interactions, and the relative power of both empires. Diplomacy in Stellaris draws on the model of previous Paradox games and offers an alternative to warmongering. Envoys are minor leaders that can be assigned to perform various diplomatic tasks. You can also make trade deals, which are instant or monthly transfers of resources or other assets between two empires.
Empires that more closely align with your ethics will be more likely to engage in diplomacy. Ethics to avoid for extreme dislikes include Materialist, Dictatorships, and Pacifist. Lots will generally dislike you if you're a Xenophobe or Authoritarian Slaver. The most ideal ethics for diplomacy are Fanatic Xenophile + Spiritualist, or Egalitarian, or Militarist (egalitarian being great as they are federation builders), and a democracy.
Envoys are minor leaders that can be assigned to perform various diplomatic tasks. Once an envoy is assigned to a task, it cannot be reassigned for a year. You can assign envoys to improve relations with another empire, which grants +0.25 opinion per month to and from the target empire (up to +150) and removes the relation requirement for positive diplomatic actions. You can also assign them to harm relations with another empire, which grants -0.5 opinion per month to and from the target empire (up to -150) and removes the relation requirement for negative diplomatic actions.
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