Ascension Perks: Power Up Your Empire in Stellaris
Ascension perks are essential upgrades for your empire in Stellaris. Whether you want to boost resource production or engage in interspecies breeding, ascension perks can help you achieve your goals. Some perks can elevate your empire to unimaginable power levels, while others may not be as beneficial. Choosing the right ascension perks can be a challenging decision and will vary for each empire. This guide will provide an overview of what ascension perks are, how to acquire them, the best ones to choose, and some to avoid. All ascension perks offer some benefit, even the seemingly weaker ones. The top-tier ascension perks in Stellaris include technological ascendency, galactic wonders, arcology project, defender of the galaxy, become the crisis, and colossus project. The ascension path perks are also highly recommended.
Table of Contents
- What are Ascension Perks
- How to Unlock Ascension Perks
- Best Ascension Perks in Stellaris
What are Ascension Perks?
Traditions and ascension perks are closely linked in Stellaris. While traditions represent the evolving culture of your empire as it establishes its place in the galaxy, ascension perks reflect the outcomes of that advancing culture. Depending on the cultural choices of your empire, you may adopt ascension perks that align with those decisions. Whether your focus is on warfare or economic advancement, there are ascension perks that can complement your chosen path. In Stellaris, you can acquire eight ascension perks throughout the course of the game, each providing a unique bonus to your empire. These perks are categorized into tiers, ranging from zero to three. Tier zero perks are available from the start, while higher tiers require the unlocking of previous perks. Certain game mechanics and abilities are tied to specific perks, so strategic selection is key. Additionally, there are ascension paths that become available when your empire reaches a certain level of advancement in a specific area. These paths grant your empire the ability to shape its future and progress to the next stage of existence.
How to Unlock Ascension Perks
In Stellaris, your empire accumulates a non-material resource called Unity. Unity serves various functions, but its primary purpose is to adopt traditions. Once you have enough Unity, the game notifies you that you can afford the next tradition point. Traditions provide unique and powerful buffs to your empire and cover a range of themes like warfare, mining, and exploration. Throughout the game, you can adopt up to seven traditions for your empire. Upon unlocking all the bonuses in a tradition tree, you will earn an ascension perk unlock. It is important to note that ascension perk choices are permanent and cannot be changed without mods. But, if you’re wondering how to acquire the eighth ascension perk when there are only seven tradition trees, research holds the answer. Specifically, the ascension theory technology found in the society tree. Once you complete this research project, you can immediately unlock an ascension perk.
Best Ascension Perks in Stellaris
When choosing ascension perks, it is crucial to consider their power level and long-term usefulness. While these perks won’t guarantee an automatic victory, they provide valuable advantages that can greatly impact your gameplay. The best perks are versatile, remain useful throughout the game, positively affect your empire, synergize with traditions, and enhance your overall gaming experience. The following six ascension perks stand out as the top choices in Stellaris:
Technological Ascendency
Technological Ascendency is a must-have perk in any Stellaris game. It offers a flat ten percent increase in research speed, making research more efficient and crucial for your empire’s growth. Additionally, this perk boosts the chances of unlocking rare technologies by 50 percent. Whether you’re a war-driven empire or an economic powerhouse, Technological Ascendency is always a solid choice to kickstart your progress.
Galactic Wonders
This perk allows you to construct “super” megastructures such as the Dyson Sphere, Matter Decompressor, and Ring World. While Galactic Wonders may lose some of its initial usefulness as you progress, the benefits of these megastructures are undeniable. They greatly enhance your end-game economy, making micromanagement of mining worlds a thing of the past. Despite its slight decline in power, Galactic Wonders remains a valuable addition to your empire.
Arcology Project
With the Arcology Project, you can create your own version of Coruscant from Star Wars. This project enables the transformation of planets into special Ecumenopolis class planets, which are essentially massive planetary cities. Ecumenopolis planets offer unique districts that boost unity, alloys, consumer goods, and amenities, although mineral, energy, and food production is sacrificed. While you wouldn’t want to convert every planet, having a few Ecumenopolis planets late-game can greatly enrich your economy.
Defender of the Galaxy
The end-game crisis in Stellaris poses a significant challenge to your empire’s strength, economy, and strategy. The Defender of the Galaxy ascension perk can make this final test easier by providing two key benefits. First, it grants an extra 200 opinion with all other empires, greatly improving diplomatic relations. Second, it increases damage dealt to the end-game crisis by 50 percent. These advantages can be crucial in ensuring your empire’s survival and securing victory.
For the remaining perks, please read the full article on the Gamer Empire website, linked below.