There are total 16 traditions in Stellars if you don’t count the mutually exclusive ones. The number goes way up to 23 if you add them too. However, only 7 traditions can be unlocked each run. A tradition cannot be changed once it’s unlocked. So, you need to be extra careful when adopting a new tradition. I’m hoping this Stellaris best traditions guide will be of use to you.
The most important tradition decision you need to make is about species ascension. Once you unlock psionics for example, all the other species ascensions like genetics, cybernetics, and synthetics will be locked forever. Thus, species ascension is the most important tradition pick you’ll make.
Completing a tradition tree will unlock a special ascension perk slot. So, you might want to check out my ascension perk guide as well.
STELLARIS ASCENSION PERKS TIER LIST
This Stellaris traditions tier list is valid for all types of empires with few exceptions. Such as corporations, devouring swarm, and determined exterminators. As a corporation, go for mercantile. As a conqueror, go for superiority tradition fairly early because you’ll need the bonuses.
1. Expansion
Expansion is the most ideal first tradition pick. Thus, it’s best Stellaris tradition, and I always pick it first regardless of my empire build.
New colonies start with +1 pop and +10% pop growth speed bonuses are extremely useful if you select expansion first. That way you can start snowballing asap and have a huge advantage over other empires in the long run.
Expansion has other good bonuses too worth mentioning. Like max districts +1 and -25% empire size from planets / systems.
All in all, expansion is a S+ God tier tradition.
2. Discovery
Most new players choose discovery because its survey speed bonuses. It’s indeed useful but I choose discovery because its research bonuses like +10% research speed and 20%+ research station output. Most star system can be surveyed without contest after securing chokepoints anyway.
It’s the second-best tradition in Stellaris and must be adopted right after completing expansion.
3. Ascensions
Species ascensions require certain tech and perk to be unlocked. To unlock required perk, you’ll need to complete at least 2 traditions. So, in order to unlock a species ascension tradition, you need to complete at least 2 traditions first.
Always unlock one species tradition whenever its possible because they are really overpowered. Completely upgrading your entire species is a very powerful act.
Stellaris species ascension tier list:
- Psionics: +10% research from jobs, +10% unity from jobs, +5% Happiness, leaders have the Psychic for all main species. Psi Corps for extra production boost. Unique shroud interaction for immense empire-wide bonuses.
- Genetics: Can modify all species to perfection. Also adds clone vats building for super-fast organic pop assembly.
- Modularity: Robot version of genetics. Can modify your robot pops to perfection.
- Virtuality: Grants immense bonuses as long as you have few but populated planets. Requires advanced game knowledge.
- Nanotech: Is actually good but after a while the number of nanite ships you get will cause huge performance issues, especially in the late game.
- Synthetics: Is about turning organic population into robots. Not really powerful but good for role-playing.
- Cybernetics: Not really powerful but good for role-playing as Elon Musk. You can explore the possibilities of Neuralink.
4. Domination
Domination is also very good because it gives variety of useful bonuses. +10% Worker output, bonus unity, +1 housing, +0,5 influence, official capacity, +20% councilor experience gain, +50 edict fund.
On top of that, domination gives empires size from pops -10% bonus. Which is amazing because it’s one of the few ways you can reduce empire size.
All in all, domination is a S tier must take tradition.
5. Harmony
Thanks to its -15% empire size from pops effect, harmony is also a S+ tradition that must be taken.
It gives couple of leader, unity, and planetary bonuses too. But the main things are -10% pop upkeep and +25% planetary ascension affect. Thanks to that I believe harmony is almost equal to prosperity in terms of production in the long run.
If you’re playing a gestalt consciousness, harmony is replaced with synchronicity. Names are different but the rest is almost identical.
6. Prosperity
Extremely good for economy in both early and late game. Adopting it instantly gives +20% mining station output. That’s very good especially with the new arc furnace update.
There are also other economy boosting bonuses such as +5% specialist output, -5% job upkeep, -10% station upkeep, -10 building and district upkeep.
But you can skip it for an empire size reduction or military power tradition if your economy is already in a good spot.
7. Supremacy
Supremacy is all about army and ship damage. It’s mandatory for devouring swarm and determined exterminator empires.
It’s also a must if you’re playing on higher difficulties and +10x +25x crisis strength. Without supremacy tradition, there is no chance you can challenge boosted end-game crisis factions or awakened empires.
Main bonuses of supremacy tradition are +10% ship fire rate and +20% naval capacity.
8. Statecraft
This is another empire size reduction tradition. Not empire size reduction from pops but total empire size will be reduced by -5%. Especially good on wide playthroughs.
Other than that, statecraft only gives edict funds, councilor agenda speed, councilor agenda effect, and councilor experience stuff.
Not that great except empire size reduction.
9. Diplomacy
I regret to say this, but diplomacy in Stellaris is pretty much useless. What does diplomacy tradition tree do? Grants bunch of useless diplomacy related bonuses.
Only benefit of diplomacy tradition is the form federation action. If you want to do a pacifist run, form federation, and focus on galactic council stuff, you can try diplomacy. But it’s only for pacifist role-playing-purposes in my opinion.
10. Mercantile
Mercantile tradition tree Is all about trade stuff. It’s not available for gestalt consciousness.
You can get a lot of trade and energy bonus from this tree. However, I wouldn’t pick it unless I’m playing a corporation empire. Because there are much better traditions for other empires.
But again, for corporations, it’s very good because you can stack trade power.
11. Adaptability
Does increase habitability by +10%, pop housing usage -10%, and +5-10% bonus to planetary designations. Slightly good but there are much better traditions.
Not available to machine empires. It’s replaced with versatility for machine empires which is actually even worse.
12. Unyielding
The best defense is a good offense. That is a valid strategy in Stellaris too. That’s why unyielding is ranked very close to the bottom.
However, unyielding does have some good defensive bonuses. Such as +15% ship fire rate inside borders, +33% starbase health / damage, +33% defense platform damage / hull points, and +50% defense platform cap. Sounds insane right?
Unfortunately, AI never attacks if your defenses are superior. That’s why I don’t pick unyielding tradition.
13. Politics
Is only available after galactic community is formed. Obviously its focused on galactic community and gives bonuses regarding diplomatic weight, veto cooldown, resolution propose cost, resolution veto cost, emergency measure cooldown, favor, envoys, etc.
Pretty much useless unless you’re role-playing a diplomatic empire focused on galactic empire stuff.
14. Aptitude
Aptitude tradition is all about leaders. However, its giving very weak leader bonuses. Such as leader cost reduction, leader upkeep reduction, +1 leader capacity, etc. Almost none of it worth anything, can’t really stack with leader-oriented civics or origins.
Overall aptitude is a bad tradition not worth picking under any circumstance.
15. Enmity
Will give some rival bonuses but you can’t rival crisis factions and fallen empires.
Its rival bonuses are actually pretty great, but you can’t have rivals forever. And once you outperform your rivals, this tradition tree will be useless.
Enmity tradition tree is never worth picking, ever.
16. Subterfuge
Gives intel on other empires. Literally useless because we already get enough intel with technology.
As for the locations of enemy fleets, they can be seen crystal clear once you build sentry array megastructure.
It’s basically one of the Stellaris noob traps. All in all, there is no point wasting a tradition tree on subterfuge.