Overview
Custom Factions allow the player to design a Faction with its own Traits, Affinity, and Backstory.
Affinity
Home World: Ocean
Affinity:
- Starts the game with the entire map revealed;
- Wormholes, Warps, Home Planets and Systems are revealed.
Technologies: Amoeba Faction Technologies
Home World: Jungle
Affinity:
- +1 Over Production to Stack Factor on System.
- +5% Interest for Stacked
on System.
Unused 
is stored, or "stacked" (e.g. when production queue is empty). Stacked earns 5% interest per turn. Up to 5 turns worth of can be stacked (overage is lost).
Technologies: Automaton Faction Technologies
Home World: Arid
Affinity:
With the Virtual Awakening free add-on, the "turn" values are modified by the game speed factor : Fast game will lower them, slow game will increase them.
Technologies: Craver Faction Technologies
Home World: Tundra
Affinity:
- Doesn't use Dust - The player cannot hire Heroes, buyout Improvements, retrofit ships, trade Dust, or receive Dust from Trade Routes, Random Events, or Exploration Events.
- Is not affected by Approval modifiers - The player's Approval is locked at 50.
- (Dust)% on Systems provokes loss on (Industry) and (Food)
- Disharmony: Decreases FIS on Empire for each "impure" System
- +2 FIS for each ship orbiting a Harmony world, up to 2x max CP - This flat bonus was added in patch 1.1.42.
It appears the "up to 2x max CP" is for the FIS bonus, not the number of ships orbiting your system. e.g. having 8 max CP allows you to have a maximum of +16 FIS on a system.
Technologies: Harmony Faction Technologies
Home World: Jungle
Affinity:
- +5% Weapon Damage on all fleets for each space battle won. Lasts for 45 turns.
- +15% FIDS
for each invasion victory. Lasts for 45 turns.
These bonuses can be accumulated up to 4 times, with the turn value being reset each time.
With the Virtual Awakening free add-on, the "turn" values are modified by the game speed factor : Fast game will lower them, slow game will increase them.
Technologies: Hissho Faction Technologies
Home World: Arid
Affinity:
Technologies: Horatio Faction Technologies
Home World: Jungle
Affinity:
- Ability to Evacuate a Star System.
Technologies: Pilgrims Faction Technologies
Home World: Terran
Affinity:
- Prevents opponents from retreating
- -33% buyout bonus on system
Technologies: Sheredyn Faction Technologies
Home World: Ocean
Affinity:
- 0-50% Tax Rate gives a +50-0%
bonus. - -50% Support Modules Cost on Empire.
Technologies: Sophon Faction Technologies
Home World: Tundra
Affinity:
- -50%
from System, - 40% value is also added to .
Technologies: Sowers Faction Technologies
Home World: Terran
Affinity:
- 25% - 100% Tax Rate will give a 0% - 60% bonus.
- +10 Ship Experience on building on Empire.
Technologies: United Empire Faction Technologies
Home World: Terran
Affinity:
- Once constructed, the Portal consumes all remaining Movement Points, it requires at least one Movement Point.
- The faction can instantly teleport a Fleet from one system to another system that is under their influence, if both systems have built these quantum aperture.
Technologies: Vaulter Faction-Specific Technologies
Traits
Note: The positiv and negativ Trait cancel each other out when one is chosen.
Example: "Builders" / "Unskilled Builders"
| Trait | Category | Cost | Description |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dust Lode | Anomaly | 4 | +3 Dust on the Home Planet. | |
| Hellgourds | Anomaly | -5 | -25 Approval, +3 Food on the Home Planet. | |
| Huygens Rings | Anomaly | 5 | +1 Dust, +2 Science on the Home Planet. | |
| Metallic Waters | Anomaly | 4 | +1 Industry, +10 Approval on the Home Planet. | |
| Mineral Poor | Anomaly | -8 | -1 Industry, -1 Dust, -10 Approval on the Home Planet. | |
| Mineral Rich | Anomaly | 5 | +3 Industry on the Home Planet. | |
| Poor Soil | Anomaly | -8 | -1 Food, -1 Science, -10 Approval on the Home Planet. | |
| Rich Soil | Anomaly | 5 | +3 Food on the Home Planet | |
| Terraformed Planet | Anomaly | 4 | Generates a positive Anomaly on the Home Planet. | The following anomalies are possible: Friendly Locals, Strange Fossils, Antonov Rings, Low Gravity, Rich Atmosphere, Komatiite Volcano, Metallic Waters. |
| Unlucky Colonists | Anomaly | -10 | Generates a negative Anomaly on the Home Planet. | The following anomalies are possible: Hostile Fauna, Swamp World, Seismic Activity, Long Season, Meteor Strikes, High Gravity. |
| Builders | Building | 8/16/24 | -10%/-20%/-30% Industry Cost of Improvements on Empire | |
| Masters of Destruction | Building | 10/20 | -25%/-50% Weapon Module Cost on Empire | Disables "Militarists", "The Price of Beauty" |
| Masters of Illusion | Fleet | 5/10 | -20%/-40% Ship Cost for Ship without Weapon Module on Empire | Disables "Militarists", "The Price of Beauty" |
| Militarists | Building | 8/16/24 | -10%/-20%/-30% Ship Cost on Empire | Disables "Masters of Destruction", "Masters of Illusion" and "Make Science, Not War" |
| The Price of Beauty | Building | -4/-8/-12 | +10%/+20%/+30% Ship Cost on Empire | Disables "Masters of Destruction", "Masters of Illusion" and "Make Science, Not War" |
| Unskilled Builders | Building | -5/-10/-15 | +10%/+20%/+30% Industry Cost of Improvements on Empire | |
| Deep Roots | Defense | -1/-2 | -40%/-80% Ownership Gain Per System on Empire, +50%/+80% Ownership Loss Per System Captured by Opponent on Empire | |
| Fearless Warriors | Defense | 4/8 | +12/+25 Defense per Population on System | |
| Feeble Warriors | Defense | -2/-5 | -8 Defense per Population on System / -25% Defense n System, -8 Defense per Population on System | |
| Rebellion | Defense | 3/6 | +50%/+100% Ownership Gain Per System on Empire, -40%/-80% Ownership Loss Per System Captured by Opponent on Empire. | |
| Revenge | Defense | 4/8 | After losing a system: +25%/+50% MP on all Fleets when Invading. +25%/+50% Ground Defense on all Systems. (for 20 turns) | |
| Stellar Guardians | Defense | 5/10 | +2/+4 Influence Area on System | |
| Diplomats | Diplomacy | 6/15 | +25%/+50% Trade Routes Bonuses on System | |
| Eternal War | Diplomacy | -10 | Can't be at peace with other factions | |
| Naive | Diplomacy | 5/10 | +4/+8 Approval per Faction at Peace or Allied with on System | |
| Symbiosis | Diplomacy | 6/15 | +15%/+30% Trade Routes Bonuses per Cooperation Treaty on System | |
| Blockade Breakers | Economy | 15 | Trade Routes also work in Cold War. Blockades on your Systems won't break Trade Routes. | |
| Businessmen | Economy | 8/16/24 | +10%/+20%/+30% Dust on System | |
| Dust Archaeology | Economy | 2/4 | +20/+42 Dust at Start | |
| Dust Starved | Economy | -1 | No Dust at Start | |
| Entrepreneurs | Economy | 20 | +1 Dust per Population on Planets | |
| Merchants | Economy | 8/16 | +1/+2 Trade Routes Cap on System | |
| Spendthrifts | Economy | -5/-10/-16 | -10%/-20%/-30% Dust on System | |
| Anarchists | Fleet | -6/-15 | -1/-2 Command Point Cap on Empire | |
| Big Fleets | Fleet | 10/25 | +1/+2 Command Point Cap on Empire | |
| Fast Travelers | Fleet | 5/10 | +1/+2 Movement on Ships | |
| Fragile Hulls | Fleet | -3/-6 | -15%/-30% HP on Ships | |
| Make Science, Not War | Fleet | 12/24 | -25%/-50% Support Modul Cost on Empire | Disables "Militarists" and "The Price of Beauty" |
| Meticulous Analysis | Fleet | 3/6 | +1/+2 Vision on Ships | |
| Optimal Structure | Fleet | 10/20 | +15%/+30% Capacity on Ships | |
| Slow Travelers | Fleet | -3/-6 | -1/-2 Movement on Ships | |
| Strong Alloys | Fleet | 10/20 | +20%/+40% HP on Ships | |
| Wasted Space | Fleet | -8/-16 | -10%/-20% Capacity on Ships | |
| Death Before Dishonor | Hero | 5/10 | Hero Injured if use "Retreat" Battle Action. +20%/+40% XP Bonus for each battle on Hero | |
| Dust Impaired | Hero | -2/-4 | +50%/+100% Abilities Dust Cost on Hero | |
| Heroic Medicine | Hero | 5/10 | -25%/-50% Healing Cost on Hero | |
| Legendary Heroes | Hero | 12/24 | -2/-4 Upkeep on Heroes, +10/+20 Hero XP on Hiring on Empire | |
| Micromanagers | Hero | -5/-10 | -20%/-40% XP Bonus when Assigned/Battle/Construction/Opponent Injured | |
| Power Masters | Hero | 3/6 | -25%/-50% Abilities Dust Cost on Hero | |
| Sloppy Sawbones | Hero | -2/-4 | +50%/+100% Healing Cost on Hero | |
| Black Thumbs | Population | -10/-20/-30 | -10%/-20%/-30% Food on System | |
| Cloning | Population | 5/15/25 | +1 Food on (Class 3/4)/(Class 2/3/4)/(all) Planets | |
| Crowded Planets | Population | 15/20 | +1 Max Population on Tiny & Small & Medium Planets / +2 Max Population on Tiny & Small Planets +1 Max Population on Medium Planets | Lvl2 Makes Tiny and Small Planets better than Medium |
| Growth Plan | Population | 15/30/40 | +10%/+20%/+30% Food on System | |
| Optimistic | Population | 15/25 | +10/+20 Approval on System | |
| Pessimistic | Population | -10/-20 | -10/-20 Approval on System | |
| Scientists | Science | 10/20/30 | +10%/+20%/+30% Science on System | |
| Space Cadets | Science | -5/-10/-15 | -10%/-20%/-30% Science on System | |
| Tolerant | Science | 20/30 | Colonizes all planets
-50%/-25% FIDS until required tech known. -50% Approval loss once required Tech known. Sowers: -25%/-50% Approval loss until required Tech known. Harmony: -8%/-4% Growth per planet until required Tech known. |
Basically you only get half Approval Penalty from Planets.
Asteroid: -10 Approval instead of -20 once required Tech is known. |
| Deadly Weapons | Space Battle | 5/10/15 | +12%/+24%/+36% Damage Max/Min on all Fleet Weapons | |
| Dust Recyclers | Space Battle | 5/10 | +10/+20 Dust for each Destroyed Enemy CP on Empire | |
| Humane Weapons | Space Battle | -5/-10/-15 | -12%/-24%/-36% Damage Max/Min on Fleet Weapons | |
| Knowledge Gathering | Space Battle | 5/10 | +20/+40 Research Points to the Current Research for each Destroyed Enemy CP on Empire | |
| Mutual Understanding | Space Battle | 5/10 | +5% Damage Max/Min per Number of Allies on Fleet Weapons | |
| Offense First | Space Battle | -2/-4/-7 | -5%/-10%/-15% Laser Damage Absorbed, Kinetic Projectiles Deflected, Interception Accuracy on one Missile | |
| Optimal Defense | Space Battle | 5/10/15 | +5%/+10%/+15% Laser Damage Absorbed, Kinetic Projectiles Deflected, Interception Accuracy on one Missile | |
| Snipers | Space Battle | 7/14/21 | +5%/+10%/+15% Accuracy on Fleet Weapons | Base Weapon Accuracy increased |
| Spray 'n Pray | Space Battle | -5/-10/-15 | -5%/-10%/-15% Accuracy on Fleet Weapons | Base Weapon Accuracy decreased |
| Kitchen Chemists | Science | 20 | +1 Science per Population on Planets | |
| Technology | 4/8 | 1st level tech costs 4, 2nd level tech costs 8 | ||
| Efficient Stock | Economy | 25 | +1% FIS per Strategic Resource deposits on system | |
| Mineral Memory | Economy | 5 | Can see all Strategic Resources of visited systems | |
| Solid Citizens | Defense | 8 | -20% collateral damage against population on system
-20% collateral damage against troops on empire |
|
| Strategically Resourceful | Economy | 7 | -1 Strategic Resource required for abundance on empire | |
| Lap of Luxury | Economy | 15 | +50% luxury bonus | Applied to the Empire wide % Bonus. Not FIDS. |
| Asceticism | Economy | -7 | -50% luxury bonus | Applied to the Empire wide % Bonus. Not FIDS. |
| Dust congruity | Hero | 12/24/36 | +0.1%/0.2%/0.3% Dust Leech on Hero | The actual tooltip is misleading as you need all 3 to get 30%; the c is not capitalized in-game |
| Sheredyn Integrity | Diplomacy | -5 | -10 Happiness per deal broken on system | That's every system you own, for the rest of the game, by the way |
| Factions | |
|---|---|
| Playable Factions | Amoeba • Automatons • Cravers • Harmony • Hissho • Horatio Pilgrims • Sheredyn • Sophons • Sowers • United Empire • Vaulters |
| Non-Playable Factions | Deuyivan • Dust Collective • Endless • Oros Gec Pirates • Plocynos • Unknown • Virus |
| Other Information | Custom factions |