A strong start in Stellaris creates a snowball effect that powers your empire through the mid- and late-game. This guide covers must-know strategies to optimize your early game—whether you’re playing as a pacifist federation builder or a militarized machine empire.

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Pre-Game Settings & Policies

Diplomatic Stance

• Default: Expansionist
  • Pros:
    • -10% Outpost build cost.
    • +50% Colony development speed.
  • Cons:
    • Higher border friction (not a concern early on).
• Alternative: Isolationist
  • Boosts Unity generation—great for unlocking Traditions and recruiting Leaders.
  • Tip: Start as Expansionist for initial colonization, then switch to Isolationist once your core systems are secure.

Economic Policy

• Mixed Economy (Default): Balanced output—safe for most starts.
• Civilian Economy: Extra Consumer Goods, ideal for science-focused play.
• Militarized Economy: Increased Alloy production, best for aggressive empires or early expansionism.

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Exploration & Expansion

Guaranteed Habitable Worlds

• Most starts grant 2 guaranteed planets within five systems of your homeworld. Ensure this setting is enabled.
• Strategy:
  • Scout them early and prioritize the one that secures or expands chokepoints.

Survey vs. Explore

• Survey reveals planet stats—takes longer.
• Explore (via Auto-Explore or manual pathing) is faster and helps map the hyperlane network.
• Tip: Use Shift + Right Click to queue exploration paths for efficiency.

Choke Points

• Claim choke systems early to control hyperlane flow.
• Don’t rush full surveys of systems behind solid chokepoints—save time and science ship bandwidth.

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Resource Management & The Market

Using the Market

• Monthly trades avoid price surges from single bulk deals.
• Pre-Galactic Market base prices:
  • Minerals: Buy ≤ 42 | Sell ≥ 64
  • Alloys: Buy ≤ 10 | Sell ≥ 16
  • Consumer Goods: Buy ≤ 21 | Sell ≥ 32
  • Strategic Resources: Buy ≤ 4 | Sell ≥ 6
  • Exotic Materials: Buy ≤ 2 | Sell ≥ 3
• Use early surplus Energy Credits to buy Alloys, Minerals, or Colony Ships.

Colony Ship Timing

• Don’t wait for full surveys before building Colony Ships.
• Tip: Start ship production while surveying the system—this minimizes colonization downtime.

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Early Traditions: What to Prioritize

1. Prosperity (Recommended)

• Adoption Bonus: +Mining station output.
• Key Perks:
  • -10% building/district costs, +25% construction speed.
  • +5% specialist output.
  • Reduced upkeep for buildings/districts.

2. Expansion

• Faster colony growth.
• +1 District on new colonies.

3. Discovery

• Faster survey speed and early research bonuses—ideal for science empires.

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Colonization Efficiency

• Colonist Job Priority:
  • Temporarily reduce colonist job weight to prioritize energy/mineral output.
  • Maintain Stability above 50%.
• Use Planet Designations:
  • Specialize planets early (e.g., Generator World, Forge World) for bonuses to output and efficiency.

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Anomalies & Special Events

• Anomalies: Scale with your science output—delay deep exploration until after your economy is stable.
• Precursors: Valuable long-term bonuses, but avoid hostile event chains like The Cultist Fleet early on unless prepared.

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Starbase Strategy

Starbase Utility

• Early starbases aren’t just for defense:
  • Hydroponics Bay: +10 food, low upkeep.
  • Solar Panels (for machine empires): Generate free energy.

Edict: Fortify the Border

• +50% Starbase upgrade speed.
• +2 Starbase capacity.
• Great for early border consolidation.

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Final Thoughts

Starting strong in Stellaris is all about resource efficiency, smart exploration, and chokepoint control. These early-game strategies lay the groundwork for smooth mid-game expansion and late-game dominance.

Want specialized strategies for Machine Intelligences or Megacorp starts? Let me know—or check out my full guide on robotic empires!

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