Welcome to the universe of Stellaris! This guide is designed to help you get started with the base game (patch 3.8) and teach you the essentials in under 16 minutes. Whether you’re completely new to 4X strategy games or just new to Stellaris, this guide will ensure your first steps among the stars are smooth and enjoyable.

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Getting Started: Choosing Your First Empire

For your first game, it’s best to select a pre-made empire. The United Nations of Earth (UNE) is a solid, balanced choice—ideal for beginners.

If you’re feeling adventurous and want to create your own empire, here’s a quick overview of what to expect:

• Species Traits: Minor bonuses or penalties that affect how your species functions.
• Home World: Choose from nine planet types—categorized as dry, wet, or frozen.
• Ethics & Civics: Define your empire’s political and social structure. These shape your gameplay style and bonuses.
• Leader Traits: You can leave these on default for now; they’re not critical early on.

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Your First Look at the Galaxy

When the game begins, you’ll see your home solar system and your location in the galaxy. Don’t worry if it feels overwhelming—here’s how to break it down.

Top Bar Resources

1. Energy Credits – Your currency; used for upkeep and market trades.
2. Minerals – The foundation for building and expansion.
3. Food – Keeps your population fed (less urgent early on).
4. Consumer Goods – Needed for specialists and research jobs.
5. Alloys – Crucial for constructing and maintaining ships.
6. Influence – A limited currency used for expansion and diplomacy.
7. Unity – Used to unlock traditions and edicts.
8. Research – Divided into Physics, Society, and Engineering.

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Your Starting Ships and Exploration

You start with:

• 1 Science Ship – Used to survey nearby star systems.
• 1 Construction Ship – Builds stations and outposts.
• 1 Military Fleet – Offers early defense and basic exploration.

Exploration

• Right-click a nearby system with your science ship and select “Survey System.”
• Prioritize systems with habitable planets and high resource value.

Construction

• After surveying, use your construction ship to build mining or research stations on resource-rich celestial bodies.
• To expand borders, build an outpost in a new system.

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Managing Your Planets

Planet Overview

• Districts: Provide housing, jobs, and basic resource production.
• Buildings: Offer specialized jobs—e.g., research labs, alloy foundries.
• Stability: Ranges from 0 to 100; higher stability improves productivity.
• Tile Features: Clear blockers to unlock more building or district space.

Population (Pops)

Pops automatically fill available jobs:

• Workers: Produce food, minerals, and energy.
• Specialists: Create alloys, consumer goods, and research.
• Rulers: Provide unity, amenities, and administration.

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Traditions and Technology

Traditions

• Unity unlocks Tradition Trees. Begin with Discovery to boost science and exploration.
• Completing a tree grants an Ascension Perk, giving strong empire-wide bonuses.

Technology

• Research is semi-random. Pick technologies that suit your current strategy (e.g., expansion, military, economy).
• Assigning scientists with relevant expertise improves research efficiency.

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Expanding Your Empire

1. Colonize: Build colony ships and settle surveyed habitable planets.
2. Diplomacy: Use envoys to establish contact, build relationships, or form pacts.
3. Military: Keep your Naval Capacity in check to avoid high alloy upkeep.
4. Empire Size: As you expand, larger empire size increases tech and tradition costs. Balance growth with efficiency.

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Important Menus to Know

• Outliner: A quick-access sidebar to manage planets, ships, and stations.
• Government Tab: Change policies, enact edicts, and view your ruler.
• Market: Buy/sell resources for energy credits.
• Fleet Manager: Organize, reinforce, and upgrade military fleets.
• Ship Designer: Customize ships (beginners can stick with auto-generated designs).

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Beginner Tips for Success

• Pause Often: Don’t rush—time is on your side.
• Focus on Core Resources: Prioritize energy credits, minerals, and alloys early.
• Embrace Events and Anomalies: These offer valuable rewards and variety.
• Use Auto-Survey: Once available, enable it to explore passively.
• Check the Outliner Frequently: Helps you stay organized and efficient.

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Final Thoughts

With these basics, you’re well-equipped to build your first interstellar empire. Don’t be afraid to experiment—Stellarisrewards creativity, curiosity, and long-term planning. For deeper mechanics and mid-to-late game strategy, check out additional guides and videos.

Now go forth, explore the stars, and may your empire prosper!