Resource Traits:

Agrarian: cost = 2, resource bonus increased to 20% (was 15%).

Thrifty: cost = 2, resource bonus increased to 20% (was 15%).

Industrious: cost = 2, resource bonus increased to 20% (was 15%).

Natural Scientists: I rebalanced these traits by (a) reducing their respective resource bonus to 10% (from 15%), and (b) removed the other Natural Scientist traits as opposites, so these traits can be taken together. That is, the player can take Natural Phsyicists, Natural Sociologists and Natural Engineers together.

Intelligent:: cost increased to 3. renamed "Scientific".

Erudite: cost increased to 5. Removed the +1 leader skill level bonus. Increase resource production bonuses to 25%.

Pop Modifier Traits:

Adaptive: cost = 2, habitability bonus increased to 20% (was 10%).

Extremely Adaptive: cost = 4, habitability bonus increased to 40% (was 20%).

Robust:: cost decreased to 4. removed adaptive and extremely adaptive as opposites of this trait, so it can now be picked in conjunction with either one and thus compensate for the reduced habitability bonus. Habitability bonus decreased to +20% (was 30%). Added +50% army health bonus.

Strong: renamed "Tough". Cost = 1. Mineral bonus removed. Army damage bonus increased to +25% (was 20%). Added +25% army health bonus. Added +25% pop fortification bonus.

Very Strong: renamed "Hardened". Cost reduced to = 2. Mineral bonus removed. Army damage bonus increased to +50% (was 40%). Added +50% army health bonus. Added +50% pop fortification bonus.

Resilient:: cost = 1. Renamed "Ascetic". Bonus replaced with -20% food requirement.

Conformists: cost = 2, ethic attraction bonus increased to +40% (was 30%).

Fertile:: cost decreased to 2. Removed the pop happiness bonus. Growth rate bonus increased to 40% (was 30%).

Negative Traits:

Non-Adaptive: cost = -2, habitability penalty increased to -20% (was -15%).

Weak: cost = -1, removed the tile resource penalty. Army damage penalty increased to -25% (was -20%). Added -25% army health. Added -25% pop fortification penalty.

Deviants: cost = -1, ethic attraction penalty increased to -20% (was -15%).

Ascension Traits

Latent Psionic: added +5% unity production bonus. Added +5% happiness bonus.

Psionic: all production bonuses increased to 15% (were 10%), happiness bonus increased to 10% (was 5%), added +15% unity production bonus. Added +20% leader experience gain.


Power Drills: mineral production bonus increased to 15% (was 10%)

Harvesters: food production bonus increased to 15% (was 10%)

Superconductive: energy production bonus increased to 15% (was 10%

Efficency Processor: robot upkeep reduction bonus increased to -25% (was -10%)

Logic Engines: only allowed on synth and machine units (removed droids).

Propaganda Machines: instead of giving a % based unity bonus, a synth unit (the trait was changed to synth only) with this trait adds a flat +1 unity to whichever tile it is occupying.

Control Harness: added a new trait that can be added only to Synths. This trait costs 3 points and is the robotic equivalent of Nerve Stapled- a synth unit with this trait is not affected by happiness at all. It has -40% research and unity production and -10% energy production, as well as 50% more upkeep costs.



Ship Focus: bonuses increased to 25% (were 20%) in each of the ship focus traits.

Logistic Understanding: ship upkeep reduction increased to -7.5% (was -5%). Removed the army upkeep bonus (moved to trait Recruiter). Added -7.5% building upkeep.

Recruiter: added -25% army upkeep and increased army morale and army build cost bonuses to 25%/-25% (were 20%/-20%).

Military Pioneer: Ship upgrade discount bonus increased to -50%.

Warlike: Trait removed and replaced (icon reused).

Explorer: Trait renamed "Space Researcher" and the anomaly research speed bonus was replaced by -25% research station build cost.

Frontier Spirit: replaced the colony development speed bonus with +1 pops in new colony.

Architectural Sense: renamed "Developer" and the building cost reduction bonus was increased to -20% (was -10%)

Fortifier: trait removed and replaced (icon reused). Its bonus was moved to Home in the Sky.

Home in the Sky: trait renamed "Station Focus" and it includes the station bonuses of Fortifier as well as the original spaceport bonuses.

World Shaper: removed the -15% tile blocker cost reduction. Added -15% terraforming cost reduction.

Fertility Preacher: the +10% food output bonus was replaced by +20% pop growth speed.

Champion of the People: bonus moved to Charismatic and replaced with +10% country unity production.

Charismatic: removed the edict duration bonus. Added +5% pop happiness bonus (take from Champion of the People).

Industrialist: replaced the +10% tile mineral production bonus with +7.5% country mineral production bonus.

Investor: replaced the +10% tile energy production bonus with +7.5% country energy production bonus.

Reformer: Trait removed and replaced (icon reused). Its bonus was moved to Champion of the People.

Eye for Talent: Trait icon replaced.

Special Traits

Cyborg (vanilla): Trait renamed Cybertron. Added +2.5% robot production output bonus.

Psionic: government ethic attraction bonus increased to +30% (was 10%). Added +5% global pop production bonus. Added +10% growth rate. Added +5% pop happiness. Added +15% edict duration.

Chosen One: government ethic attraction bonus increased to 60%. Added +10% global pop production bonus. Added +20% growth rate. Added +10% pop happiness. Added +30% edict duration.

New Ruler Traits

Iron Fist: gives +2.5% pop production and -25% unrest.

Coordinator: +1 core worlds, -25% penalties due to distance from homeworld.

Vigilant: +20% ship fire rate in own territory, +50% planet sensor range.

Innovator: +5%/+5%/+5% country physics/society/engineering research income.


Trickster: removed the preivous bonuses. Added a flat +5 evasion bonus.

Fleet Logistician: upkeep reduction bonus increased to -15% (was -10%)

Engineer: regeneration bonus increased to 5% (was 2%).

Aggressive: removed the combat speed bonus.

Cautious: added -50% emergency FTL damage.

Gale Speed: increased the ship speed bonus to 33% (was 20%), increased the combat speed bonus to 50% (was 20%), removed the evasion bonus.

Scout: increased the ship sensor range bonus to 50% (was 25%), removed the ship speed bonus. Added +10% tracking bonus.

Special Traits

Cyborg (vanilla): Trait renamed Cybertron.

Synthethic: Added +25% shield regeneration multiplier.

Psionic: weapon damage bonus replaced by +5 flat accuracy and +15% tracking.

Chosen One: weapon damage bonus replaced by +10 flat accuracy and +30% tracking.

New Admiral Traits

Precise: +5 flat accuracy.


Defender: bonuses increased to 50% (were 20%). Added +25% army health bonus.

Attacker: bonuses increased to 25% (were 20%)

Charismatic: bonus increased to 50% (was 25%)

Butcher: bonus increased to 25% (was 10%)

Glory Seeker: army damage bonus increased to 10% (was 5%)

Special Traits

Cyborg (vanilla): Trait renamed Cybertron. Damage bonus increased to 10% (was 5%).

Synthethic: Damage bonus increased to 20% (was 10%).

Psionic: army and attack morale bonuses increased to 50% (were 20%), added +50% defense morale damage bonus.

Chosen One: army and attack morale bonuses increased to 100% (were 30%), added +10% defense morale damage bonus. Increased the army damage bonus to 50% (was 20%).


Army Veteran: army build cost/speed bonuses increased to -25%/+25% (were -20%/+20%). Garrison Health bonus increased to 100% (was 50%). Added +100% planetary fortification bonus.

Reired Fleet Officer: removed the spaceport module build cost reduction bonus. Increased the ship build cost reduction to -15% (was -10%).

Architectural Interest: renamed "Developer". Planet build cost speed bonus increased to 25% (was 10%).

Agrarian Upbringing: removed the hydrophonic farm build cost reduction bonus. Increased the tile resource food bonus to +20% (was 10%).

Special Traits

Cyborg (vanilla): Trait renamed Cybertron. Bonus replaced by -7.5% building upkeep bonus.

Synthethic: Bonus replaced by -15% building upkeep bonus.

Psionic: Removed the previous bonuses. Now gives +8% pop production bonus.

Chosen One: Removed the previous bonuses. Now gives +16% pop production bonus.


Careful: bonus moved to meticulous and replaced with -50% emergency ftl damage and +30 science ship evasion.

Meticulous: added -10% anomaly fail chance bonus.

Special Traits

Psionic: Added +20% anomaly generation chance. Added -20% anomaly fail risk.

Chosen One: Added +40% anomaly generation chance. Added -40% anomaly fail risk.


Arrested Development: malus nerfed from -100% experience gain to -75% experience gain.


Newbot: leader cost reduction increased to -50% (-33%)

Warbot Tinkerer: army build cost/speed bonuses increased to -25%/+25% (were -20%/+20%). Garrison Health bonus increased to 100% (was 50%). Added +100% planetary fortification bonus.

AI Aided Design: removed the spaceport module build cost reduction bonus. Increased the ship build cost reduction to -15% (was -10%).

Demoralizer: army attack morale bonus increased to 50% (was 30%)


The vanilla Cybernetic trait, which is used in the synth ascension path (the Flash is Weak project) and for Driven Assimilator pops, was renamed "Cybertronic Interface." This was a deep change I made in all the relevant localisation files throughout the game - reimagining the vanilla cybernatics as cybertronics. I also rebalanced this trait: the army damage bonus was removed. The leader age bonus was reduced to +20 (was +40), and I added +5% energy production and +25% army health bonus.

This change was done in order to free a place for new cybernetic traits. It always bothered me that in this sci-fi game cybernetics are so limited and appear so late. This is one of those sci-fi tropes that needs a much greater presence. I therefore introduced three a new ''cybernetic'' trait that unlocks through a rare technology available to all organic civs. Once you research this tech, you can mod the trait into species normally this is the trait:

Cybernetic: cost =2. Has -15% pop growth, +20% leader influence cost and +10% consumer goods cost penalties. Has +5% all resource production, +10 years leader lifespan, +10% leader experience gain and +10% habitability. Placing this trait on a species will result in a change to all leaders of this species who will receive the "Cybernetic" leader trait:

Cybernetic Leader Trait

Scientist: -10% anomaly fail risk.

Governor: +15% building build speed.

General: +15% army health.

Admiral: +5%/+5% tracking/evasion

Ruler: -15% penalties due to distance from homeworld.