What's the best faction for someone new to this game?

[DJ Dislexia]

I have no idea what I'm doing :/

[paugus]

It's not really important, believe it or not. What I mean by this is that there is so much of a learning curve that regardless of which ethics/race traits you pick, you're gonna run into something unexpected that'll probably outright end your game. Every time you start again, you'll be a little wiser and able to more easily distinguish which perks you want. There's not really a "best" pick.

[Cold_Spartan]

I always make my own species, xenophobic, authoritarian and militaristic :)

[IC]

If you are new to this game, go ahead and start a new game with any faction. The AI is not declaring war in the current version so until this is fixed, you have an opportunitty to learn the game without being destroyed by a better prepared empire.

Once it's fixed, I suggest you play new games with a reduced number of AI empires. Unless you think the standard number is ok (see how it is in your first game). That will give you more room to explore and expand.

[Ficelle]

I would avoid xenophobe and pacifist as new player

Xenophobe because diplo is harder and gameplay tends to be about alone vs everyone
Not the best for a newbie.

Pacifist because it restricts a lot your ability to declare war.
Also not the best way to learn the game.

Everything else is more open and you are much more free about how you play your empire.

[THEOTHERJESTER]

Originally posted by InsaneCommander:

The AI is not declaring war in the current version ...

Not to derail this thread but when did this become a thing?

[Ficelle]

Since the 1.6 patch which is all about correcting bugs ;D

[IC]

Originally posted by THEOTHERJESTER:

Originally posted by InsaneCommander:

The AI is not declaring war in the current version ...

Not to derail this thread but when did this become a thing?

Just like @Ficelle said. Since the 1.6 patch on Tuesday. As I said, if you are a new player it's an opportunity to learn the game.

Maybe a good faction to start is the United Nations of Earth. Xenophiles will have an easier time because most people will like them.

[Red Bat]

If you want to use a premade one, either the Chinorr Stellar Union, or the Scyldari Confederacy are good choices. Neither of them use wormhole travel, which while fun, takes a bit of preparation to use. Neither of them are authoritarian, which is oddly common for preset empires. Authoritarians enslave their own people, which causes happiness issues. Neither use missiles, which notably falloff in effectiveness VERY early on.

The Chinorr Stellar Union has the repugnant trait, which unfortunately was changed last patch to hurt relations. However they get an extra tech choice, research boosts to engineering, a lot more minerals, and easy access to robots. This makes them one of the few preset empires with a lot of internal synergy in their traits and makes them a very strong choice. Probably my favorite of the presets.

The Scyldari are pacifist, which is a mixed blessing. You can't just randomly declare war, but you get 2 extra core systems. They have both the Xenophile ethic and the charismatic trait, so you really have to annoy someone off in order to have them declare war on you (Set AI aggressiveness to max if you ever actually want to be in war). Of course if an AI personality of fanatical purifiers, hive mind, or metalheads spawns near you. Your traits and ethics won't stop them from declaring war.

[DJ Dislexia]

ty guys

[mcsproot]

Of the default factions, I've only played the United Nations of Earth. Every other game I've played has been with custom empires.

The Commonwealth of Man gets an additional questline unique to them, however.

[IC]

I've only played with the UNE and custom empires too. What @Pidgeotto says is right, missiles are horrible, so the Scyldari are better than the UNE.

[qualified turtle ship]

If you go custom...

IMHO the most straight forward is probably: Democratic + egalitarian + fanatic materialist
I agree with above ppl the complicated ethics are: (xenophobe | pacifist | authoritarian)

Warp really is the simplest FTL (just as advertised :D
Kinetics are the simplest starting weapon type (and arguably the best as well)

[The Hat]

Some general advice for a newbie, to discard when you know what you are doing.

Xenophobe makes most people hate you, so it's a harder start.
I tend to find games with one level of militaristic a bit easier start for the fire rate bonuses.
Xenophile will make most empires like you a little bit, so it is an easier start.