Most op easy build?

[The Whispering Penis]

What in your opinion is the best build for cruising through this game in the current meta?

Is pop growth still as important?

[Seaghauwn]

Prop growth and habitability is key in this game but, for the sake of cruisin and bruisin go machine empire

[HugsAndSnuggles]

Assimilators focused on pop growth.

[Malaficus Shaikan]

Driven assimilators with Rapid Replicator + mass produce + extreemly adaptive for assimilate pop's(more planets for them to use) With any combination of decadant deviant or wastefull.
Driven assimilators get a minus 40% to pop growth so rapid breeders arent worth it any more.

Still Driven assimilators are the most op because:
Assimilated pop dont revolt.
All the bonus of machine mind(no factions, no happiness, colonize everywhere)
Easy conquest via assimilation(put those pop's to good use)

Yes pop growth is still king.

[Blake Walsh]

Devouring Swarm also makes a strong showing, you don't have the 100% habitability on all worlds, but you get crazy society research and can use Habitability Modification or Terraforming quite early on to fix that.

Sometimes however the genocidal and diplomatically stunted Civics aren't that fun to play because your ability to vassalize is limited to non-existent, for example Driven Assimilators can vassalize, but they can't use the Subjugation War Goal so they can't enforce vassalization through military might, and thus may as well not have the ability at all since you'll hardly ever find an empire willing to become a vassal to a Driven Assimilator.

If you want normal diplomacy then Rogue Servitors are a good choice. The main thing to know about Rogue Servitors is you don't want too many bio-trophies as they only produce unity and provide a trifling boost to specialist productivity, while consuming lots of resources. But even with only a few biotrophies per world you'll get unholy amounts of unity and high stability, you can blitz through the traditions and get all those powerful tradition and ascension perk buffs, and you generally have all the base strength of Machine Empires too. The one thing you can't do is straight up conquer the universe because you're limited to the Claims system, and conquering organic populations will crush your economy (if you do take an excessive amount of organic population, you can resettle it to a world, make that world a sector, then set it free as a Vassal), so generally you'll overrun the galaxy turning everyone into your vassals or tributes and only claiming a few choice systems for your own. It's a lot less micromanagement.

Strong picks for Gestalt Consciousness empires are anything that increases growth, or increases amenities production or decreases amenities consumption, mineral income and research rate especially engineering is also fairly helpful.

[1632189633]

Machine OP, go miner & pop assemble speed

[Wokelander]

I'm personally fond of authoritian/materialist with Mechanist civic. You start out with 2 populations with separate growths (species + robot) and can resettle pops as you like through your empire for peak efficiency, plus you get improved research speed and reduced robot upkeep. I'm not actually sure if the increased worker production from authoritarian works on robots but I assume so, which is a nice synergy.
Maybe not exactly OP but as far as 'regular' empires go I find it a very solid base to build from

[I Am Atomic!]

im quite fond of xenophobe/materialist myself, i eventually upg to robots capable of assimilation without being driven assimilator + until then having both bio + robot growth is nice, added to that ill just enslave aliens untill i have a decent number of them, then purge them via work camps to replace with my own pops and robots.

the one downside to this is you cant really diplomacy untill much later when you can stack a bunch of diplomacy modifiers, but im ok with that :D

[Rord64]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1781532369

Here you go.

[KoV]

Go Spiritualist Military xenophobe
If possible always buy racketeers 4 pops extra ships and get free tech
Dont allow them to reproduce theyre extra's not your main species
Take EVERYTHING you can if its to much make some vassals

Racketeers being close depends on luck but I do love going into psionics asap for the energy and research 5% buffs

[Elfie]

My favorite:
Fanatic Militarist + Xenophobe Oligarchy (Citizen Statocracy)
Civics: Dist. Admiralty + Warrior Culture, later can add Citizen Service
You gain immense pop growth and you ships are more powerful than alien ones from day 0, and you have A LOT of ships very early (bonus from WC is OP by itself, and CS will add even more)
And Oligarchy, in addition to Citizen Service, also allow you change rulers at will, and if you go psionics - this is very important so you can choose who to make immortal (the one with best traits ofc :))

Pick "Nihilistic Aquisition" AP second or third, and just go "visit" your neighbours. You will quadruple your planets slave population this way.

Then, just secure steady alloy influx and this is it - you re the most populous empire with highest production and strongest ships. Xenos days are numbered.

(P.S. to think of it, the abovementioned strategy is exactly how British Empire became global power back in the day IRL):)