Grunur special project underwhelming?

[Nightmyre]

Yes, I know, the special project for the other precursors isn't necessarily spectacular either. But given the fact that the relic itself transforms worlds into Gaia worlds, it seems kinda odd that the bonus you get for the special project is reduced terraforming costs. You're not going to be terraforming any planets if you've got the Grunur relic, so what's the point in the bonus?

And the other part of it, the free technology you get - uplifting species? The vast majority of games you'll never get the opportunity anyway, and even when you can, it's not exactly a rare technology - you pretty much always get it if you've got species you can uplift.

[Thunder]

Artifact to make Gaia vs Terraforming: you can only do one every 10 years... so yeah, it might be enough, and it might not. Also: you can't make Ecu or machine worlds with the artifact.

The other ability gives you 3? free pops of a random makeup on the planet you designate. At a minimum it could help you get the tourist trap achievement, or provide a few slaves... or a nice meal, all depending. But it could be useless for some situations too, so it depends.

You want useless? Try being a machine race and getting the psionic precursors... yippee

[Malaficus Shaikan]

I find it one of the best special projects.
I mean a gaia world every 10 years for only a 150 influence?
No need to waste a perk slot.
No need to spend 5 thousent energy.
Just a time limet of 10 years which passes very fast in stellaris.
It is the same time of a peace threaty.
Barely noteworthy.

[SaintD]

It is hilariously powerful. For 150 inf you instantly turn ANY planet into a Gaia world. One click, done. It's effortlessly the best general-purpose Precursor to get. Others are only better if you get lucky during a very specific play (like getting Cybrex when you're playing tall fanatic materialists) or you're a Machine Empire. Even bio-Hives can make disgustingly powerful use of this relic.

I once got it when I was playing as Life-Seeded. I laughed for like....five solid minutes.

[Nightmyre]

You guys are misunderstanding what I wrote.

I'm not suggesting the relic is bad. Far from it, the relic is one of the best.

What I'm talking about is the special project to unlock the secrets of the Grunur. All precursor relics have a special project to unlock the secrets.

The Grunur special project gives you the Uplift technology, as well as a -15% cost to terraforming. The Uplift technology is almost completely useless, and the -15% cost to terraforming is situational at best.

[Delta]

Originally posted by Nightmyre:

You guys are misunderstanding what I wrote.

I'm not suggesting the relic is bad. Far from it, the relic is one of the best.

What I'm talking about is the special project to unlock the secrets of the Grunur. All precursor relics have a special project to unlock the secrets.

The Grunur special project gives you the Uplift technology, as well as a -15% cost to terraforming. The Uplift technology is almost completely useless, and the -15% cost to terraforming is situational at best.

Its only situational if you dont use it.
I for my part use it very often to transform my planets into machine worlds and if i get -15% to cost i can form one additional planet (cause i mostly wait till my energy is full so i often form 5 or6) or i can just keep more energy for any other needs.

[Red Dox]

Yes, my first thought after solving the extra secrets (The bonus that cost 50 minor artifacts) was also: "Why do they give me Terraforming stuff, if I have now the ultimate terraforming through the Relic itself?"

When I have money to waste I occasionally terraform barren rocks into continental or something but it really is just pissing money away out of boredom. It is way easier to look when your Relic is ready again, and then time it so that a build colonyhsip can travel to planet X and colonize it right in time before you could use the Relic for a Gaia planet with extra free slaves to kickstart it.

Who knows, Paradox might make changes here in the future. But sadly, the terraforming aspect is what fits best to the Baol so I would not expect miracles in the long run. So we just have to live with it but since that chain still comes with one of the most powerful relics (for meatbag empires that like Gaia worlds) it is a easy price to pay.

[SaintD]

Technically you do need to colonise a planet before you can run the decision that changes it to a Gaia world (which is fine, you can colonize at 0% habitability), so reduced terraforming time means that you can change uncolonizeable barren worlds into something you can use more quickly.

Plus, 10 years might still be too slow for you if you're doing insane wide play. A bio-Hive will likely have an utterly ludicrous amount of resources unless your game is going terribly, which allows for way more terraforming of everything in sight than normal civs.

Honestly the 'Secrets' being pretty damn rubbish is meaningless next to how ludicrously powerful the relic is. Remember; the relic's passive effect is +10% pop growth, which is ALSO the most powerful passive stat boost available. The 'Secrets' thing could be completely mandatory to research before the artifact can be used, do nothing but blow a raspberry in my face, and STILL be worth it to use the relic.

[Delta]

Do you really need the planet colonized? I am pretty sure i did it to a planet that was not colonized but in my capital system (had to make some changes to the planets the worm in waiting gave me)

[Botji]

I kinda hope they will make some variations to what you get depending on your empire type.

Its really great playing as a Hive mind and get the Psionic one... The artifact passive for the Shroud is 100% useless since you cant be psionic as a Hive, the active is at least useful so you get something from the precursor chain at least.

Then you have the special project which only gives you like +10/15% PSIONIC research speed... wooooh.. so happy I spent those 50 minor artifacts on getting this amazing bonus for my empire that is entirely locked out of psionic research.

The game even decided to kick me while im down and next time I looked at my researchers, my society dude has gained the Psionic trait... im still 100% locked out of psionic research, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ game!

[Red Dox]

Originally posted by Botji:

I kinda hope they will make some variations to what you get depending on your empire type.

Its really great playing as a Hive mind and get the Psionic one... The artifact passive for the Shroud is 100% useless since you cant be psionic as a Hive, the active is at least useful so you get something from the precursor chain at least.

Some restrictions there would sure be nice. had recently on a testrun the Cybrex for my supposed psionic, robot hating organics and was pretty bummed out with that relic. While a Synth Empire or at least some organics that later turn machine, woudl be thrilled about it.
Maybe experienced modders might take a look into it *shrug*.

[biochimera]

I got the first league, and the unlock the first league research was kinda nice, 10% build speed and 15% boost to industry research, plus a nice large relic world. First league still seems rather powerful.

I do agree with variations, or something to do with artifacts that are not useful/counterproductive to your nation. For example I play an materialist militarist egalitarian society, and just got the prophet's head. Why on earth would I want +40% spiritual attraction, and while the fleet may be useful I'm almost at the point where I can beat down a fallen empire if need be. As for colonising the gaia planets near the spiritual FE, yeah great, I'm on the other side of the galaxy. So I'm stuck with two rather useless traits and one detrimental. I'd be more than happy to trade it off, but we can't, for reasons.

Edit: Just noticed I have a +10% spiritual attraction modifier to my nation as a result of going through the chain to get the head. Wow. +50% spiritual attraction and nothing of substance to compensate. Yay.