Why are Brain slug hosts so Terrible?

[enricofermi2]

This option seems like such a trap every time I get it. 25% growth speed slow, for just a 10% research/unity, it's terrible.

Not only is it bad, but you get a planetary debuff for 20 years as well. Why stack a negative outcome on a negative trait.

[Garatgh Deloi]

*Necrophages laughing since they don't rely on normal growth anyway*

[Rialm]

That's what happen when you just walk around not wearing a helmet. Now you've learned to always wear a helmet.

[R131]

Originally posted by enricofermi2:

This option seems like such a trap every time I get it. 25% growth speed slow, for just a 10% research/unity, it's terrible.

Not only is it bad, but you get a planetary debuff for 20 years as well. Why stack a negative outcome on a negative trait.

Its a pretty good bonus when you mix it with psionic, then when you get 2 extra species trait points you get the intellectual trait, you now have 30% base increase to research.

The admiral bonus it provides is also nice and now that humans have the clone origin, your default admirals are very strong with psionic+clone+brainslugs. Add to that the militarist no retreat option and your fleets are absolute powerhouses, and endgame the fire power is so high your not often able to retreat ships anyway; not that you need to when your fleets have 2x the firepower standard admirals have.

[adobo]

It's a powerful leader trait only matched by psionic.

[enricofermi2]

Originally posted by majikero:

It's a powerful leader trait only matched by psionic.

In that case could you just keep a few around, just to spawn leaders, but not actually use the pops. Since growth rate matters alot.

[adobo]

Well yeah. You're not supposed to genemod your entire species to be a psionic brainslug gods. They even tell you that.

[CrUsHeR]

IIRC you can let the scientist test the slug, but refuse the final step to apply it to your population. Then you can still get leaders with the trait at random.

[R131]

They arnt terrible, Brainslugs+psionic+intellectual = 30% base research speed increase.

Brainslugs+psionic+clone origin = basass admirals off the bat.

I just wish there was a way to get them guaranteed every single game.

[ScreamCon]

They give good research speed. Its worth the cost as you don't have to have all your species with brain slug. So you might think a planet of penalty is bad but that % modifier on a wide empire produces much research.

[Das Boot]

Just colonize every world you can and build a clone vat on all of them.

[Tiasmoon]

Originally posted by enricofermi2:

This option seems like such a trap every time I get it. 25% growth speed slow, for just a 10% research/unity, it's terrible.

Not only is it bad, but you get a planetary debuff for 20 years as well. Why stack a negative outcome on a negative trait.

The real question is, why is the event so damn rare. I dont think ive seen it in the past 1k hours of gameplay.

[RawCode]

growth rate does not actually matters due to growth curve, faster you get pops, faster penalty kick in, and +50% growth won't result in 50% more pops.

[Kapika96]

I love brain slugs! Wish I'd get them more often, haven't seen the poor fellas in ages :(

[RawCode]

slugs are extra rare, some events rolled in every game, and some are very very special, like bovel event, seen it only single time in 3000 hours.

[CrUsHeR]

Originally posted by Nom noms:

They arnt terrible, Brainslugs+psionic+intellectual = 30% base research speed increase.

That's not how it works.

These three factors only increase research points output of pops, which stacks with all other factors of the same type. For example you get 60% from technology and 30% from Relic/Ecu planet bonuses, so these extra 10% from the brain slug are not nearly as good as it sounds in the long run. In particular because only a small portion of your pops will have it.

Research speed is from other factors like Materalist ethos, a Research Cooperative, or the trait bonuses from head scientists. This is applied as a multiplicator to the actual research progress, and the brain slug host trait on a head scientist also gives 10% in this category.

Now as mentioned, you already get a 20% chance for any leader in your pool to roll this trait even if you refused the final step to give it to your population. So you can have your scientists benefit from it without taking the stability and growth penalty to your colonies.


FYI the wiki says that you don't get the brain slug host bonus if your pops are cybernetic, so for synth ascension you probably can skip the whole event. Because synths >>> everything by a pretty long shot.

https://stellaris.paradoxwikis.com/Leader#Class_dependent_traits