Is Synthetic Evolution still considered to be a good Ascension option in Stellaris, post v3.6?

[cbdeakin]

I like the idea of converting all my pops into machines, but it seems like something that has to be carefully weighed up. For example, if you do this with the Overtuned origin, your bio pops will lose their awesome Overtuned traits (along with any others they had). But you do get better machine pop production.

On the other hand you've got ascension perks to genetically engineer pops, or cybernetically enhance them, which both seem like good options. Can't comment on Psi ascension though.

My impression is that the Synthetic Age perk for Driven Assimilators looks pretty weak, because it doesn't give you the option of converting your cyborgs into machine synths. For machine races, it mostly just boosts robot pop production.

[cbdeakin]

And Hive Minds don't get any kind of synthetic ascension at all! Might be interesting to see how this would be implemented.

Maybe better to have some kind of biological Ascension (maybe it could heighten their Hive mind connection, perhaps an alternative to Psi) option instead, given that Hive Minds don't have robotics technologies.

[mss73055]

Psionics doesn't work with slaves. But it's the only one what works with clown ascendants.
It's a blanket lazy approach.

Hive minds get cybernetics and genetics. These work well if you got onlya few species around and they do work with slaves.

Synthetics is an expensive miracle to melt down dozens of species into one.

[Cinnamoon_dragon]

I read somewhere that it's too slow now and does not benefit you in the early game, but I might be wrong.

[CrUsHeR]

My current ranking:


1) Psionic ONLY with the whisperers covenant

2) Cybernetics

3) Bio


Synthetics, honestly i can't really compare it because the unlock happens way too late in the game. And if you happen to stumble across the tech early on, then you will instead be harassed by the spiritualist FE until you can muster the half million+ fleet power to beat them.

[mss73055]

Synthetics is rough to get, unless you're going technocrat and plan for it. With technocracy you can have it fixed within 80 years.

I've had synthetics from a digsite one time, but that's rare.

[cbdeakin]

Would maybe be more worthwhile if the synthetics technology was 1 or 2 tiers lower and it wasn't a rare technology.

Seems like there's so much room to expand on the idea of a synthetically ascended race.

[mss73055]

The issue with current synthetics is: it breaks the galactic economy.
Once you start fabricating 1 rock into 3 alloys the market will flood. And then there's war all over the place.

[Terijian]

its good for sure, I just did synth ascension last game.
if we're talking meta-game though, its very possibly the weakest ascension path

[yuzhonglu]

Bio generates the most pops now.

[cbdeakin]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll try the Psionic Ascension next, it's passed me by so far as I generally play as a Gestalt empire, or use the materialist ethic (which apparently blocks the Psionic Theory technology).