How to beat AI on hardest difficulty after update

[GrandAdmiralGambit]

I am finding it really hard to play stellaris after this last update, I have always played on the hardest difficulty and have almost mastered it, beating the AI by wide margins in every game for the last several months, a few hundred hours of game play. I took a pretty long break recently and have only come back after the toxoid update, but now I am getting destroyed. Now my fleets, in the past which would have been at least equal to my neighbors, is now pathetic. Almost every AI is overwhelming compared to me, even rushing tech and military above all else seems to yield no result as I am still pathetic compared to most of the galaxy. Am i missing something? Was there an update I missed? Or do I just suck now after not playing for almost two months

[Chap]

ai got gud

[Triley]

You could just lower difficulty level and horn your skill first before going on grand admiral. AI got improved a lot lately to the point that the only players who would jump into G.A. are either pro or bunch of masochist! (Of course I was exaggerated)

[Razorblade]

It's pretty simple if you think about it: if you're underproducing, produce more. Obviously it's going to be difficult at the beginning of the game to keep up with the cheating AI, but you should be able to on at least one front.

I imagine your issue is that you're trying to rush science AND military. Choose one, do it well, and find other ways to compensate for your other shortcomings. For example, if you're science-spamming, create a Federation and let the AI build your fleet for you. If you're fleet-spamming, let your science fall behind and catch up later through tech agreements, having vassals, being a vassal, researching debris, megastructures, etc.

You've got 300 years to catch up, and have myriad catch-up mechanics, so just focus on not dying, and you'll be fine.

[TwoTonTuna]

Originally posted by LegendOfWar:

I am finding it really hard to play stellaris after this last update, I have always played on the hardest difficulty and have almost mastered it, beating the AI by wide margins in every game for the last several months, a few hundred hours of game play. I took a pretty long break recently and have only come back after the toxoid update, but now I am getting destroyed. Now my fleets, in the past which would have been at least equal to my neighbors, is now pathetic. Almost every AI is overwhelming compared to me, even rushing tech and military above all else seems to yield no result as I am still pathetic compared to most of the galaxy. Am i missing something? Was there an update I missed? Or do I just suck now after not playing for almost two months

i used to play grand admiral, but that was when the AI sucked. now i play commodore with mid-game scaling and zero advanced neighbors. here's what i suggest to survive:

1) diplomacy. strike up a mutual defense treaty ASAP. barring that, submit to another empire as a vassal state. this should buy you the time you need to grow your economy.
2) economy. if you are protected by friendlies, focus on consumer goods + tech. if you are surrounded by hostiles, focus on alloys. switch factory worlds to foundry worlds, then switch to the 'militarized economy' policy while you are building your defenses. this will give you +25% alloys and -25% goods. plant bastions and defensive platforms on choke points, as this is the most cost-effective way to defend your territory in the early game. only when you have bastions + platforms should you build up a fleet. once you have adequate defenses in place, retool your economy to produce consumer goods + tech. switch from forge worlds to to factory worlds and pick civilian economy to get +25% goods and -25% alloys.
3) meta ethics/civics/traits. i'm not so sure what the meta is right now, but i think slaves are still the in thing because of how little consumer goods they need. less goods consumed by pops = more goods for research.

[Mob]

Originally posted by Triley:

You could just lower difficulty level and horn your skill

Neverrrrrr!!!!!

Just FYI. While very funny, the word is hone not horn.

[MP]

Originally posted by Mob:

Originally posted by Triley:

You could just lower difficulty level and horn your skill

Neverrrrrr!!!!!

Just FYI. While very funny, the word is hone not horn.

You had to blow that hone.

[Triley]

Originally posted by MP:

Originally posted by Mob:

Neverrrrrr!!!!!

Just FYI. While very funny, the word is hone not horn.

You had to blow that hone.

*Ouch*