Don't Do This: Stellaris

There's a lot of things you should do in Stellaris. I don't know any of them, so I'll tell you what you shouldn't do instead.

Introduction

Lots of people have given advice about how you should play Stellaris. Some of it might even still be applicable. But I've decided to do the exact opposite, something I'm more than qualified to do. As proof, see this Dyson sphere I built:



Anyhow, don't do this stuff, so's you don't get done. Do!

Don't

Don't open the L-cluster with less than 60k fleet power.

Or alternatively do, it'll hurt everyone else too. But still keep at least 40k.

Don't start a big war just before opening the L-cluster.

Don't pick Free Haven with Scion; Scions can't sign migration treaties.

Also don't pick Pacifist with Scion, as it makes expansion difficult, because you can't vassalise.

Certainly don't pick Pacifist with Necrophage, as then you can't invade the guaranteed primitives.

Don't increase habitable planets above x1.5, unless you adore micromanagement. Although you're playing a Paradox game, so on second thought never mind.

Don't try Agrarian Idyll with Catalytic Conversion, as you'll start with no mining districts, and you still need the minerals for buildings.

Don't colonise Holy Worlds. Seriously, just declare war directly, as then you control the timing.

Don't blow up a Holy World. What did you expect, flowers and a box of chocolates?

Don't take any of the Shroud compacts, as it means you can't get the End of the Cycle. You do want that, right?

Don't forget to turn Evasive back on after civilian ships through a system with hostiles.

Similarly, if you're researching debris with enemy ships around, don't send your highest-level scientist to do it and then moan when they get killed.

Don't allocate a world as a Factory World and then wonder why you're short of alloys.

Don't split your fleet against superior forces. Stupid, but I still do it occasionally.

Don't antagonise the Shard below 30k fleet power. I don't know the exact number, but that should do it.

Don't automatically assume that any game mechanic works as intended. Or as it claims it does.

Don't believe me? Seriously, for the whole of the last patch, fleet speed was determined not by the slowest ship in the fleet, but by the first one.

Don't assume any game mechanic works straightforwardly. Looking at you, Internal Market.

Don't turn down Influence lightly in the early-game scramble.

Don't get mad, get even.

Don't start on another tradition tree before finishing the one you're on without a very good reason indeed.

Don't resume the terraforming process. It was abandoned for a reason.

Don't take a Fanatical Purifier's (or similar) last planet until you've taken all their systems. Otherwise you'll have to build outposts on the newly-abandoned systems.

Don't forget that, equally, you can take all of an empire's planets to remove them from the game, without having to spend the influence to claim the rest of their systems.

Don't neglect the reactor technologies just because your ships have enough power. They unlock quite a few other technologies.

Don't forget to actually train some armies before declaring war.

Even if you do remember to train them, don't forget to start your armies near the planets you want to invade.

The planets you want to invade of the empire you're declaring war on. Do I have to explain everything? Clearly, based on my record.

Don't click the 'buy' button when you meant to click 'sell'.

Vice versa is less likely to happen, but still don't.

Don't panic if your resource flows look wrong immediately after loading a save game. Let it run for a month and then see what it looks like.

Don't discard Civics, Origins, or Traits as useless without trying them. Part of this is that they may not work exactly as written. For example, Abandoned Gateway comes with a bunch of events.

Don't pick a fight with a Total War CB unless you've guarded all possible routes of ingress. Wormholes and L-gates are the ones you'll forget.

Don't never use no double negatives.

Don't forget to click through on the archaeology screen and then wonder what's taking so long.

Applies to first contact as well.

Don't accidentally build construction ships instead of corvettes. Even though their names start with the same letter and are right next to each other.

Actually that's a perfect example of something else: if you do anything lots and lots of times, don't expect to get it right every time.

Don't forget to sell rare resources beyond what you need for upkeep and for edicts.

But also don't forget that you're selling them, and run out.

Don't build your starbase-fortresses in non-chokepoint systems just because you've got a planet there.

Don't devour a species then wonder why everyone else dislikes you.

Don't forgot to check for empires that will voluntarily become your vassal, even at generous terms. You can change the terms later, and the +influence holding is always nice.

Don't assume the AI is clever.

Don't assume the AI is completely stupid either.

Don't plan a build around a bug that got fixed four patches ago. (yes, it was Catalytic Processing)

Don't ignore the slave market just because you can't have slaves; they're freed when you buy them, and extra pops are always good.

Don't undervalue having access to another species for biologicals: it can let you colonise many more worlds.

Don't skip reading the patch notes; they can be very funny.

Don't press the button, but do pull the lever.

Update: there is now more than one lever. You're on your own, buddy.

Don't worry about being in breach of Galactic Law until they start passing either actual sanctions or the Castigation Proclamation resolution.

Don't ignore the Galactic Community, especially if as slavers or something you're vulnerable to a particular set of laws.

Don't forget that you can just leave the Galactic Community if you're in breach of Galactic Law and the penalties are too much.

Or if they keep passing the -naval capacity resolutions, that's fine too.

Don't assume that what works for one set of sliders works well on another. Changing tech/tradition costs can significantly change what it's optimal to do.

Don't blow up the stars in your own, inhabited systems. Not that I've ever done anything like that, you understand.

Don't trust any empire with cute portraits. They will surely betray you.

Don't feel the game has ended just because you're vassalised. Especially on higher difficulties, you'll find is possible to overtake the AI late-game.

Don't try tricks that work on the AI in multiplayer. Even the stupidest opponent won't fall for the same trick 35 times.

34 though, that's bound to work.

Don't ignore Relic Worlds. They make for great research worlds, and have two of each of the rare resource deposits.

Don't explore wildly as Fanatic Purifiers &c. The fewer empires you've made contact with, the fewer you'll have to fight at the same time. Ideally you should eat one empire at a time, and then make contact with the next.

Don't pick Doomsday as your origin and then forget about it. When the game tells you a planet's about to explode, it's not joking.

Don't devour your own capital. It's just rude.

Don't leave the buildings and districts there on a planet you're devouring or abandoning. They'll cost you upkeep while it's yours.

Don't (2)

Don't make a section so long Steam can't handle it.

Don't play multiplayer the same as singleplayer. In particular, in MP minimising micro is important, unless you're exceptionally good at it.

Don't call the avians bird-brained. It's not that it's a particularly harsh insult, it's just they've heard it too many times.

Don't dig too deep. Unless you're going for the achievement, in which case, sure, do just that. But you have to kill it with armies not orbital bombardment to get it.

Don't plan a run for an achievement without checking what the precise conditions for the achievement are.

Don't neglect habitability: it increases pop upkeep which can get expensive.

This applies mainly to the +5% techs; you should have noticed it's a bad idea to colonise 20% habitability worlds.

Don't turn all the mid-game crises on at once and then be surprised when the galaxy simultaneously implodes and explodes.

Don't build your ships for fighting in the one system with a pulsar in it and then fight in a different one.

Don't panic if you see the warning that someone is about to declare war on you. Signing a defensive pact with a third empire will often dissuade them.

Don't give up the instant you meet a Devouring Swarm as your first neighbour, but don't be surprised if you die.

Don't misread the effects of Cordyceptic Drones: the extra damage from space fauna weapons applies to the version on ordinary ships as well.

Don't run a bunch of mods and then use Ironman mode. They're mods, things are going to go wrong!

Don't glue yourself to the ceiling. I've never heard of this happening, but I'm sure it's not a good idea.

Don't pick Knights of the Toxic God unless you like reading. I do, but still.

Don't let any of these don'ts make you do anything outright stupid. You're perfectly good at that on your own.

Remember:

[Bartholemeow]

Okay i wish I had this list all those years ago when I first bought this game. Admittedly that was before most of the list was effective as well as when warp travel was still a thing.

[Niah]

https://s.team/p/vnn-nkgw/ncrhmkct

[deeteebee]

as a non dlc player i understand ~14% of the post

[Unimportant]

Don't read this list

[Bottomless Pit]

insane post

["Link"]

In addition to the buying instead of selling, don’t sell and then realize you’re energy credit storage was full.

[technocardy]

The list we all really need.

[Rewasder]

Very funny list, the one I felt the most is clicking sell/buy when I want to do the oposite. Specially in a rush. You realize instantly your mistake but it's already too late and you facepalm hard xD

[Elpresidente]

don't write any comment saying thanks