Stellaris Dev Diary #438 - Warmongers, Golden Generation, and Absolute Ethics

by Eladrin

The previous Willpower Dev Diaries have been somewhat focused on the more 'friendly' approaches to spreading Ideologies, but is that all there is?

Of course not. Let's stop beating around the bush and get to what inevitably happens when empires interact: war. ​

Fanatic Militarism - Warmongers​

*One of two new Pre-Scripted empires in Willpower.*​

To demonstrate the more aggressive aspects of Ideologies, let's play with an empire using the new Fanatic Militarist Civic: Warmongers

*Concepts within concepts.*​

While it may look complicated at first, the core idea behind Warmongers is quite simple: Fight big enemy, get big strong.

Warmongers thrive on challenging worthy opponents. Stay at peace, or pick a fight with an empire weaker than your own, and you'll suffer a penalty. Additionally, you'll gain access to a new type of living standard: Defect Filtering, and a unique set of military-themed Strata.

*Please don't throw ME off the cliff.*​

Warmongers have no time for Civilians. You're either with us, or against us.

These special Pop Strata come with unique effects tied to mandatory military service, making even your idle population part of the war machine.

The Warmongers Council Position: Chief of Personnel​

There really isn't room for anything in this Fanatic Militarist society that does not involve conflict, but while we're at it let's adopt a Militarist Ideology and pick a Tenet.

*We were born ready.*​

To be clear, this is a general Militarist Tenet and available to anyone who adopts a Militarist Ideology. I just thought you might like to see one.

Ideological Warfare, Events and Rivalries​

*Hey, the icon changed.*​

Why wait for others to adopt your Ideology, when you can Impose it upon them? With Willpower, this previously existing Casus Belli has changed as you might imagine: winning the war will now force the empire to adopt your official Ideology. You'll need to have an adopted Ideology to use this.

The previous functionality of Impose Ideology still exists, but it is now known as Overthrow Government. You can still use that if you're only looking to change their Authority and/or Ethics.

*It's an honor to serve.*​

One thing we haven't mentioned but might be implicit, there are several special Ideology-related events that can occur depending on your current Ideological Momentum. Here's an example of a positive event. There are plenty of negative ones, too. You don't really want those, so let's pretend they don't exist.

*Who dares question our ideals? SCIENTISM, really?*​

Whenever your Ideological Reach meets that of another Ideology, the two begin pushing against each other in a process called Ideological Clashing.

Interestingly, this competition strengthens both Ideologies. The more opposing Ideologies you contend with, the stronger yours can become. Think of it as forging your ideals in the fire of public debate.

*Of course, if that's not enough for you, you can always declare an Ideological Rival.*​

Golden Generation

Golden Generation is a new Origin in Willpower that puts you in charge of an empire dedicated to training the next generation of leaders who will forge your new path through the stars.

*Available to any Ethic.*​

The first thing you'll notice is the Golden Academy on your homeworld, where an exceptionally elite and controversial curriculum is already underway.

*If this blows up, the students will too. Pretty unlikely.*​

These future leaders begin their training at a very young age and won't be available for recruitment until they've completed their education. You can keep track of their progress in the Leader panel.

*It's a good thing these Zharpir don't have the same color eyes.*​

Throughout their training, you'll be presented with various decisions that shape their development. The professors at the Academy are no strangers to manipulation. In fact, they often consider it necessary for the good of society. After all, the objective is to mold the best possible leaders and bring out their full potential. You can't raise a good Zharpir without breaking a few eggs.

Eyes of Brown's Game.

The choices you make during their formative years can have consequences much later in life, so think carefully before pulling the strings behind the scenes.

*A freshly graduated birdman.*​

Once this generation of leaders has completed its education, you'll have to decide what becomes of the Golden Academy itself. You'll only ever produce one generation of Golden Generation leaders, but you can either keep the Academy running at a reduced capacity or turn it into a museum celebrating these exceptional individuals.

*Post-graduation events.*​

Graduation isn't the end of their story. Throughout the rest of your playthrough, you'll encounter various situational events involving these leaders.

Here, we see a medical emergency that could only have been handled if we'd informed the leaders of their biological relationship during training.

As with Lost Makers, this Origin also gives you the opportunity to adopt a unique Ideology, should you choose to do so.

*If you already had one, you can replace it.*​

This Ideology comes with a unique Tenet, which also depends on the choices you've made along the way. One thing we neglected to mention earlier: Civic and Origin-specific Tenets always appear at the top of the Tenet selection list, so you'll never have to worry about missing out on that option.

*Golden Generation only.*​

Absolute Ethics​

Absolute Ethics become available to empires that have adopted an Ideology and raised its strength sufficiently high. For a cost in Unity, you can commit to that Ideology's ethic absolutely, abandoning all other ethics in favor of it.

You'll receive an event prompting you to make this choice, but you can also do so through faction management, much like becoming Fanatic by embracing a faction (provided you meet the requirements).

*We'll miss you, xenophobia.*​

Absolute Ethics generally amplify the effects of their Fanatic counterparts, while also introducing some unique modifiers. In this case, Absolute Militarism reduces War Exhaustion and increases Naval Capacity.

Even if you decide not to go Absolute, reaching high Ideological strength will unlock a new set of Ideological Policies. These let you channel your excess ideological influence in different directions.

*This is photoshopped. I can tell because of the pixels.*​

Once your Ideological strength reaches its maximum, these policies will automatically spend a quarter of that strength. Don't worry, this expenditure won't count toward negative momentum.

Next Week​

Next week, we'll be talking about the Great Mosaic (the third and final Origin), Ideological Paragons, another Civic, and maybe a little more. We still have the Ambition to cover, too.

See you then!