Paradox has pulled back the curtain on Ideologies, a new system coming to Stellaris in the Willpower expansion. Stellaris Dev Diary #436, published October 15, is written by Gary Morris — the DLC director for Willpower at Abrakam Entertainment — and covers regular empires only; gestalt empires are deferred to a later diary.
The system starts with Fanatic Factions, a Willpower addition with two trade-offs. These factions produce more resources, but they also carry a higher disapproval rate when their demands go unmet. A faction tied to a Fanatic Ethic begins fanaticized, and a faction can also fanaticize over time if it holds high support and approval for long enough.
Once a Fanatic Faction exists, a player can adopt an official Ideology from the Manage Faction menu, paying a monthly Influence upkeep for as long as it stands. From there the Ideology spreads from population centers such as colonies, visible through a new Ideology map mode. The speed and reach of that spread scale with Unity, Amenities, and Trade, among other modifiers, and the area under an Ideology’s reach reduces Claim and Starbase Influence costs and Starbase upkeep beyond the player’s borders.
Forming an Ideology makes the player its Ideological Authority, a status that carries inherent bonuses but is lost if another empire adopting the same Ideology reaches a higher strength level and diplomatic weight. Only the Authority can codify Tenets, which are bought with Ideological Strength. Players normally get three Tenet slots that scale upward in Intensity, and Tenets can be Reformulated for an Influence and time cost. Most are locked to specific Ethics, while certain Civics and Origins generate their own.
The diary also names Open Stars Sovereignty, a Willpower Civic available to Fanatic or Absolute Xenophiles. Empires can adopt a player’s Ideology wholesale, which boosts the Authority’s modifiers and improves relations, and the diary hints at more aggressive methods of forcing adoption without detailing them yet.
Finally, Ideological Momentum tracks recent Ideological Strength. If it dips negative, the player risks negative modifiers or Ideological Revolts, which can spawn an opposing Ideology or lead to colony secession.
Sources
- Reporting source: GamerHeadlines
- Official dev diary: Steam
