Stellaris: Best Precursors, Ranked (2024)

Every player of Stellaris will always find that there is a precursor empire that predates their civilization by millennia in every game, although researching and solving each precursor's mystery might be a challenge due to both time and location constraints. Moreover, completing a precursor's event chain can be quite challenging.

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Fortunately, every precursor has its own advantages and unique modifiers that will make all the efforts in pursuing it worthwhile. All precursors are randomly determined at every new game creation, so players will have the chance to experience a new precursor every time they start a new game. This guarantees a variety of strong precursors that can decide the survival of an empire.

7 Yuht Empire

Uncover Yuht Empire's Secrets For Fleet Upkeep

• Grant the Yuht Cryo Core Relic
• 120x unity output (240 ~ 9999)
• 24x energy output (350 ~ 10000)
• 24x minerals output (350 ~ 10000)
• Grant large minor artifacts reward (100, 200, or 300)

The Yuht Empire is quite a mysterious precursor that mainly gives advantages to empires with an aspiration of colonizing any habitable planet, no matter the atmosphere and the habitability modifier it provides. Completing the precursor event chain will give several planet habitability bonuses, such as the technology Atmospheric Filtering and Yuht Astronomical Interferometer.

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However, the main strength lies within its relic, the Yuht Cryo Core, with an active ability to reduce Ship Upkeep by −20% for 10 years, which is crucial when the game reaches the late stages, with millions of powerful fleets needed to either fight a Crisis or other hostile empires.

6 Irassian Concordat

Grow Colonies Faster With The Secrets Of The Irassian Concordat

• Grant the Javorian Pox Sample Relic
• Grant Secrets of the Irassians (+20% Biology research speed & +5% Pop growth speed)
• 120x unity output (240 ~ 9999)
• 48x physics output (1000 ~ 1000000)
• 24x minerals output (350 ~ 10000)
• Grant large minor artifacts reward (100, 200, or 300)

Successfully researching the remnants of Irassian Concordat will give a huge boon towards growth for any empire that succeeds in doing so. The empire modifier gained from the Secrets of the Irassians guarantees a quickly growing population and the unique building, Irassian Naval Yards, is useful for boosting an empire's fleet, especially when using Archaeotechnologies.

The powerful relic, Javorian Pox Sample, enables a devastating orbital bombardment policy that effectively purges a planet's population without damaging its structures. A brutal measure, yet effective for empires that did not wish to integrate other species into their empire, such as Fanatical Purifiers.

5 First League

Gain A Powerful Relic World Capable Of Boosting Research

• Grant a planet, Fen Habbanis III (Relic World)
• Grant Secrets of the First League (+15% Industry research speed & +10% Planet build speed)
• 120x unity output (240 ~ 9999)
• 48x society output (1000 ~ 1000000)
• 24x influence output (150 ~ 300)
• Grant large minor artifacts reward (100, 200, or 300)

At first glance, the precursor First League might not be attractive due to the absence of a relic when the event chain is completed. However, the lack of a relic can be effectively replaced by the powerful Relic World gained from it, which is the Fen Habbanis III.

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When the Relic World is successfully restored to an Ecumenopolis, it will be more powerful than the usual Ecumenopolis with its bonuses for research output. Moreover, the powerful Secrets of the First League also gives an empire a boost in its technological advancement, making it easier to destroy a powerful Leviathan.

4 Baol

A Long Lost Empire Capable Of Granting Free Gaia Worlds

• Grant the The Last Baol Relic
• Grant a planet, Grunur (Tomb World)
• Grant Secrets of the Baol (−15% Terraforming cost)

Gaia Worlds can be quite challenging to acquire during a game of Stellaris, especially when it is near a Spiritualist fallen empire that consecrated the world. However, uncovering the past of the Baol will make acquiring a Gaia World trivial, as it can be easily acquired by the active ability of The Last Baol relic.

When activated, the relic will turn a planet into a Gaia World within two years and also grant four pacifist populations with a powerful set of traits. This will enable any empire to colonize all planets within their borders without worrying about any habitability problems.

3 Vultaum Star Assembly

Use Vultaum's Fourth Wall Breaking Into Huge Advantages

• Grant the Vultaum Reality Perforator Relic
• Grant Secrets of the Vultaum (+15% Computing research speed & +10% Amenities)
• 120x unity output (240 ~ 9999)
• 24x energy output (350 ~ 10000)
• 24x minerals output (350 ~ 10000)
• Grant large minor artifacts reward (100, 200, or 300)

The horrible fate of the Vultaum can be quite disturbing after they come to a sad realization of their universe, ending in a horrible fate for their species. Aside from the specific spoiler detail of Vultaum's fate, the bonuses the precursor gives are quite nice, with a technological boost that enables rare technologies to be acquired quite easily.

The Vultaum Reality Perforator relic is also quite powerful as it reinforces an empire fleet by a random select modifier. However, there is also a chance for all the modifiers to be activated, making the fleet more powerful than any other by a huge margin.

2 Zroni

Desired By Every Psionics Empire For A Huge Advantage

• Grant Psionic Archive Relic
• Grant Secrets of the Zroni (+40% Psionics research speed)
• Grant 5 Zro deposit

While ascension is something to be desired by every empire, the Zroni perhaps took it too far by trying to ascend into the Shroud. Consequently, they have themselves removed from the plane of existence in an instant. Although their rapid ascension leaves a cautionary tale to other fledgling empires, the legacy they leave behind is quite powerful for every empire, more so for the Psionics empire.

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The powerful Psionics Archive relic enables easier Shroud breaching for any Psionics empire, while also having the active ability to grant strong bonuses, such as ship weapons damage increase.

1 Cybrex

Formidable Precursor Able To Trivialize Megastructures And Fleet Building

• Grant Cybrex War Forge Relic
• Grant Secrets of the Cybrex (+10% Megastructure build speed)
• 120x unity output (240 ~ 9999)
• 48x engineering output (1000 ~ 1000000)
• 24x energy output (350 ~ 10000)
• Grant large minor artifacts reward (100, 200, or 300)

Although it can be debated whether the Cybrex is truly extinct from the galaxy or not, it is not arguable that the precursor's bonuses are something to be desired by every Stellaris player. The powerful Cybrex War Forge active ability enables a player to trade their minerals into alloy at a rate of 2,000 minerals for 1,000 alloys. The numbers also increase for every usage, up to 40,000 minerals for 20,000 alloys.

While the alloys can primarily be used for fleet building, they can also be used for Megastructure building with powerful modifiers, which is also made easier with its build speed increased by the Secrets of the Cybrex.

Stellaris

Platform(s)

PC , PS4 , Xbox One

Released

May 9, 2016

Developer(s)

Paradox Development Studio

Genre(s)

4X , Grand Strategy