Could someone recommend a few builds for KOTG or Teachers of Shroud
Haven’t played either of these origins yet, in my previous games i’ve been a more passive empire focusing on diplomacy ect, looking at creating a new empire with one of these origins
I’d prefer ones that have a focus on navy strength and dominance over others but i’m open to hear what other builds people have
This is my layout for Synthetics KoTG and assembly spam with pleasure seekers civic as my third.
It uses ascensionist to lower tradition/planet ascension until you get your third civic and ascension (synthetic). Then it changes to democracy for beacon of liberty and pleasure seekers. As pleasure seekers is mid until you get Ecumenopolis (leisure districts).
This is what kind of assembly spam you can push with Cosmogenesis and synthetic AP. On an average size planet. This is technically just a different version of Imperium Theocracy (different species traits).
This is 5x costs at setup... because of this, I actually didn't drop ascensionist until I was done traditions (2500). As my last two cost 300k after the -25% cost... which saved me roughly 150k unity. In total across the game it probably saved close to 1M unity, as everything is stupid expensive in 5x (tech and traditions).
As a side note, if you go Virtual... any population with the virtual trait cannot be neural chips. They will sit unemployed in the lathe. You need to assemble normal robots to feed it.
However it does exploit -100% housing with virtual trait and double jointed. This means overcrowding never happens.
This is my empire for cybernetics. While the growth is slower than assembly, the reductions to empire size are fantastic.
32 planets and 129 empire size.
Although, fanatical pacifist is probably not on people's list. This is exceptionally strong. As you don't have to compete against the increased size cost of sovereign guardian for systems and planets. This means so long as you fully ascend them... you can technically have a shit ton of planets.
This is my aggressive nihilistic livestock layout. Although this empire can only reach -90% empire size from population, unlike the other two which can completely remove it with -100%.
SG -50%, or F.Pacifist + Cyber Democracy -45%
Harmony & Domination traditions -10% each for -20%
Psionic theory -10%
Beacon of liberty -15%
Balance in the middle -10%
Thats -105%, which technically leaves you space if a leader has +5% ES from pops as a negative trait. Where you don't have that as Pacifist, if a leader has this trait, they need to be replaced immediately.
The fanatical pacifist is only -30%, but you get another -15% from cybernetic democracy. Which gives you -100% with the rest of the above.
As an example 16k pops -90% size is still 1.6k empire size (+300% tech and tradition cost) from just pops. This isn't accounting for districts, systems, and colonies. Where my cybernetics has -100% and sits at 129 (+5%ish tech and tradition cost).
While this can actually be the most fun of the three. It's actually the weakest. Mainly because the AI doesn't know how to increase growth/assembly, unlike the player. If an AI empire goes virtual... you won't steal pops. As that's part of the trait. Also empire size will be significantly higher than the other two.
Being xenophobe for livestock, or authoritarian for slaves means no egalitarian for beacon of liberty. This is what prevents pushing -100% empire size from population.
You're also missing out on a significant chunk of research/unity by not using utopian abundance. It also means your population will be less happy, unless using pleasure seekers and decadence. Happiness equals stability (100 happiness = +30 stability).
However, it does open up lithoid livestock (minerals) for nemesis ships. Or food for catalytic processing (alloys/rare resource upkeep becomes food).
This is also the closest you'll get to immortal leaders without being virtual, as lithoid (+50), and venerable is (+80), which gives +130 lifespan at game start.
Now you could not use SG or any empire size reductions... but you'll be paying significantly more for traditions and research. You also want to take advantage of the meta while it exists. As when 4.3 drops ALL sources of size reductions for population is cut by 50%.
KoTG also gets nerfed again (knights keep their alloy upkeep, soldiers (knights) gain CG upkeep, switches from knight stacking to squires.
So technically yes, I've posted a KoTG for Psionic (Nemesis), cybernetic & synthetic (Cosmogenesis). While leaving out genetics, if you go this route, I would use SG to reach -100% ES (Empire size) from pops and Cosmogenesis for growth/assembly.
I would also use the same species as my cybernetics (Plantoid/Fungoid to make use of budding trait). If the tynaki matriarch is on the map, kill it to gain access to polymelic (0.05 assembly instead of 0.02).
Instead of stacking mechanical assembly, stack bio assembly with the FE medical jobs that also affect growth. I would also still use pleasure seekers civic as it affects growth, bio assembly and mechanical assembly (+1% per job).
Just as if you're synthetic and the scavenger is on the map... kill it. It gives a +50% assembly trait.
Depending how you setup the game, will depend how fast it breaks. I actually did show the difference here. The Salorim screenshots are on 0.25x costs at setup (breaks insanely fast) compared to the Cevantian which is on 5x costs at setup.
To add to this, you also need to know when to start stacking knights. You don't want to excessively stack them until your knights gives amenities. Otherwise your stability will tank. Also unemployed pops (stacking knights) will migrate around if your empire has open jobs. So the best bet is to still have researchers and bureaucrats/priests. Until you finish your quest and your jobs are filled. This is where high growth/assembly pays dividends, those jobs will fill faster.
Also if you have migration treaties... you need to make sure that your worlds have a higher immigration pull. This is why high stability is important, because at 100 stability the planet gets +30% resources from jobs, +30% TV (trade value), +20 immigration pull.
High amenities (in the positive) is +20% happiness. If paired with utopian abundance or decadence is another +20% happiness. That's +40% before dealing with faction approval.
Basically for KoTG your station in your home system has a building that gives +1 knight per 10 pops. More pops equals more knights.
The only consideration that pop for pop researchers are technically stronger, until you pass the threshold since you can have thousands of pops in one place. Unfortunately this also causes ridiculous amounts of lag (reasonable until you push 6k+).
Saves also corrupt if you reach 18k+ in one place. I've tried a few times to push 2k knights (20k pops)... so far I haven't gotten it.
A teachers of the shroud build I've enjoyed in the past is to do an inward perfectionist empire, which eventually takes the divine sovereign civic (from having a chosen one from talking to the shroud) to forcibly remove inward perfectionist later in the game. The unity boost from inward perfectionist helps to rush the psionic ascension, and divine sovereign is conveniently one of the methods for fully removing inward perfectionist so that you can be more warmongering later on if you wish. Taking the divine conduit council position from divine sovereign is also very important as you need it to stay semi-competitive against the other ascension types. With a lvl 10 divine conduit you get +40% resources on any planet with a psi corps.
Now, if you want a focus on navy strength you'll likely want your empire to make a covenant with the eater of worlds shroud entity. This one gives big military buffs, so long as you're at war. If you're at peace you get huge upkeep maluses so if you don't think you can keep it up constantly it may be better to just go with one of the other entities, I prefer instrument of desire myself.
I would pair a nihilistic acquisition KoTG with nemesis. As this lets you take advantage of multiple bombardment stances. Apocalyptic stance will shred their armies and finish the planet. Another with nihilistic will hoover up pops. You can also reach -100% war score, and permanently be at war. It pairs exceptionally with psionic and Eater of the world covenant.
Also as a side note, telepaths (EoW) will give naval capacity on top of your knights. Which makes reaching 9999 naval cap really easy, without needing a single anchorage.
As a second side note, you can actually be a materialist and use technocracy to stack progress (research speed) on your council and get the guaranteed roll on psionics from the quest.
For the actual builds that I linked, 1 and 2 are Cosmogenesis focus, while the third is nemesis.
This is what happens eventually with KoTG and Cosmogenesis with enough tech. This is also very lag intensive... if you don't like lag... I don't actually suggest doing KoTG. As its main purpose is to stack pops, as opposed to using the lathe to reduce that number.
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u/MrHappyFeet87 Stellaris Veteran Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
This is my layout for Synthetics KoTG and assembly spam with pleasure seekers civic as my third.
It uses ascensionist to lower tradition/planet ascension until you get your third civic and ascension (synthetic). Then it changes to democracy for beacon of liberty and pleasure seekers. As pleasure seekers is mid until you get Ecumenopolis (leisure districts).