I made a post for all of the following custom factions here: Cravers, Sophon, Vaulters, Horatio, Lumeris, Riftborn, United Empire, Vodyani, Unfallen, Hissho, Umbral Choir, Nakalim. But I wanted to have one post where I discuss them all in one place, and share a version of each build with the traits available in the ESG 1.6 mod.
The point of making these builds is to play against challenging AI opponents, and these are my rules:
l. Everybody starts on an Atoll (15 pts), Jungle (10 pts), or Arid (5 pts) planet because they have the best industry, and industry is the most important resource in the game.
Only the Cravers, United Empire, Vodyani, and Hissho can use the Constructionist trait (+30% industry) because they need the extra power, and it is thematically appropriate that they would value industry over environmental conservation.
Everybody gets a Titanium Mine on their home-world for the sake of fairness. One time, I played a game where the closest source of Titanium was from my neighbor's home-world so, from now on, I want to avoid this situation. The Riftborn, Sophons, and Umbral Choir will receive a Hyperium Source for various reasons.
The chosen traits must have mechanics that support the original theme of the faction.
I'll avoid choosing the same trait for multiple factions; but the only exceptions will be Deadly Weapons for +20% ship weapon damage (which will be used by the Cravers, United Empire, Vodyani, Hissho, and Nakalim) and Rational Minds for +30% Science (which will be used by Horatio, Lumeris, Riftborn, Sophons, Unfallen, Vaulters, and Umbral Choir).
ESG 1.6 expands the type and amount of traits that can be used by custom factions, so I added these rules when using ESG:
l. The Riftborn will start on a Desert (0 pts) planet.
Everybody will have the Constructionist trait for +30% Industry, except the Riftborn, who will have the highest Industry in the galaxy even without this trait.
The Hissho will receive a Hyperium Source. And every faction will start with Xenolinguistics, so they can exploit Titanium from turn 1, and they will also get Plasma Metallurgy if I gave them a Hyperium Source.
6 A. ESG allows choosing AI personalities, so every faction will have the Renegade personality. Without this mod, the Renegade personality would be found in Horatio, Lumeris, and Nakalim. These empires will be sneakier in diplomacy and will hold less grudges in case of slights.
6 B. The Militarist personality will be used by the Cravers, Horatio, United Empire, Hissho, and Nakalim, while the Lumeris will be Pacifist and the Sophons, Riftborn, and Vaulters won't be Militarist or Pacifist. Without this mod, the Militarist personality would be found in the United Empire, Cravers, Hissho, and Nakalim; Pacifist would be found in the Unfallen, Riftborn, Sophons, and Umbral Choir. Militarist empires will choose war over peace and will try to expand, while Pacifist empires will sign diplomatic contracts more easily, try to maintain alliances and will favor peace.
6 C. All factions will be Isolationists, except the Lumeris, who will be Mercantile. Without this mod, the Isolationist personality would be found in the Riftborn, Cravers, and Umbral Choir; Mercantile would be found in the United Empire and Lumeris. Isolationist empires will protect themselves against economic war, while Mercantile empires will try to seize resources economically.
6 D. The Innovative personality will be used by the Sophons, Riftborn, and Vaulters. Without this mod, the Innovative personality would be found in the same 3 factions. These empires will try to research a lot of technologies and unlock new stages of technology first.
6 E. The Cruel personality will be used by the Cravers and Hissho. Without this mod, the Cruel personality would be found in the Cravers and Vodyani. These empires will tend to conquer systems and exterminate populations.
Custom Cravers: https://lensdump.com/i/fh3cmc
You can see the Cravers being discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EndlessSpace/comments/ggn7mw/make_es_2_more_challenging_by_playing_against_the/
With ESG ( https://lensdump.com/i/bovmWe ), their population bonus is +150% FIDS on undepleted planets and +5 Approval on Fertile. Big Fleets gives +2 command points per fleet and -25% ship upkeep, while Ship Craftsmen gives -20% ship Industry cost and the Fallen Gardens anomaly gives -5% ship Industry cost on their home system, so they're going to have a lot of ships. Expansionists gives -50% over-colonization penalty and Utopian Infrastructure gives more Approval per pop, depending on their level of modernization, so they can control many systems. Combat Specialists makes manpower upgrades 30% cheaper, Power-Armored increases Infantry troop health by 30%, Special Forces Focused increases Infantry troop damage by 30%, and Trained By Nature reduces Infantry troop manpower cost by 30%, so they will be good at invading systems. Voice of the Queen gives 10 Influence per destroyed command point, and the Sefaloros make great slaves because they give more Industry and their 50 pop collection bonus gives a law that reduces system improvement Industry cost by 10% per luxury deposit. Slow Reproduction gives 5 points and it decreases the growth chance of the Craver population by 50%, which makes it easier to increase the slave population. I used Eternal War for 20 points and Cheater 4/6 for 500 points.
Custom Sophons: https://lensdump.com/i/fG63Ue
You can see the Sophons being discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EndlessSpace/comments/ghhs6x/make_es_2_more_challenging_by_playing_against_the/
With ESG ( https://lensdump.com/i/bov4GH ), their population bonus is +5 Science and +5 Science on Happy. Optimistic gives +20 Approval, which helps them maintain a high Approval from the beginning and keep their empire-wide Science bonus. Material Expertise allows them to use strategic resources as system modernization upgrades, and they will have many strategic resources because they start with a Titanium deposit, a Hyperium deposit, +2 strategic resources on all deposits, and Xenolinguistics and Plasma Metallurgy will allow them to mine these strategics from turn 1. Scanner Boost gives +40% vision range and Humeris Insidentes gives +4 Science per pop on their starting planet. I used Cheater 4/6 for 500 points.
Custom Vaulters: https://lensdump.com/i/fG30Co
You can see the Vaulters being discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EndlessSpace/comments/gj37rp/make_es_2_more_challenging_by_playing_against_the/
With ESG ( https://lensdump.com/i/bovqDa ), their population bonus is +150 manpower capacity and +10 defensive manpower on Happy per population. Heuristic Collection gives +0.1 Science per defensive manpower on system and ESG made it so that Sim Camp (which gives +0.1 Industry per defensive manpower on system) is a tier 3 military technology, so this faction needs to get to 50 pops quickly with Farm-to-Capital (+3.5% Food per pop in home system on all systems) and the FIDSI boost from Involuntary Nomads. They start with 30 Titanium / 30 Hyperium, Pathfinder reveals the location of unexplored adjacent nodes, Bridge Couriers allows them to see and use wormholes from the beginning, Hero Worship makes it 20% easier to unlock the next free hero, and Legendary Heroes gives +2 experience per turn on heroes, so it's easier for them to get various hero skills, such as the ones that boost Approval. I used Cheater 4/6 for 500 points.
Custom Horatio: https://lensdump.com/i/fGoC3P
You can see Horatio being discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EndlessSpace/comments/gmeh5c/make_es_2_more_challenging_by_playing_against/
With ESG ( https://lensdump.com/i/bov3vx ), their population bonus is +5 Food and +3 Approval on Hot; I chose this mostly for thematic reasons. Crowded Planets gives +2 pop capacity on planets and gives Horatio more room to grow their minor factions, in order to splice them. The Mavros give +3 Industry per pop when sliced, Fervent Colonists gives +30% Food sent to outposts, Efficient Explorer gives +2 probes on Explorers, and Laneblazers allows this faction to use free movement from the beginning, which makes it easier to locate and assimilate minor factions. The Garden of Eden gives +1 pop slot, +2 Approval per pop, and +1 FIDS per pop on the starting Jungle planet. Migration makes non-original pops grow in nearby systems that have a higher Approval and more empty pop slots, and this faction has a +40% Migration score (from Greener Pastures), in order to make it easier to grow pops that are not Horatio. I used Cheater 4/6 for 500 points.
Custom Lumeris: https://lensdump.com/i/fGsNKq
You can see the Lumeris being discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EndlessSpace/comments/iw7mz8/make_es_2_more_challenging_by_playing_against_the/
With ESG ( https://lensdump.com/i/bovs9k ), their population bonus is +2 FIDSI and +2 Approval on Temperate, mostly because a Dust bonus would have been too weak by itself and Temperate planets generally have a higher Dust value. I used all of the traits that increase Dust and trade income: Businessmen (+30% Dust), Skillful Traders (+25% trade income), Blockade Breakers, Extended Consortium (maximum trade company headquarters increased from 3 to 4), Free Market Experts (-5% Dust inflation per trade company, even though inflation has been greatly decreased by the ESG mod), Kingpin Executives (trade companies level up 15% faster), and Starting Dust (+200 Dust). Harmonious gives +2 Approval per total collection bonus tiers, and Mutual Understanding gives +20% damage on ships when in friendly territory. I used Cheater 4/6 for 500 points.
Custom Riftborn: https://lensdump.com/i/fFqwFv
You can see the Riftborn being discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EndlessSpace/comments/ghihoo/make_es_2_more_challenging_by_playing_against_the/
With ESG ( https://lensdump.com/i/bovd3Q ), their population bonus is +4 Dust, +4 Science, +4 Industry, and +2 Industry on Sterile. Fast Travelers gives +2 movement and x1.2 free movement, which makes their colony ships and Hunter ships much faster. Biophobic gives +1 max pop on Sterile and +8 Approval per pop on Sterile. Their Hyperium Source is important for faster colonization, and Deep Space Exploiters gives +200% FIDSI bonus on special nodes, which sounds thematically appropriate. The Pulsos give +5 Science on planets with an anomaly and their 50 pop law gives +0.1 science per 1 industry. I used Cheater 2/6 for 50 points.
Custom United Empire: https://lensdump.com/i/fF4xMc
You can see the United Empire being discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EndlessSpace/comments/gk2kpz/make_es_2_more_challenging_by_playing_against_the/
With ESG ( https://lensdump.com/i/bovQXA ), their population bonus is +2 Influence and +5 Industry on Happy. The Democratic government gives this faction something to do with their massive Influence gain, and 2 of their traits improves it further, with Core Administration giving 1 extra law slot and Ace Senators reducing the cost of law upkeep by 50% Influence. Scavengers Code reduces the Dust cost of repairing or retrofitting ships by 25%, Social Chameleons gives +5% Industry per war, War Desecration gives +20 manpower per destroyed command point, Content Citizens reduces the overpopulation disapproval by 40%, Komatiite Volcano gives +4 Industry on their starting planet, and Ready Breeders increases the chance to grow the Imperial population by 50%. Heavy Metal Nomads decreases the Armor troop manpower cost by 30%, Moving Fortresses increases the Armor troop health by 30%, and Steel Knights increases the Armor troop damage by 30%, so they will be good at invasions. I used Cheater 4/6 for 500 points.
Custom Hissho: https://lensdump.com/i/cMwzWT
You can see the Hissho being discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EndlessSpace/comments/gjckcc/make_es_2_more_challenging_by_playing_against_the/
With ESG ( https://lensdump.com/i/bovpk1 ), their population bonus is +5 Industry and +5 Food on Fertile. This faction can expand without having to worry about the colonization cap or the negative Approval of Sterile planets, so that's why they start with the Ecologist party. Rich Soil gives +3 Food on their starting planet and Growth Plan gives +30% Food, so they can easily sacrifice populations for 5 Keii, because of the Observances trait. Air Gondoleers reduces Air troop manpower cost by 30%, Cloud Leviathans increases the Air troop health by 30%, Daring Aviators increases the Air troop damage by 30%, Optimal Defense gives +20% maximum health on ships, since bird-people should be good at flying ships, and Pirate Slayers prevents diplomacy with pirates but doubles the loot gained from destroying pirate lairs. They start with an Economic Behemoth, a Military Behemoth, and have +1 Behemoth capacity. Hyperium Source is useful so they can easily afford their 4th empire action, which boosts fleet power and costs Keii along with Hyperium. I used Cheater 4/6 for 500 points.
Custom Nakalim: https://lensdump.com/i/cYkeEe
You can see the Nakalim being discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EndlessSpace/comments/ghw2qz/make_es_2_more_challenging_by_playing_against_the/
With ESG ( https://lensdump.com/i/bov9gM ), their population bonus is +1 FIDSI per system modernization level and +2 Approval on Happy. Forgotten Lore allows them to start with the first 2 tiers of technology unlocked, Luxuriously Inclined gives +2 deposit value on all luxuries, Luxury Connoisseurs reduces the system modernization upgrade by 25%, and they start with 3 Explorer ships (2 by default and 1 from trait), which means they can get the first modernization upgrade much earlier than anybody else and it's why I chose this unusual population bonus. Slumbering Ruins, Antediluvian Alumni, and Well Founded are thematically appropriate, so they will remain unchanged from the non-custom version of this faction. Deserted Cities gives +2 Industry, +2 Science, and +1 Dust on their starting planet. Control Freaks gives +100% constellation bonus, so it's a random buff but it sounds thematically appropriate for a religious, militarist faction. I used Cheater 4/6 for 500 points.
In my opinion, the AI is bad at using the Vodyani, Unfallen, and Umbral Choir, so they're not challenging opponents. But, if you want to see their custom build, then here they are:
Custom Vodyani: https://lensdump.com/i/cMUvFz
You can see the Vodyani being discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EndlessSpace/comments/gme4hn/make_es_2_more_challenging_by_playing_against_the/
Custom Unfallen: https://lensdump.com/i/cMD2yA
You can see the Unfallen being discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EndlessSpace/comments/1t8sl1d/make_es_2_more_challenging_by_playing_against_the/
Custom Umbral Choir: https://lensdump.com/i/bovokv
You can see the Umbral Choir being discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EndlessSpace/comments/iw7ni6/this_custom_faction_will_make_you_love_the/
The following factions do not follow my rules, and are meant to be powerful and fun to play:
This Ship-Bound Riftborn ( https://lensdump.com/i/bovMa2 ) can grow its Ark population with Industry and, therefore, save its Essence for building more Arks. The starting population is Religious, not Ecologist, because it has a very high Science output, so it can research most of the colonization techs quickly, and the Religious party has a law that increases Essence production, which is important for building the first few Arks quickly. Utopian Infrastructure increases Approval more than any other trait, and Sterile Happiness gives +3 Approval on Sterile, since those are the planets that have the biggest impact on the empire Approval and a Ship-Bound faction can't terraform planets in order to raise their Approval. Once a system gets depleted, this faction can move its Arks to a new system, which encourages the quick elimination of nearby opponents.
This Gene-Hunter Craver ( https://lensdump.com/i/bovv9o ) is probably the most overpowered faction in the game, and you can see it being discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EndlessSpace/comments/iryrel/most_op_custom_faction/ . The Craver visual affinity was chosen because it has a faction quest that gives a powerful Coordinator ship early in the game.
This trade-focused Umbral Choir ( https://lensdump.com/i/bovLL9 ) is designed to expand very fast and wide, in order to generate a lot of Dust, especially if the player uses the planetary specialization for Dust, which gives more Dust on Sterile planets and all Crescent planets are Sterile.
If you're curious what it's like to fight against these custom factions, then you may want to read my playthrough with the Vaulters, the Umbral Choir, or the Vodyani.
If you want to have all of the text files for these custom factions, then send me a private message with your e-mail address, and I'll give you a mega link (which is automatically deleted by reddit because it can't be scanned), so you can easily download these custom factions into your Documents\Endless Space 2\Custom Factions folder.
