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How Does The Galactic Community Work?
How To Become Galactic Custodian
How To Become Galactic Emperor
How To Overthrow The Galactic Emperor
The Nemesis DLC for Stellaris introduces a new diplomatic feature. Empires with sufficient leverage in the Galactic Community can get favorable laws passed to make themselves stronger and weaken their enemies. In times of crisis, a powerful empire might even be appointed Galactic Custodian, given broad powers to help fight whatever threatens the people of the galaxy.
Related: Stellaris: How To Deal With Marauders And The Khan
Of course, once you have that kind of power it might seem hard to give it up. With this guide, you can become Custodian and use your influence to declare yourself Galactic Emperor!
How Does The Galactic Community Work?
Once enough empires have encountered one another, an event will trigger allowing the foundation of the Galactic Community. At least three empires must agree to form the Galactic Community; if this threshold is not reached, there will not be a second chance.
Members of the Galactic Community can propose up to one Resolution at a time, voting for or against all resolutions using a score called Diplomatic Weight. Diplomatic Weight is determined by an empire's Economy, Population, Military, and Technology and can fluctuate wildly over the course of a campaign.
Diplomatic Weight Factors
Factor | Amount |
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Economy |
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Population |
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Military |
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Technology |
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Most Resolutions in the Galactic Community will cause these four factors to contribute more or less Diplomatic Weight. By passing laws that favor your biggest contributors, you can increase your voting power for future Resolutions.
Passing Resolutions
The Senate will only debate one Resolution at a time, usually over a period of four years before holding the final vote. When the timer is up, the side with the most Diplomatic Weight - either for or against the Resolution - wins the vote and the Resolution passes or fails accordingly. Empires can change their stance on a Resolution at any time before then, and can also abstain. An empire that changes their vote must wait at least four months before they can change it again.
If you have Favors from another Empire, purchased through trade deals or earned by Envoys sent to improve relations, you can spend those Favors while the Senate is in session to force that empire to vote your way. A portion of the empire's Diplomatic Weight will be transferred to the empire calling in the Favors for that Resolution only. Calling in more Favors means more votes are transferred.
Since the Diplomatic Weight from calling in Favors is transferred to another Empire, they keep those votes on the Resolution. The empire granting the votes can't change their mind and take them back.
When a Resolution has been proposed but is not currently on the Senate floor, it is queued for a future session. Empires can voice their intent to support, oppose, or abstain from a queued Resolution, and will start with the appropriate stance when it does reach the floor. Resolutions are queued in order of total support or opposition; in other words, a Resolution that has a large amount of Diplomatic Weight declared for or against it will move to the floor faster than one that has the galaxy divided.
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How To Become Galactic Custodian
Your first step to becoming undisputed ruler of the galaxy is to secure a seat on the Galactic Council. The Galactic Council can be formed by a Resolution twenty or more years after the founding of the Galactic Community. The Council is comprised of the three members with the highest Diplomatic Weight, and each Council Member has additional authority in the Senate.
A Council Member can spend Influence to declare a queued Resolution to be an Emergency Measure, bumping it to the front of the queue and pulling the Senate out of recess to begin debate immediately. It's also possible to pass a Resolution granting veto power to the Council, allowing any Council Member to remove a Resolution from the queue entirely.
A member of the Galactic Council can be nominated as Galactic Custodian by Resolution, making them responsible for the safety of the galaxy against major threats but also granting them broad powers in the Senate. You can nominate yourself, or if you're powerful and respected enough another empire might nominate you. Unless there is a Crisis impending or ongoing, it may take some wrangling and a lot of Favors to get the vote to pass.
The Galactic Custodian has a permanent seat on the Council and can spend 190 Influence to end debate on the Senate floor. This can be done if the current debate has reached the halfway point, and calls a vote immediately. Doing so allows the Custodian to ensure Resolutions pass or fail as they like by ending debate when the votes are where they want them.
The Custodian can also propose special Resolutions that provide powerful effects for the whole galaxy... and especially the Custodian themselves. These can include forming the Galactic Defense Force, a fleet similar to Federation Navies that patrol the entire galaxy, and boosting members' damage against Crisis ships.
Related: Stellaris: How To Get More Influence
How To Become Galactic Emperor
By default, a Custodian's term lasts thirty years. A Resolution can be proposed to extend the term by another thirty, while another exists to end the Custodianship prematurely. To become Emperor, however, you'll need to pass a Resolution to abolish the Custodian's term limit altogether. This is one of the first Custodian Resolutions that becomes available after you're elected to the position.
Once the term limit is abolished, a Custodian Reform Resolution becomes unlocked to Proclaim The Galactic Imperium. You can expect lots of resistance in the Senate, so build up your Diplomatic Weight in the meantime by using your power to push through Resolutions that benefit you. This is also a great time to stockpile Favors.
When you're ready, propose and pass the Resolution to Proclaim The Galactic Imperium. Your empire's Ethics will shift to Fanatic Authoritarian and your government will become Imperial if neither of those things were already true. All members of the Galactic Community will become the Galactic Imperium, and you'll gain access to still more powerful Resolutions in the new Imperial Senate.
The Imperium cannot be proclaimed if there is an ongoing War In Heaven between two Awakened Empires. Defeating these powerful foes is a great way to earn support in your bid for power, however!
Members of the Imperium cannot declare war against the Emperor, and as long as the Emperor's Imperial Authority is over one hundred will be forced to join any defensive wars against the Emperor. Non-members can be forced to join the Imperium by passing the Imperial Crusade Resolution through the Senate to declare war on them.
Successfully forming the Imperium earns the With Thunderous Applause Achievement/Trophy. Alternately, if you're the Custodian and you choose to End The Custodianship after defeating the Endgame Crisis, your benevolence will unlock Modern Cincinnatus instead.
Related: Stellaris: How To Defeat The Unbidden
How To Overthrow The Galactic Emperor
If one of your rivals manages to set themselves up in a swanky Imperial Palace, the natural thing to do is overthrow them for the good of the galaxy. You can send Envoys to the Imperial Senate to undermine Imperial Authority, and Espionage missions against the Emperor can also be taken for the same effect.
The goal is to reduce the Imperial Authority below fifty. Once the Imperium is below that threshold, and Espionage mission becomes available to Spark A Rebellion. This requires a heavy level of infiltration within the Emperor's government, so it may take years or decades to prepare. Sparking a Rebellion starts a war against the Emperor with you as War Leader. Every member of the Imperium must choose a side - hopefully your fellow members are as discontent as you are.
Defeating the Emperor and enforcing the Restore Galactic Community War Goal dismantles the Imperium. If you were the leader of a successful rebellion, you'll earn the Sic Semper Tyrannis Achievement/Trophy.
Next: Stellaris: Everything You Need To Know About Espionage
