Assimilation is the process of integrating or absorbing other species or populations into your empire. It is a method used by certain empires, such as Hive Minds and Machine Intelligence, to expand their influence and incorporate other species into their society. Here are the key aspects of assimilation in Stellaris:
- Hive Mind Assimilation:
- Hive Minds are biological gestalts that consume and assimilate other species into their collective consciousness.
- When a Hive Mind assimilates a species, the assimilated pops become part of the Hive Mind, losing their individuality and contributing to the Hive’s resources and productivity.
- Hive Minds have unique policies related to assimilation, allowing them to either assimilate species automatically upon conquering their planets or selectively assimilate specific species based on their traits.
- Machine Intelligence Assimilation:
- Machine Intelligences, like Rogue Servitors and Determined Exterminators, have methods of assimilating organic pops into their machine society.
- Rogue Servitors preserve organic species in habitats, taking care of their every need, effectively assimilating them into a pampered existence.
- Determined Exterminators, on the other hand, eliminate organic pops through extermination, effectively assimilating their planets into machine worlds.
- Cybernetic and Biological Ascension:
- Regular empires can also assimilate species through biological or cybernetic modifications, depending on their Ascension Perks and technologies.
- Cybernetic Ascension allows for the modification of organic pops with cybernetic enhancements, making them part machine, which might be seen as a form of assimilation.
- Biological Ascension permits genetic modifications, enabling empires to create specialized subspecies tailored for specific roles within their society.
Assimilation, whether through biological, cybernetic, or machine methods, alters the traits and characteristics of the assimilated species to align them more closely with the assimilating empire’s preferences. The specifics of how assimilation works can vary based on the ethics, government type, and species traits of the assimilating empire. Different empires have different policies and attitudes toward assimilation, reflecting the diversity of gameplay options in Stellaris.