2.2+ FAQ

Stellaris 2.2 FAQ (now with some edits for 2.3)

Babby's Intro to Eco: https://pastebin.com/hwaqpW2U
Common Eco Mistakes: https://pastebin.com/aH0kiMFU
Intro to Combat, Ship Design, and War: https://pastebin.com/D0PpSiHQ
New Player Tips: https://pastebin.com/ga7K4tMP
Official DLC Recommendations and Overview: https://pastebin.com/NSa45L28
Recommended Mods 2.2.3: https://pastebin.com/iGj8LA6A


Q: So what is different in 2.2?
A: 2.2 has changed how the economy system of Stellaris works, in particular how planets work. 2.2 has removed tiles from planets and replaced them with a district system. Populations now work jobs instead of a specific tile, with the job system being manged by an AI that ate lead paint as a child. It has also added several new resources to manage as well as consolidating most strategic resources. There is also no more leader cap, so hire as many as you want. Research agreement is now a diplomatic option instead of a trade option. There is also a resource called trade which must be collected by starbases or starbase modules. There is also now a shared "galactic market" that you can always offload your excess resources on.

Q: So this changed a lot, but is it any good?
A: It is a definite improvement. 2.2 makes it so instead of sitting on your ass through the midgame into late game, you now have to manage the economy of your empire. It is easy to make a mistake or have an outside event that results in your eco getting into trouble. While the AI got borked hard and it is laggier then ever before, it is still fun. Fan patches are sorta necessary due to bad coding, grab Glavius AI Mod.
As of 2.3, Glavius is discontinued and parts of it folded into the base game. Abandon hope all ye who enter.

Q: How does population work?
A: Like in previous versions, population inhabit planets and naturally reproduce over time (except for soulless machines). Population now works jobs, which create resource or provide other benefits. For example a pop working a farmer job will produce food. Unlike previous versions, you can NOT select which job a population works. Pops are also divided into three strata based on their job: ruler, specialist, and worker. The higher strata pops are also more important to stability (basically renamed unrest) then workers, but your elite will always be happy unless you did something really stupid.
Population growth has changed a bit in 2.2. Now instead of multiple species growing in parallel, each planet will only grow one pop at a time. Growth speed is also no longer increased by having a food surplus, you instead can spend 1000 food to increase the growth speed on a planet under through a decision (renamed planetary edicts). You can also speed up pop growth by changing your policies (under food policy). Population can also immigrate from more heavy populated planets to less populated one. This will result in the less populated one getting a growth boost while the more populated planet will have slowed growth.
Robots can be built in parallel to organic species, but now require a specific building to be constructed on a world. Robots grow slower than organics and no longer have bonuses to resource extraction, but can now work a wider variety of jobs once upgraded to droids.

Q: How do jobs work?
A: Jobs are worked by population and produce a resource. Jobs are created by districts and buildings. Jobs are divided into three strata: ruler, specialist, and worker. The AI will try to put a pop into the highest strata with an open job, which is something to be careful of since your workers will jump up and can lead to negative resource income since no one is farming now.  Ruler jobs create amenities (a new resource) as well as unity, with some special ruler jobs from civics producing other resources too. Specialist jobs usually convert one resource into another, often minerals or consumer goods (another new resource) are used. Metallurgist for example converts minerals into alloys (also new resource). Often times this is the only way to create large amounts of these resources. Workers are the bottom and create the basic resources: energy, minerals, and food. Slaves can only do worker jobs.

Q: What are the new resources and what do they do?
A: So we now have alloys, consumer goods, amenities, and housing. Alloys are produced by metallurgists or rarely found in space for mining stations. Alloys are used to build new ships as well as outposts. Consumer goods are produced by artisans and consumed by other jobs such as researchers. Pops also consume consumer goods. Amenities are a resource specific to each planet and created by jobs such as clerk and entertainer. Pops require amenities to be happy. Housing is another planet specific resource which pops require to be happy.
Most strategic resources have also been consolidated into three new 'rare' resources: volatile motes, exotic gases (huehuehue), and rare crystals. These resources can be spent for edicts that replicate the previous abilities of strategic resources like stronger shields. They are also consumed to construct and as upkeep for upgraded buildings. They can be mined by stations or created through a job that transforms minerals into them. Rarely a planet can have a deposit that can be harvested.

Q: What is the galactic market?
A: The galactic market lets you buy or sell resources for energy. You have to already own some of the resource before being able to buy more, so you can't buy rare resources from the start. Buying a resource increases its price, both to buy more of and to sell. Selling is the opposite, it lowers the buy and sell prices. Initially you only have your empire market, but after so many empires get in contact with each other, the true galactic market is founded. You will get a pop-up telling you that it will be founded in a few years. Having it founded in your empire reduces the market fee you have to pay (meaning stuff is cheaper to buy and sells higher) so it is good to get. To bid for Wall Street, you have to choose a planet and under Decisions, nominate it. You will start with a weak bid, but you can go into Decisions again to increase your bid twice more. Once a galactic market is founded, you and the other empires now share a market. This means if another empire sells their excess alloy you can buy it for cheaper than usual and vice versa. The AI is pretty dumb and does not use it much, but it is very useful to turn your excess into more valuable resources.

Q: What are districts?
A: Districts are built on planets and create resource producing worker jobs. There are four types of districts: city, generator, mining, and agriculture. Each district also produces some housing (5 for city, 2 for all others). All districts aside from city create two jobs of their specific type. Cities just produce one clerk job.

Q: How do planets work now?
A: Planets still have a size, which dictates how many districts in any combination can be built on it. Planets now have a limit for the max of each district type (aside from city) can be built on it. For example, a size 15 world might only allow a max of 6 generator districts, 10 mining districts, and 4 agriculture districts. There is no limit in the number of city districts that can be built on a world but the total district number must still be less than or equal to the planet size. To continue the example, a 1 generator/10 mining/4 agriculture or 6 generator/4 mining/4 agriculture/1 city are both valid. Sometimes some districts are inaccessible by Blockers, which are the updated version of tile blockers. Once removed they allow the districts they were blocking to be constructed. Planets can also have buildings constructed on them, with a new building tile being available for every 5 pop currently on the planet.
As of 2.3 you may also now determine what a planet's specialization is (gives planet wide production bonus).

Q: So what do buildings do now?
A: Buildings have multiple uses, but are primarily relied on now to create specialist jobs. An alloy foundry for example will create two metallurgist jobs, which convert minerals into alloys. Buildings can be upgraded after researching the appropriate tech. Upgrades usually consume rare resources and require an upkeep of it as well.

Q: How do sectors work now?
A: Sectors are now automatically generated, with planets that are close together being grouped into sectors. Unlike previous versions, sectors are not automatically controlled by the AI, instead players have to choose to turn it on (never do this). Since only God knows how it determines which sector a planet should go to, most likely each planet you colonize will be its own sector, requiring you to hire a governor just for it. Thanks Wiz!
As of 2.3, players can now change the capital world of a sector. Sector automation has been turned back on as well.

Q: What is trade?
A: Trade is a new resource. It can be found in space but is primarily produced on planets. At your homeworld it is naturally converted into energy or a combination of energy/unity or energy/consumer goods as determined by your policies. Jobs such as clerk produce trade, though colonized worlds will naturally generate it as they get larger. Trade is harvested by starbases and transported to your homeworld to be converted. Trade is harvested by having a starbase built in the same system or if a starbase with a trade hub is near enough. Each trade hub will expand a starbase's collection radius by one jump (e.g. a starbase with three trade hubs will collect all trade within three jumps away from itself). Trade is then sent to your homeworld along a trade route, which can be viewed through a map mode option in the bottom right corner.

Systems that a trade route pass through have a protection value (prot) and a piracy value. Piracy increases gradually over time to some max value determined by the amount of trade passing through. As long as the piracy is below the prot, all of your trade will pass through. If the piracy is higher then the prot, then some trade will be lost (with a minimum trade equal to the prot guaranteed to go through) and there is a chance of a pirate fleet spawning in that system. The base prot for systems you control is two, but can be increased by nearby starbases with military modules. Starbases with military modules will increase the prot in nearby systems with each module protecting one jump further (e.g. a station with two weapon modules will increase prot for all systems you control within two jumps). The hangar bay provides the highest prot of all modules, so just get that. Piracy can also be reduced by having a fleet patrol through the system. If a fleet's suppression score is higher then the piracy value of the system, the piracy will gradually reduce for as long as the fleet is in the system. You can generally have one corvette patrol a handful of systems early game to keep piracy down, but as trade increases it makes sense to use multiple corvettes or build more starbases. Since trade goes through gateways and wormholes, you can also just build gateways to your home system to reduce the number of systems with piracy lategame.

Q: What is administration cap?
A: Ad cap is a soft limit on expansion. It is increased by building districts (+1), colonizing worlds(+2), and building outposts(+2). Going over the limit (initially 30 without modifiers) will increase the cost of research, unity, edicts, leader hiring, and leader upkeep. This was also in 2.1 and earlier, the only difference now is that it is easier to see and isn't as harsh. The techs that previously increased how many planets you could control now increase ad cap. It is fairly easy to outpace so don't worry about it too much.

Q: What is up with the AI?
A: Turns out Wiz didn't think to check if the AI was retarded or not. They don't know how to handle the new economy system and can't repair buildings for example. Here is a fan mod that improves it https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1584133829 Expect Wiz to copy it soon.
As of 2.3 Glavius is no longer updated, with some features being copied into the base game. Glavius has also said he will be working directly with the Stellaris devs for some more changes, but I would not expect much.