By Gabrielle Huston
Your changes have been saved
Email Is sent
Please verify your email address.
You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.
Manage Your List
Follow
Followed
Follow with Notifications
Follow
Unfollow
Link copied to clipboard
Stellaris
Related
11 Things That Make No Sense In Still Wakes The Deep
Riven Review: As Riveting As I Remember
Pax Dei: Complete Building Guide
In order to have a thriving population in Stellaris, they'll need to live on planets that serve their needs! A race that hails from a desert planet isn't going to be able to live very well on a tropical planet, right? That's where Terraforming comes in.
RELATED: Stellaris: Guide For Absolute Beginners
Terraforming is the process of using gases to give a planet a brand-new environment. In Stellaris, it can be used to increase a World's Habitability. This article will cover everything you need to know about it, including how to unlock the mechanic, how to use it once you do, which planets can be Terraformed, and more.
There are several Social Technologies you'll need to research for Terraforming planets. One of them unlocks the basic ability, and the others expand on your options. If you want to Terraform as quickly as possible, focus on producing Social Research over Engineering and Physics Research. There are also bonus tools you can unlock to allow you to Terraform unique planets.
Source | Type | What It Does | Cost | Prerequisites | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Terrestrial Sculpting | Technology | Tier 2 | Terrestrial Sculpting is the basic technologythat you need to invest in in order to start Terraforming. With this, you'll be able to terraform basic planets into other basic planet types. | 6,000 Society Research |
| |
Climate Restoration | Technology | Tier 4 | Climate Restoration allows you to terraform Tomb Worlds (planets that are basically dead). | 16,000 Society Research |
| |
Ecological Adaption | Technology | Tier 3 | Ecological Adaptation allows you to terraform planets that already have inhabitants. | 10,000 Society Research |
| |
Terraforming Candidate | Modifier | Terraforming Candidate is a Modifier applied to planets that could be terraformed, but needed to be researched first. Most planets you encounter are safe to live on, but Barren Worlds, Barren (Cold) Worlds, and Frozen Worlds may have an Anomaly to investigate first. Once that is done, the planet will acquire this Modifier and you can terraform it. | Varied |
| ||
World Shaper | Ascension Perk | Tier 1 | The World Shaper Ascension Perk allows you to turn planets into Gaia Worlds, which are special planets that seldom naturally spawn into the galaxy. They have 100% habitability for all species. | Varied |
| |
Hive Worlds | Ascension Perk | Tier 2 | The Hive Worlds Ascension Perk allows you to Terraform planets into Hive Worlds. | Varied |
| |
Machine Worlds | Ascension Perk | Tier 2 | The Machine Worlds Ascension Perk allows you to Terraform planets into Machine Worlds. | Varied |
|
RELATED: Stellaris: The Best Cheats
How To Terraform
Once you've unlocked, at the very least, the Terrestrial Sculpting Technology, you can begin to Terraform your first planets!
Click on a planet that is...
- Surveyed
- Within your Empire's borders
...and look for the option marked 'Terraform.' From there, you'll choose the type of World you'd like to have, and the game will tell you how much the process will cost and how long it will take. The percentage listed is the planet's habitability for the race that makes up your empire. If there are multiple races in your empire, the percentage will indicate the habitability for whichever race is most suited for that environment.
Terraforming Events
The first time that you terraform any planet, there is a small chance that the planet will be affected by a Terraforming Event. These are special conditions that can change your planet, for better or worse. For example, some Terraforming Events add extra districts to the planet, while one Terraforming Event can cause all the people living on a Gaia World to be unable to live off of a Gaia World. You may also be given a choice to make that will affect the outcome of the Terraforming Event.
RELATED: Stellaris: How Do Planetary Invasions Work?
All Planet Types And Costs To Terraform
The table below details each type of planet and the possible ways it can be terraformed, along with the requirements, cost, and length of time the terraforming will take.
Original Climate | New Climate | Cost In Energy Credits | Time It Will Take In Years | Prerequisites |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alpine, Arctic, or Tundra World | Alpine, Arctic, or Tundra World | 2,000 | 5 |
|
Arid, Desert, or Savannah World | 5,000 | 10 | ||
Continental, Ocean, or Tropical World | ||||
Gaia World | 7,500 | 10 |
| |
Hive World | 10,000 | 20 |
| |
Machine World |
| |||
Arid, Desert, or Savannah World | Arid, Desert, or Savannah World | 2,000 | 5 |
|
Alpine, Arctic, or Tundra World | 5,000 | 10 | ||
Continental, Ocean, or Tropical World | ||||
Gaia World | 7,500 | 10 |
| |
Hive World | 10,000 | 20 |
| |
Machine World |
| |||
Continental, Ocean, or Tropical World | Continental, Ocean, or Tropical World | 2,000 | 5 |
|
Arid, Desert, or Savannah World | 5,000 | 10 | ||
Alpine, Arctic, or Tundra World | ||||
Gaia World | 7,500 | 10 |
| |
Hive World | 10,000 | 20 |
| |
Machine World |
| |||
Barren World | Continental, Ocean, or Tropical World | 10,000 | 15 |
|
Arid, Desert, or Savannah World | 5,000 | 10 | ||
Alpine, Arctic, or Tundra World | 15,000 | 20 | ||
Gaia World | 12,500 | 25 |
| |
Hive World | 10,000 | 20 |
| |
Machine World |
| |||
Barren (Cold) World | Arid, Desert, or Savannah World | 15,000 | 20 |
|
Alpine, Arctic, or Tundra World | 5,000 | 10 | ||
Continental, Ocean, or Tropical World | 10,000 | 15 | ||
Gaia World | 12,500 | 25 |
| |
Hive World | 10,000 | 20 |
| |
Machine World |
| |||
Frozen World | Ocean World | 12,500 | 25 |
|
| ||||
Tomb World | Continental, Ocean, or Tropical World | 10,000 | 20 |
|
Alpine, Arctic, or Tundra World | ||||
Arid, Desert, or Savannah World | ||||
Gaia | 12,500 | 25 |
| |
Nanite World | Continental, Ocean, or Tropical World | 1,000 | 1 |
|
Alpine, Arctic, or Tundra World | ||||
Arid, Desert, or Savannah World | ||||
Hive World | Continental, Ocean, or Tropical World | 1,000 | 1 |
|
Alpine, Arctic, or Tundra World | ||||
Arid, Desert, or Savannah World | ||||
Machine World | Continental, Ocean, or Tropical World | 1,000 | 1 |
|
Alpine, Arctic, or Tundra World | ||||
Arid, Desert, or Savannah World |
Changes To Cost And/Or Time It Takes To Terraform
There are some small exceptions to the exact required cost and length of time it takes to terraform a planet as we have detailed above. Refer to the table below to see if any of the situations there apply to you; if so, it will change the cost or length of time.
Source | Type | Terraforming Cost Change | Terraforming Time Change | Required DLC |
---|---|---|---|---|
World Shaper | Ascension Perk | Cost decreases by 25 percent | None | None |
Terraforming Gases | Edict | None | Time required decreases by 50 percent | None |
Exotic Gases Shortages | Situation | None | Time increases by 20 percent per stage of the Situation | None |
World Shaper | Ruler Trait | None | Time required decreases by 25 percent | None |
Mask Of Transformation | Empire Modifier | Cost decreases by 10 percent | Time required decreases by 10 percent | None |
Hydrocentric | Tradition | Cost decreases by 25 percent if you are creating an Ocean World | None | Aquatics |
Secrets of the Baol | Empire Modifier | Cost decreases by 15 percent | None | Ancient Relics |
Shallarian Terraforming Knowledge | Empire Modifier | Cost decreases by 10 percent | Time required decreases by 20 percent | Federations |
Ecological Protection Resolution 4 | Galactic Resolution | Cost increases by 25 percent | None | Federations |
Ecological Protection Resolution 5 | Galactic Resolution | Cost increases by 100 percent | None | Federations |
NEXT: Stellaris: How To Defeat The Unbidden
- Guides
- Indie Games
- Stellaris
Your changes have been saved
Email Is sent
Please verify your email address.
You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.
Manage Your List
Follow
Followed
Follow with Notifications
Follow
Unfollow