The History of Fallen Empires in Stellaris

[@kanewilson8624]

I started out as a servitor AI empire, I encountered the Spiritual fallen empire after a while and it seemed that got into some good graces with them cause they noticed I had a habit of terraforming Tomb worlds into Gaia Worlds (had the terraforming ascension), All it took to get max rank with them was to send them tribute of different resources with no counter price. The ambassador stated this to me “Perhaps our initial judgment of your kind was unwarranted and…rash, you've clearly shown that you hold biological life in great reverence. You have our permission to colonise our sacred Gaia Worlds and to move through out borders without consequence.”

[@Madcat1331]

That's so cool! It's great to see that there's a possibility to challenge the Fallen Empire's ideals like that by being an AI bent on pampering living organisms Wonder if one can subvert other FEs' expectations similarly as well. A cybernetically enhanced spiritualist civilisation confronting the Enigmatic Observers, for example...

[@droidnautica]

Yeah it also happened to me, but in my case however, I found their revered leader's head (Zarqlan) on one of the star systems around their border and as a result, we became the "chosen people" which gave us the permission from the Spiritualist FE to colonize all their Holy Worlds (except the border being open to us).

[@kanewilson8624]

@@droidnautica I found their leader's head after gaining access to their borders, it negated the permanent -10 rep for being a machine conciseness

[@dm121984]

We are the Borg. You will be pampered. Resistance is dangerous and we really don't want you to try.

[@kanewilson8624]

@@dm121984 I didn’t actively war against the Galaxy to get bio pops but I did open my arms to accept any refugees that were fleeing from war, even other AI that tried to overthrow my neighbouring ally after they (the AI) got defeated. I was role playing as a civilisation that took up the Mantle (from Halo) and put up the policy of “Love thy neighbour but give them a good spanking if they are fucking around.”

[@juke9674]

Fun fact: all the common interactions with fallen empires have the other side of the interaction fully coded as well. If you use console commands to play the fallen materialists and get the "request scientist from normal empire" event you will find out something new: From the normal empires POV, you always just get a request from the fallen empire that says "hey your scientist is clever, let him come with us to help further our research". However, from their side you will realize they are actually just afraid that he will advance your technology too far and that he will immediately be eliminated once he is given up.

[@TheRedKing]

Very cool!!

[@sussysam2000]

Never trust a xeno.

[@Amoth_oth_ras_shash]

ha! i knew it was for the better to keep them!... only makes it more right when their sure shiny battle fleet was swallowed by countless swarms of my fragile but severly sharped fanged and efficient to produce corvettes later! ^^

[@theonesithtorulethemall]

Ah, i always wundert why they wonted my hive lind sientist for anyways, not like they work without zhe hive

[@DontKnow-hr5my]

What the heck that is so cool, i want to see all these event interaction from the fallen empires PoV

[@trutwhut6550]

Awakened empires should act like a enforcer based on their ideologies, be able to demand law changes in empires and the galactic community, etc.

[@TheRedKing]

100000% this

[@etiennegarant7545]

I think it used to be a bit more like this, with some Fallen Empires getting angry at you for going full AI and things like that. Its been many years however, my memory might be wrong

[@davarus]

yes, but at the start they are more quiet, and grow louder and louder over time yk as all the other empires progress and get stronger

[@DarkKnight52365]

@@etiennegarant7545 the holy empire will be shocked and pissed if you decide to crack one of the holy worlds and thus declaring a holy crusade against you lol

[@Silamon2]

@@DarkKnight52365 They do the same if you complete cybernetic ascension and turn your pops into robots. Or at least they used to, been a few years since I went that route.

[@leonardoalfonso7080]

I wish Paradox would make interactions with them more dynamics and RNG. I also wish we could mess with them like forcing them to change ideologies to becoming our protectorates.

[@TheRedKing]

I wish once awakened they acted like regular empires diplomatically! I.e. join federations and the galactic senate etc

[@leonardoalfonso7080]

@@TheRedKing I feel the same. By the way, you should experiment with AI art to generate images for your videos. Imaging getting beautifully render images of spaceships, xenos, and orbital bombardments!

[@TheContingency25x]

@@TheRedKing They can form/join federations but I’m pretty sure that’s only for the xenophile awakened empire and when the crisis arrives.

[@TheContingency25x]

I especially wish they would do more with the machine fallen empire since there is a lot that could be done (especially with central processing and when they fought the contingency multiple times cycles ago) because right now they are kind of bland (even more than the others) since the only time they awaken is when the contingency arrive and apart from that they basically just sit there doing nothing. It would be nice if paradox implemented more lore between the contingency and machine fallen empire and maybe make it so that central processing can be restored so that we can see this ancient custodian at its full might. Also correct me if I’m wrong but aren’t the machine fallen empire the oldest of them all.

[@JEP1776AEP]

@@TheRedKing completely agree, I always end up just conquering them then releasing them as a vassal, but its pretty unsatisfying because they lose their special buildings and anything that made them unique. It would be great to have some more diplomatic options.

[@Noctazar]

I like one theory I saw somewhere about the Fallen Spiritualists' Holy Worlds, where it was stated that their Holy Worlds are actually graveyards of their saints and soldiers who died in an ancient holy war.

[@williek08472]

I always thought the Holy Worlds were old colony worlds of theirs

[@thirstyserpent1079]

From what I recall in some cases the Gaia world can spawn with a level 10 singularity. Mind you the fallen empires themselves have I think class 4 singularities on their worlds so the fact a class 10 is sitting there un used is concerning. Especially when you consider a class 30 singularity is the threat the contingency is trying to stop.

[@pumpkin_pants3828]

​@@thirstyserpent1079 the Contingency are wrong, theyre an old remnant of the Cybrex that was left over from before they switched ideologies

[@benjaminknode6268]

@@thirstyserpent1079 Are you by chance getting singularity and anomaly mixed up? They are not necessarily the same kind of thing.

[@johnmajorenos5162]

@@pumpkin_pants3828 the contingency wasnt a part of the cybrex. Both of them have different creators

[@johnthecrazedsskull81]

The interesting thing about the Ancient Caretakers is they were actually what remains of a ancient civilisation trying to survive an unknown crisis by cyro-sleep, but with the destruction of Central Processing, the Ancient Cryo-Chambers failed. Meaning out of all the Fallen Empires, the Caretakers are arguably the only ones whose entire civilisation has fallen into none-existence.

[@grey_apache]

I love the idea of the old guard just being tired, old and broken species who watch the new galactic conflicts and see their own mistakes being repeated

[@etiennegarant7545]

I really like how you tied many systems and crisis into a broader story, this is now my new headcanon. Very nicely done!

[@TheRedKing]

Thanks Étienne; it was fun putting the puzzle together :) Ketlings made a worthy sacrifice!

[@etiennegarant7545]

@@TheRedKing The Ketlings are a curiosity to me; I was under the impression that those inhabiting the 3 systems were former pets of a fallen species that used to inhabit these old worlds and mutated their way into accelerated evolution thank to all the stimulating junk around them. There's also the Kleptomaniac Rats from the Rubricator questline, and the Racket Industrial Entreprise Caravaneers, im 100% certain there's a story there worth knitting together.

[@frozengrip2609]

@@hansmatos2504 It is hard to say, it is more likely there are multiple timelines rather than one giant timeline involving everything.

[@eiohnanananunu9871]

@@hansmatos2504 I forgot what the anomaly is, but I found a planet where the entire civilization apparently died out preparing for the Gray Tempest. Somehow they learned about it but they never survived for their plans of survival to reach fruition. There's a lot of little quests and such that tie in together and I think this game is brilliant for anyone who wants to write stories and such.

[@patrickstalls3529]

First time I met a fallen empire, it was the militant guys, and I was curious about what would happen if I declared war (isolationist, figured maybe they'd be defensive)... nope, within seconds there was a 100k fleet at my home world completely eradicating me. Never spoke to another fallen empire in following playthroughs ever again

[@TheRedKing]

Ahaha I think we've all been there Patrick :)

[@thirstyserpent1079]

There use to be a hilarious tactic you could use to destroy much larger enemies during the first half of the game. You would claim a system right next to the militant isolationist, then immediately give it to whoever was your opponent. After which you got to watch as they were forced to cede and abandon that system along with a number of other systems effectively breaking their empire. This got changed later on from what I recall by making it so AI would only take a system they had actually put a claim on as opposed to you shoveling any system into their hands.

[@sargentmonkey5166]

I remember when I played on the console edition pre nemesis changes. If you checked the planet's surface of the spiritualist fallen empire (because it wasn't hidden by intel) they had uniquely named versions of their jobs with a job description that implies they actually do have a religion! For example, their technicians are acolytes of the hydrospanner and the job description mentions Bazagg the shining. Other names mentioned are Saint Mazakudal who defeated "the first wraith", Kazargiel who defeated the thrice cursed demon and Aznakha who wanted to urge people into the workshops

[@squeakdragon9689]

Fun Stellaris Fact! You can still see all those old names/jobs in game (PC) by going into properties and rolling back the game to a different version!

[@plexusGD]

They removed that? Oh man.

[@YourLocalMairaaboo]

@@plexusGD They haven't, just way harder to get the intel to see it.

[@ddpzzp553]

sounds vaguely Zoroastrian to me

[@yehiahuzayyin7972]

In defense of the Observers, they only use actual robots as labor. Synthetics are off-limits. In fact, one of the modifiers in their AI's personality is "Robot Liberator," meaning they consider sapient robots to be as worthy of respect as any other race. Honestly, from an in-universe perspective, being a signatory is easily a very good thing. You've got a powerful ally who'll come to your aid in any crisis. You're still allowed diplomatic autonomy and the right to peacefully expand. And you're still allowed to research whatever tech you want. In other words, they're perfect for Tall empire builders.

[@DT-vh5yw]

But it’s the MESSAGE behind it.

[@MilutinMujovic]

I really wish we had fallen empires for hive minds, militarists, pacifists, egalitarians, and authoritharians.

[@TheRedKing]

Void Dweller hive mind, with loads of broken megastructures maybe as pacifists?

[@waffleking2276]

@@TheRedKing I also like this idea, maybe some sort of sad backstory of violent self destruction that killed the homeworld, forcing them to live amoungst the stars?

[@justinrice5405]

The only problem I can see with Militarists is that they'd wake up soon. Their society is that of a warrior culture, and they'd either be fighting each other, or beating up other small empires as they rise.

[@brettoelschlager8249]

I feel like the militaristic fallen empire equivalent are the marauder empires.

[@svarf1752]

@@justinrice5405 When I imagine a militarist Fallen Empire, I rather think they would be focused on gladiatorial battles and demand your best admirals and generals, for there are no great challenges in the galaxy.

[@DarkestMirrored]

The way that the Caretakers tie into the Contingency makes it pretty clear to me that there's been a previous activation of the Contingency in the galaxy.

[@asingularhuman]

I made the mistake of declaring war on one of them, I thought because they where a “fallen” empire they where weak… fair to say I got decimated.

[@TrippaMazing87]

That story about the war in heaven makes me want a mod that takes place when they all controlled the galaxy together

[@TheRedKing]

Wouldn't be suprised if there was a mod out there for this already, maybe one where you start as a Fallen Empire?

[@enderman_of_d00m24]

@@TheRedKing Play with ZOFE and ACOT, and you get to grow into an Ascended Empire on par with or even above the Fallen/Awakened Empires. Include GSE if you want to throw in weaponized planets too

[@venomdragon7853]

@@enderman_of_d00m24 What's ZOFE?

[@Dude-vq3oe]

I like the idea of a fallen empire awakening. It’s kinda like “Oooo, you’ve done it now! You’ve awoken the slumbering beast! You mess with us, you’ll be hurt beyond repair!”

[@enderman_of_d00m24]

I think the whole concept is a Babylon 5 reference. when the Vorlons and Shadows, who were like Fallen Empires, awakened, the war between them would've consumed the whole galaxy if not for "The League of Non-Aligned worlds", which is another B5 reference. NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF OUR GALAXY! Both of you!

[@jeffers9001]

The only problem is whenever they wake up my empire and other players/ai empires have already surpassed them, unless you have a really bad start anyway. They need to be expanded upon.

[@sirmikelove]

"oooHHH Now you fucked up!! Now you fucked up! NOW! YOU! FUCKED! UP! You have fucked up now! (Now you fucked up!) x6"

[@kurumachikuroe442]

*laughs as my five world engines swat aside their fleets* gigastructural engineering is OP as hell lol

[@manlyman2624]

*Laughs in 500k fleet•

[@KenshiImmortalWolf]

What i find interesting is that you didn't bring up that the caretakers lost the very creators they where suppose to be caring for. Their refuges have massive cryo stations with billions of pods, all of which house dead organics. Taking up a ton of useable space.

[@TheRedKing]

Its coming :) watch this space, couple weeks!

[@KenshiImmortalWolf]

@@TheRedKing interesting. though that does explain why they are glitched out, you have to wonder if there will ever be a quest to try and restore their creators, there are some event chains where you can revive dead species

[@amongusus47825]

​@@TheRedKing liar

[@NewNewColt]

Paradox should hire you to help with story telling. Recently found your channel and have nearly binged the whole thing at this point.

[@cosmictreason2242]

Well, he’s just synthesizing. He would say as much, that you shouldn’t give him too much creative credit

[@TheRedKing]

I think their writers are waaaaaaaaaay better than me :) alot of what I do is just verbalise their stories and occasionally pad it out a bit; it does depend on the video though

[@tateullock7236]

@@TheRedKing it takes skill to pad out this much this well, you gave the stories skin, blood, and some minor organs, they're fully alive now. Also, why do your walls taste like wafers?

[@vidicul9109]

@@TheRedKing hey man imo you’re way better than their writers. You really made the stories feel alive, in a way that I can’t really explain.

[@emjayrogers1987]

One of my favorite things about the fallen empires in general is that the overall concept of them is inspired by the First Ones, specifically the Vorlons and Shadows, from the Babylon 5 tv show. The Vorlons were spiritual pacifists, and the Shadows were militarists. There’s even a bit of flavor text when awakening a fallen empire that is a direct reference to a B5 quote: “Giants on the playground”

[@Tamamo-no-Bae]

The Vorlons were not spiritual pacifists, they were spiritual authoritarians. They believed in strict order and discipline to achieve a prosperous society. The Shadows on the other hand were the opposite, and believed in growth through chaos and strife.

[@Xcyiterr]

as someone who did not even realise there was a system like the one the fanatic pacifists had, I wish there was a possible timeline where they survived and became a fallen empire like the rest, keeping that beautiful core planetary system of 1+6* worlds I'd love to see what they would be like as an actual empire in game honestly;;

[@TheRedKing]

The system exists in the game, but yes sadly the empire died many years ago

[@stiulete3738]

So in the end, our crisis and war in heaven is the equivalent of World War 2 and the notion of history repeats itself?

[@normankolibaba9605]

I think it would be awesome to be able to interact more with these AI factions

[@TheRedKing]

100%

[@dr.veronica6155]

I really wish you could interact with them more. As it is, I usually just ignore them completely until the beginning of the endgame, where I'll declare war on one of them and beat them up until they'll accept a Status Quo end to the war so I can study the wreckage of the ships I destroy and have Dark Matter tech for the Endgame Crisis. I never let them make me a subject though. Even if it's the benevolent ones who just want galactic peace. Being the protector of the galaxy is a job for *me* because *I* am the Custodian, thank you very much. As that one ascension perk says, they are simply decrepit old empires clinging to the ruins of their once-great civilizations. Their time has long since passed, and the Foundation will not be bullied by ancient fools with delusions of granduer who believe that being in charge once means they have a mandate to be in charge forever. Also, this has nothing to do with Fallen Empires, but I wish the game didn't consider spiritualist and materialist as violently opposed to one another and impossible to have together. Let me make my techno cult. I want to be the Church of the Broken God.

[@TheRedKing]

100% agree with both points, particularly the last one. Tech priests please!

[@RobertDrane]

It's definitely not going to be easy to workaround the mutual exclusivity, but I wondered about how this would work for a while and stumbled on the idea of faction demands and rewards linked to civics.

[@Vasilefs_Terranorum]

I think the ethics and civics mod has allows for a tech-priests civic, which actually causes some pretty substantial changes to play style.

[@Jenna_Talia]

My last game had the prethoryn spawn behind a dormant fallen empire. Couldn't get to them, so I waited for them and I got this pop up from a hivemind that said "my liege, the prethoryn are invading! You must protect us!" (I was galactic empress) I've never seen that pop up at all, confused the hell out of me. Either way, the prethoryn rolled over that fallen empire and an awakened one managed to hold them at bay for a while until I put together good fleets.

[@fedorustimenko3057]

Someone played as a spacefaring SCP Foundation, huh. Gotta try it myself. If you please, can you tell what civics/origins you used?

[@Naymy]

Anyone think it was likely, that, at some point in time, the Xenophile Fanatic's went to war with the Fanatic Purifiers, the Prikkiki-Ti and Shielded their world in a time bubble?

[@TheRedKing]

Very likely!!

[@zacharycarver2735]

I have over 600 hours played and now only realize that there’s only 5 fallen empires…

[@UnholyWrath3277]

I always put the fallen empires in a bubble. Like you wanted to be left alone and now you will be :)

[@TheContingency25x]

Shouldn’t the contingency replace the unbidden as it is stated by the machine fallen empire that they have fought the contingency multiple of times and won but they have not stated that they fought the unbidden.

[@TheRedKing]

mmmm - Maybe, but I figured the unbidden fit the story nicely

[@TheContingency25x]

@@TheRedKing They kind of do. They fit a lot more than the prethoryn scourge do at least.

[@Cevonis]

@@TheRedKing when the contingency happen the caretakers awaken to help defeat them and say that they've fought the contingency multiple times but were beaten time and again and that this time would be their last, or something like that.

[@TheContingency25x]

@@Cevonis Either that or they go berserk. One mystery we may never know is where the caretakers go after the contingency is defeated. It is said that they go to the heart of the galaxy but what lies there?

[@crim1188]

@@TheContingency25x Contingency I'd guess

[@jeremieherard2166]

0:18 Observers 1:43 Holy Guardians 3:37 Keepers of Knowledge 4:30 Militant Isolationists 6:45 Ancient Caretakers

[@dm-rj2zg]

I like how you mixed in some ai-generated portraits and stuff, adds some nice flavor

[@TheRedKing]

Thanks Dom !

[@brothbjibbajab6217]

@@TheRedKing If you are using Midjourney you can add --ar 2:3 to make the results widescreen

[@TheRedKing]

Aha I shall do this, thank you ! I'm a total noob and have not had the time to really experiment beyond the basic image generation

[@koiosdamocles1090]

Shalash is my favorite system to restore through the worm event and remake into a paradise system.

[@greggreg2458]

I like the fallen empires very much, i fell in love with ACOT mod, being able to surpass them is always a key moment of any run i do. I still remember the first time i won a war against a fallen empire.

[@ShionWinkler]

"The War In Heaven" is used a lot I have noticed, here, 40k lore, Dr.Who lore...

[@TheRedKing]

The Bible as well, it's been throughly used!

[@Gizz101]

War in heaven seems to be used often for wars of unimaginable scales in many games

[@spawnkeeper999]

Dude this video is so well done. The pacing, story telling and the overall ambiance achieved through sound. Amazing job!!!

[@TheRedKing]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for letting me know :)

[@wattz9580]

Fun fact:a warhammer 40k reference is the war in heaven,which in 40k refers to galactic battle of the same name

[@kermitthefrog1176]

recently i played rogue servitors with the broken ring origin, i got the cybrex precursor event, and the caretakers that spawned next to me got killed off by an empire, so i took their systems and ended up with 4 ringworlds without actually having the tech for it

[@jasonshen7600]

Fallen Empires in the early game: Obey or die mortal. 2 hours later Player: HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TEACH YOU THIS LESSON OLD MAN?

[@Liam-iv7wk]

That was some sweet use of stable diffusion. Very sleek

[@TheRedKing]

AI art for someone like me with 0 artistic talent is absolutely game changing - i love it

[@ViIgax]

I proudly align myself with the unapologetic Isolationists, those who grasp the harsh and unyielding nature of the galaxy. The cosmos isn't some whimsical, star-studded utopia where everyone gathers around a campfire, holding hands, singing kumbaya, and living in blissful harmony. No, it's a brutal, cutthroat battleground where only the fittest and most cunning survive. Believing in some utopian fantasy of everlasting peace is not just naive, it's catastrophic. We Isolationists understand that in a galaxy teeming with countless civilizations, each vying for supremacy, there is no room for complacency or misguided idealism. It’s a world dominated by the principle of "conquer or be conquered". There is no cozy middle ground where diplomacy alone can guarantee security and prosperity. If you're not prepared to rise to the occasion, to assert your dominance, and to defend what is yours, you'll find yourself quickly overrun by those who are less naive and far more ruthless. This is the unforgiving reality of our galaxy, a reality we must confront head-on without any sugar-coated illusions. We understand that power and strength are the only currencies that truly matter. In this vast expanse, those who cling to whimsical notions of universal peace and brotherhood are doomed to be trampled by the relentless march of those who know better. So, let's dispense with the fantasies and face the stark truth: survival demands strength, strategy, and an unwavering will to prevail.

[@angelopueyygarcia43]

The one thing I hate the most about Stellaris is that if you choose remnant, which basically makes you the last of an empire the same as the fallen empires. They don't react to this or even acknowledge this fact. I value RP over anything else in this game and to me this is my biggest disappointment

[@Trooper50000]

With being a remnant, you were possibly a remnant of a civilization older then them or the current people of them in charge have no knowledge of the other empires that weren't their old enemies, so basically you can be a forgotten remnant and your people play along to avoid a repeat of what made them that in the first place

[@dustyrussell6939]

Ive never had the war in heaven begin and ive played 200 hours more or less. I did have a fallen empire rise and try to force a non-aggression pact on the galaxy along with making us all their protectorates. I was right beside them and refused thinking i was about to be in a hell of a war but they maintained peace with me the entire game. Good thing to because the scourge popped up in the strongest empires borders and even with my rush to exterminate them they were wiped out.

[@TheRedKing]

Stick with it, at least two fallen empires in the game and it will happen eventually

[@tredausmaxima]

Sometimes it happens. Sometimes it doesn't happen. I encountered the war in heaven at least twice.

[@aslysa2277]

Finally a channel that covers stellaris lore !!!!!! Always been wanting to know more and get into the games universe

[@TheRedKing]

Hope it delivers :)

[@Ausfailia]

The war in heaven is so rare these days, it rarely triggers for me

[@TheRedKing]

Agreed, I find it works best on a small map with 2 fallen Empires only.

[@Ausfailia]

@@TheRedKing I'll give that a go

[@RobertDrane]

I haven't done any Stellaris modding before but your content makes me want to get into it. Hearing that this bombing cracked a tectonic plate and triggered a volcanic reaction I was imagining what possibilities would open up if bombing was handled through a situation rather than through the devastation mechanic

[@TheRedKing]

Do it! :)

[@bocktordaytona5656]

So basically this is warhammer mixed with mass effect with less space demons, but more half life Combine. I just fell in love with this I think.

[@aful3091]

This one was amazing, possibly your best video to date. I almost forgot I was watching a Stellaris video and was totally immersed in the story of the War In Heaven. I've put together a lot of the game's context clues on galactic history myself but you lay em out very well.

[@salvof.8880]

It's the first of yours video I watch: it was like listening to an audio book, fantastic voice and narration qualities. Keep up the good work

[@TheRedKing]

Thanks Salvo!! Very kind words, appreicate the support :)

[@joyboy1468]

Wow I caught this one early, I am always up to watch your amazing videos

[@TheRedKing]

Thanks JoyBoy! Glad you're enjoying them :)

[@ranger6609]

Interesting how every game of stellaris is just a repeat of what the Fallen Empires went through. Just a cycle of empires getting too powerful till eventually something snaps by them stretching the limits.

[@athullnexus5450]

I randomly found this video in my sidebar and I am so happy I did. Your voice is amazing as a narrator. Cadence, tone, word choice. It is all perfect! Amazing job! This video also reignited my intrest in Stellaris again. Thank you for that. Can't wait to see your other lore videos too!

[@TheRedKing]

Thanks!! Glad you enjoyed it :) hope you like the other videos as much

[@menk4]

I think It would be more likely for the contingency to be the crisis that targeted all galaxy, we know it is cyclical so it would make sense if they were the treat, also, the unbiden act like if this was the first time they enter the galaxy, while the contingency is just following an old rutine. Also, I think caretakers weren't an empire before the crisis, they call themselves the custodian proyect, a proyect, not an empire, likely to be made by the other fallen empires as a contender against the contingency, that's why it reacts when the contingency awakes guarding the galaxy or in the worst case scenario fighting against it. The rest of the data seems correct, the empires fought eachother then the crisis arrived the caretakers were built and later disabled. At least that's my opinion

[@nfwrambo]

I’ve been looking for something like this ever since the spiffing Brit ascended

[@TheRedKing]

All hail Spif, the God of Tea

[@thainemartin5766]

I just listened to the XT-489 video right before this so the Caretakers got a chuckle out of me

[@TheRedKing]

Aha yes ! The continuation of a solid lore structure is lacking, nevertheless it makes for good stories and lots of speculation :) hope you enjoyed it

[@greeny3x399]

Great video, but wouldve loved a note on the reawakening of the caretakers in case of the contigency crisis, as that could give insight into why the caretakers were created.

[@TheRedKing]

Maybe i'll do something on them specifically :)

[@greeny3x399]

@@TheRedKing that would be very cool :) The Contigency in general has very cool Lore implications, my theory has always been that it was created to prevent the "End of the Cicle" to happen

[@verty6006]

Love your videos! soothing, calming and at the same time entertaining. Its like m being told a bed time story!

[@TheRedKing]

Thanks Verty :) Happy to hear it, glad you enjoy them

[@austinmatney4707]

I really enjoyed you video! Keep it up! I won my first War in Heaven not to long ago. It was an almighty slugging match. Along with the Unbidden arriving during the half way mark of the War in Heaven. It stunk. I had to trade time and space with the Unbidden. So that I could deal with the awakened empires. I eventually had to make peace with one of them so that I could recall a couple of my fleets back to deal with the Unbidden who were getting too close to my territory for comfort. Eventually the Unbidden were mopped up by a joint effort between me and my allies. I was then able to clean up the remaining Awakened Empire I was at war with and waited out the truce with the other Awakened Empire before coming down hard on their last few remaining fleets and systems. So many worlds were shielded and many worlds were cracked in that God forsaken war. In my personal opinion, the War in Heaven is the hardest thing to deal with. You lose so much infrastructure and planets that you are unable to reclaim. All the other crisis are easier to deal with because they hit the galaxy hard in the beginning, but spread out to a point where they can't mutually support one another and if you can get your fleets together effectively, you can defeat them in detail. Along with that you can reclaim the lost territory and rebuild your infrastructure as you continue to fight the war. The Awakened Empires on the other hand, their fleets never seem to operate far from their territory and are able to move insanely fast to react to any in roads that are made into their territory. Not to mention their main star bases can be over 150,000k plus. Which takes a toll on your fleets. Pending on where they are and you are, fleet reinforcements can take up to a few weeks to a few months to arrive in time to bring the fleets back up to strength. By then you've already fought off the Awakened Empire fleet that has come to exact another toll on your already weakened fleets. I've lost more ships to Awakened Empire wars than I have to any crisis factions.

[@wubbalubbadubdub5867]

I was surprised an saddened that the isolationist/militarist agressors didnnt attack or get attacked the unbidden. It would not only make sense but would 100% be karma for their senseless agression

[@Emanon...]

Such a great channel! Cheers!

[@TheRedKing]

Thanks AJ! 👍

[@chrispines3477]

I’ve watched your vids for a while now and it’s really awesome to see you getting so many views! Congrats king, looking forward to more.

[@TheRedKing]

Cheers Chris!! :)

[@panmopsel]

I once caused religious crisis in holy guardian’s empire, i was machine empire and got zarqlann’s head. Your chosen is machine you hate XD

[@MorpheussUK]

Thank you for these videos, since starting your playlist I've been hooked and since I suck at Stellaris I'd most likely never come across and learn about these things without you :D Love this style of naration by the way, keep it up.

[@TheRedKing]

Happy you're enjoying them!! Thanks for letting me know :)

[@internetzenmaster8952]

4:40 "Militant Isolationists" An entire civilization that operates on the "Hippity Hoppity _get the fuck off_ my property/lawn" mindset. Brutal, but effective. Doubly so when they have damn xenomorph-style shocktroops.

[@toasteroven5636]

In my first play through as a normal machine empire I found the holy head shortly after the holy guardians woke up. They were always friendly because of that and even once sent me a gift.

[@ravioli9154]

Rewatching this post Machine Age dlc and realising why the spiritualist FE revered Zarqualan's head so much 😳

[@dinodude6992]

So does that mean that for every galaxy a crisis and a war in heaven both happened... If so, then what does that mean for Blorgs bane

[@isuckatusernames4297]

funny that the fallen caretaker used as portrait is the one that in my games, I use all the time as a driven exterminator empire

[@TheRedKing]

Funny you mention it, I actually wanted to use the portrait from the screengrab in the video for the thumb; but could not find it anywhere! Found every machine portrait except that one!

[@Hanzo25389]

These damn fallen empires are so difficult to deal with all they do is ask for money or if you want to go to war you gotta have like one hundred million fleet power or something like that just to conquer their system😭😭

[@OphiumsCopiumDen]

I got to be the chosen of Zarqlan and the shroud with my psychic parrots. So overpowered

[@MasterBot98]

Spiritualism is quite real in the realm of Stellaris(psionics+unbidden). What exactly is the difference between materialism and spiritualism is up for interpretation though. Also there is a mod for a fallen hive-mind.

[@felixalexisortizlagos6904]

I miss a fanatic autoritarian Fallen Empire, it would be literally the galactic empire from Asimov's Fuondation

[@LordNotlek]

Would be great if they had an option to have a second galactic community led by or with members of the e fallen empires in them

[@danielk5780]

There are mechanics regarding the end-game crisis around where a Fallen Empire can take Galactic Custodianship or lead a Federation with regular empires to beat the crisis.

[@Hecktor_]

I could see stellaris being the dark age of technology from 40k

[@silentreflection5350]

Quick correction: Spiritualist Fallen Empires don't use the Divine Enforcer colossus weapon as mentioned, they use the Neutron Sweep, which wipes out all pops on a planet while leaving the planet intact for resettlement.

[@TheRedKing]

Yeah, but it doesn't make sense... I reckon it's because the Enforcer was added after the Fallen Empires and they either forgot or cba to change it - or maybe they just left it as intended... i'll have to remember to ask

[@silentreflection5350]

@@TheRedKing It actually makes perfect sense. Remember those holy worlds Spiritualist Fallen Empires declare war on you over if you colonize. What is the most effective way to remove your presence on them, while leaving the planet itself unharmed?

[@lachlanmercer9381]

@@silentreflection5350 the planet would be harmed significantly by a neutron sweep, whereas the divine enforcer would immediately make the trespassers agree with the spiritualists and leave voluntarily.

[@Jo-Heike]

Can't wait to play as a fallen empire in the new DLC.

[@Gizz101]

I don't think you can your empire can become a fallen empire after you dip and leave the galaxy but idk entirely I'm stuck on xbox so I rely on reddit and google to get answers

[@Jo-Heike]

@@Gizz101 I am unsure exactly what you're trying to say. But from the info I have heard from dev blogs once you "ascend" you'll leave behind a portion of your empire to monitor the galaxy, and you can also decide to play as any empire in existance, including your former empire, who are know a true fallen empire rather than being "awakened".

[@duncanharrell5009]

Surprised they haven’t done a Megacorp fallen empire.

[@TheRedKing]

I think it would be a bit odd to have a megacorp fallen empire; capitalism doesn't stop!

[@duncanharrell5009]

Yeah but could still be cool, especially if their domain of space was entirely artificial so to speak. Like just ecumenopoli, habitats, and ring worlds, with each solely dedicated to production of something.

[@TheRedKing]

Void Dweller Fallen Empire I could definitely get behind!

[@cosmictreason2242]

@@TheRedKing literally. Economics is an infinite game. The only way to stop it is to remove all potential players. Only finite games stop because there are defined victory conditions. But whereas companies can gain or lose market share and be incorporated or go bankrupt, the market continues because new players keep entering. Ergo, it is literally impossible to have a fallen empire be a megacorp. At least not continuously. It may Have stopped or begun but it would not have fallen without a change in civics. In similar fashion to how spiritualists will not become materialists without ceasing to become spiritualists, using stellaris definitions anyway

[@cosmictreason2242]

@@duncanharrell5009 so you could have that but only if they have been a different civic while they were fallen

[@GamingMasterAnthony]

I forget of the origin that puts you as a race from one of the moons around the planet is a mod or not, but there’s an origin like that

[@TheRedKing]

Sounds like a mod to me !

[@MrKhalsaman]

I don’t know if this was due to a mod or a base game feature but I started a save and one of the fallen empires was one of the empires/species that I had created and played as in the past

[@TheRedKing]

Base game feature that any empire set as "can" spawn, has a chance to spawn as an FE

[@basedimperialism]

The Holy Guardians worshipping the Head of Zar'qlan makes sense. Religions often place great spiritual importance on things related to a holy figure. For instance, Muhammad's banner and sword, or the Lance of Longinus that pierced Jesus' chest while crucified. The Head of Zar'qlan is the equivalent of sameone having the preserved body of Abraham himself.

[@j.vinton4039]

When I score the Head of Zar’qlan with the Guardians near by I always get a bit giddy. They basically allow you to field an extremely advanced fleet at all times as long as you got the influence to accommodate it. I always name their fleet “Warriors of Zar’qlan” and they can be a serious force in your military.

[@vasheroo]

Decided to watch this just after the xenophile and materialist FEs have started the war in heaven in my galaxy. I'm an inward perfectionist void dweller with a large swath of territory isolated to two chokepoints, a wormhole and two L-Gates (I control Terminal Egress). Inward Perfectionist is a bit weird, but I thought my best RP would be to give the whole galaxy the cold shoulder and focus on my kingdom. Earth and the other great powers joined together in a Federation of Non-Aligned Empires to resist the Fallen Empires. I had already eschewed the galactic community, focusing on my great Romulan Empire. To my surprise the Awakened Empires declared war on the Federation instead of my independent Empire. We will see what fate has in store for the galaxy!

[@whydidyoutubeaddthis]

Love this kind of stuff. Very nice

[@TheRedKing]

Thank you!

[@alvarohernani6645]

0:11 oh i know this one, the Necrons vs the Old ones, a cataclysmic war of galactic proportions

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

Uh, didn’t the Custodian Fallen Machine Empire pretty explicitly say they were made to prevent the Contengency from rising again?

[@TheRedKing]

I don't think I said anything to contradict this? 🧐

[@yumasakasacurakie1076]

The fanatic spiritualist also revere a star as well

[@NobodyofNot]

Since this is a year old then idk if it was around then, but once when i had the Caretakers and the Contingency, after the crisis was defeated, then the Caretakers just abandoned the galaxy. If i remember right, the text said that they pointed their ships at the galactic blackhole and just left.

[@Gizz101]

Yea they just dip and leave the galaxy idk why though

[@lastyhopper2792]

Imagine this game tied up with rimworld. Now you can visit every planet

[@TheRedKing]

Imagine a no mans sky style, where you can play as a science ship within the Stellaris Universe 👀

[@TheKingSalty]

"So you're the Fallen Guardians eh? What's your Doomsd..." "WOLOLO! "

[@radiofish5649]

Thank you for the lore

[@TheRedKing]

Thank you for watching :)

[@TheMem513185]

we need the Egalitarian and Authoritarian ones

[@TheRedKing]

Agreed

[@WurrzagsMorkyMischeif]

It would be really cook if the Roshan returned from the edge of the galaxy, having been twisted by the atrocities against then they had become fanatic purifiers, wishibg to scourge all life from the galaxy so such events could never befall them again

[@jakethorpe8290]

i have a fuedal imperium. The preserve is now my thrall world. everything destroyed to mine

[@tomatoheadfd]

Epic Video.

[@TheRedKing]

Thanks very much!! :)

[@tomatoheadfd]

@@TheRedKing Ofcourse, I always like lore condensing video's like this. Is much more fun to learn about it all.

[@Observe30]

What happens to fallen empire pops when you claim their worlds.

[@TheRedKing]

Same as any other conquered empire, you acquire their pops and use them as you wish

[@Guardias]

A civilization without the will to defend itself doesn't deserve to exist.

[@silverbird425]

Perhaps the Caretakers should hire some Human Geeks to help with the software debugging and hardware upgrades.

[@nanosum1]

Amazing video!

[@TheRedKing]

Glad you think so!

[@unifiedhorizons2663]

i feel like with the Care takers, you should be able to instantly force them into a alliance, if you the player builds a new Hivemind computer and gift it to them, and they should be able to speak. like seriously if the player can build a super weapon then a hivemind processing computer should be eAasily built we techually, we already have one with NASA having the 5000 gigs of data processing power. so yeah that should be a option with the player

[@levrur7913]

I don't think you understand that NASA computer although insane is nothing compared to Stellaris scale. Remember that Artificial intelligence is infinitely smart and powerful as long as the memory is expanding. To truly awaken the caretaker's we would need a computer the size of a planet

[@VulpesChama]

All this has happened before, and all this will happen again.

[@franziscoschmidt]

Love your content!

[@TheRedKing]

Glad to hear it! :) Thanks for letting me know!

[@Antonin1738]

I just wish that when they Awake they can fight against the crisis. but usually they just get rolled over

[@cosmictreason2242]

I wish they would get free ships every few years if fighting the crisis. Like 300k worth of fleet power I mean

[@timweiner7990]

The fact that He said Delta before gamma at 6:55 makes me irrationally angry. That's Like saying "Refuges A, B, D, and C."

[@TheRedKing]

Sorry Tim; blame my senior school that's probably where I got it from... We had three "houses" for some reason it was always read/spoken as Delta, Gamma, Sigma... Never questioned it :) I'll aim to remember this if there is a next time!

[@timweiner7990]

@@TheRedKing It's not really a big deal, I'm just being extra dramatic. ;) I'm teaching my girlfriend Greek at the moment, and we've been reciting the alphabet a LOT, so it just felt extra noticeable lol. Good video though man! Well produced. It's a like from me.

[@DEMONOFLOVEANDDEATH]

Another great video

[@TheRedKing]

You've been binging! Hope you've enjoyed the videos