An offer I can't refuse from BIs to become their vassal. I'm already the dominant power in the Galaxy, but I'm nowhere strong enough to take them on directly. Should I accept? How would it fare for my Victory Condition?
I got an offer from Benevolent Interventionists
- Thread starter Zeqs
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I haven't actually had to do this myself so take it with a grain of salt but the Benevolent Interventionists are probably the best race to be vassalized by. If memory serves the only thing it prevents is allowing you to declare war on other people. I'm not sure if this will be a problem for you or not, it could be if you're an expansionist military empire.
Should you accept you can always declare a war for independence later when you build up your forces and research technology. While you do that you're basically protected by an extremely powerful empire and so it could be a good time to dismantle focus on economic growth and development as well as research.
In your shoes, I'd probably accept to keep them on good terms and take a break from military conquest in order to focus internally. Maybe terraform worlds, colonize more inside your borders, genetically modify your species to be better, that sort of thing.
Best of luck with it!
Should you accept you can always declare a war for independence later when you build up your forces and research technology. While you do that you're basically protected by an extremely powerful empire and so it could be a good time to dismantle focus on economic growth and development as well as research.
In your shoes, I'd probably accept to keep them on good terms and take a break from military conquest in order to focus internally. Maybe terraform worlds, colonize more inside your borders, genetically modify your species to be better, that sort of thing.
Best of luck with it!
Benevolent Interventionists are actually the worst AE to be vassalized by, for the reasons Aphil has already outlined. You can`t declare war, and I`m assuming there`s not much space left to expand peacefully, so building up until you can stand up to them will be hard, even if you have a couple of sensible planets left in your territory. You can`t win the game if you aren`t independent, so you`ll have too sooner or later.
I`d say refuse. Remember, you don`t have to beat them in a war, it`s enough to outlast their patience. The AI is not smart enough to win a war if you avoid direct confrontation.
Good luck!
I`d say refuse. Remember, you don`t have to beat them in a war, it`s enough to outlast their patience. The AI is not smart enough to win a war if you avoid direct confrontation.
Good luck!
It's not good to be vassalized by any Fallen Empire but all the other ones demand research, energy/minerals or other valuable things that may hamper your future rebellion. At least with the BI you can focus solely on building up your forces. Maybe once they vassalize a lot of other empires you can involve them in your war of independence as well. 
Yeah, well... you can deal with less research, energy/minerals or other valuable things, you can much less deal with lack of expansion. Having only access to what is in your territory at the beginning of you being a signatory is what really hampers your future rebellion, as there`s a hard cap on what you can do. With any other AE you can still grow until you can actually face your Overlord in battle.
I`ve never seen other empires joining wars of independence, and I don`t think it is actually possible in the game right now.
I`ve never seen other empires joining wars of independence, and I don`t think it is actually possible in the game right now.
This.
My game was going very well until I accepted vassalization by Benevolent Interventionists. Since I was already boxed in and not allowed to declare war or do much diplomacy, I had no way of expanding and therefore no way of growing and therefore no way of ever breaking free.. so... the game kindof ended there. Was a shame.
Sounds like it largely depends on you situation when it comes to expansion.
Got a lot of worlds in your borders you haven't colonized? Might get away with saying yes and build up by building... up.
Only way left to grow is by conquest? better to try on your own path, perhaps hoping for a crisis so you can join up as equals, or a War in Heaven, where the loyal get rewarded with tons of territory in victory and the clever can play both sides to win it all.
Got a lot of worlds in your borders you haven't colonized? Might get away with saying yes and build up by building... up.
Only way left to grow is by conquest? better to try on your own path, perhaps hoping for a crisis so you can join up as equals, or a War in Heaven, where the loyal get rewarded with tons of territory in victory and the clever can play both sides to win it all.
Last best hope can actually be quite easy if you let the two awaken fallen empires maul each other then swoop in and destroy whoever wins after their fleets battle.
Do they immediately attack you if you refuse to sign? I've only had the benevolent interventionist awake once they offered me the treaty and I refused and they never attacked me. I wasn't that big either and there fleet could have easily crushed me.
From experience, if you are not adjacent to a AFE, and are not the smallesst still-unvassalized empire, AFE's will usually ignore you.
They seem to exclusively go for whatever smallest target is avaible.
As well, even if you refuse and they DO declare war on you, the wargoal will only be enforcing the vassalization (I think).
They seem to exclusively go for whatever smallest target is avaible.
As well, even if you refuse and they DO declare war on you, the wargoal will only be enforcing the vassalization (I think).
Only accept if you have a plan to outgrow them without being able to declare war.
That said, it would be great if there was a way to engage in further diplomacy with your overlord. For instance a mechanism to win the favor of the interventionists and then demand they allow to annex part of another vassal would go a long way to make living under them more fun. The ability to convince other empires to join your rebellion would be great too.
That said, it would be great if there was a way to engage in further diplomacy with your overlord. For instance a mechanism to win the favor of the interventionists and then demand they allow to annex part of another vassal would go a long way to make living under them more fun. The ability to convince other empires to join your rebellion would be great too.
I'm already the most powerful Empire in the Galaxy, with the largest territory as well. But apparently I'm still the first one they peg for, because I'm right next door.
As for habitable worlds, I've scanned the galaxy and it seems there's no more habitable planets free to colonize other than the ones in Empire territories. I still have a lot more uncolonized tomb worlds and other unhospitable planets, but I've got Synths tech so it's only a matter of time.
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Sounds like you should be able to handle them? The AI is usually a bit weaker than its stats claim especially if you use a bit of cunning. Once you engage in a war with a FE or AE you do get to scan some good tech from the debris fields, which accelerates your own military significantly.
Their kind of Thralldoom means:
You can not declare war, but will be defended by the FE if declared upon. Might lock out other form of diplomacy like Federations and Defense pacts too.
There is a decent chance they will not attack you outright. I was one of the strongest empire in my corner once. But even after rejecting the BI, they went for some other Empires/Federations in that corner of the galaxy first.
Sooo I gave them a suckerpunch right before they awaken (I kept multiple saves, Im still learning, dont judge meeeeh D: ), and that was surprisingly easy. But since there's also the Keepers of Knowledge and I do love my Synths, I reloaded previous save before they awaken, declared war on the Enigmatic Observers and obliterated their fleet but did not otherwise take their worlds, declared and won a war with my Rival with Open Border wargoal (since they're in the path to the Keepers of Knowledge), and suckerpunched the KoKs first before finishing the EOs off. End result, no Awakening, I get Psi Jump Drives, and my neighbors starting to become wary of me.
A few years later, a Portal opened right smack dab in the KoK's territory, but that was quashed within a few months by my 200k+ rapid response fleet. I then went around 'Liberating' enemy territories, who agreed to be my Vassals. The Peaceful Traders' reaction when I declared war on them ("But... w-why?") kinda broke my heart, but they were sitting on the Dragon Hoard, and I can't let them have that.
At this point, the game is 'won', but I might reload the earlier save to try how it feels to deal with an Awakened Empire, or be their Vassal. Or hoping to trigger the War in Heaven.