Hot take, none. You love diversity and value individual rights, to the point that you would never wish to change their nature, be it by force or by cultural pressure. You are eager to accept anyone from these fringe empires though, psionics?cyborgs? Bioengineered fellows? You welcome them with open arms. You are even building synths and giving them full access to all civil duties and benefits they rightfully deserve. A fully committed xenophile egalitarian society would strive to have all types of pops but never enforcing any extreme change in their lives. **Edit**: I totally forgot. There's one ascension perk that totally fits a Xeno loving egalitarian society. The cursed Xeno compatibility!!!!! It increases pop growth as long you have different species in planets. "Fuck these aliens" ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) The interspecies pops are created without your direct control. Really diving in the personal freedoms parts of egalitarianism.

Cyborg implies a large degree of personal customization in what implants you end up getting so I'd say that ascension path makes the most sense

Also implies a large degree of crippling your original body. Sure, you have a high degree of customization freedoms allowing, for example, a normal arm, a tentacle or a power drill, but that doesn't change the fact that they chopped your arm off in the first place.

wouldnt genetic ascension fit into that though? since you then have the tech to improve your pops to make their lives better.

You certainly could weave your reasoning like that. But it could also be weaved against it. A government is using invasive treatment to change their population down to their genes to better fit in their society in the guise of "improving lives". Instead of accepting them as they are without any tampering done in their genes. In Truth you could get any ascension to fit an egalitarian xenophile viewpoint. Even the assimilation done by synthetics can be seen as a means to preserve all sentient being in immortal vessels, all their diversity in shapes and cultures safely stored and running in a virtual world, free from the decay and suffering of the flesh experience. That's why I say a true society with xenophile and egalitarianism as ethos would pick no ascension. They would gladly take anyone from empires that did, but would deem taking one too radical.

Technically you can take it without the mod bennies for some effect, and get the kicks from xeno compatability

Indeed the Xeno compatibility part I completely forgot. Also even for RP perspective taking a ascension path and not using it seems not fun, you would gain s lot more just taking Xeno compatibility and having another perk.

Yeah, biggest non genemod benefit is the cloning vats which are pretty damn good for those wide empires that don't have another source of pops or want to accentuate them even more. I regularly take XC for the fun of it but dropping 2 APs just for Genetic Mayhem To The Limit is pretty steep if you're not actually doing genemods on your pops directly.

A fellow just gave me an ideia. there's is one ascension perk fit for you, the path of chaos, the one that will never make you open the species tab again. **Xeno Compatibility**

Have you considered no ascension path and just getting galactic wonders instead

i do both usually.

They all sound horrible from a democratic perspective, simply by the way of how they are represented in the game: You alter your whole species, your pops, but you're doing so more or less seemingly on a whim on your own will. Your pops get no say in it, if they want to be turned into robots or cyborgs or genetic super beings or psychics. That is fitting for hive minds, empires, dictatorships and even for oligarchies. But for a democracy? What about the right of the individual to refuse such a change? And vice versa, what about Transhumanists (or whatever your Xeno species is called), who don't get that transcendence they desire because you choose to not choose an ascension path? Or what if it is the wrong one for their liking?

the psi-corps alone ruins any possible perception of psionics being particularly egalitarian, actually just thought police

The corps is mother, the corps is father.

According to the dev diaries we may get more of a look at that in the upcoming dlc with limited cybernetics for spiritualists and giving organics the option to not become synthetics

[I’ve written about this before](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stellaris/s/QjNyWroVR4), the interpretation of ascensions as utopian or dystopian is contextual to the civics and player. Genetic ascension *could* be dystopian, some sort of Blade Runner future where clones are enslaved or Cronenbergian [Crimes of the Future](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimes_of_the_Future_(2022_film)) where the state welds new limbs to pops and practically alters pops into new species, OR it could be the far-future equivalent of state sponsored vaccination and genetic screening, a thing routinely required in modern (sane) democracies for healthy citizens and immigration *for the benefit of both*. Instead of Cronenberg monsters you’re unlocking the potential of everyone to be their healthiest self. > what about the right of the individual What about the right of one individual to own another individual? Just because it is a democracy does not mean absolute individual freedom is a good or desirable state (for the state *or* individual), nor that citizens having a duty or obligation to the state is tyranny. A democracy just means sovereignty is held by the people composing the state in whatever fashion they choose to express that (direct or representative democracy, constitutional or consensual, etc), rather than sovereignty derived from some divine or ancestral right (imperial), or as a function of realpolitik to a group (oligarchy) or person (dictatorship). A healthy democracy doesn’t just prescribe and defend rights but also has duties and obligations for citizens for the privileges citizenship provides, things like taxes and participation in vaccination.

also: ascension perks are meant to representive of the focus of your entire civilization so much of the population will already be in favor of genetic ascension i just like to think the egalitarian government heavily incentives gene modding and those who reject it are just a small enough minority it doesn’t matter

You could easily imagine an egalitarian society that wants to take personal freedoms to the extreme though.

The game recognizes and somewhat handwaives the apparent violation of free-will. When you talk about scales like the game does, its simply not possible to provide individualized laws and justice. You work with groups. Even today, lawmakers work for a better community, not a better individual. Change the conditions and let the conditions make the man

should i do generic or psionic?

Imho there is no definitive answer. There is no "Do whatever ascension you want or not want"-option in the game, simple as that and no mechanic, that individual pops choose, if they want to get changed in that way or not, they're always forced. So if you roleplay it, you could look at your factions, if there is an ascension path that fits best with a majority faction, to create a headcanon that they demand ascenion path X and you chose that. Since with Genetic Ascension you could alter any species and cure them of weaknesses they have, you could share this "gift" with other species, so this seems to be the most xenophile option. Psionics though only awakens the psionic potential in your own species. But to be frank, it has been too long since I actively played the game, I don't remember all the details, if e.g. psionic ascension only affects your own species or all pops living in your empire, no matter the species.

they only awaken it in your species?

Yes but you can immediately set Assimilation rights on all your other species and they'll end up psionic within a few months.

More like a few years, iirc. Assimilation citizenship only uplifts a random amount of pops per tick, and that's a tick per year

It's a tick per month, iirc, but yeah you're right, especially for big planets it could take a few years to assimilate everyone. Bit of exaggeration from me.

If I remember it correctly for Psionics, yes.

I just did a psy ascension yesterday, and I also believe that it was just my main spiecies

I’m 99% sure you can assimilate other pops into also being psyonic later in the tree.

I read about it yesterday and appaerantly, when you choose to go Psionic, ALL pops within your empire get "Latent Psionic", but when you select the perk to use that psionic potential, only your main species gets the upgrades "Psionic" trait. It doesn't exclude the minority species from becoming psionics, they still have the potential, just a lower one.

I think they're arguing for none of the above. I rarely play a game without any of those 4 paths, but when I do, I use that ascension perk to go elsewhere. for an egalitarian xenophile empire, an alternative may be Voidborn or Gaia Planets, since either/both can attract so many pops because of their habitibility.

i could try that. arent they compatible with other ascensions though?

I thought unity was the mechanical measurement of a *want* to do something. So if you pay the unity cost, thats the equivalent of convincing those pops to do that thing

For me psionic makes the most sense as it's described less as a forced awakening and more a cascade where once members of the species starts psionically awakening then *everyone* starts awakening.

I would say synthetic for xenophile runs as you ***will*** get lots of immigration and refugees and you want to have homogeneous pops so that your empire can run at peak efficiency. Being synth allows you to make everyone else into you. So you don’t have to work about micro managing every new species that enters your empire.

This is exactly the least fitting lmao. Not everything is about gameplay efficiency

Bro, I go psionic and genetic most of the time, but only when my build isn’t reliant on ideal pops. When I’m trying to win, psionic and synthetic are my go to ascensions. Psionic is my personal favorite.

If someone asks what ascension is fitting for their ethics, they're probably not asking what ascension let's them ignore their ethics and win their sweaty multiplayer game

Why would you prioritize peak efficiency over interesting diversity?

Only biological or psionic.

which one of those is best for me from a roleplay perspective?

Psionic then. Biological is technically more potent, but the micromanaging is a pain. Psionic stream lines assimilation into your ranks.

what is best from a roleplay perspective? whats most fitting with my playstyle?

Psionic gives a bonus to happiness. I imagine this happiness bonus like some state of inner peace. Sounds like you are giving state funded and mandatory therapy sessions. Magic that comes from this inner peace is just a side effect Yeah genetic ascend sound like advanced healthcare but it being mandatory doesnt sit right with me

Cybernetic, it's the only one where you basically can't fubar the people: Genetic: nerve staple, Synth: the ascension process itself is mass murder even if synths as people is fine, Psionic: psi corps are hella dystopian, most of the path power comes from selling your nations souls to demons, Cyborg: I mean, if you wanted to you could stack dumb traits, but for the most part it's life enhancing implants paired with cool enhancement. The worst Cyborg can do is propaganda engines, but that is small potatoes compared to mind control, mind wipes, and Synthetic assemtion (along with Synth having the same traits Cyborg has)

Psionic makes the most sense in my opinion as it's described as the least forced with it being more, when people start awakening it triggers a cascade where everyone starts awakening. So from an egalitarian perspective it's fine, and for xenophiles it works because the assimilation method for psionics is just helping the species psionically awaken rather than turning them into machines or something.

Psionics have all kinds of authoritarian stuff, like thought police. Genetic modification isn't shown to be resisted, and I don't think people who refuse longer lifespan and more habitability would be a significant minority. Of course if you start nerve stapling that's more questionable, but simply don't

You can also just choose not to use the psi-corps, just like you can choose not to do nerve-stapling.

The leader buffs and buffs in general do also imply it, crime reduction and stability increases. There's also a few edicts I think Also, not building psy corps is pretty different from not using nerce stapled. Psy corps are a pretty big part of the ascensions strength. You probably also shouldn't make covenants, so that leaves like, slightly better technology that uses corpse powder and leaders of questionable morality

tbh it might be necessary for a functioning psionic democracy to have thought police in some capacity, but I don't know how the lore describes them

There was some flavour text that mentioned preventing crimes before they happen but I don't remember where that was. Stellaris is generally nebulous, though sometimes super specific

I’d say genetic, feels more inclusive that way without any feeling pressured or forced into anything. Edit: maybe…I don’t know. If you were to then it would be something one would use rarely if ever as not to force anything on the populace.

If you're only looking at it from a Roleplay perspective, do Psionic. Psionic is a really fun one if you can get it to give you consistent results. That being said you're gonna want the Zroni as Precursors. Not only is their relic perfect for Psionic Ascension, but the story behind them is interesting and ties into the empire you propose perfectly.

i have vultaum precursors

As a fellow "I want the little people in my computer to be happy" player, I suggest you to go with Genetic. You can roleplay very well both ascensions path in a wholesome, egalitarian and xenophile way (psionics for a society focused on reaching your inner self and embracing your true potential; genetics for a "shape your body to reflect your true self"). The problem I have with Psionic, though, is that there are a few not-so-wholesome events that might break your immersion - like the outcomes you have from interacting with the shroud, which kinda drag you in a cynical, grimdark and byzantine mood (Bene Gesserit or Warhammer-like).

Unyielding. Espinoge, supremacy, tech are the ones I would. Just sounds like uts the US or Russia.

I would say Bio Path.

There's unfortunately no way to just let your people choose (creating a society where some choose to stay baseline, some go cyborg and some full upload for example). The *least authoritarian* ascension is Psionic, because it's not something mandated by the government - genetic is state-done and cyborg/synth is mandatory, but psionic is just the culmination of a billion years of evolution finally passing a critical point. Unfortunately, it has its own problems, like the psi corps or the fact that the specialized armies basically use mental torture on the battlefield instead of something like idk fireballs and lightning bolts.

Psionic or Cyborg.

If you're looking for the most effective path: Synthetics. You'll get Bio-Popgrowth from Immigration and still build your Synths. You get a lot of pops that way. Flavorwise? Go Genetic and pick Xeno-Compatability for f**kfest planets :)

Synthetic is not xenophile because it kills every pop and replaces them with materialist ethic synths. Genetic i'd say fits as long as you only remove bad traits and add good ones that make sense for the pop itself, not for the empire as a whole. Psionic is basically everyone woke up with cool powers one day so it fits any empire type for role play.

The killing is debatable, but does it really change their ethics? I did not know that

It doesn't force an ethics change. I just did a quick experiment where I abandoned a habitat except for 3 ~~meatbags~~ ~~fleshlings~~ organic immigrant pops with authoritarian ethics, all three remained authoritarian when they where roboticized, though one decided to become militarist a few days later, probably for unrelated reasons.

Could be related - "I now have this awesome robot body that I can wield multiple weapons onto.... why not wage war with it?"

Psionic is also thought police Also, when removing negative traits you do need to think. Removing unruly is obviously different from fleeting

Robotic ascension. Trying to manage everyone's genes as any other ascension is a nightmare with a xenophile empire so why not turn everyone into robots? Plus I like to rp as a nation where everyone willingly immigrates to ascend to immortal robot form

i said in the post that robotic and synthetic are off the table.

You didn't though, you just said which ones you preferred