How To Build Planetary Capitals in Stellaris
If you're struggling to understand how to construct or upgrade your Planetary Capital, this guide will walk you through the entire process, ensuring your colonies reach their full potential.
How to Build and Upgrade Planetary Capitals in Stellaris
Unlike standard buildings, Planetary Capitals follow a tiered progression system that depends on population size and researched technologies. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how to upgrade your capital:
1. Reassembled Ship Shelter (Starting Capital)
- Automatically built when you establish your first colony.
- Provides basic housing and stability but lacks advanced benefits.
2. Upgrade to Planetary Administration
- Requirement: Planet must have 10 population.
- Technology Needed: Planetary Government (Society research).
- Benefits:
- Unlocks additional building slots.
- Provides better housing and jobs (such as Politicians or Enforcers).
- Increases planetary stability.
3. Upgrade to Planetary Capital
- Requirement: Planet must have 25 population.
- Technology Needed: Colonial Centralization (Society research).
- Benefits:
- Further increases housing and job availability.
- Grants productivity bonuses (up to +15% depending on modifiers).
- Strengthens planetary defenses with additional defensive armies.
4. Upgrade to System Capital-Complex (Final Tier)
- Requirement: Planet must have 50 population.
- Technology Needed: Galactic Administration (Society research).
- Benefits:
- +30% planetary output (resources, research, or unity).
- Maximum building slots unlocked.
- Strongest defensive armies to repel invasions.
To check your upgrade eligibility, hover over the capital building in the planet menu—it will display missing requirements.
Why Are Planetary Capitals Important?
Planetary Capitals are unique buildings that serve as the administrative heart of any colony. They cannot be moved, disabled, or destroyed (even through orbital bombardment). Here’s what they provide:
Key Benefits of Planetary Capitals
✅ Housing: Supports a growing population.
✅ Defense Armies: Protects against invasions automatically.
✅ Specialist Jobs: Unlocks Politicians, Enforcers, and other high-tier jobs.
✅ Building Slots: Higher tiers allow for more advanced structures.
✅ Productivity Bonuses: Up to +30% output at the highest tier.
Different empire types (Hive Minds, Machine Intelligence, Megacorps) have unique capital variants with specialized jobs. For example:
- Machine Empires gain Maintenance Drone jobs.
- Hive Minds use Synapse Nodes for cohesion.
- Megacorps focus on Executive and Manager roles.
Troubleshooting: Why Can’t I Upgrade My Planetary Capital?
If you’re unable to upgrade, check the following:
🔹 Population Requirement: Ensure your planet has enough pops (10, 25, or 50).
🔹 Missing Technology: Research Planetary Government, Colonial Centralization, or Galactic Administration.
🔹 Planetary Stability: Low stability may block upgrades—address unrest first.
Final Thoughts
Upgrading your Planetary Capital is one of the most impactful ways to strengthen your empire in Stellaris. By following the tiered progression—Reassembled Ship Shelter → Planetary Administration → Planetary Capital → System Capital-Complex—you ensure maximum efficiency, defense, and economic growth.
Always prioritize population growth and Society research to unlock these upgrades faster. Whether you're optimizing a forge world, a research hub, or a bureaucratic center, a high-tier Planetary Capital will give you the edge you need to dominate the galaxy!
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