Only the strongest empires will survive. The weak often end up in one of two situations. They are either destroyed or subjugated by stronger empires.
Subjugation is a common feature in Paradox games. In Stellaris, stronger empires can bring weaker empires under their rule. Making one the vassal and the other the overlord.
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There are a multitude of reasons that you would want to do this, and it can be beneficial to both parties. It is possible to subjugate another empire by peaceful means, but that is the boring way.
The fastest way to make another empire bend its knee is using a subjugation Casus Belli.
There are four ways to obtain a subjugation, Casus Belli in Stellaris – having superior or better relative power, being president of a level three hegemony federation, taking the become the crisis ascension perk, and being the galactic emperor.
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How to Get a Subjugation Casus Belli in Stellaris
A Casus Belli is a legal reason to go to war. Having one allows you to declare war on another empire and set goals for the conflict.
War goals can range from humiliating rivals to the total destruction of another empire.
There are four subjugation casus belli. These are; Subjugation, Hegemon, Imposed Inclusion, and Imperial Crusade.
Subjugating empires is not exclusive to players. If you are not careful, the game will not think twice about becoming your new boss.
The following headings will cover the casus belli’s, how to get them, and what war goals they provide.
Subjugation Casus Belli
The casus belli every empire, except genocidal empire’s of course, has access to is the eponymous subjugation casus belli.
To get this, all you need to do is be stronger than the empire you wish to bring under your yoke.
In Stellaris, the game rates empire’s based on relative power. This is calculated using fleet size, how thriving the economy is, and how much technology has been unlocked.
The game tallies up all of these values and gives each empire a score. This score is relative power, and if you have a lot more than your target, you can subjugate them.
Viewing the diplomacy screen of another empire shows how you compare. It doesn’t reveal exact numbers but uses words to give an estimation of relative power.
If your empire is superior or overwhelming to the target, you will be able to declare a subjugation war on them. This assumes your empire is not pacifist and allows that kind of thing.
The war goals you can set are; vassalize, make tributary, or make subsidiary. A vassal is under your rule and has little to no autonomy. You are responsible for their protection, and they must join all your wars.
Tributaries and subsidiaries are the same thing. These empires pay tribute to you in exchange for protection.
Hegemon Casus Belli
Hegemon federations can be a real pain if you are not the one running it. Members of hegemony federations are stuck and cannot leave.
The president of the federation is able to force other empires to join, whether they want to or not.
To get this casus belli, you will need to be the president of a hegemony and upgrade the federation to level three.
Once done, you can use the “establish hegemony” war goal on other empires. You have to own the Federations DLC to use this method.
Imposed Inclusion Casus Belli
Taking the “become the crisis” ascension perk unlocks a new form of subjugation.
When your empire makes the decision to become the crisis, they believe that they have adopted the noble goal of ascending to a higher plane of existence.
The catch being that they first have to destroy the galaxy. You can impose this same belief system on another empire using the imposed inclusion casus belli.
The war goal forces the other empire to become your subject and aid you in your genocidal mission.
You need the nemesis DLC to use this casus belli.
Imperial Crusade Casus Belli
The last one is the rarest of all of them, as not every empire will go down the galactic emperor path.
If your empire forms the galactic imperium and some empires decide not to join, you can help them see the error of their ways.
With the force into imperium war goal, you can use force to subjugate an empire.
The imperial Crusade resolution will need to first be passed before it is considered legal for the imperium to do this.
This is everything you need to know about how to get a subjugation casus belli in Stellaris.
If you have any questions or suggestions for this guide, please let us know in the comments section below.
As always, have fun subjugating rival empires in Stellaris.
