This mod has now been updated to Stellaris 3.6 "Orion"!


Ethics and Civics: Bug Branch is a continuation of the everpopular Ethics and Civics Classic (2.8) by Petruxa, but with a number of additions such as gestalt-specific ethics and quite a few extra civics.
Documentation for the mod can be found here


This mod adds 4 axes of ethics for Standard (Non-gestalt) Empires:
- Anthropocentric vs Ecocentric, which represents the degree to which the Empire focuses on Industry vs protecting its Environment
- Authoritarian vs Libertarian, which represents the degree to which the Central Government of the Empire has control over its citizens.
- Competitive vs Cooperative, which represents the degree to which the means of production are owned by the average citizenry of the Empire
- Elitist vs Pluralist, which represents the the degree to which different social classes are separated, and how much social mobility there is

For Gestalt Empires, there is 12 new ethics that cannot be chosen by Standard Empires, which are split into two types: Form Ethics and Focus Ethics
Form Ethics are split into 3 axes with 2 choices each and represent the basic structure of the consciousness. One Form Ethic from each axis must be chosen
- The Affective vs Impassive axis represents the degree to which the Central Consciousness makes its decisions based on logic or emotion
- The Autonomous vs Convergent axis represents the degree of freedom that each individual drone has from the Central Consciousness
- The Extrospective vs Introspective axis represents the degree to which the Central Consciousness is willing to interact with outside Species and Empires

Focus Ethics represent what the central consciousness is spending most of its cerebral processing power on. One Focus Ethic can be chosen, but it can be changed during the game using the Change Consciousness' Focus edict
- Analysis is a focus on the smaller, more subtle parts of research, giving buffs to Anomaly discovery and Archaeology and First Contact skill
- Connection is a focus on keeping the consciousness well connected, giving buffs to Unity and decreasing Empire Sprawl
- Convalescence is a focus on defensive warfare, giving buffs to Ship Fire Rate in home territory and Sublight Speed inside Federation territory
- Encroachment is a focus on offensive warfare, giving buffs to Ship Fire Rate and decreasing Ship Upkeep
- Logistics is a focus on internal management and supply lines, giving buffs to both Planetary and Megastructure build speed
- Progression is a focus on big picture research and development, giving buffs to Research Speed and adding a Research Alternative


- Standard Civics: The mod adds many new civics that can entirely change the way the game is played, examples include:
- Environmental Engineers: A Materialist and Ecocentric civic that makes terraforming significantly more powerful, and allows the empire to benefit from uncleared blockers, making clearing a blocker a decision that an Empire may not want to take
- Machine Cult: A Spiritualist and Anthropocentric civic that allow a Spiritualist Empire to build Robotic Pops, and get specialized jobs that make those Robotic Pops more efficient

- Governmental Civics: There are 16 Governmental Civics, four sets of four, one standard, one for Democratic Authorities, one for the Oligarchic Authority, and one for Autocratic Authorities. These civics replace some Administrator jobs with a more specific job relating to the corresponding Ethic
- Materialist: Technocracy, Cyber Democracy, Science Directorate, and Cyber Dictatorship replace Administrators with Science Directors
- Militarist: Ordered Stratocracy, Stratocratic Republic, War Council, and War Lord replace Administrators with Commanders
- Pacifist: Enlightened Bureaucracy, Utopian Democracy, Philosophers Assembly, and Sage King replace Administrators with Thinkers
- Spiritualist: Theocracy, Theocratic Republic, Divine Council, and Imperial Cult replace Administrators with High Priests
- Miscellaneous: Financial Elite and State Monopoly replace Administrators with Moguls, and Patrimonial Aristocracy replace Administrators with Nobles

- Advanced Civics: There are 4 Advanced Civics, which are civics that are a more extreme version of another civic, often with an extra Ethic requirement
- Exalted State: Spiritualist Advanced version of Police State
- Exhaustive Mining Act: Materialist Advanced version of Mining Guilds
- Socialistic Ideals: Cooperative Advanced version of Welfare State
- Univeralism: Pacifist Advanced version of Diplomatic Corps


- Adds the Direct Democracy Authority, which requires some degree of the Libertarian Ethic
- Changes the Imperial Authority to require some degree of the Authoritarian Ethic
- Adds the Future Society Ascension Perk, which gives another Civic slot



Forgotten Queens Compatch

Pantheons Of The Void Compatch (Not updated)

UI Overhaul Dynamic Compatch

Amazing Civics: Megacorp Compatch

Planetary Diversity Compatch

Corporate Buildings Submod

Seven Ethic Point Submod

Did you make a compatibility patch or submod that works with Bug Branch? Get in touch and have it linked here. We might even convince Hive to make a thumbnail for you too!



- Thank you petruxa for allowing us to make this continuation of their mod
- Thank you XVCV for allowing us to use and modify the Gestalt Happiness code from Unofficial Machine & Synthetic Empire DLC
- Thank you Unknwn Prson for allowing us to integrate their More Academic Civics mod
- Thank you Hive for making many of the new graphical assets