Prepare you to face off against the Fallen Empires later on.
Help you weather the Gray Tempest mid-game crisis.
After all, the galaxy will need a strong leader like you in order to weather this Crisis, the other nations just don’t understand that it’s for their own good. The additional 20% Diplomatic weight also helps you in dominating the Galactic Community to pass that Custodian nomination in the Senate. In this case, Galactic Contender helps you tremendously, while also preparing you for the inevitable confrontation with the Fallen Empires later on. Fallen Empires are not necessarily an existential threat like the Crisis factions, but the Gray Tempest Crisis is, and the Tempest often emerges at a time quite early on when you and everybody else isn’t quite ready for it. Galactic Contender is one of the more underrated perks on this list, primarily because it not only buffs your damage against Fallen and Awakened Empires, but also against the Gray Tempest in any of its forms. Do you find yourself stumped on which Ascension Perks to choose to maximize your enjoyment of Stellaris? Do you feel overwhelmed with the number of choices you're presented with when you go to fill that Ascension Perk slot? Do you need an idea what Ascension Perks give the best value and in which situations? Do you need some help figuring out which Perks best fit with the theme of your empire? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then this list is for you.