It is a time of rapid change in the galaxy. Once bound to their home planets, alien races hailing from a variety of worlds have developed the technology to make even the harshest planets suit their unique environmental needs. With this impediment out of the way, the galaxy is open for whoever is bold enough—and cunning enough—to spread themselves across the stars the fastest.

These alien factions represent the great diversity the galaxy is capable of producing. From the bird-like Hadsch Hallas to the icy Itars, each faction has its own approach to building a space-faring civilization. And with everyone expanding at an ever-increasing rate, it’s only a matter of time before they begin bumping into one another. 

In Gaia Project, you take command of one of these fourteen alien races striving to colonize the galaxy. With different environmental needs and technology levels at the beginning of the game, the factions have their own distinct flavor that shapes your approach to each game. What’s more, each faction has a special ability you can unlock by constructing a Planetary Institute. This diverse cast of characters keeps each game of Gaia Project fresh and allows you to explore new strategies every time you play.

In our announcement, we outlined the many options available for you to foster your fledgling galactic civilization, including colonizing new planets to grow your empire, upgrading your structures to diversify your economy, and investing in new technology to extend your reach. Today, we will take a closer look at a few of the factions in the game and how you can take advantage of their unique abilities to colonize the galaxy before your rivals.

At Home on Any World

You’ll encounter many different types of planets during your quest to control the stars, most of which will be incompatible with your faction’s unique physiology. In order to expand your civilization, then, it is crucial for you to quickly alter the environment of these planets to make them habitable for your people. Of all the factions, the Geodens are the best positioned to do this at the beginning of the game.

These natives of volcanic planets begin the game at level one of the “Terraforming” research area, reducing the resources they have to commit to make planets habitable. On top of this, the Geodens are very good at learning from new environments. Once their Planetary Institute is constructed, they gain three knowledge the first time they build a mine on each planet type.

These abilities combine to create a faction good at expanding quickly while colonizing new types of planets. Beginning one level ahead of everyone else in terraforming gives the Geodens a valuable head start in their efforts to spread across the galaxy early and their Planetary Institute bonus further incentivizes growth. Their abilities make the Geodens an aggressive faction constantly looking for new worlds to colonize.   

Initiate Gaia Project

The Geodens may have the ability to terraform a wide variety of planets, but sometimes terraforming isn't enough. Transdim Planets are mysterious worlds that cannot be built upon or terraformed. They can, however, be transformed into habitable Gaia Planets by way of a Gaia Project and no faction is better at creating Gaia Planets than the Terrans.

This faction has access to one of their Gaiaformers at the beginning of each game, which means they can begin transforming Transdim Planets right away. But they need more than a Gaiaformer to complete this process. Gaia Projects also require large amounts of power, which can make it challenging to spend power on other pursuits. Unlike the other factions, the power Terrans spend on gaiaforming bypasses the first area of the their cycle, so it becomes ready for use faster.

The Terrans have the greatest interest in gaiaforming. Their abilities make them perfectly suited to transforming several Transdim Planets planets in the time it takes other factions to get their Gaia projects started.

A Cosmic Power

Beyond fueling Gaia Projects, power is an invaluable resource that opens many options. It can be spent to gain knowledge, ore, or credits, to assist with terraforming, and much more. Having an abundance of power can be a boon to any faction, but the Taklons truly take advantage of this resource.

Hailing from a swamp world, they begin the game with the brainstone in the first area of their power cycle. This precious stone counts only as a single power token, but can be spent as if it were three power. Not only does this give the Taklons more power right away, it also greatly increases their efficiency when charging power. And this efficiency only increases when they build their Planetary Institute. This structure allows the Taklons to add more power tokens to their cycles when other factions build or upgrade structures in the neighboring area.

Overall, their abundance of power makes the Taklons a truly flexible faction. Whoever plays them has the freedom to choose how to spend this power and forge their own path through the galaxy.

Step Into the Galaxy  

The galaxy is a big place filled with many fascinating species. Each one has its own unique needs and advantages. Experience this wonderful diversity in Gaia Project! 

Take your first steps into the galaxy. Gaia Project is set for release in December. Head to your local retailer to pre-order your copy today, or your can place your pre-order through Z-Man Games here.