Distant Worlds 2 – Government Guide

by Lordtoto01 / Distant Worlds 2, Game Guides / 15 Mar 2022

In Distant Worlds 2, choosing the right government can mean the difference between winning and losing. This is because, like most aspects of the game, the government impacts how you play in the long run. Each government type has distinct advantages and disadvantages, and understanding them will help you in developing the ultimate winning strategy.

If you want to learn more about the game’s mechanics, check out our other Distant Worlds 2 guides.

Distant Worlds 2 Governments Explained

Every empire has its own government with its set of unique characteristics.

Different governments either naturally attract or repel other types, which in turn affects your diplomatic relations throughout the galaxy.

There are five basic types of governments that are available to all empires and factions. They are Democracy, Republic, Feudalism, Monarchy, and Military Dictatorship.

There are some governments that are only accessible to certain factions, such as the Mercantile Guild, Technocracy, and Hive Mind.

Learn more about factions in our Distant Worlds 2 Race guide.

Finally, Way of the Ancients and Way of Darkness are two governments that you must discover while playing the game. You can play as those governments once they are unlocked.

Government Perks in Distant Worlds 2

Every government influences a variety of factors within your empire, such as;

Happiness – Empire approval rating in each of your colonies.

Population growth – Population multiplication rate at your colonies.

War weariness – Decreases happiness in your colonies during wars.

Research speed – The speed at which your research progresses.

Corruption levels – Determines the degree of corruption.

Cost – Maintenance costs of ships, bases, and troops.

Troop – Troop recruitment and recovery rate at your colonies.

Bonus – Trade and Tourism income.

Distant Worlds 2 Government types Explained (with chart)

Type

Name

Friends & Rivals

Perks & Penalties

All Races

Democracy

Friends: Way of the Ancients, Democracy, Republic, Mercantile Guild,

Rivals: Military Dictatorships, Way of Darkness, Feudalism.

Population Growth: +10%

War Weariness Reduction: -20%

Counter-Espionage: -20%

All Research: +10%

Colony Happiness: +5%

Troop Recruitment Rate: -20%

Troop Recovery Rate: -10%

Tourism Income: +20%

Trade Income: +10%

Feudalism

Friends: Feudalism, Monarchy, Military Dictatorship, Mercantile Guild.

Rivals: Hive Mind, Way of Darkness, Democracy, Way of the Ancients, Republic.

Population Growth: -5%

War Weariness Reduction: +35%

Diplomacy: -10%

All Research: -5%

Weapons Research: +10%

Troops Research: +20%

Colony Happiness: -15%

Troop Recruitment Rate: +20%

Troop Recovery Rate: +10%

Troop Maintenence Savings: +40%

Colony Corruption Reduction: -15%

Mining rate: -10%

Tourism Income: -20%

Ship Maintenence: +40%

Monarchy

Friends: Monarchy, Feudalism, Technocracy, Military Dictatorship.

Rivals: Hive Mind, Way of Darkness, Democracy, Republic, Way of the Ancients.

War Weariness Reduction: +25%

Counter-Espionage: +10%

Colony Happiness: -10%

Troop Recruitment Rate: +10%

Troop Recovery Rate: +10%

Troop Maintenence Savings: +10%

Colony Corruption Reduction: -10%

Tourism Income: +10%

Ship Maintenance Savings: +10%

Facility Maintenance Savings: +10%

Republic

Friends: Way of the Ancients, Republic, Democracy, Mercantile Guild.

Rivals: Way of Darkness, Military Dictatorship, Hive Mind, Feudalism, Monarchy, Technocracy.

Population Growth: +5%

War Weariness Reduction: -10%

Counter Espionage: -10%

Diplomacy: +10%

All Research: +5%

Colony Happiness: +10%

Troop Recruitment Rate: -20%

Troop Recovery Rate: -10%

Troops Maintenence Savings: -10%

Colony Corruption Reduction: +20%

Tourism Income: +10%

Trade Income: +15%

Military Dictatorship

Friends: Military Dictatorship, Monarchy, Feudalism, Technocracy, Hive Mind

Rivals: Republic, Democracy, Mercantile Guild, Way of the Ancients, Way of Darkness.

Population Growth: -5%

War Weariness Reduction: +40%

Counter Espionage: +20%

Diplomacy: -10%

Weapons Research: +20%

Troops Research: +10%

Colony Happiness: -15%

Troop Recruitment Rate: +30%

Troop Recovery Rate: +20%

Troop Maintenence Savings: +30%

Colony Corruption Reduction: -15%

Mining rate: +20%

Tourism Income: -30%

Ship Maintenance Savings: +30%

Facility Maintenence Savings: +10%

Trade Income: -10%

Specific Factions

Hive Mind

Friends: Hive Minds, Way of Darkness, Military Dictatorship.

Rivals: Democracy, Republic, Feudalism, Way of the Ancients, Mercantile Guild, Technocracy

Population Growth: +10%

War Weariness Reduction: +20%

Counter Espionage: +20%

Diplomacy: -20%

All Research: -20%

Colony Happiness: +10%

Troop Recruitment Rate: +20%

Troop Recovery Rate: +10%

Troop Maintenance Savings: +10%

Colony Corruption Reduction: +40%

Tourism Income: -20%

Ship Maintenance Savings: +10%

Facility Maintenance Savings; +10%

Trade Income: -20%

Mercantile Guild

Friends: Mercantile Guild, Way of the Ancients, Democracy, Republic, Technocracy.

Rivals: Way of Darkness, Military Dictatorship, Hive Mind, Feudalism.

Counter-Espionage: -10%

Diplomacy: +20%

All Research: +5%

Construction Research: 20%

Colony Happiness: -5%

Colony Corruption Reduction: -20%

Mining Rate: +10%

Ship Maintenance Savings: +10%

Facility Maintenance Savings: +10%

Trade Income: +30%

Colony Income: +5%

Technocracy

Friends: Technocracy, Way of the Ancients, Republic, Democracy, Mercantile Guild

Rivals: Way of Darkness, Hive Mind, Feudalism, Military Dictatorship

Population Growth: -10%

Counter-Espionage: +10%

All Research: +20%

Colony Happiness: -10%

Colony Corruption Reduction: +10%

Mining Rate: -10%

Has to be unlocked

Way of the Ancients

Friends: Democracy, Republic, Mercantile Guild, Technocracy.

Rivals: Feudalism, Monarchy, Military Dictatorship, Hive Mind.

Population Growth: +10%

War Weariness Reduction: +10%

Diplomacy: +30%

All Research: +20%

Colony Happiness: +15%

Colony Corruption Reduction: +15%

Tourism Income: +25%

Ship Maintenance Savings: +10%

Facility Maintenance Savings: +10%

Trade Income: +15%

Colony Income: +10%

Way of Darkness

Friends: Hive Mind.

Rivals: Democracy, Feudalism, Monarchy, Republic, Military Dictatorship, Mercantile Guild, Technocracy.

Population Growth: +10%

War Weariness Reduction: +50%

Counter Espionage: +30%

All Research: +10%

Colony Happiness: +5%

Troop Recruitment Rate: +30%

Troop Recovery Rate: +20%

Troop Maintenance Savings: +20%

Ship Maintenance Savings: +20%

Colony Corruption Reduction: +15%

Facility Maintenance Savings: +10%

Tourism Income: +40%

Colony Income: +5%

Miscellaneous tips

Changing your government in the middle of the game is a bad idea because it destabilizes your empire, decreasing happiness and possibly other negative consequences.

You can even use trade and other treaties to form friendships with rival governments. It’ll just be much more difficult than expected.

Similarly, friendly governments can still become enemies over various territorial disputes.

Parting thoughts

As you can see, choosing the right government comes with a slew of benefits and drawbacks that are all easily manageable. The faction-government combinations are limitless, and mastering them will take hundreds of hours. Keep practicing and experiment with different government types to see which one best suits your playstyle. And we have created a list of advanced tips tricks to help you along the way.

Distant Worlds 2: A Beginner’s Guide to The Races

A Complete Distant Worlds 2 Economy Guide

Lordtoto01

I’ve loved games ever since I was a child. I like playing them and sharing my feelings with other like-minded individuals. I started off writing as a hobby, and a few years later, my love for games is still as lively as ever and I intend to spread it throughout the gaming community.
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