So, you want to know about the Stellaris Alien Box? This is a reference to the Orbital Speed Demon anomaly event chain. It typically appears in asteroids, and once completed it can add a permanent free trait to the main species of your empire. There are five possible stages of the event, some of which offer branching possibilities like opening the box straight away, or studying it first, or even selling it and ending the chain early.
If you keep it, you’re granted a special project to open it, which then presents you with another choice involving several options. Depending on which option you pick, your main species will receive a new trait. This event has changed since its original incarnation, where the box would either upgrade a negative trait to a positive trait, or give you the ‘best’ version of an existing positive trait.
This was changed as part of the 2.2 update to the current version. A look at the event chain as it appears in-game is available on the official Paradox Wiki, but we’ve outlined a summary of each stage for you.
Stellaris Alien Box event
Here is the full breakdown of the orbital speed demon event chain.
Orbital Speed Demon – stage one
As long as you’re not a Machine Intelligence, the first phase of the event chain can trigger and you’re presented with three options. The first two involve attempts to interact with the object, with the last one essentially back away and ending the chain straight away. If you choose the last option your science vessel will get 200 xp, otherwise the event chain will progress to the next stage after a period of time.
Orbital Speed Demon – stage two
The second stage offers you a choice to either open the box, study it, or get rid of it. Option 1 will skip straight to stage four, where-as option 2 will progress to stage three. Getting rid of the box ends the event chain, and your science ship will get 300 xp.
Orbital Speed Demon – stage three
If you choose to study the alien box in stage two, you will be issued with a special project you will need to complete before stage three triggers. One completed, you are once again presented with a choice – open the box, or sell it. Opening the box will net you 150 – 10,000 physics research points, and issues another special project to advance to stage four.
Selling the box ends the event change, and you’ll earn between 100 – 500 energy credits and minerals, and then between 120 – 10,000 physics research points.
Orbital Speed Demon – stage four
Whether you went straight to opening the alien box from stage two, or decided to study the box first, before stage four triggers you’ll need to complete the ‘Cracking Open the Alien Box’ special project.
Related: Stellaris tips guide
Once open, you’ll be given four options. You can use any one of the three vials (coloured red, blue, and green), or you can sell them. Selling the vials ends the event chain and nets you between 150 – 1,000 energy credits, and between 100 – 500 minerals.
Using any one of the coloured vials will advance you to stage five, and each vial has its own unique final stage.
Orbital Speed Demon – stage five
The fifth and final stage will trigger a few days after the player chooses one of the coloured vial options from stage four. The event chain ends at this stage no matter which one you chose, but each vial will modify the player empire’s primary species with a new positive trait as follows:
- Red solution – grants the Social Pheromones trait, which permanently reduces Pop housing usage by 5%
- Blue solution – grants the Limited Regeneration trait, which increases leader lifespan by ten years and permanently buffs ground army damage by 10%
- Green solution – grants the Bioadaptability trait, which permanently increases habitability by 5%
Congratulations, you’ve now completed the Stellaris alien box event chain.