Philosophy

Archetype, as it is refered to in Spore, is the attribute given to your species in the Space stage. There are 10 archetypes in Spore, the default of Wanderer is given to any species starting in Space, while the remaining 9 can only be obtained through playing earlier phases.

The Archetype and its associated philosophy are given to your species depending upon the number of green, blue or red cards your species gained as it evolved. Each card is determined by play style and the last card achieved. The card you're heading for and all those you've gained can be seen at anytime using the history time line of your species.

The 10 Archetypes
Each archetype gives you a short analogy of your play style so far through the stages and a special ability that’s unique to your archetype. Each archetype has an associated Philosophy, of which there are 8. Wanderer and Diplomat follow the same philosophy, the Philosophy of Order, as does Warrior and Knight, who follow the Philosophy of Force.

Bard (Philosophy of Chance)
"Bards are the social, outgoing entertainers of the cosmos. The galaxy is their personal playground." Bards receive the Soothing Song ability which, upon activation, boosts your relation with the species that own that planet. The ability sets the relationship to 0 and lasts for 2 minutes.

The Bard philosophy can be reached by having 1 green card, 2 blue cards, and 1 red card.

Diplomat (Philosophy of Order)
"Diplomats are negotiators and problem solvers. Peace will come to the galaxy only through open communication between species." Diplomats receive the Static Cling ability which, upon activation, immobilizes all enemy ships and turrets on the planet.

The Diplomat philosophy can be reached by having 2 green cards and 2 blue cards.

Ecologist (Philosophy of Life)
"Ecologists are the protectors of nature. Species that attempt to exploit and corrupt the galaxy must be exterminated." Ecologists receive the Safari Vacuum ability which, upon activation, instantly abducts 2 members of each species from the planet.

The Ecologist philosophy can be reached by having 2 green cards, 1 blue card, and 1 red card.

Knight (Philosophy of Force)
"Knights are noble warriors that fight for right, not for personal gain. Peace will come to the galaxy only when evil has been vanquished" Knights receive the Summon Mini-U ability which, upon activation, summons a miniature clone of your spaceship to assist you.

The Knight philosophy can be reached by having 1 green card, 1 blue card, and 2 red cards.

Scientist (Philosophy of Science)
"Scientists are logical and calculating. The galaxy exists to be studied and understood." Scientists receive the Gravitation Wave ability which, upon use, will destroy every city and tribe on a planet.

The Scientist philosophy can be reached by having 2 blue cards and 2 red cards.

Shaman (Philosophy of Harmony)
"Shamans understand that all life shares a common bond. The entire galaxy exists within us all." Shamans receive the Return Ticket ability, which, upon activation, will return your ship to your home system.

The Shaman philosophy can be reached by having 3 or 4 green cards. The remaining card can be of any colour.

Trader (Philosophy of Prosperity)
"Traders are in it for the profit. Their only allegiance is to the almighty Sporebuck." Traders receive the Cash Infusion ability that, upon use, will instantly fill the financial takeover meter for the solar system the planet is in.

The Trader philosophy can be reached by having 3 or 4 blue cards. The remaining card can be of any colour.

Wanderer (Philosophy of Order)
"Wanderers want to sample a little bit of everything. The galaxy is vast and they want to experience it all" Wanderers receive no unique ability. To change the philosophy of your civilization, you need to obtain a good relationship with an empire that follows that philosophy and eventually you will be able to request a mission to change archetypes.

The Wanderer philosophy cannot be reached by playing from cell stage and collecting cards. It is only given to races starting in the space phase.

Warrior (Philosophy of Force)
"Warriors take what they want and never ask for permission. The galaxy is a prize to be claimed by the strongest." Warriors receive the Raider Rally ability which, upon use, opens a pirate portal on the planet.

The Warrior philosophy can be reached by having 3 or 4 red cards. The remaining card can be of any colour..

Zealot (Philosophy of Faith)
"Zealots are certain that their beliefs are the only truth that matters. Those who do not feel the same way are not worthy to exist in this galaxy." Zealots receive the Fanatical Frenzy ability which, upon use, converts the system to your empire.

The Zealot philosophy can be reached by having 2 green cards and 2 red cards.

Path To Each Archetype
There are many ways to obtain each archetype and its philosophy depending upon your species behavior in each phase of its evolution.

The table below shows how to get each archetype. The table is ordered by phases gone through. Visiting each archetype's page will display a smaller table showing only the paths for that archetype.

Power Monger Effect and Testing
There has been a controversy regarding the effect of the consequence ability Power Monger. It has been suggested it really only increases the efficiency of all weapons. The following test was performed and it shows the effect is not limited to weapons.

Two games were played (both on easy level). The first game was started on space stage, thus as a wanderer. The second was started on the cell stage in the following manner (carnivore, predator, friendly, religious), thus as a zealot. To test the energy usage, the starting laser and the crop circle social tool was used. The laser was fired continuously and the time it takes for the laser to shut down from lack of power was recorded. The ship was then recharged and the number of crop circles that could be placed before running out of energy was recorded. No cheats were used, and no upgrades purchased to the spaceship.


 * Without Power Monger: 20 crop circles, 48 sec. laser


 * With Power Monger: 30 crop circles, 72 sec. laser

This shows that the Power Monger effect is not limited to weapons. It actually provides 50% extra energy capacity.

Changing Philosophies
In order to change your philosophy, you must do the following:


 * 1) Find an empire of your desired philosphy. You can find out an empire's philosophy by choosing "Diplomacy -> Tell me about your race."
 * 2) Take a look at its Empire-tier Value, (the little yellow star with a number in it) if it is already 4 or 5 jump to the next step. If it is 1-3, ask the Empire to attack neighboring systems and assist them to ensure they succeed.  In this way you can force an empire to expand, effectively increasing their Empire-tier Value.
 * 3) Become their ally.
 * 4) Go into "Missions -> Teach me your ways".
 * 5) Do the associated philosophy quest.
 * 6) Return to receive your change in philosophy, which also changes your Archetype to one of the associated archetypes.

Archetype of Pollinated Species
Species that are pollinated into a game from the online sporepedia do not bring with them the philosophy they were originally created with. For example, a species that collected only green and or blue trait cards during its progression may nonetheless, when added to a game as pollinated content, spawn in with the warrior or zealot archetype.

The Grox Archetype
The Grox empire that resides around and within the Galactic core has an Archetype that is inaccessible to players and pollinated empires alike without hacks. This archetype creates a very horrible attitude from the Grox to the player and anyone else who dares go near their empire.

This unique archetype also makes it much more difficult to ally with Grox, and much easier to anger them.