The Grox

The Grox are a race of cybernetic organisims who may be found near in the center of the Galaxy. They are rumoured to be a creation of Homo sapien, but wiped out the entire species after the genetic experiment went wrong.

Facts About The Grox

 * They are a mix of biological engineering and machine parts.
 * They are very hostile to ANY alien species other than their own; along with their Archtype, this makes them hard to form an alliance with.
 * They have the largest empire in the beginning of the Space Stage, and likely the largest for a long time.
 * Spanning 2400 star systems and over 5000 planets, you will find them long before you get to the Galactic Core.
 * The Grox can only live on T-0 planets because of their unique Archetype.
 * They will be pleased and more amiable if you break the Galactic Code near their planets; the closer you do so, the happier it makes them.
 * Some of the Grox planets are impossible to conquer without new patches or mods. This is due to a glitch in the galaxy generation code and was fixed in a patch. There is also an official mod package available from Maxis which may help with these issues.
 * They protect the Galactic Core and the last of the Genesis Technology (or so rumors tell).
 * You gain the Dance with the Devil badge for forming an alliance with them, and the Badge Outta Heck for defeating them. It is possible to obtain both badges.
 * Their spacecraft are the best you will encounter among all NPC empires.

Allying The Grox
Throughout the game, you may encounter artefacts bearing captions warning of the Grox's apathy and of how they are impossible to form alliances with. While this is not entirely true, forming an alliance with them can be done only once and any mistakes are not forgiven. Allying the Grox is difficult at best and catastrophically hard at worst.

If you have done anything at all to anger them (i.e. down below -80 or -90 relationship), just forget about trying to form an alliance. They are ruthless and the best you'll get is perhaps a temporary peace and a few trade routes. At this point is is impossible (without hacks) to restore your lost prestige. Any mistakes made before and during your encounter with the Grox will never be forgotten, so be extremely cautious not to make mistakes.

At this point in time, it is only possible to form an alliance with the help of a mod or hack. Cheats will not help you at all, and don't even bother. Any cheats used will earn you the Joker Badge, preventing you from earning any more achievements on that save game. The only negative action that will not completely jeapordise an alliance with them is refusing missions (at most 1 or perhaps 2). As a precaution, switch off your Auto Blaster when entering Grox space. Any damage to Grox ships could irreparably damage your relationship with them.

Steps

 * They will start with a relationship value of -70, unless you have a mod installed which alters this.


 * Give them a total of 400,000 Sporebucks (100,000 sporebuck gift 4 times) . This will give at most +10 relationship.


 * Do missions for them, until the "Completed Missions" value is at +50 (this is the maximum).


 * Get 1 or 2 planet busters and blow up non-Grox planets close to a Grox system. This should give about +50 relationship for breaking Galactic Code.


 * Use "Friendly Tools" i.e. Super Happy Ray until you get about +30 relationship. This uses a lot of energy, so bring money to buy recharges.


 * Agree to help them (automatically appears when you do not decline for any asked missions) +5 max.


 * Place an Embassy on several of their planets. If they get destroyed, do not hesitate to replace them, and do not linger on the planet after it has been placed. This will give at most +10 relationship.

Once these actions have maxed out your relationship with them, initiate the alliance as normal. Be extremely cautious not to terraform any Grox planets, or destroy anything of theirs. Any action that angers them will potentially set off a war.
 * Setup a T3 planet near their systems and start as many trade routes as you can. This will give at most +10 relationship.

Destroying The Grox
Destroying the Grox can take several months of hard work. This is mainly due to complications such as:
 * Their spaceships are the strongest of any empire (without using hacks), with 2000 health.
 * They control 2400 systems with more than 5000 planets.


 * A few stars are unreachable without recent patches or a mod, before entering the Core. It is recommended to fight your way to the center and get the Genesis Device in order to be able to reach all their systems.


 * Because of the proximity of their planets, it is common for their ships to harass you constantly.


 * They attack your planets (which are probably very far away) and you cannot get back in time to stop them.


 * Because of the Grox ships' strength, only Uber Turrets can truly defend a colony. It is recommended to place them on every colony you possess, or simply have only a few colonies.

Individual planets may be easy to conquer, because all Grox planets are T-0. Overall, though, it is difficult because of the Grox ships that stalk you wherever you go in their empire. They deal 160 damage per shot, and there can be up to 15 ships following you at any one time (in rare occasions). Without allies or a lot of repair items, you will be quickly dead within a minute.

Methods
Multiple methods can be utilised for destroying the Grox, including:


 * Use of Mega Bombs and a Shield - put on the shield and Mega-Bomb the only Grox colony on the world (unless it is the homeworld) it should die on the first or second hit. Modded weaponry will make this slightly easier.


 * You can easily terraform the planet to T-1 or higher, destroying all Grox constructs on the planet (this is highly recommended, since it allows you to build colonies of your own).

In order to keep it interesting, balanced mods are recommended (for example, PlatinumSpore). These typically provide a wider variety of weaponry to use and methods to employ. It may be amusing from time to time to destroy all ships before attacking the colony, but as before, mods that increase the numbers of defender ships present will allow for more fun in that aspect.
 * The third and fourth options require a mod that instantly recharges your Space Superpower. Using either Gravitation Wave (scientist) or Fanatical Frenzy (zealot), go from planet to planet, destroying them. This is a fast method, but quickly becomes dull and repetitive.