The Stellaris Bunker bot is one of the many anomalies you might encounter while cruising through the galaxy with your science ships.
Frankly, it is one of the more interesting events that leaves you with a couple of choices on how to proceed. If you are curious about which choice is the best and what the outcome of each (particularly the last) option is, read on.
The Bunker Bot Event
In case you are unsure on whether you are on exactly this event or you have forgotten the exact text, it reads like this:
We have traced the unusual electromagnetic radiation emanating from “Anomaly Planet” to a secret subterranean bunker hiding a mega-computer the size of a battle ship.
Our researchers suspect that it may have been there for several thousand years, hard at work solving a single very complex problem, the nature of which still eludes us.
When the crew attempted to interact with the computer they discovered that the facility, which had appeared both abandoned and unguarded, was in fact operated by a security AI, the highest purpose of which seems to be frying its visitors alive. As the crew defeated the AI, it broadcasted a message to an unknown recipient.
The choices
You then are faced with three different options:
- Scrap the mega-computer for parts!
- Use it to boost our own research…
- Let it continue its mysterious calculations…
The first two options and their rewards are relatively obvious (and shown if you mouse over it).
First choice
A computer that has failed to solve a single problem in a thousand years will serve us better as a new ship hull…
And you will gain 100 alloys, 50 rare crystals, and 50 minerals.
Second choice
This requires that we keep the AI maintaining the facility offline and will cause the computer to break down within a foreseeable future.
You will gain the Bunker-Bot modifier which will grant you a 10% bonus in your monthly engineering research for the next 10 years. A solid option with a significant reward.
The third choice – letting the machine continue
tWe had better not disturb it. Whatever problem the computer is trying to solve, it seems important…
And a reward of 200 influence.
The third option is the interesting one and the question is whether the calculations ever result in something. However, the 200 influence bonus that you gain (which wasn’t there in the beginning) is actually quite significant and should make this choice considerable even if you do not get any additional events from it.
What happens after a while is, that you have the chance to gain another event that is related to the so-called L-Cluster. The L-cluster is a Distant Stars DLC feature which means that this event is also only possible for players who have the Distant Stars DLC enabled.
If you let a little bit of time pass (the amount seems to be random), you will get an L-Gate insight.
The L-Gate
The L gate is a single gateway not connected to other gateways. It leads to a small cluster of stars that you cannot access any other way (no hyperlane connection, no way to sub-space warp in there). This cluster is a Distant Stars feature that shall not be spoilered too much here.
L-Gate insights however are part of a special project that you need to finish in order to active the L-gate that will lead you into the L-cluster. You unlock the special project whenever you first get into contact with an L-gate. You will need a total of 7 insights to unlock the L-Gate and you get them from various activities such as the event mentioned above.
So in order for the insight that stems from the third option to trigger, you will need to discover an L-Gate first and have the L-Gates insights special project active.
Which choice is the best?
While the first choice is clearly the worst and should be almost always ignored (the alloys and minerals are simply too insignificant), the other two are actually worth a debate. The second option that gives you a solid research boost can definitely be the better pick in certain situations. The third option gives you a great deal of influence.
Said influence is what decides on whether you want the research or the points. If you are heavily expanding and are experiencing an influence-bottleneck, it can absolutely be worth it to simply pick the points and enjoy the ability to expand a little bit more, regardless of whether the hidden event triggers or not.
If you however feel like you can wait out on your normal influence, the engineering research is really significant. 10% are not to be scoffed at and can make a huge difference especially if you are trying to get a tech advantage for an imminent war.
Is the L-gate insight a factor?
The answer is it depends. If you have not discovered any L-gate yet and are in the very early game, it definitely is not a factor. There simply is too much uncertainty on when you will find an L-gate that will trigger the insight from the Bunker Bot event. It is better to focus on the event rewards at hand and ignore the chance at an L-gate insight in the future. You can find them plenty of other ways too.
If you however are very close to completing the L-Gate special project, it can absolutely be worth it to pick the third option regardless of the imminent rewards. Unlocking access to the L-gate cluster can be extremely beneficial and as such should be prioritized if possible.
Conclusion
The Bunker Bot event is one of the more exciting and mysterious ones in the game. The decision on your choice is regardless of its mystery not always easy, but you should keep in mind that there is no “bad choice” except for the first one. Additionally, there is also no drawback from picking anything, as this event does not have any negative outcomes.
If you are enjoying Stellaris and need some pointers on how to build your fleets, check out this Fleet Composition Guide
