how to play stellaris lithoids on high sierra

Compared to carbon-pops trying to colonize 60% habitability planets, lithoids need -20% upkeep+amenities and give +20% job output. Where lithoids benefit is in upkeep, amenity needs, and job output: pop growth aside, compared to carbon-pops colonizing an 80% habitability planet, lithoids need -10% upkeep+amenities and give +10% job output.

25% pop growth speed is equivalent to a carbon-pop trying to colonize 50% habitability worlds, and lithoids trying to colonize 50% habitability worlds is equivalent to carbon-pops trying to colonize 0% habitability worlds. The idea is you want fewer, bigger planets, and of those you'll want double the normal number of mining planets, and of those half your mining colonies need to be set aside as 'food' instead of being used for industry. So, you need to be picky with your planets, because you can actually kill yourself by having too many pops: 1,000 lithoids equals -1,000 minerals per month. That huge +50% bonus to habitability is actually necessary, because even when habitability isn't a concern, a solid 2/3rds of planets aren't actually suitable for lithoid colonies because they simply don't give enough minerals. In order to feed all your lithoids, you need two things: planets with lots of minerals, and fewer lithoids eating minerals. Minerals are a finite resource in the galaxy, and by extension you can only have a finite number of lithoids.

If this doesn't seem like much, that's because you're thinking of them as eating food. There are definitely a lot of things you need to consider, first being that lithoids eat minerals instead of food.

How to play stellaris lithoids on high sierra