An anomaly is a galactic feature representing something unusual that a 
Survey Ship can 
Survey to unlock a random effect and gain +5 
Experience Points. In base Galactic Civilizations III, there are 5 classes of anomalies: artifacts, capsules, ship graveyards, space junk and wormholes. The Precursor Worlds DLC adds precursor anomalies.
Rarity[ | ]
Each class of anomaly has an associated rarity, depending on whether the Precursor Worlds DLC is installed.
| Anomaly class | Rarity | Rarity with Precursor Worlds DLC |
|---|---|---|
| Artifact | 20% | 16% |
| Capsule | 35% | 28% |
| Ship graveyard | 5% | 4% |
| Space junk | 40% | 32% |
| Wormhole | 1% | <1% |
| Precursor | 0% | 20% |
Anomalies in base Galactic Civilizations III[ | ]
Artifacts[ | ]
Artifacts are objects left behind by some ancient race. Most of the time they simply benefit the 
Treasury.
| Anomaly | Rarity | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Precursor Builders | 4% | Finish construction at nearest colony |
| Unfortunate Genius | 4% | Finish current  Research project
|
| Ancient Riches | 92% | Greater of +100 Treasury and +10% Treasury
|
Capsules[ | ]
Capsules contain randomized rewards.
| Anomaly | Rarity | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Mysterious Hardware | 32% | Randomly complete 15% or gain 25 points towards current Research project
|
| Lost and Found | 15% | +10 to +250 Treasury
|
| Mysterious Weapon Hardware | 20% | Ship gains a weapon of random type with +1 attack |
| Lost Cargo | 33% | Gain +1 of a random galactic resource |
Ship graveyards[ | ]
Upon reaching a ship graveyard, there is a 75% change that a pirate fleet, consisting of two 
tiny hull pirate attack ships, each armed with a dual 
Lasers, will attack the survey fleet. Once within the graveyard, the survey will discover a random ship or a bonus to the survey fleet.
| Anomaly | Rarity | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Lost Scout Ship | 13% | Gain a  Scout
|
| One Wormhole Too Many | 6% | Gain a Survey Ship
|
| Toasted But Not Burned | 13% | Gain a  Cutter
|
| Never Surrender | 19% | Gain a  Defender
|
| Cast the First Stone | 19% | Gain a  Gunboat
|
| Constructive Salvage | 13% | Gain a  Constructor
|
| A Well Needed Boost | 6% | +2  Moves
|
| Breath of Fresh Air | 6% | +25%  Ship Range
|
| Lifting the Fog | 6% | +25%  Sensor Power
|
Space Junk[ | ]
Space Junk provides small Treasury increases. It is the most common type of anomaly.
| Anomaly | Rarity | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Cargo Pods | 25% | +100 Treasury
|
| Debris Field | 63% | +10 to +50 Treasury
|
| Space Junk | 12% | +1 Treasury
|
Wormholes[ | ]
As the rarest class of anomaly, a wormhole will transport the Survey Ship to a random tile in the galaxy.
Precursor Anomalies in the Precursor World DLC[ | ]
Upon reaching a precursor anomaly, the survey fleet will be attacked by a precursor fleet, consisting of 8 drones, one of which is a larger, flagship drone. The smaller, tiny hull drones are armed with a Particle Beam, while the larger cargo hull drone has 5 Particle Beam weapons. Upon defeating the drones, the fleet discovers a treasure worth +500 to +1500 Treasury and the civilization gains a significant bonus, depending on the anomaly.
The random bonus is one of:
- +1
Raw Production - +300 Research toward current project
- +10% Gross Income
- +10% Influence Growth
- +10% Hit Points
- +1 Morale
- +10% All Construction
- +10% Ship Range
- +5 Elerium
- +5 Antimatter
- +5 Logistics
- +10% Moves
