Stellaris developer, Paradox Interactive, has revealed an upcoming expansion for their spacefaring grand strategy game. Distant Stars will be the next in the series of add-on content that has followed since the game’s release in 2016, and this piece of DLC will be “discovery-themed,” according to Paradox. “Players will uncover new anomalies and storylines, and encounter strange new beings in the uncharted depths of space,” reads description of Distant Stars‘ web page.
Main features of the DLC include “dozens of new anomalies and events” for players’ scientists to study and observe and multiple previously unexplored solar systems, each with with “technology, resources, and valuable worlds to colonize.” Among these uncharted systems, players will find “traces of an ancient gateway network,” which may well be hiding dark secrets ripe for the discovering. “Come face to face with a number of unique gargantuan creatures that exist and thrive in the vacuum of space,” the web page adds. “But approach with caution, because whether gentle giants or something more sinister, these legendary behemoths have existed long before you and will do what it takes to survive long after.”
Here’s a trailer for Distant Stars:
A general update will also be coming to Stellaris in the near future. The 2.1 ‘Niven’ update will be making a number of changes. For one, scientists will no longer be able to ‘fail’ anomaly research. Instead, they will just take a much longer time if the scientist in question is not proficient enough. Furthermore, the Hyperlane network is being overhauled with a “new generation algorithm that builds up ‘clusters’ of stars with a high degree of internal connectivity, that are connected to each other by thinner ‘highways’ which form natural chokepoints.” This allows the game to identify such areas and avoid creating overly frustrating encounters there.
New stars will be making an appearance, including Brown Dwarves, Class M red super-giants, and mineral-rich asteroid-heavy systems. “Finally, there are some new unique systems to find with large amounts of resources in them, guarded by powerful space creatures,” Paradox concluded.
Currently, neither the Distant Stars expansion nor the 2.1 Niven update have a solid launch date. Pre-orders for Distant Stars are up now, and come with new avatars and icons for the game’s online forums, plus a number of wallpapers for players to use. Stellaris is available now for PC, Mac and Linux.