Stellaris is changing forever with the launch of its latest expansion. Paradox’s 4X space game has managed to stay relevant for nearly a decade now, and to celebrate its ninth anniversary the studio is unleashing two major upgrades. The first is Stellaris 4.0, a significant redesign to core systems such as pops aimed at improving late-game performance and adding new management tools. The second is Biogenesis, a new DLC that introduces some of the most unique factions the strategy game has ever seen.
Stellaris Biogenesis launches today, Monday May 5, and brings with it a whole wealth of bioengineering and genetic modification tools. At the core of this are three new genetic ascension paths for the 4X game, now renamed to ‘Biomorphosis.’ Adopt this perk and you’ll be able to choose between purity (refining your current form), cloning (an option for rapid growth at the cost of individuality), and mutation (embracing chaos and randomness in search of powerful new species traits).
Your people won’t be the only ones evolving, however. Biogenesis also introduces new living starships capable of growing and adapting alongside your empire. Even more exciting than that, however, is the space game’s new crisis path, ‘Behemoth Fury.’ This is only available to civilizations that use bioships, and sees you accumulating a resource called Feral Insight as you cultivate, breed, hatch, and grow Behemoths – gargantuan, planet-swallowing beasts that will take a seriously concentrated effort to bring under your control.
Manage to tame such a creature, and you can direct its rage in the rough direction of rival colonies, or even mind meld with it to assume full control (if you’re prepared for the inherent risks that entails). Continue to grow, going so far as gobbling down entire worlds to absorb their biomass and population, and you could even assert its dominance as the unquestioned King of the Monsters. You might need to fend off some similarly spectacular rivals in order to do so, however.
Alternatively, perhaps you would rather be a planet. That’s possible now as well; the new Wilderness origin allows you to embody a sapient planetary ecosystem that spreads its consciousness across the stars. Alternatively, choose Evolutionary Predators to become the ultimate adaptor, combining unique phenotypes in search of the optimal form. Or start as the Starlit Citadel, a defensively minded empire with early access to a new fortress megastructure, the Deep Space Citadel.
There’s much more packed in here, too. Six new civics, 16 more species traits, two biological ship sets, city sets, and diplomatic rooms, reactive portraits, additional music, and a total of 65 events. However you choose to play, Biogenesis is set to be a dramatic expansion of the potential paths through Stellaris, and it’s experimenting with some of the most creative ideas we’ve seen in the series’ nine-year history.
Launching along Biogenesis is the Stellaris 4.0 update, ‘Phoenix.’ A free patch for all players regardless of whether or not you purchase the new DLC, it includes fundamental overhauls to the way that population and trade work, along with additional new-player guidance and several other quality-of-life improvements. Those changes should also help to ensure that Stellaris runs far smoother than before into the late-game, even on lesser hardware.
Stellaris Biogenesis is out now. You can buy it for $24.99 / £21.99, or get it as part of the Season 9 expansion pass, priced at $44.99 / £37.99. Alternatively you can opt for the ongoing Stellaris expansion subscription, which begins at $9.99 / £8.50 per month. Find it right here.
Alternatively, take a look through the best Stellaris mods, or consider trying another of the best strategy games on PC – there are some fantastic options to choose from.
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