Stellaris is nearly a decade old but still going strong, and just received a big expansion, BioGenesis, alongside free update version 4.0, “Phoenix.” The BioGenesis expansion adds new species origins, biological ships, civics, traits, events, and more.
The three new Origins are some of the most exciting parts of the update. Players can now begin their intergalactic conquest as ascended Evolutionary Predators, defend their homeworld from hostile forces with Starlit Citadel, or play as an entire gestalt sapient planetary ecosystem!
The expansion also adds new biological ships, which evolve alongside your empire, along with two pre-designed ship sets.
Plus, six new civics, 16 new species traits, 65 new events, a Hive Fallen Empire, and a new Crisis Path with super monsters.
The BioGenesis expansion is included in the Season 9 Expansion Pass ($44.99), and available separately ($24.99). The Expansion Pass also includes one more major expansion, a species pack, and a portrait pack.
The Phoenix update helps refine notifications, and events, and create better guidance for new and returning players. Plus, overhauls to the trade and population systems.
The new update and expansion has driven new players to the game, and currently sits at around 30,000 concurrent players on Steam. In contrast, Civilization 7, which launched earlier this year, only has a third of those numbers!
Unfortunately, it looks like the update launched with bugs and performance issues, as fans are review bombing the base game, and the expansion.
Stellaris, and most of its DLC, are currently on sale for 50-75% off on Steam, though the base game was even cheaper (75% off) during the Winter Sale last December. It’s also available on PlayStation and Xbox via Stellaris: Console Edition.
