Leviathans is Another Leap Forward for 4X Gaming

Well done Stellaris fans, you waited and waited, and now full month since its announcement, Leviathans has finally arrived! But what do this upgrade mean for the game as a whole?

Apart from various quality of life improvements, and general balance changes. These upgrades are an attempt to fill out the mid – end game experience in Stellaris. It’s quite common in 4X games, that once you get past a certain level of development you can steamroll any enemy, and challenges that were previously fun can become onerous tasks that need repeating by rote until you’ve conquered the galaxy. Stellaris had already partially addressed this issue, by making victory goals more realistic, i.e. colonise 40% of the galaxy or if you’re in a federation, own 60% of the colonisable planets. However this solution only helps to reduce some of the grind. Heinlein and Leviathans on the other hand, reinvigorate the game by adding new challenges.

Stellaris is one of my favourite games of the year, and is already one of the finest 4X games ever made. Leviathans however, promises to revitalise the game, even for people who’ve put hundreds of hours into it already. Leviathans also promises to be a quantum leap forward for four 4X games, with the kind of interactive storylines we’ve only dreamt of until now.

Official Press Release

STOCKHOLM – 19 October 2016 – Paradox Interactive and Paradox Development Studio have today released Leviathans, the first story pack for the critically acclaimed science fiction strategy game, Stellaris.

Leviathans adds new exploration centered content, as you encounter new, potentially dangerous species, pirates and space creatures when you expand across the galaxy. New events and new options are open to you, bringing you even deeper into an epic space opera of your own creation.

Stellaris: Leviathans includes:

Guardians: Powerful space entities with mysterious origins and motives. Fight or investigate them to unlock technologies and gain access to great treasures.
Enclaves: Independent outposts of traders and artists who are willing to make a deal. Exchange resources, purchase information about the galaxy, or commission a great work of art for your empire.
War in Heaven: Where will your fledgling empire lie if two ancient Fallen Empires decide to renew old grievances in a War in Heaven? Will you err on the side of caution and take a side with the stronger power, or will you strike at both whilst they are occupied with their own titanic struggle?

New art and music to add greater variety and listening pleasures to your game experience.

The launch of Leviathans is accompanied by the Heinlein update to the base Stellaris game, available to anyone who owns it. Heinlein is a huge free update to the game that addresses many issues for players, including:

A convenient Auto-Explore feature.
Rally points for your freshly-assembled Navy.
The Expansion Planner Interface.
An overhaul of Strategic Resources.
Clearer specialization/role for ship types.
More options for customizing new galaxies.
New smarter Sector Governors.

Stellaris: Leviathans is available on Steam and the Paradox Store for $9.99.
https://www.paradoxplaza.com/stellaris-leviathan-story-pack

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