Stellaris’ galaxy menacing Nemesis expansion comes to PC on 15th April and, as is the norm, it’ll be accompanied by a free update for all players on the same day. In the run-up to next week’s launch, publisher Paradox has now offered a quick taste of Dick, as the update is officially known, in a handy new video summarising the various changes it’ll bring.
Stellaris’ 3.0/Dick update (which, as with previous free updates, takes its name from a famed sci-fi author, in this case Philip K Dick), offers a number of notable reworks, starting with the game’s First Contact system. Currently, the options players are able to select from when encountering a new alien civilisation for the first time have minimal impact on future relationships – something Paradox aims to remedy with Dick.
Come Stellaris 3.0, initial contact promises to be “more engaging and impactful”, presenting players with more options and decisions to make across multiple stages, differing depending on whether their First Contact Protocol is proactive, cautious, or aggressive.
Now, as an example, aggressive xenophobic empires may choose to abduct and vivisect members of a newly encountered civilisations, which might result in the discovery of new scientific data but will also be seen as an act of war – having serious consequences later on.