The Steam Autumn Sale has arrived!

Stellaris is now 75% off, with further discounts on select expansions and content packs.

Assemble your fleets, master diplomacy and take your empire beyond the edge of the known galaxy.

Check out all the discounts here: https://store.steampowered.com/dlc/281990/Stellaris/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/281990/Stellaris/

by PDX-Loke

Hello all,

We have a patch ready for you, resolving another set of gameplay issues as well as a few more crashes.
4.1.3 is now available for download via Steam, GOG, and MS. (4.1.2 beta was not promoted to a main branch release)

Please find the patch notes below.

• Fixed default leader tiers not being loaded properly from a savegame, sometimes causing Psionic traits to be lost

• Removed invalid armies from savefiles after planet occupation issues

  • Fix versus the open beta: Stop removing allied armies from planets not in combat

• Teeth of the Eater no longer use naval capacity when merged into fleets.

• Made Natural Design mutually exclusive with Shroud Civic and Origin combinations that would prevent ascension

• Raiding stance will abduct Pre-FTL pops again

• Colonist jobs are now available for Tankbound species

• Fixed ground battles finishing instantly

• Death Cult sacrifices are now once again available at the start of the game

• Death Cult sacrifices now require at least 100 Mortal Initiates

• The tankbound Toxoid portrait now counts as potentially having a big brain

• Secondary empire color is now used for country borders

• The reduction in planetary district capacity by deposits granted by the Composer of Strands is negated if you have a covenant with them or are forging your own path. These planetary deposits have additional effects in this case as well.

• Fixed crash in the planet view demographics tab

• Fixed crash that could occur in the Shroud view

• Fix for leaders not gaining Psionic traits when completing Psionic ascension

Work is ongoing and we have a more extensive patch in progress carrying wider reaching fixes and balance updates. Stay attuned for that next week.

by PDX-Loke

Hello,

We're now releasing a hotfix patch to address a few high prio issues in yesterdays release.
4.1.1 should be available to download via Steam, with GOG and MS following as soon as possible.

Please find the patch notes below, same as todays open beta.

• Rare CTD when interacting with the precursor selector in the galaxy settings.

• Prevented early patron relations initialization by checking for potentials before country initialization.

• Fixed Machine Intelligences being forced to have the Shroud-Forged origin if you did not own The Machine Age, likely causing another CTD.

• Added a robust technical safeguard to prevent that CTD even if there is incorrect script.

• Resource Consolidation and Void Dwellers now once again start with energy and mining districts.

The team will keep working on further fixing and balancing based on your reports, aiming towards a proper patch at a later time.

Until then!

Hello Stellaris Community!

The second installment of Stellaris: Season 09, Shadows of the Shroud is available now!

Reality is only one thread in a vast, trembling web. In Shadows of the Shroud, empires reach beyond the material realm, attuning to ancient powers and bargaining with entities that exist beyond time. Psionic Auras ripple outward, warping systems and reshaping destinies. While the Mindwardens wage silent war against psionic corruption, the Shroud Patrons gather, their gifts as lavish as their demands. The deeper one delves, the harder it is to return. The journey that began with The Machine Age and deepened with BioGenesis finds its most haunting revelation in Shadows of the Shroud. 

The time has come to pierce the veil.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3417850/Stellaris_Shadows_of_the_Shroud/https://store.steampowered.com/app/3417870/Stellaris_Season_09__Expansion_Pass/

The Shadows of the Shroud expansion includes:​

• Psionic Ascension (also unlocked by Utopia)​

• Three new Origins:​

  • Endbringers​

  • Mindwardens​

  • Shroud-Forged​

• Shroud-Forged grants access to the Gestalt Machine Intelligence authority while playing this Origin.​

• Six new Civics​

  • Chosen / Chosen Executives / Chosen Many / Apostle Network​

  • Entropy Drinkers / Corporate Vampires / Parasitic Caste / Energy Extractors​

  • Experimental Sentencing / Judicial R&D / Corrective Consciousness​

  • Secret Societies / Influential Cartel​

  • Superstitious Beliefs / Fortune Enterprise / Zodiac Nexus / Pattern Finders​

  • Tankbound / Corporate Thinktank​

• An enhanced Psionic Ascension Situation, culminating in advanced Psionic government forms​

• A new system for delving into the Shroud itself, including Deeds, Accords, Callings, and Covenants​

• Psionic Auras and Seals​

• New Patrons and entities to encounter in the Shroud, and expanded content for old acquaintances​

• EXPANDED END OF THE CYCLE​

• New Psionic Species Traits​

• Psionic Portraits that reflect the change within once their Psionic potential has been unleashed​

• Two new shipsets​

  • Mindwarden​

  • Psionic​

• Psionic Diplomatic Room, City Set, Advisor, Music Tracks, and more​

Shadows of the Shroud is available now on its own or as part of Stellaris: Season 09!

Haven’t been keeping up with dev diaries? Lets get you caught up!

Psionic Ascension

Shadows of the Shroud completes our “arc of ascension” rework of ascension paths in Stellaris. Psionically ascending requires completing the Psionic Tradition Tree, which is unlocked by taking the Mind over Matter Ascension Perk and researching the Psionic Theory technology. Much like the other ascensions, Psionic Ascension will start a situation with several different approaches allowing you to choose how your empire approaches ascension and with events that will explore the ramifications of ascension on your empire.

Completing Psionic Ascension will give access to the Shroud tab, each section in the circle represents a different domain of a Shroud Patron, and your position within the Shroud shows your attunement to each of the Shroud Patrons, and your actions within the “real world” can affect your alignment in the Shroud.

Delving into the Shroud

Your first Delve into the Shroud is completely unknown and extremely taxing on your telepaths - it may take years for them to recover enough psionic energy to attempt to delve into the Shroud again. During your first delve you will be approached by one of the four Major Patrons, the Eater of Worlds, the Instrument of Desire, the Composer of Strands or - new in Shadows of the Shroud - the Cradle of Souls. Shadows of the Shroud also includes 8 minor patrons, four of which you may encounter based on your position in the Shroud during your playthrough.

Each Major patron will have a Calling - tasks that they want you to complete - with the reward being increased Attunement to that particular Patron. Additionally, each Major Patron also has a list of positive and negative Deeds that will either increase or decrease attunement to that Patron’s domain, and will alter your position within the domains of the Shroud. Envoys can also be assigned to increase your Attunement with Major Patrons in the Shroud.

Attunement to a domain grants Psionic Accords, which are essentially passive effects for mastering that domain. Active Covenant Powers exist for those who are more eager to lash themselves to serving a patron. Accepting a Covenant with a Major Patron will unlock both of its active Covenant Powers, but for those who are interested in forging their own path in the Shroud, the first of each Major Patron’s Covenant Powers can be unlocked with the right Attunement to their domain.

Psionic Auras

An empire that has achieved a certain level of Attunement with a domain unlocks Accords, but also gains access to the Psionic Auras technology. This will allow some of the Shroud’s power to leak back into corporeal reality, emitted from where your psionic population is concentrated. These Auras provide passive benefits to you and your allies, and hinder your enemies.

If you haven’t made a Covenant with an entity, your Aura will reflect the nature of the domain with which you have the greatest accord - though if you’re actively moving about the Shroud it won’t change more than once a month.

Upon forming a Covenant or rejecting all Covenants to forge your own path, Psionic Aura Intensification becomes available to research. This allows your Aura to grow and even spread into other systems. When two Auras collide, the stronger Aura will eat away at the weaker one until it can take over.

Mindwarden Enclave

Motivated by a deep antipathy toward the Shroud, this organization provides services and technology to counteract the powerful effects of psionic practices. Their mission is to protect against the menace of the Shroud and all those who spread its ill effects. They believe in minds free from invasion, and a galaxy fortified against psionics.

Assuming you have not been compromised, the Mindwardens will provide a number of services. They will happily warn newcomers of the dangers presented by the ethereal, can offer “Thought Police” services to reduce crime, can provide targeted raids against known threats (similar to Marauders, but with greater strength of purpose and intent), and will happily dispose of donated Zro.

Those who have earned the Mindwarden’s trust can also make use of their logistical assistance - reducing ship upkeep for ten years, hire Assault Wardens armies that excel against Psionic foes, or provide the services of a Mindwarden Commissioner that can act as a Thought Warden on your Council.

One of the greatest inventions of the Mindwardens, however, is the Shroud Seal. These seals drain the power of Psionic Auras, weakening them over time. Shroud Seals will suppress their system and adjacent systems, though there are rumors of a Relic that can increase their power. Should the corruptive influences of a Psionic Aura threaten your territory, the Mindwardens can provide a counter to this malicious influence.

Origins

 

Mindwarden Origin - Should you wish to take a proactive approach towards dealing with otherworldly menaces, the challenging Mindwarden origin is here. The perils of the Shroud are not only many, but unfortunately they are also near. The terrible “psi-radiation” of the Aura of the Dreamer infects many of the systems close to your homeworld.

You’ll need to learn about this threat and how to counteract it. Thankfully, your ancestors overcame a psychic plague long ago and left you with an Ancient Ward to protect your people.

Should you succeed at containing this menace and securing the psychic safety of your empire, you’ll be able to release fleets to establish the first Mindwarden enclaves. Your empire will have a special relationship with them - providing the services the Enclaves normally possess as well as having a relationship similar to that between Mercenary Enclaves and their patrons.

Endbringers Origin - The Endbringers are a challenging and doomed origin. A mysterious calamity turned a neighboring planet into a shrouded world, and your people have been cursed with a sense of foreboding and growing paranoia ever since. Endbringers soon discover an archaeology site at the shrouded world that will provide few answers but will guide you towards your dark patron.

As a madness-consumed doomsday cult, your journey through Psionic Ascension will differ a little from more conventional paths. No Ascension Perk is needed for you to pursue Psionic Ascension - this decision was already made for you long ago. Your entry into the Shroud itself differs a bit as well, as you have already been claimed.

Forming a covenant changes the conventional Shroud UI to a ticking clock, counting down the moments until the end of your story. As the Cycle progresses, you will gain more Covenant Powers, including some that will let you stall for time. Powers that reduce the End of the Cycle Situation Progress can be used only once per game, though: while the End is patient, it is relentless.

Shroud-Forged Origin - The Shroud-Forged Origin explores the tale of a gestalt machine intelligence that has attracted the attention of the Shroud entity known as the Animator of Clay. Will you reassert control over your wayward drones, or embrace the Animator’s gifts? 

Both paths have unique benefits and drawbacks - spurning the blessings of a capricious eldritch entity has obvious downsides, but accepting them could be just as dangerous. The balance of power within your empire is reflected in the Forged by the Shroud situation.

Civics

Superstitious Beliefs - These empires believe that good and bad fortunes occur in a 13 year cycle. The Superstitious Beliefs set of civics highlight civilizations that find patterns that others cannot see, and rely on predictions, numerology, astronomy, or other techniques to ensure that good fortune is assured. They can also use their Galactic Dowsing edict that allows them to apply their skill at divination to surveying, which will provide tangible benefits to their empire.

Experimental Sentencing - Grants access to the Experimental Testing situation which lets you choose a branch of research to focus on - Physics, Society, or Engineering, and when completed will provide progress on a technology upon completion. Some of the Test Subjects will be lost, but it’s easy enough to acquire more. 

Tankbound Civic​ - Pops from a Tankbound society are unable to leave their protective vats of specialized bio-fluids. They are heavily reliant on assistive equipment and have difficulty engaging directly in physical work. They automatically automate their rural jobs (though starting with less efficiency than true automation), but as they unlock technologies related to automation they will work off these penalties.

Entropy Drinkers​ - The Entropy Drinkers civics enable the transfer of life energy from the populace to the Empire's leaders. These empires possess edicts that further empower their leaders by siphoning additional life energy from the populace. The Convergence of Will edict has both Unity and Zro upkeep. Having plenty of Energy Thralls will also reduce the Pop Growth Speed penalties of these edicts.

Secret Societies​ - These mysterious factions are revealed upon establishing communications with their contacts, each driven by priorities markedly different from standard factions. Secret Societies also get a new Diplomatic action allowing them to trigger a Proxy War (Proxy wars can also be unlocked through the Subterfuge tradition tree for those who own Nemesis and Shadows of the Shroud) between two empires, provided they have enough infiltration or trust with the target empire. 

Chosen - The Chosen Civics act as a fast-track to forming Accords with a Major Patron of your choice. You will be able to select which Major Patron has selected your people, gain attunement to your Patron and begin with their first Accord. Your innate connection to the Shroud lets you view the Shroud UI, though you will not be able to Delve into the Shroud itself until you progress through Psionic Ascension. While you start with a head-start at attuning towards your Chosen Patron, you are not required to form a Covenant with them but will be unable to forge your own path into the Shroud.

Ships and Portraits

Shadows of the Shroud also includes a selection of Shroud-inspired species portraits, including Psionic phenotype traits. And two new shipsets, the Psionic Shipset, and the Mindwarden Shipset.

And more!

Including a new city set, diplomatic room, voice advisor and new music tracks!

Pierce the Veil and Ascend into greatness with Shadows of the Shroud today!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3417850/Stellaris_Shadows_of_the_Shroud/https://store.steampowered.com/app/3417870/Stellaris_Season_09__Expansion_Pass/

by Eladrin

Hello, Stellaris Community!

Shadows of the Shroud and the 4.1 ‘Lyra’ update will be released next Monday, September 22nd.

Today we have preliminary release notes, as well as the Chosen set of Civics and some of the Advanced Psionic Government options.

Here’s the current list of expected changes coming next week.

The ‘Arc of Ascension’ is complete at last with Shadows of the Shroud.

• Overhauled Psionic Ascension

  • Like the other Ascension Paths, Psionic Ascension has now been elevated with an Ascension Situation that explores the impact Ascension has on your Empire. Your moral and ethical decisions will influence your attunement to the domains of the Shroud, culminating in your first delve as you Breach the Shroud.

  • Track your exploration of the Shroud in the new Shroud Panel, which will show your current attunement to the domains of the Shroud and provide means to influence your spiritual travels. Attuning to a domain grants Accords, and the local Patron may offer you a Covenant: Power for a price.

  • The Shroud contains 4 Major Patrons, 8 Minor Patrons, and 2 Great Patrons, though not all can be encountered in a single playthrough.

  • Encounter new events when "Delving" into the Shroud, including 4 new Psionic technologies for ship components.

  • A new path through the Shroud where you reject Covenants to forge your own way, beholden to no Patron.

  • An overhauled End of the Cycle

• Psionic Auras

  • The power of the Shroud can influence corporeal reality through Psionic Auras. These manifestations of the strength of your attuned domain or Patron spread outward from your colonies but can be countered by the Shroud Seals of the Mindwarden Enclave.

• 3 New Origins

  • Shroud-Forged: The guidance of a Shroud entity comes with a cost. The entity known as the Animator of Clay has taken a special interest in this Machine Intelligence civilization.

  • Mindwardens: Freedom is meaningless without sovereignty of thought. Carry on the fight of your ancestors by defending the galaxy from psionic threats.

  • Endbringers: IT IS NOT YET YOUR TIME. BUT IT COULD BE.

• 6 New Civics

  • Entropy Drinkers

  • Secret Societies

  • Superstitious Beliefs

  • Experimental Sentencing

  • Tankbound

  • Chosen

• Expanded events when delving in the Shroud

  • Plus 80+ additional new galactic anomalies and events (unrelated to the Shroud)

• 8 New Paragon leaders

• 2 New Relics

• Mindwarden Enclave & Shroud Seals

• New Shroudwalker Enclave interactions

• Proxy Wars introduced

• Hive Minds and Machine empires can now Psionically ascend

• Advanced Psionic Governments

• 13 New portraits

• Psionic shipset

• Mindwarden shipset

• Advisor Voice

• 4 New Music tracks by Andreas Waldetoft

Features

• Significant improvements to the Planet UI based on player feedback.

  • The Planet UI now makes better use of horizontal space available even at our lowest resolutions.

  • City Set and Environments have been re-exported at higher resolution to reduce blurriness.

  • Surface Tab:

    • Build Queue is always visible.

    • More information in the Planet Summary, including the Planetary Decisions button

    • Multiple buildings can be sequentially added to the build queue from the same building specialization

    • New District Specialization icons

  • Management Tab:

    • Added Monthly Pop Summary including Growth, Migration, and Assembly information

      • Pie charts are back!

    • Reworked the Current Population information to show more and clearer information about your pop groups. Pops are now sorted by Species, Strata, and then Group.

  • Economy Tab:

    • Added Workforce Summary providing more easily accessible information

      • Pie charts are back!

    • Improved Tooltips for jobs, which now show the total production and upkeep of all pops working that job (instead of just showing the pop-based production and output).

      • Holding ALT will show estimates for 100 Pops working that job in these tooltips, allowing for better job-to-job comparisons.

  • Armies Tab:

    • Recruitment is now part of the main window.

  • Holdings:

    • Mostly just arrangement changes.

Balance

• The Fallen Shipyard planetary feature now gives 1 miner per 25 pops, not 1 per 4 pops.

• The Ship Junkyard planetary modifier now gives 0.5 alloys and 0.5 engineering research per 100 miners instead of 1 of each.

• Combining Planetscapers and Arc Welders will only spawn blockers that block a single district.

• Planetscapers will now spawn two different blockers on your homeworld.

• Slaver Guilds and Indentured Assets now provide Job Efficiency for Slaves. These civics no longer enslave a percentage of your population. We intend on revisiting them in a future update to find a better way to fulfill their fantasy.

• Leaders governing planets and sectors now gain 10 XP whenever planetary infrastructure (districts, district specializations, or buildings) are constructed. If a planet has a local governor and a sector governor, the local planetary governor will take priority.

• Rural support district specializations that add trade upkeep to farmers, miners and technicians, now scale greater on ringworlds, since ringworld districts have as many jobs.

• Necromancers now produce Society and Engineering research instead of Physics and Society research.

• Removed automation from Telepath jobs - you cannot automate telepathy effectively

• Planetary Ascension cost reduction is now capped at 90%.

• Reduced the initial power of Resource Consolidation, but allowed the origin to ignore the tech requirements for the Machine Worlds AP.

• Buffed the Dread Encampment to provide additional research production (and upkeep) to Necromancers.

• The Computation Core Focus policies now affect job efficiency for selected jobs instead of planetary production of selected resources.

• Hive Sensorium Sites now require the Cultural Heritage technology. Hive Minds can now research this technology.

• Cultural Heritage technology now requires Planetary Unification instead of being a starting tech.

• Heritage Site technology is now Tier 2 instead of Tier 1.

• Hypercomms Forum technology is now more expensive.

Bugfix

• Fix auto-culling prioritizing culling breeding adults over babies

• The Chosen can no longer be declared the most delicious aliens in the galaxy, letting you contact them early when they are still sealed away.

• Fixed an issue where the game would not let you build Ephaptic Clusters after researching the technology.

• Cloned leaders will now also clone their flags and variables from the original leader

• You can no longer build a grand archive over a sufficiently populated pre-FTL world

• Add safeguard for potential crash while handling graphics for capture space critter fleet order

• Fixed some tooltips saying that Scrap Miners were converted into Scrap Miners.

• Fix a crash when displaying growth tooltips

• Fix Federation perk modifiers not being localized properly

• Add missing modifier for Fanatic Pacifist

• Planetscapers can no longer start with more districts of a certain type than a planet can support (e.g. 7/6 generator districts).

• The Atomic Clock will no longer be able to make your Arc Furnace into a gaia world

• Paragons no longer spawn with all their bespoke traits as well as all their trait picks still available.

• Nanotech and Machine Foundry World flavor text displays correctly.

• Fixed armies shenanigans, resulting in randomly dying fleets

• Fix pop growth wildly varying between months by calculating it across species instead of per pop group

• Trade deposits in space be collected by mining stations

• Fix Maulers flying in circles instead of attacking

• The Prethoryn should no longer constantly attempt to colonize uninhabited habitats or ringworlds as they lack interesting biomass.

• Fix pop groups changed from purge to slaves staying in promotion job

• Fixed The Nursery event telling you that it will advance your Evolutionary Predator situation even when you don't have the origin.

• Fixed an exploit where if you got a resort world through trade or integration it would stay a resort world. Allowing you to get multiples of them.

• Integrating a subject will no longer leave you with their dimensional fleets in perpetuity.

• Fix Wilderness jobs having malus workforce for 1 month at game start

• Fix the workforce tooltip of wilderness pop jobs never showing modifiers

• Gave the Riddles Decoded modifier a proper icon.

• Fixed Synaptic Sub-Processing stating that it only gave +2 jobs

• Fixes not all pops being properly assigned to jobs and not calculating workforce multipliers properly

• Pre-sapients now once again need feeding

• Robots don't get Bonus Growth anymore

• Planet UI now shows Downgrade again instead of Destroy for upgraded buildings

• The evolutionary predators agenda granted by mutation traditions now grants other species mutagenic habitability

• Fixed amenities on the Storm Relief Center for Wilderness

• Fixed job efficiency modifiers for disconnected drone citizenship

• Slaves should be less likely to get stuck in a "repurposing" job.

• Job modifiers now correctly apply to production for the Overlord

• Stopped the Botanical Paradise project from attaching to the science ship discovering it.

• Made the Arc Furnace dismantling not leave any lingering deposits.

• Repairing a ruined Arc Furnace no longer gives too many mineral deposits.

• Hive and Machine worlds now correctly have access to district specializations for harvesting of betharian, rare crystals, exotic gases and volatile motes.

• District specializations for strategic resources now correctly check you have the required technology.

UI

• Gestalts and Robots can now have their migration controlled

• Large species selection buttons in the species list will now work even when hovering over some other tooltip triggering UI element inside the button.

• Updated city sets and environments to higher-resolution versions with standardized 800×400 px layers.

• Fix Last Month Growth of species or strata sometimes being incorrect

• Improve Growth tooltips at the species level

• Improve production and tooltip display of job types triggered static modifiers

• Improve the tooltip when hovering the name of a job in planet view

• Fix a bunch of resources display discrepancies in the holding tab

• Improve District Specialization requirement tooltips

Performance

• Fixed various scripted localization performance issues related to the Paragons content

• Diminish the number of VFSExists from portrait evolution

• Default texture lifetime management is now forbidden for CInstantSprite.

• Reduces the frequency of portrait texture file existence checking

• Branch office planet profits are calculated monthly instead of daily

• We no longer create a fake country on the death of great leaders

AI

• The AI should now build defensive platforms in orbit of deep space citadels.

• Improved AI behaviour for agendas granted by ascension paths

Modding

• Scripted localization for renowned and legendary leaders have moved to the actual leaders. So we now have set_leader_tier and is_leader_tier on the leader scope for them. They can be defined in common/leader_tiers

• tier attribute is now supported for the create_leader and clone_leader effect. And the same goes for the ethic_leader_creator scripted effect

• Add owner_or_space_owner scope

• Added the on_zone_complete on action.

• Remove unused can_be_cleared_override and add can_be_cleared_potential to deposit type. If false, the clearing buttons and infos are not shown

---

The Chosen set of Civics act as a fast-track to forming Accords with a Major Patron of your choice.

Shortly after starting, you will be able to select which Major Patron has selected your people.

After making your choice, you will gain attunement with your Patron and begin with their first Accord. Your innate connection to the Shroud lets you view the Shroud UI, though you will not be able to Delve into the Shroud itself until you progress through Psionic Ascension.

You’ll also be able to affect your Attunement to the Shroud.​

Once you Breach the Shroud, you’ll be greeted by the Major Patron with whom you have traditionally been affiliated.

Having a way paved for you makes things easier, and while you start with a head-start at attuning towards your Chosen Patron, you are not required to form a Covenant with them. Those who took this easy way are, however, unable to forge their own path.

We hadn’t mentioned it before when we initially revealed Accords and Covenants, but some time after initially forming a Covenant with a Patron you have an opportunity to confirm or renounce it.

During one of your Delves into the Shroud, the Shroud itself may ask you a series of tarot-style questions. Your answers will reshape your Empire.

Your questions may vary.

My United Chosen of Earth ended up as a Transcendant Democracy. The individualist organic transcendent governments are:

Other answers would have led us to these corporeal variants:

Gestalts have these authorities:

Release! See you Monday!

The next Stellaris dev diary is planned for October 2nd.

Shadows of the Shroud and the 4.1.0 ‘Lyra’ update will be released on Monday, September 22nd, and is included as part of Stellaris: Season 09.

by Eladrin

The [color=#FF0000]End of the Cycle[/color] is not a crisis. It’s an opportunity. [color=#FF0000]An opportunity to end all things.[/color]


This too, shall pass.​

Today we’ll be looking at the end of things, and the remaining civics and an addition to Subterfuge - Proxy Wars.

The Endbringers are a challenging and doomed origin. A mysterious calamity turned a neighboring planet into a shrouded world, and your people have been cursed with a sense of foreboding and growing paranoia ever since.



Should you not act to quell it, your Empire’s Paranoia grows over time, up to a maximum of 50%.​

Endbringers soon discover an archaeology site at the shrouded world that will provide few answers but will guide you towards your dark patron.

As a madness-consumed doomsday cult, your journey through Psionic Ascension will differ a little from more conventional paths. No Ascension Perk is needed for them to pursue Psionic Ascension - this decision was already made for you long ago.



Your Psi-Corps in the Tradition tree are also replaced with the Chambers of Silence.



Your entry into the Shroud itself differs a bit as well, as you have already been claimed.



A perfectly silent galaxy awaits, saturated in the inevitability of the [color=#FF0000]Aura of the End[/color].

Forming this covenant changes the conventional Shroud UI to a ticking clock, counting down the moments until the end of your story.



As the Cycle progresses, you will gain more Covenant Powers, including some that will let you stall for time. Powers that reduce the End of the Cycle Situation Progress can be used only once per game, though: while the End is patient, it is relentless.



Should you blanket enough of the galaxy in the Aura of the End, you will be permitted to rest in a [color=#FF0000]perfected universe[/color]. Should you fail, the Reckoning will consume you.

The Endbringers are not the only way to form a Covenant with the End of the Cycle - the “old way” of encountering them conventionally still exists. This will also switch your Shroud UI over to the ticking clock, but will not change your Psi-Corps.

The Entropy Drinkers civics enable the transfer of life energy from the populace to the Empire's leaders.


Leader, take my energy!​

These empires possess edicts that further empower their leaders by siphoning additional life energy from the populace. The Convergence of Will edict has both Unity and Zro upkeep.



Having plenty of Energy Thralls will also reduce the Pop Growth Speed penalties of these edicts.

Proxy Wars allow empires to incite conflict between other civilizations via the Diplomacy menu, requiring high Trust or Infiltration, with potential diplomatic consequences if discovered.



Proxy Wars require Trust or Infiltration and Influence to trigger. When starting a Proxy War, you can select the CB you wish to manipulate the Attacker into using, though some cost more Trust or Infiltration and Influence than others.



In general, when manipulating other nations it’s best to select a cause for war that corresponds with their inherent biases and desires, so they seek to achieve their war goals rather than accepting a status quo early.

Secret Societies civics grant earlier access to Proxy Wars and introduce covert actors who influence galactic affairs from the shadows.



These mysterious factions are revealed upon establishing communications with their contacts, each driven by priorities markedly different from standard factions.



Our final Shadows of the Shroud stream will be held today at 16:00 CEST, in which we plan on showcasing the Endbringers.



This Thursday’s dev diary will be the Preliminary Release Notes for the 4.1.0 ‘Vela’ update!

Shadows of the Shroud and the 4.1.0 ‘Vela’ update will be released on Monday, September 22nd, and is included as part of Stellaris: Season 09.

by Eladrin

Hi everyone!

Earlier this week we introduced some of the entities you’ll meet in Shadows of the Shroud, and had a brief overview of the Psionic Auras system. Today’s topic is Mindwardens! Mindwardens! Mindwardens! (and Shroud-Forged… and Tankbound.)

Put on your tinfoil hats and get ready to fight back against the psionic menace.

Fledgling empires are so eager to throw away their freedom and enslave themselves to eldritch entities for a pittance of power.

Motivated by a deep antipathy toward the Shroud, this organization provides services and technology to counteract the powerful effects of psionic practices. Their mission is to protect against the menace of the Shroud and all those who spread its ill effects. They believe in minds free from invasion, and a galaxy fortified against psionics.

Assuming you have not been compromised, the Mindwardens will provide a number of services. They will happily warn newcomers of the dangers presented by the ethereal, can offer “Thought Police” services to reduce crime, can provide targeted raids against known threats (similar to Marauders, but with greater strength of purpose and intent), and will happily dispose of donated Zro.

Those who have earned the Mindwarden’s trust can also make use of their logistical assistance - reducing ship upkeep for ten years, hire Assault Warden armies that excel against Psionic foes, or provide the services of a Mindwarden Commissioner that can act as a Thought Warden on your Council.

One of the greatest inventions of the Mindwardens, however, is the Shroud Seal. These seals drain the power of Psionic Auras, weakening them over time. Shroud Seals will suppress their system and adjacent systems, though there are rumors of a Relic that can increase their power.

Should the corruptive influences of a Psionic Aura threaten your territory, the Mindwardens can provide a counter to this malicious influence.

The Shroudwalkers tend to take offense at those interacting with the Mindwardens, and will cease all dealings with you should you perform profane acts such as building a Shroud Seal.

Freedom is meaningless without sovereignty of thought.

Should you wish to take a proactive approach towards dealing with otherworldly menaces, the challenging Mindwarden origin is here.

The Krijdex Wardenship is one of the three prescripted empires in Shadows of the Shroud

The perils of the Shroud are not only many, but unfortunately they are also near. The terrible “psi-radiation” of the Aura of the Dreamer infects many of the systems close to your homeworld.

You’ll need to learn about this threat and how to counteract it. Thankfully, your ancestors overcame a psychic plague long ago and left you with an Ancient Ward to protect your people.

Should you succeed at containing this menace and securing the psychic safety of your empire, you’ll be able to release fleets to establish the first Mindwarden enclaves. Your empire will have a special relationship with them - providing the services the Enclaves normally possess as well as having a relationship similar to that between Mercenary Enclaves and their patrons.

Many triangles and sharp edges came together to produce this image for your desktop.

In-game screenshots of many of these ships can be found in last week’s dev diary thread.

The Shroud-Forged Origin explores the tale of a gestalt machine intelligence that has attracted the attention of the Shroud entity known as the Animator of Clay.

The Yorphian Extactorate is the second of our three prescripted empires in Shadows of the Shroud.

It’s up to you whether you seek to reassert control over these rogue models, or embrace the Animator’s gifts. Both paths have unique benefits and drawbacks - spurning the blessings of a capricious eldritch entity has obvious downsides, but accepting them could be just as dangerous.

(Dangerous to whom?)

The balance of power within your empire is reflected in Forged by the Shroud situation.

In the end, is this the story of the Animator of Clay playing with their beloved toys, or is it a tale of hubris leading to their downfall?

I’m not explicitly saying that the Shroud-Forged story can get a little dark, but if you have Nemesis, one of the possible Shroud-Forged paths has some special interactions with the Galactic Nemesis Ascension Perk.

Completing our trifecta of prescripted empires is the Oracularity of Noerm, a Prosperous Unification empire with Superstitious Beliefs and the Tankbound civic.

It automates.

Pops from a Tankbound society are unable to leave their protective vats of specialized bio-fluids. They are heavily reliant on assistive equipment and have difficulty engaging directly in physical work. They automatically automate their rural jobs (though starting with less efficiency than true automation), but as they unlock technologies related to automation they will work off these penalties.

It optimizes.

The Tankbound civic requires one of the three portraits that heavily feature these chambers:

Today at 16:00 CEST we’ll continue streaming Shadows of the Shroud. Today I expect that we’ll play through the beginnings of a Mindwarden empire, but the voices of the entities of chat will guide us.

In next Tuesday’s dev diary we’ll end the cycle.

A funny thing happened while writing next Tuesday’s dev diary…

Hello everyone!

Last week we took a quick look at the Shroud UI coming in Shadows of the Shroud. Today we’re going to talk about the various entities of the Shroud, find out what Psionic Auras are, and then revisit the Cevantian Sovereignty now that they’ve gotten a third civic - Experimental Sentencing.

Let’s get to it!

The four Major Patrons - the Instrument of Desire, the Composer of Strands, the Eater of Worlds and the Cradle of Souls are dominant in the Shroud, and navigating their domains is a major part of Psionic gameplay. 

The Instrument of Desire: A boundless urge to possess and indulge.

The Composer of Strands: A primal connection to the natural world.

The Eater of Worlds: An unending hunger that cannot be sated.

The Cradle of Souls: A welcoming vessel for communication and exchange.

They’re not the only denizens of the Shroud though - in each playthrough you may meet four of eight Minor Patrons.

A Sculpting Presence, a Sorrowed Entity, a Fathomless Being, an Insurmountable One, a Luxurious Being, an Irenic Entity, an Unyielding One, and a Restless Presence await you. Each has their place between two domains, though the being you encounter may differ from game to game.

The Minor Patrons have Accords for those they meet, and should you encounter them again may grant you a portion of their power in the form of a Zro-consuming Edict.

There are also two Great Patrons.

One will be the focus of next Tuesday’s dev diary, and the other…

At the center of the Shroud spins the Whisperers, an ever-shifting amalgam of all Patrons with knowledge of all things.

The Shroud is no fixed realm. It bends to the psyche of those who enter, reflecting their nature, desires, and fears. What one empire encounters within may differ wildly from another’s experience. The Shroud reveals, and conceals, in equal measure. Most mysterious.

An empire that has achieved a certain level of accord with a domain unlocks Accords, but also gains access to the Psionic Auras technology. This will allow some of the Shroud’s power to leak back into corporeal reality, emitted from where your psionic population is concentrated. These Auras provide passive benefits to you and your allies, and hinder your enemies.

If you haven’t made a Covenant with an entity, your Aura will reflect the nature of the domain with which you have the greatest accord - though if you’re actively moving about the Shroud it won’t change more than once a month.

Upon forming a Covenant or rejecting all Covenants to forge your own path, Psionic Aura Intensification becomes available to research. 

Oops, it looks like I didn’t crop that image correctly.

This allows your Aura to grow and even spread into other systems. When two Auras collide, the stronger Aura will eat away at the weaker one until it can take over.

Psionic Auras can be seen on the Galaxy Map similar to cosmic storms:

Wait, that’s not one of the ones you listed before.

Last dev diary the Cevantian Sovereignty rejected the shackles of a Covenant. 

Their neighbors, the Maggar, aren’t quite so lucky. They found themselves in Cevantian shackles, as the Cevanti took Experimental Sentencing as their third civic.

The Experimental Testing situation lets you choose a branch of research to focus on - Physics, Society, or Engineering, and when completed will provide progress on a technology upon completion. Some of the Test Subjects will be lost, but it’s easy enough to acquire more.

Slaves set to the Orderlies Slavery Type will assist your researchers if they do not have any other worker job to take, providing a small number of Amenities and increasing Researcher Output.

One of the two playable shipsets coming in Shadows of the Shroud is the Psionic shipset. I posted some in-game images in last week’s thread, but Abrakam created this image for those who need a nice desktop background.

Last week we weren’t able to stream due to technical difficulties, so join us today at 16:00 CEST and peer into the Shroud with us!

Thursday’s dev diary will be “Mindwardens and Machines​”. We’ll show off the Mindwarden Enclave, the Mindwarden Origin, the Mindwarden Shipset, and the Shroud-Forged and Tankbound. 

See you then!

by Eladrin

Hi everyone!

Today we’re going to look at Psionic Ascension, look at how the experience of delving into the Shroud will change, and finish off with the Superstitious Belief set of civics.

Today we’ll follow the path of the Cevanti Sovereignty as they unlock the power within them.

Broke a mirror? Seven years in jail.

As is typical with the Ascension Perks that unlock Paths, the Mind Over Matter AP can be selected as your third Ascension Perk. Not much has changed regarding the Ascension Perk itself.

Hard Reset empires must be fully de-cyberized, and Gestalt Machine Empires or Shroud-Forged empires must \[REDACTED BY THE ANIMATOR OF CLAY]. Machines (whether Gestalt or Individualistic) tend to have a slightly tougher time interacting with the Shroud, so the Interdimensional Processing AP requires one extra Ascension Perk unless your empire has a Chosen civic.

The Psionics tradition tree requires Psionic Theory, which the Mind Over Matter agenda can grant as a permanent research option.

Much like how we’ve improved the other Ascension Paths, taking the Tradition tree will begin a situation that tracks your progress through Ascension and explores the societal ramifications of such change.

They call it “enlightenment” because of the glowing eyes.​

We can attempt to hasten our awakening through Organized Meditation, consuming psionically active materialsthat are certainly not dead aliens, or unraveling the threads tied to other planes of existence. Should we lack either of the latter, our approach guides us towards what we seek.

Progress through the situation is partially gated by progress through the Psionic Tradition tree, and the events that occur will influence the end results.

These first steps towards enlightenment open up a new sub-tab for the Shroud in Contacts, though it is admittedly pretty empty right now. Our position within the Shroud is slightly offset based on the nature of our Empire and the acts that have had impact on our collective soul.

Show me where to look, tell me, what will I find?

Acts of the physical realm reflect and ripple through the immaterial.​

At a certain point, we will need to establish a Psi Corps in order to continue developing our potential.

Later on, we will need to pursue a Great Awakening to spread enlightenment to all Cevanti.

Completing the Psionic Ascension situation will let us realize our psionic potential, permitting our telepaths to reach into the Shroud.

As mentioned earlier, our actions in the material plane have an impact on our attunement to the Shroud. We’ve shifted a bit since we first encountered this panel.

Our eye is open! It’s time to delve into the secrets of the Shroud and commune with the entities therein.

Piercing the veil and reaching into the Shroud is no trivial matter - it can take years to recover from such an exercise. In mundane mechanical terms, delving starts with a five year cooldown, but this of course can be modified in many ways. There is no longer a material cost.

Communing with the entities we find reveals their domain to us and gives us a Special Project to make “first contact” with this entity.

Completing communion reveals this entity to us in its full, terrifying glory.

This “Cradle of Souls” seeks order and harmony. But we Cevanti know that is foolish - order comes through the crack of a lash and by force of arms! We reject such a weak entity and redouble our vow to pursue our own path!Embracing? Resolving? Pleasing? More like revolting!​

Our choice to spurn the Cradle of Souls has shifted our position within the Shroud away from its domain. We’ve discovered some of the acts that will bring us more or less in accord with this entity, and a “Calling” that we can fulfill in order to become closer with it. Envoys can also be assigned to a variant of “Improve Relations” with an entity, increasing our Attunement.

Attunement to a domain grants Psionic Accords, which are essentially passive effects for mastering that domain. Active Covenant Powers exist for those who are more eager to lash themselves to serving a patron. Rumor has it that a servant can never truly reach the pinnacle of their potential though, and that such an “easy way out” is more limiting in some ways.

The next entity we encountered was a Starving Being, a ravenous beast called the Eater of Worlds. The raw power of this creature appealed to the Cevanti.

You may have noticed that the deeds associated with this “Eater of Worlds” are diametrically opposite those of the weak and pathetic “Cradle of Souls”. Each action that brings us in accord with one will reduce our accord with the other.

Over time (and console commands), the Cevanti gained close attunement to the ravenous patron, and during one of our delves, it offered great power in exchange for a small sacrifice.

Accepting this Covenant would unlock both Covenant Powers associated with the Eater of Worlds, but would chain our people in servitude and force us to carry an ongoing cost. We reject this and will forge our own path like the Zroni did so long ago.

While this dev diary focused primarily on the events where we encountered the established major patrons of the Shroud, there are minor patrons to interact with, rumors of greater powers out there, and of course, numerous other events.

Available to all four main government types, the Superstitious Beliefs set of civics highlight civilizations that find patterns that others cannot see, and rely on predictions, numerology, astronomy, or other techniques to ensure that good fortune is assured.

The thirteen year cycles of weal and woe grant good fortune in certain endeavors while making it unwise to pursue others until circumstances change.

Their Galactic Dowsing edict allows them to apply their skill at divination to surveying, providing tangible benefits.

Davide and I will be streaming Shadows of the Shroud on YouTube and Twitch today (and next Thursday) at 16:00 CEST.

Join us, ask questions, and see all sorts of spoilers from the next few dev diaries while you’re downloading a certain game that we’ve all been waiting for.

Next Tuesday we’ll have a dev diary featuring more about the Entities of the Shroud and Psionic Auras, and see what the Cevanti are up to after they take the Experimental Sentencing civic.

As was foretold, the Shadows of the Shroud expansion is coming to Stellaris alongside the 4.1 ‘Lyra’ update.

Our seers predict that this next great era begins on September 22nd.

Open your mind and encounter expanded Psionic content, including an Ascension Path situation, tradition tree overhaul, and new advanced governments.

Encounter strange new Patrons as you attune and delve.

Deeds and Callings lead to Accords and Covenants. Auras grow. These are the tools of those who attune.

While pledging yourself to a Patron is one path to power, others chart their own course towards mastery of the unknown.

Gestalt empires - both hive minds and machine intelligences - will be able to pursue Psionic Ascension.

The Shroud can exert its influence in many ways. In the Shroud-Forged Origin, an “architect” of sorts has taken interest in some of your drones.

Cut off from the central Machine Intelligence, the demands of these units are ever-increasing.

* The gestalt Hive Mind authority requires either Utopia or BioGenesis. The gestalt Machine Intelligence authority requires either Synthetic Dawn or the Machine Age, though Shadows of the Shroud grants access to the Machine Intelligence authority if you are playing the Shroud-Forged Origin. (Synthetic Dawn or The Machine Age are still highly recommended for a more comprehensive machine experience.)

Powers, knowledge, and wealth beyond measure are yours for the taking - and you already know the cost.

Endbringers are a Challenging Origin that can bargain to delay the inevitable and acquire even more benefits from this unfathomable pact.

*The End of the Cycle will remain available to players who own Utopia.

Shadows of the Shroud will also grant access to this feature (in case you do not own Utopia) and exclusive new content that expands it.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT. THE END IS NEAR
​

Freedom is meaningless without sovereignty of thought. Shadows of the Shroud introduces the Mindwardens, available either as an established enclave sworn to combat and contain psionic threats, or as a Challenging Origin where you work to establish the first Mindwarden Order.

The Shadows of the Shroud expansion includes:​

• Psionic Ascension (also unlocked by Utopia)​

• Three new Origins:​

  • Endbringers​

  • Mindwardens​

  • Shroud-Forged​

    • Shroud-Forged grants access to the Gestalt Machine Intelligence authority while playing this Origin.​

• Six new Civics​

  • Chosen / Chosen Executives / Chosen Many / Apostle Network​

  • Entropy Drinkers / Corporate Vampires / Parasitic Caste / Energy Extractors​

  • Experimental Sentencing / Judicial R&D / Corrective Consciousness​

  • Secret Societies / Influential Cartel​

  • Superstitious Beliefs / Fortune Enterprise / Zodiac Nexus / Pattern Finders​

  • Tankbound / Corporate Thinktank​

• An enhanced Psionic Ascension Situation, culminating in advanced Psionic government forms​

• A new system for delving into the Shroud itself, including Deeds, Accords, Callings, and Covenants​

• Psionic Auras and Seals​

• New Patrons and entities to encounter in the Shroud, and expanded content for old acquaintances​

• EXPANDED END OF THE CYCLE​

• New Psionic Species Traits​

• Psionic Portraits that reflect the change within once their Psionic potential has been unleashed​

• Two new shipsets​

  • Mindwarden​

  • Psionic​

• Psionic Diplomatic Room, City Set, Advisor, Music Tracks, and more​

This Thursday we will reveal more details about the Psionic Ascension situation, explore the new Shroud panel, discuss how to influence the relationships you have with the entities you may find, and show off the Superstitious Beliefs/Fortune Enterprise/Zodiac Nexus/Pattern Finder set of civics.

Shadows of the Shroud is included as part of Stellaris: Season 09.https://store.steampowered.com/app/3417870/Stellaris_Season_09__Expansion_Pass