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Stellaris Dev Diary #246 - Announcing Overlord

Hi everyone!

A few weeks ago in Dev Diary 243, I told you that the Expansion Team would have something to share "Soon™".

Soon™ is now.


Overlord, the next major expansion to Stellaris, will be arriving alongside the Stellaris 3.4 “Cepheus” Update. Click here to wishlist.

The Brightest Star Must Guide Them​

Overlord’s thematic focus is on exerting your will across the galaxy, the projection of power, and the expansion of civilization under your glorious banner. The other galactic powers can choose to submit willingly or by force, but they will submit.

In Federations, we expanded diplomacy between equals with the federations themselves and the politics of the Galactic Community. Nemesis included more hostile forms of diplomacy with espionage operations, and some empires declaring themselves more equal than others with the Custodians and the Galactic Imperium.

In Overlord, we will explore diplomacy between empires that are explicitly not equal.

New Ways to Rule​

Vassalization mechanics will undergo significant changes.

A major goal in this revision was to make subjugation a more valuable and viable system with benefits for both sides, rather than being a delayed “Game Over” as you wait for Integration should you be subjugated.

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We’ll go into detail about the changes in how vassalization contracts will work next week, along with how contract negotiations function between Overlord and Subject.

Later, we’ll describe the three Specialist Vassals and their place in the galaxy, as well as Overlord Holdings.

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New Beginnings and Friends​

Five new Origins will arrive in Overlord (including one for Hive Empires).

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We’ll also have some new Enclaves for you to encounter.

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All Roads Lead to Deneb IIb​

Governing a galaxy spanning empire is challenging, and threats can come from any direction. If you cannot take and defend what is rightfully yours, was it ever yours to begin with?

A new megastructure will allow you to counter such threats as well as help you take what you deserve.

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Other new constructions will allow you to elevate civilization to new heights...

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...and exert your influence to build a network tying the galaxy together, with your capital as the center, of course.

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Realize Your Grand Design​

Will you be a benevolent Overlord that brings prosperity to the galaxy, or an oppressive tyrant exploiting your vassals? Or will you instead serve and become part of something greater?

The choice is yours.

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So, more shiny 'win-more' buttons, attached to a mechanic that indeed needs an overhaul, that has however already been done better in mods, in scope far surpassing what the expansion seems to be offering (subjects), with themes of spreading your influence via (undercooked) politics or (still-in-need-of-rework-since-years-now) military?

Oh boi, after the absolute joke creative vision of the Aquatics Species pack, I don't see how anything could go wrong there.
 
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As for example: Research Pacts could provide a discount for technologies that another empire already knows.
While I agree with your larger point, doesn't this happen already? Iirc you get a 25% research speed boost if your research pact partner has already researched the technology you're researching.
 
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Later, we’ll describe the three Specialist Vassals and their place in the galaxy, as well as Overlord Holdings.

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Just re-read this. There are only 3 specialisations?
Looks like it from the steam screenshots and trailer (i'd skimmed this and assumed there were more...)
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It looks like these are probably going to be doing double duty
  • "Bulwarks" (military focus)
    • unity from the icon
    • and probably fleet capacity [as old vassals once did] or alloy tithes - the swolefin has an energy katana, too.
  • Scholaria
    • Science.
    • And possibly intel/espionage (if the intel eyeball in the icon is anything to go by)
  • Prospectoria ("material andmineral focus")
    • minerals &
    • food / energy?
I hope, however this is implemented, it's easily extensible/moddable. I'd have hoped for one or two more, like:
  • a flesh-tithe vassal? (feeding hives pops, necros sacrifices and zombie-material)
  • some sort of corporate/trade/consumer goods vassal focus?
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    quick photoshopped example
Also... if you blow up this image in PS, you can see what looks like hull plating being stripped off... or added. Enclave shipyards/shiptraders?
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Will my uplifted vassals finally be allowed to expand on their own, instead of just sitting as a bubble waiting to be popped?
 
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so, externally focused rather than internally? disappointed
 
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Why is it that in trailers we get gorgeous visuals like this, whereas in the actual game...

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We get this instead: ugly hairstyles that don't match the shape of the head, and ugly outfits that don't match the shape of the body.
 
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Already playing the vassal game to circumvent the ill thought out and not truly tested empire size penalties...


diplomacy needs much more than yet an another expansion of the lackluster options we already have. mega corps need some serious work as well because their vassals are not nearly as beneficial as they should be and still do not allow for integration.
I've played 3 full games (One very tall, two wide-ish) since the changes and im PRETTY sure it's functioning EXACTLY as intended and makes way more sense than it was before when you could just build an admin building or two and be as efficient as that small 3 planet empire next door. Big empires are supposed to be hard to manage and incredibly inefficient. The reason the USA is one of the most enduring countries on the planet is because it's basically 64 vassals with a lot of adjency in how they manage their states that are under the leadership of a single tiny democratic entity known as the District of Columbia.

Plus, with this announcement, it honestly makes the sprawl changes appear even more intentional considering the new gameplay being added by this and how much more appealing having vassals is going to be under this new upcoming DLC. If you could just ignore having them entirely like you could before the Unity overhaul then that wouldn't be integrating the new vassal mechanics into the rest of game very well and just overall bad game design.
 
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Gonna confess that the thumbnail alone pretty much has me sold.

Like anyone under Isaac Arthur’s sway, I’m unhealthily obsessed with orbital rings. Please do them right!

Also, I sincerely hope that I can play a democratic benevolent overlord.
 
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Why is it that in trailers we get gorgeous visuals like this, whereas in the actual game...

View attachment 819591View attachment 819599

We get this instead: ugly hairstyles that don't match the shape of the head, and ugly outfits that don't match the shape of the body.

Thats because, IIRC, those hairstyles, beards and clothes were made by some modder instead of the original Paradox artists. Thats why it looks so absolutely bad and you get leaders that look like Ned Flanders.
 
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