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Stellaris Dev Diary #250 - Elevating Civilization

Greetings!

Last week’s dev diary went through the new Enclaves in Overlord, the Bulwark, some more Holdings, and the Imperial Fiefdom Origin. This week we’re going to look at two constructions, the Scholarium, Specialist Holdings and a summary of the origin revealed by Nivarias earlier this week.

As with all previews, numbers, text, and so on are not quite final and are still subject to change.

Orbital Rings​


Orbital Rings are a Tier 3 Voidcraft Engineering technology requiring Starholds, Galactic Administration, and Ceramo-Metal Infrastructure. Like Habitats, they do not require Mega-Engineering.

They are treated as a variant of Starbases, and while system control is still primarily determined by the actual Starbase of the system, the planets they surround cannot be invaded until the Orbital Ring has been disabled.

Orbital Ring

Orbital Ring

Initially your Orbital Ring will have two module slots and no building slots. As you gain additional Starbase technologies (Star Fortress and Citadel) and improve the planet’s capital building you can upgrade the Orbital Ring through two additional tiers, adding one module and building slot at each tier.

Starbase screen for Orbital Ring

Most of the Orbital Ring modules are similar to Starbase modules. Defensive modules trade piracy protection for extra hull and armor, and the Habitation Module is a Ring specific module that adds a district slot to the planet below.

Habitation Module
Orbital Shipyard
Orbital Anchorage
Planetary Defense Guns
Planetary Defense Batteries
Planetary Defense Hangars

Systems with multiple habitable planets can become an exceptionally thorny obstacle if you build multiple defensive orbital rings supporting a bastion starbase at the center.

Having a large conveniently placed ring around your planet provides an opportunity to enhance the planet with some interesting buildings. These stack with similar planetside buildings.

Low Gravity Mega-Refiners
Stratospheric Ionization Elements
Climate Optimization Stations
The Giga-Mall

Synaptic Relays
Orbital Maintenance Drops

Orbital Filing System
Orbital Logistics Systems

Alloy Processing Facilities

Many standard starbase buildings can also be placed on an Orbital Ring - though some are now limited to one per system.

Orbital Rings fill the same “orbital slot” as habitats, so you’ll have to decide which of the two you want over your worlds, and they can only be built around colonized habitable planets.

Quantum Catapult​


There comes a time in every overlord’s reign when a faraway crisis suddenly requires your attention. Things are going on halfway across the galaxy, a rival in the way has closed borders to you, and the Galactic Community is debating something about Tiyanki. Again.

A true galactic overlord has to be able to project their power at will, and doesn’t let these little things stop them from enacting their plans.

Quantum Catapult Tech

Built around Neutron Stars or Pulsars, Quantum Catapults can hurl fleets across incredible distances of space, but these megastructures have accuracy issues over long distances.

Quantum Catapult


Quantum Catapult Fleet Order

The maximum range of a Quantum Catapult is significantly longer than jump drive range but there’s a risk the fleet may not land exactly where they intended. The further the launch, the wider the scatter radius.

Higher tiers of the Quantum Catapult are both more accurate and have longer maximum range, with a well-placed fully-constructed Catapult able to threaten virtually anywhere, even in a huge galaxy.

After selecting a desired target system, a short windup later your fleet will arrive somewhere in a nearby system, without any lingering jump debuffs... But there is a chance, especially on spiral maps, that this “nearby” system is quite a few jumps away from your intended destination when traveling the hyperlanes.

Using the Quantum Catapult
There’s no clear route to this system, but the Catapult doesn’t care.

Quantum Catapults also have a passive effect that reduces MIA time for your missing fleets, which comes in useful when moving reinforcements to the front line, using experimental subspace on your science ships, or if your launched fleet lands in a system with Closed Borders.

The Scholarium​


The Scholarium is the last of the Specialists coming in Overlord. Dedicated to the advancement of science, the Scholarium relies on their overlord to defend them from enemies.

The State of Saathuma are our Scholarium minions, bringing us the secrets of the universe in exchange for our benevolent protection.

Scholarium

As with the other specialist empires, the penalties and benefits both grow as they tier up.

Scholarium Specialization Tier 1
Scholarium Specialization Tier 2
Scholarium Specialization Tier 3

Where the Prospectorium could discover valuable deposits in their space, the Scholarium instead finds opportunities to learn.

Scholarium Sensors

Scholarium Discovery I
Scholarium Discovery II
Scholarium Discovery III

The advisor perk, as you likely expected, improves your overlord’s scientific research.
Scholarium Advisory

And like the others, they have a Hyper Relay Network effect at Tier 1.
Part of Scholarium Tutelage

Next week? Yeah, why not, let's show it next week.

At Tier 2, the Scholarium also gains a set of special traits for their leaders, and the ability to trade their Scientists to their overlord.

Scholarium Traits
Scholarium Scientists

Finally, at Tier 3 the Scholarium gains an advanced variant of the Science Ship, the Arctrellis. Like the Prospectorium’s Bulwark's Battlewright, it provides an aura in combat, but this time the scientists aboard the ship can cripple opposing ships piloted by AI - whether they be machine intelligences, sapient combat computers, or the Contingency.

Scholarium Arctrellis

It should be noted that as a Scholarium, the military penalties make it difficult to free yourself from under your overlord’s control. You may need some powerful friends to help you out.

Specialist Holdings​


Each of the Specialist empires has a unique holding that their overlord can build on their worlds.

Prospectoria can host the Offworld Foundry, which converts subject minerals into alloys for the overlord.

Offworld Foundry Holding

Bulwarks can have the Vigil Command, which grants additional Defense Platforms to their overlord. As the Bulwark increases in tier, these values increase.

Vigil Command Holding

Scholarium worlds can build the Ministry of Science. Surrounding their planet with additional Science Ships increases the effect of the building.

Ministry of Science Holding

One extra holding we’ll show this week is for the Tree of Life origin. It lets you share your blessings with your subjects, improving both the habitability and food production of your subject’s world, though a fair bit will be consumed by the sapling itself.

Tree of Life Sapling Holding
Overlord Arborist Job

Galactic Community​


It seemed natural that with such a large focus on subjugation, the Galactic Community would want to regulate things in different ways. Two more minor resolution lines are coming, in the new Suzerains and Sovereignty category.

Suzerains and Sovereignty Category

The Intergalactic Directives line of resolutions protects the rights of subjects and encourages the preservation and release of weaker societies.

Regulated Growth
Ensured Sovereignty
A Voice for All

You can’t take the sky from me.

Bureaucratic Surveillance, on the other hand, focuses more on the rights of the overlords, requiring a short leash on their subjects and encouraging the use of holdings. Resolutions in this line can only be proposed by empires that are overlords of another empire.

Administrative Insight
Borderless Authority
Personal Oversight

Borderless Authority and Personal Oversight force extra holdings into subject contracts, but since the total limit remains 4 the highest Holding Limit terms become redundant.

Teachers of the Shroud​


Teachers of the Shroud

With the Teachers of the Shroud origin, your civilization was identified as a civilization of interest long ago by the Shroudwalkers, and they carefully guided you as their visions instructed. Your species begins with the Latent Psionics trait and in contact with the Shroudwalker coven.

Your civilization is treated as if it already has the Mind over Matter Ascension Perk, meaning Transcendence is not far away. (And you cannot pursue Synthetic or Biological Ascension.)

Next Week​


Next week we’ll take a ride on the Hyper Relay Network, finally see those three Specialist perks, look at some other balance changes and additions coming in Cepheus and Overlord, and reveal another Origin.

Video versions of these dev diaries are available at the Stellaris Official YouTube Channel. Subscribe so you don’t miss them, and wishlist Overlord if you haven’t already!
 
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This is it. The dev diary that makes me want to not play the game anymore until the update releases. Good job guys, this next update looks extremely packed, keep up the great work!
 
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Is there any kind Dev' to spoil the default layout of each Orbital Ring level without any defensive modules ?

Is it the same as Starhold / Fortresse / Citadel ? (1G + 4M, 1G + 6M, 1G + 12M) ?
 
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Is there a reason you can't have 5 Scholarium subjects

Does that mean you could still get 4 one planet scholarium empires and then get that +48% research speed?

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This is your main challenge to overcome.

Each subject beyond the first appends -1 monthly loyalty to all subjects. Having a lot of subjects becomes messy fast.
If you're thinking "Ah, those pesky scientists couldn't possibly rebel against me." Well, that's what we made Allegiance Wars for.

That said, Feudal Society, Franchising, and Shared Destiny all ignore this penalty, so do with that what you will. ;)

I've been wondering: can you change your subject specialization at any time depending on your needs, or are you stuck with the one you initially choose for your subject?

Yes, as long as you can get them to agree to the specialization change in Agreement negotiations.
The subject will need to undergo the specialization process again for the new specialization.

So wait, if I’m a rogue servitor, I can only pamper pops on one of my vassals planets?

Apologies if I was unclear - I meant unique to the subject empire (I've updated my previous answer).
 
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And, to answer the question about releasing four different one-planet scholaria, each additional subject imposes a large loyalty penalty on all of them, unless you take the ascension perk for them.
The % modifier to the overlord seem to be a lv 1 perk so no need to lvl them up.

If you want to avoid that and take shared destiny it is still a lot better than technological ascendancy, which just gives you a pittyful 10% research speed.
 
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Is this like the last expansion to stellaris or something

I don't normally swear on the forums, but in this case: heck no. ;)
 
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Another two questions that have come to mind in regards to orbital rings.

1) Are these flat bonuses to the jobs or do they scale with other modifiers?

2) With jobs like artificer, angler and pearl diver get the same increase or will the boost be adjusted? Seems like the boosts would devalue those jobs to a small extent.
 
Now that all three specialist subjects are introduced, will there be something of a feud system ?
Can I convince my overlord that I am a far better Bulwark than the other one, increasing my standing over the other subject ?
Can I tell my overlord that it would be wise to get rid of a subject. (Also a good chance to expand on the Smear Campaign operation)
Like realm-wide politics.

While we are on espionage operations, could I fabricate evidence that a subject swore a secret fealty to my overlord's rival or can I even warn my overlord that I found out about a subject honestly swearying fealty to another overlord ?
 
Another two questions that have come to mind in regards to orbital rings.

1) Are these flat bonuses to the jobs or do they scale with other modifiers?
They improve base output, just like resource boosting buildings, so any modifiers are amplified too.

2) With jobs like artificer, angler and pearl diver get the same increase or will the boost be adjusted? Seems like the boosts would devalue those jobs to a small extent
Artificer and Angler will definitely be affected by the boosts to consumer goods and food output respectively, unsure about Pearl Diver.
 
More defensive stations with no large weapon slots. Once you get battleships, they are completely irrelevant and get blasted from well beyond firing range...
more than battleship , as all L weapons don't have 70% more range than the M weapons ( 70% is the range bonus that starbases can get , reaching most L weapons ) the problem come from the (umbalanced) arty\proton weapons , but that can be foguth with DP with L arty\proton weapons .

the problem is that DP cost too much , and take alot of time . even more if you don't go for the defensive tradition + the ascension . and you have too little of them without those and the megastructure coordination center.
 
more than battleship , as all L weapons don't have 70% more range than the M weapons ( 70% is the range bonus that starbases can get , reaching most L weapons ) the problem come from the (umbalanced) arty\proton weapons , but that can be foguth with DP with L arty\proton weapons .

the problem is that DP cost too much , and take alot of time . even more if you don't go for the defensive tradition + the ascension . and you have too little of them without those and the megastructure coordination center.
Exactly this. There is no reason why I should have to build defense platforms to put weapons on a space station that can be put on ships and installations a fraction of the size. Is there some balance reason we can't just customize Starbase load outs? Everything is so offense centric
 
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All holdings are subject empire unique. You can only have one of each, so choose wisely.

Is that already decided?

Because while I dislike certain holdings like gaia seeders to be unique as that disables the whole "terraform the galaxy" fun on the average game duration, unless subjects are tiny, the communal housing being restricted to only one seems like a flavor fail.
 
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I really must say, I had serious doubts about the direction this game was trending. I wrote this game off before Megacorp, I really believed this Space 4X would whither and die.

Now with two teams, one fixing the foundations and one creating the new, with one solid vision...im truly in awe.

This new model of Development has truly brought new Life to this game that I could never have imagined. I really do hope that other Dev Teams adopt what Stellaris has done so far, these Additions and Dev Diaries have been a Joy to read.

Keep it up, a Stellaris Golden Age is upon us.
 
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i can see them being silent , as it is story driven , anything more they say is a major spoiler.
Not necessarily. How much did they told and show of the Here be Dragons Origin before release? A lot. Why they don't say anything now about this one? Why they don't show more? So far i was much wanting to see more of the origin. When they show it it end up feeling lackluster and doesn't give anything that you can get through other ways. With all they have show up until now, disappointing, and hope subterranean is better since it was the other one i wanted to know about. A beacon, you can get even without the origin, psychic ascension, that you can get without the origin and some quest to do aren't worth an origin. Hope to be wrong but so far isn't an Origin but a Psychic Ascension fast-pass for those without the patience for RNG to throw Psionic Theory at them :(
 
Exactly this. There is no reason why I should have to build defense platforms to put weapons on a space station that can be put on ships and installations a fraction of the size. Is there some balance reason we can't just customize Starbase load outs? Everything is so offense centric

i mean, i did some testing with max tech and traditions ( supremacy and unyelding ) with a fanatic militaristic with clone vaults (general op traits) and lategame build battleships L weapons spam ( and XL weapons)

and the bastion with 60 DP actualy won against the full fleet ( pre-repetible) of 23-27( with the galatic force projection) and the bastion always did more dmg than taking (alloy loses), winning the battle. problem is that the full thing is achivable only with alot of efforts ( tradition, ascension, megastructure) at 2k alloys less than a fleet , with 2\3 of the upkeep of a fleet .

the power is there , but the price and pre-requisite is what make it non-accessible. this is probably the power that post-battleship bastions should have by base. tradition\ascension should empower it over 1 fleet.

naturaly 2 full fleets will delete the bastion with 60DP with no major casuality .
 
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Not necessarily. How much did they told and show of the Here be Dragons Origin before release? A lot. Why they don't say anything now about this one? Why they don't show more? So far i was much wanting to see more of the origin. When they show it it end up feeling lackluster and doesn't give anything that you can get through other ways. With all they have show up until now, disappointing, and hope subterranean is better since it was the other one i wanted to know about. A beacon, you can get even without the origin, psychic ascension, that you can get without the origin and some quest to do aren't worth an origin. Hope to be wrong but so far isn't an Origin but a Psychic Ascension fast-pass for those without the patience for RNG to throw Psionic Theory at them :(
i feel your fears.

but i want to belive it is chained with the fact that they are working on the new " situation " and the new shroudwalkers are strongly chained with it too. my thinking is that they are not yet ready to show the "final-not-final" UI of the situation and how they work . over the fact that its spooooiler.

they said alot about the dragon origin , and the clone vaults yes.. but maybe the new game director dislike the spoilers .