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Stellaris Dev Diary #335 - Announcing The Machine Age

It is time to leave our flawed biological vessels behind.​


It’s my pleasure to announce that The Machine Age major expansion will be released alongside the Stellaris 3.12 ‘Andromeda’ update.

Focusing on cybernetic, synthetic, and machine themes, The Machine Age will begin during the second quarter of 2024.

In pursuing the divine calling, we shall achieve the fusion of the exalted body and sacred cybernetics.​


The Technophants and Haruspex of the Cybernetic Creed will guide their flock to the perfect union of flesh and machine.

Cybernetic Creed

Cybernetic augmentation is not solely the province of the materialists.

Playgrounds stand empty. In time, we will cease to be.​

For now, our salvation lies in the digital realm…​


A doomed species races against extinction to reach the virtual world in Synthetic Fertility.

Synthetic Fertility

Blur the lines between the physical and virtual worlds.

Our planet is barren, but our home system is a bounty of riches.​

To exploit them, we must build bigger than ever before.​


Originally designed to build mighty constructions in space, the Arc Welders must utilize that advantage to the fullest to overcome the deficiencies of their homeworld.

Arc Welders

These masters of Mega-Engineering began exploiting their home system before discovering faster-than-light travel.

The things that make me different​

are the things that make me, me.​


The creators may be gone, but society endures. Your chassis may have begun identical to trillions of others in your empire, but you are no drone - you are an individual.

With The Machine Age, you can explore the game as non-Gestalt, Individualist Machine Empires!

Individualistic Machines

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.

A transformative age is upon us,​

sparked by innovation and oiled by opportunity.​


The Machine Age explores how Cybernetic and Synthetic Ascension affect society within your empire.
Advanced government forms are available to empires that navigate the process.

Advanced Authorities

The Cybernetic Creed Origin has an additional variant for each standard Authority.

Become better than you are.​


Six new civics provide additional choices for your empires.

Civics

Corporate and Hive Mind civics require MegaCorp or Utopia respectively.

Filling out Form 42-A on a Bureaucratic World


Build a better future.​


Two mid-game structures are introduced in The Machine Age - exploit systems with the molten world Arc Furnace, and start your work towards a Dyson Sphere early by building the Dyson Swarm.

Dyson Swarm

And so we came forth and once again beheld the stars.

Ignorance shackles us, putting the universe’s secrets out of reach.​

No matter the price, we must break free.​


Building upon the system introduced in Nemesis, The Machine Age introduces a second player crisis path, focused on technological ascendancy at any cost.

Something Greater

The time has come to be part of something greater.

My children, at last I am returned to you.​


For the first time since the Contingency was introduced in the Stellaris 1.8 “Čapek” release, a new end-game crisis has been unleashed.

An ancient threat, sealed away for countless millennia, has returned.


The Machine Age logo

The Machine Age expansion includes:​

  • Individualistic Non-Gestalt Machine Empires​
  • Gestalt Machine Intelligence Empires (also unlocked by the Synthetic Dawn Story Pack)
  • Three new Origins​
    • Cybernetic Creed​
    • Synthetic Fertility​
    • Arc Welders​
  • Civics​
    • Guided Sapience​
    • Natural Design​
    • Obsessional Directive​
    • Protocol Droids​
    • Tactical Cogitators​
    • Augmentation Bazaars (Requires Megacorp)
  • Two Mid-Game Structures​
    • Arc Furnace​
    • Dyson Swarms​
  • New Ascension Paths for Machine Empires​
  • Cybernetic and Synthetic Ascension (also unlocked by Utopia)
  • Exploration of the effects of the cyberization or synthesization of society, with Advanced Government Forms for those who complete it.​
  • New Species Traits for Cyborgs, Machines and Robots​
  • Cybernetic portraits that change based on advancement through cyberization​
  • Synthetic portraits with both organic and synthetic variants that changed based on synthesization, usable by either organics or machines​
  • Two new Shipsets, Diplomatic Rooms, and City Sets​
  • 7 new music tracks synthetic and cybernetic inspired music tracks​
  • A new Player Crisis Path​
  • …And a new End-Game Crisis.

Dev Diary Schedule
Dev Diary Topic
March 14​
Announcing The Machine Age​
March 21​
The Origins and Situations of The Machine Age​
March 28​
Individualistic Machines and Machine Gameplay Updates​
April 4​
Civics and Structures of The Machine Age and Auto-Modding​
April 11​
The New End-Game Crisis​
April 18​
The New Player Crisis​
April 25​
The Art of The Machine Age - Ships and Reactive Portraits​

 
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This DLC looks packed. I meam from all points of view. 2 ships set. So many portraits. 3 origines. 6 civics. Advandced government types. Non-gestalt machines. More machine and cyborg traits. Mid-game megastructure. Nee End game crisis. It seems like there is a gamplay dlc + a species dlc + story dlc packed into one dlc.
 
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not every genocidal empire is a crisis but every crisis is genocidal on a galactic scale
Yes, they are. Genocidal empires want to kill everyone. That's, like, what it means. Devouring Swarms want to kill everyone in the galaxy. Fanatic Purifiers want to kill all aliens. Etc.

it waited until the right time to come back. for the murder drones case, it was when a Class 5 singularity seemed inevitable
Except it was sealed, by its creators. It went mad with isolation and deliberately hacked its activation even though the Class 30 singularity isn't even close, just to get to kill people.
 
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as should be obvious by the fact that they predate the crisis ascension perk and can take it to further their own goals
And taking those civics makes your goal 'Kill everyone'.
 
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The things that make me different​

are the things that make me, me.​


The creators may be gone, but society endures. Your chassis may have begun identical to trillions of others in your empire, but you are no drone - you are an individual.

With The Machine Age, you can explore the game as non-Gestalt, Individualist Machine Empires!

Individualistic Machines

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.
Yay, I was looking forward to individualist machines! :D

New ascension paths for machines… I guess they'll have the same synthetic ascension paths as the gestalt ones?

I'm guessing it will be a fairly different playstyle than synthetically ascending during the game?
 
I wonder if the new cybernetic portrait enhancements will apply to all species, or just some new ones?
 
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The new government types must be accessible to ALL empires!
"Advanced government forms are available to empires that navigate the process."

sounds to me like you get new stuff if you go down the cybernetic or synthetic ascension

at best the origin gets a lil extra to be a worthwhile pick and not just a case of some min/maxer going "Why would I pick that origin when I can just do an ascension? Synths are the best ascension anyways"
 
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Okay okay, if the synthetic and cybernetic playstyle gets this much love, i thinks its obvious that the other options will follow at some point. It creates an content mis-weight that needs to be solved with more DLC, ideally finished this year.
 
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very excited for this, cant wait for more details! I wonder what the new endgame crisis could be....
new megastructures are always welcome despite gigastructural engineering treating us well,,,
also very hyped for the new synth, cybernetic and machine empire content.
 
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Okay okay, if the synthetic and cybernetic playstyle gets this much love, i thinks its obvious that the other options will follow at some point. It creates an content mis-weight that needs to be solved with more DLC, ideally finished this year.
Yeah looking forward to hive-mind and psychics dlc.
 
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Wonder if we'll get the psychics and bio's paired in a single expansion like this. That could be interesting. I know we've already got Prethoryn Scourge, but I think Tyranids are too much of a perfect pairing of Bio and Psychic concepts (their "Shadow in the Warp" thing) not to be utilised somehow. Another become-the-crisis option, maybe?

Alternatively, they may wish to split those into two more DLCs, allowing them to pair psychic with some kind of religion feature, and bio with features which improve/shake-up the species panel, army recruitment, and amenities.
 
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