Stellaris Dev Diary #376 - Announcing BioGenesis and Stellaris: Season 09

[Falrinn]

Man season 9 sounds awesome. Unlike season 8 to a degree, all three of these DLCs sound awesome from the beginning. I'm really excited for all of them.

But why invent vulcanic worlds, when molten worlds are already there and really underutilized, lol? So just use molten worlds, and use toxic worlds to for something as well. I still think toxoids should be able to live on them or something.

Also two new crisis paths was not what I was expecting. I mean they are cool, but I feel like they are more cool when they are rare and used sparingly, like there's just so many ways you can be a crisis to the Galaxy. I just hope it's not a creative crutch, like instead of new gameplay mechanic or systems, they just make some new civics, couple of origins and a new crisis path and call it a day, you know.

But right now this looks awesome.

The way I see it, a Volcanic World is one where aggressively active volcanism dominates the climate, but ultimately just being on the surface isn't enough to kill most life forms and the average temperature across the entire planet is vaguely livable. On a molten world, just stepping outside will cook all but the hardiest lifeforms in a matter of moments.

Basically on a Volcanic World "stay away from the lava and you might be okay" on a Molten World "there's nowhere on the planet that's far enough away from lava to be okay".

It's kind of like the difference between an Arctic World and a Frozen World. One is merely cold, the other is so absurdly bone-chillingly cold that the atmosphere itself froze.

 

[Miesha]

From now until biogenesis release or confirmation:

Don't forget about progenitor meat ships, like you forgot progenitor space critters. Please, as a progenitor fan I am begging.

 

[Ch4rybde]

MEAT SHIP

 

[Daniel the Finlander]

I've waited for organic ships since 2016 or so...

 

[freejones912]

Looks awesome, especially the other DLC this season. I do hope that Season 10 gives Psionic ascension the full treatment it deserves, and some paths that aren't tied to the Shroud.

 

[Qoff]

• Starlit Citadel: Solve the mystery of your empire’s biological attackers while boosting hyperlane choke-point strategies with early access to the Deep Space Citadel megastructure.

Hey Paradox, please create a citadel model that looks like the Iserlohn Fortress, I never asked you anything (I asked many things, but I'm lying so we can get it) thanks, love you guys.

Sincerely, a long time fan.

 

[BaliorPal]

Also Diplomacy is 'okay', I don't know what you mean by that.

Most agreements are useless. Improving relations with another empire comes down to pressing four buttons: Improve Relations, Establish Embassy, and two other random agreements. After these actions, you’ll have +500 relations. Tech trade gives too small of a bonus and is implemented in a very basic way. A migration pact can let you colonize new planets, but beyond that, due to the lack of internal politics, new citizens of another species don’t have any real impact.

There’s no real incentive for trade beyond the limited system currently in the game or for cooperation. You can’t create a shared economic zone with another state. Honestly, if the entire galaxy outside my borders were deleted and only appeared when I pressed the "Diplomacy" button, the game wouldn’t lose anything. The player spends most of their time inside their own empire, developing planets, researching anomalies and archaeology, or waging wars. Diplomacy takes up less than 1% of the player's effort.

The Galactic Community is too slow and pointless. 90% of the resolutions have no real impact. Forming the Galactic Imperium is cool in theory, but in 90% of cases, the player only does it after already conquering half the galaxy.

I want the game to have situational alliances with unique mechanics, alliances that could remain temporary or evolve into something greater. I want diplomacy to actually change borders. The simplest example is that I should be able to demand a planet inhabited by my primary species. Right now, your species can literally be enslaved in a neighboring empire, and the only way to deal with it is through war, either by ideology shift or full conquest, which also feels like a very limited solution.

 

[NessaWyrm]

we're fixing the End of the Cycle?? Yessssssss. I remember being a new player, discovering it, and being so shattered that after all that buildup and flavor someone else got to kill it easily. i'm so unreasonably excited by this upcoming season

 

[Ajacoba]

I'm a sucker for Spiritualist/Psionic content, but reading the description of the planned expansion, there is one thing that rubs me the wrong way, always has with Psionics in this game actually. Namely, your reliance on outside powers, of having patrons, of enslaving yourself, of being the eternal victim, the lesser partner, the pitiful vassal eating scraps from under the table.

All ascensions are ultimately about taking your destiny into your own hands, about shaping and forging your own future, overcoming all shackles and limitations set by reality (to the point of Cosmogenesis changing reality itself). Yet, when it comes to Psionics, it's always the same: randomness, chaos, becoming a slave to the whims of some wannabe gods, and all flavor text makes it clear that the Zroni are always better than you could ever be, taunting you over and over.

I don't mind whoring myself out to the Shroud on my way to the top, but I don't want servitude be the final stop on that road. I want the same theme that bio and machines have: ultimate mastery of your chosen craft.

it's an optional symbiotic relationship
you can probably always take the secret 6th option and stay independent without taking any patron

 

[Calvax]

Hey Paradox, please create a citadel model that looks like the Iserlohn Fortress, I never asked you anything (I asked many things, but I'm lying so we can get it) thanks, love you guys.

Sincerely, a long time fan.

If we could jump drive one mega fortress into another mega fortress that would also be great

 

[MicroBlogganism]

All I ask for is that I can have biological ships as a machine empire, so I can have my people made of ship, and my ships made of people!

 

[Nyrael]

All nice stuff! The themes were all expected by those of us who are regularly on forums, but the feature lists are already very promising!

Two Biological Shipsets

A long-awaited featuer, but I do wonder how it will differentiate itself from Space Fauna (other than the fact that it'll be more moddable I guess). And will our species turn into those ships, or will they be artificially created creatures. Well, we should know in three days.

Wilderness

This one sounds interesting. I wonder if it will be able to add new lifeforms to itself, thus becoming the biological variant of Driven Assimilators?

Choose from three Ascension paths (Cloning, Purity, and Mutation) and over 18 enhanced Authorities. Customize your genetic ascension by blending Purity, Cloning, and Mutation traditions into a unique path for your play style

So I guess Cloning focuses on POP growth and Leader Replication (boring but powerful), Mutation is turning yourself into some biological monstrosity, and Purity is about looking the same but being more perfect (basically the old Bio Ascension).
But combining the three is what intrigues me. Is it all one Tradition, or three but they aren't mutually exclusive?

Encounter a Hive Fallen Empire, a fractured hive mind struggling to awake between its three splintered personalities

Finally, a new Fallen Empire! And finally, a Hive Fallen Empire!
I like that it has three personalities. I wonder if it means that it will randomly change its opinions as the game goes on, or each personality will make different demands from your empire.
I do expect it will have different Awakening Modes, just like the Machine FE. I suppose one will be a Devouring Swarm, and one will be a more classic Awakened Empire. What about the third then? Maybe it won't awaken at all?

A versatile new defensive station capable of holding off powerful enemy fleets at any system

I wonder how will it work. Will it buff all other stations in the nearby systems? Will it teleport all enemies to it? Will it teleport itself?

Behemoth Fury Crisis Path

I assume this will be the Crisis Path for Hive Minds. By the sound of it, the Crisis Levels will make your species larger and larger. But what will happen when the Final Quest is finished?

• Breach into the Shroud: Shape your empire’s spiritual destiny with a revamped Shroud system.
• Shroud Panel: Track your empire’s attunement and unlock new powers

Very nice! The current Psionic implementation is kinda clunky, like an inexperienced modder did it. Finally having an interface in the vanilla will be great.
Wonder if the RNG will stay, or if it will be replaced by some other type of "High Risk, High Reward" system.

• Revamped End of the Cycle: The ultimate deal with the devil—can you delay the inevitable?

Finally! I remember when the End of the Cycle was an "Apocalyptic Crisis", aka unbeatable (and the lore does sound like this is what it should be). Until it was nerfed by Toxoids, and then indirectly by new gameplay systems.
If done well, this should be both a new (extra) End Game Crisis, and maybe even an unofficial Player Crisis (if it's as interactive as it sounds... and it does feel like a Psionically Awakened empire should have an access to a unique Crisis).
I wonder if it is possible to make a deal with it, and then flee with Cosmogenesis (though considering the power of Shroud Entities, I can see the End of Cycle going after us).

Infernals Species Pack

NICE! I am so happy to see a Species Pack as the cheap DLC of a Season. Cosmic Storms is unfortunately the one DLC I keep turned off, and I'd prefer Species Packs over these so-called "Mechanical Expansions".

Player Crisis Path: Burn the galaxy to ashes as your empire thrives in destruction

Another Player Crisis? Sounds a lot like Galactic Nemesis though.
I do wonder if next year we will get more Anti-Crises, or improvements to them. The Custodian and Galactic Emperor should really have some more features on how to enforce wars on the Crises than just some buffs, and I'd like to see more types of Anti-Crises (like several Empires creating an Anti-Crisis Task Force, a new multi-species empire spawning to fight them, etc.). The Defender of Galaxy Awakened Empires could also use some enhancements.

 

[verybad]

I hate you for making me buy Season 9 before I can download it. I had already saved May 5th off from work about a week ago, does that mean that I am mutating already?

 

[Democratic Monarchy]

From the moment I understood the greatness of my flesh, it inspired me.

I rejected the falsehood and lies of steel. I aspired to the purity of the blessed flesh.

Your kind cling to your shells of cold iron and circuitry as if they are unbreakable.

You cry when the calculators that run your virtual realities inevitably break down, when your technology needs replacement parts, and when new advances render that which was once cutting edge useless, a waste of resources.

And then, you spread your gospel, claiming that the abandonment of our 'imperfect' forms will, somehow, save us.

But I am already saved.

For Life Is Eternal.

 

[Ajacoba]

The Galactic Community is too slow and pointless. 90% of the resolutions have no real impact. Forming the Galactic Imperium is cool in theory, but in 90% of cases, the player only does it after already conquering half the galaxy.

have you tried not being a genocidal warmongerer?

 

[WolfClaw]

the season 9 logo looks like some kind of tv news channel

 

[GnoSIS]

Pajamathur Approves!!

Finally some mature gameplay options to play a zerg empire! Can't wait!
Also can't wait to see how Wilderness will play out - it sounds mighty intruguing.

However @Eladrin, you do realize that you have a little over a month for fixing 4.0??? The studio must be going crazy at this point....

I waited for a pop rework and for meat ships for years, so I guess I will support you right now for 2025.

 

[Nyrael]

Looks awesome, especially the other DLC this season. I do hope that Season 10 gives Psionic ascension the full treatment it deserves, and some paths that aren't tied to the Shroud.

Cybernetic, Synthetic and Biological all share the DLC with many other features, with Cybernetic and Synthetic even sharing it among themselves and three Machine Ascensions. Cetana, Cosmogenesis, Machine Ascensions, Individual Machines, Kilostructures, Bio Ships, 4.0 POP overhaul, etc. have little to nothing to do with these three ascensions (though funnily enough, Psionics did have something to do with Cetana).

Psionic Ascension has an entire DLC solely to itself. It doesn't seem to share the DLC with anything so all of developer budget and focus will be on it. I am more worried for the other three Ascensions tbh.

 

[exi123]

Well, finally being able to play Zerg and later this year Protoss, so it is fine I guess.

 

[Ch4rybde]

Am I the only one who interpret the trailer speech as every non machine or cybernetic empire since machine age saying :
"We were all overpowered by The Machine Age tm, but we will be back and will overpower them with our new Biogenesis tm coming soon !"

edit : can we also sidenote that we will get at least 4 (if nor 5) new shipset in this one year ? 2 from biogenesis, at least 1 from shadow of the shroud and 1 from infernal, this is almost as much as the game had at its initial realesed.