Mega update: Stellaris 4.0 will almost be like a new game

Paradox Interactive has big plans for Stellaris: Update 4.0 is set to completely revamp the popular 4X heavyweight. The Phoenix update will be free for everyone in May.

“Quality of Life” is also important in space. That's why Paradox is doing everything it can to modernize just about everything in the game with Update 4.0 for the next major update for the 4X classic Stellaris, christened “Phoenix”. For example, performance improvements will optimize gameplay, especially in later phases when more elements need to be calculated. The planned performance boost should make the game smoother and minimize FPS drops. Stephen Muray, Game Director at Paradox Interactive, explains the development team's plans in this video.

But when the Phoenix update for Stellaris 4.0 is rolled out in May, the patch will also change the balancing and, above all, the initial game system. To ensure that beginners and returning players are not overwhelmed by the complexity of Stellaris, the game will be easier to start. The abilities will be streamlined at the beginning, which in turn will reduce the otherwise overwhelming variety of decisions at the start of the game. In future, players should be able to get into Stellaris more quickly without being overwhelmed by a flood of notifications and options. Beginners will also be able to better recognize which decisions are important for the long-term course of the game and which should be temporarily neglected. Thanks to the revised and expanded messaging system, players can tick the boxes themselves and decide which messages are important to them.

Empire Timeline for a detailed travel log

The new real-time chronicle in Stellaris 4.0 will also be very pleasing. The “Empire Timeline” logs milestones on your journey through the universe. The documentation, which runs automatically in the background, gives you a retrospective view of the development of your empire, even later in the game. Look back at the beginnings of your game, what went well at the start, what could you have done better? Or simply for nostalgia's sake, to retrace the development of your magnificent empire. Events, battles and other milestones will be recorded on the Empire Timeline.

Stellaris 4.0 will also be noticeably improved in other areas. For a more detailed look at the plans, check out Paradox Interactive's blog post.