The biggest update since the Big Bang: with the ‘Cygnus’ patch, Stellaris is ready for the future

The major 4.5 update, dubbed “Cygnus”, for the hit strategy game Stellaris has been released: over 350 bug fixes, improved AI, a diplomacy update, a new ship auto-designer and more. Before downloading: back up your save file!

If it’s been a while since you last travelled through your own galaxy, “Cygnus” gives you a good reason to return. The free Cygnus update for Stellaris is officially live and, with a whopping 525 lines of changes, is the most extensive bug-fix patch that Paradox has ever released for its space strategy game. According to the developers, almost 47 per cent of all adjustments stem directly from bug reports, forum threads, Reddit discussions and Discord feedback from the community – much of which was gathered during the open beta, which has been running since early July and went through nine interim versions before “Cygnus” was finally rolled out.

What’s included in “Cygnus”?

At the heart of the update are more than 350 bug fixes, as well as numerous stability improvements and the resolution of various desync issues in multiplayer matches. In addition, the development team has overhauled Stellaris’s artificial intelligence: the AI revamp is designed to enable opposing empires to make smarter decisions as the game progresses. Diplomacy and fleet automation have also been significantly overhauled, which should make managing large empires in the late game easier. Those interested in the “Nomads” mechanics will also find adjustments here, complemented by balancing changes to factions and the Ethics system, which determines the ideological orientation of your species.

Important note before updating

Important: Cygnus is not compatible with save files from version 4.4 and earlier. Back up your saves before updating and, if necessary, use the 4.4 rollback branch on Steam for ongoing campaigns. Major changes to game mechanics may, in some cases, lead to compatibility issues with older save files – so it’s best to copy your current save file beforehand. The developers of Stellaris put it this way in their patch notes:

The overhaul of population groups (Pop Groups) changes the way pops are saved. This means that save files from version 4.4 and earlier cannot be loaded correctly in version 4.5. If you still wish to finish an ongoing campaign, you should therefore first do the following:

Back up your save file folder before updating:

• Windows: /Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/save games/
• Mac: $HOME/Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/save games/
• Linux: $HOME/.local/share/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/save games/

On Steam: Right-click on Stellaris, open ‘Properties’, switch to the ‘Betas’ tab and select ‘Stellaris 4.4 Rollback’ from the list.

Once a save file has been opened with version 4.5, it can no longer be loaded with version 4.4. So carry out the rollback first and only continue playing afterwards.

For anyone who’s taken a break from Stellaris: this grand-strategy space game lets you build, explore and rule your own interstellar empire. With ‘Cygnus’, the foundations for future expansions have been noticeably refined.