"Stellaris: Apocalypse," the expansion for "Stellaris" is scheduled to release on Feb. 22.
Paradox Interactive published a Youtube video tailing the features of the upcoming expansion. Daniel Moregård, one of the game's designer, said that the expansion will feature Colossus, Titan, Ion Cannon, Marauders, new Unity Ambitions and new Ascension perks and civics.
Colossus is a giant spaceship capable of destroying planets. Each empire will have its own colossus design alongside its weapons. Moregård said that players may opt to either blow up a specific planet with a world cracker or envelop the planet in an impenetrable barrier, turning it into a shielded planet. Another feature is the Titan which is a massive spaceship that can be equipped with Titan-sized weapons capable of destroying a battleship with a single shot. Titans will also have access to auras that can either boost players' fleets or debuff enemy fleets.
Ion Cannon is a defensive platform that players can build around their Star Bases to counter the Titan and other massive ships. Ion Cannons, like Titans, will also have access to Titan-sized weapons. The expansion also includes Marauders — space moguls squabbling a war-like society with powerful fleets. Marauders are more often a peaceful faction, however, there will be times when a leader rises and the Marauders will destroy everything and everyone in their way. Players will either fight them or pay them tribute to be able to move forward in the game.
New Unity Ambitions are also added in the expansion to provide new ways to spend Unity and customize players' development. Unity Ambitions are very powerful edicts and will last around 20 years. In addition, the expansion also features new Ascension perks and civics. Players who want to attempt the one planet challenge will be able to do so with the new Life Seeded civic where players will start with a size 25 Gaia world. Another civic added is the Barbaric Despoiler civic where players can play in an aggressive society.
The expansion will be released alongside 2.0 Cherie update wherein players will have the ability to control star systems. To do so, players must first build a Star Base which can be upgraded from a lonely outpost to a massive citadel. The base's buildings and modules allow it to be specialized to a shipyard, a trading hub or a fortress.
The upcoming update will also introduce wormholes and gateways which will allow players to travel between two distant star systems, creating a shortcut in the galaxy. Wormholes always come in pairs and with proper technology, players can send in ships to see which system it leads to. Gateways, on the other hand, are megastructures that need to be activated before they can be used, are all connected in a network and are structures that players can create with the right technology.
"Stellaris: Apocalypse" will retail at $19.99.
