Introduction
With Stellaris 1.5 Utopia releasing in under 24 hours at the time of writing this, I thought I’d take the time to share my epic final empire on 1.4 Kennedy. I have been playing Stellaris since day 1, I pre-ordered the Galaxy Edition 1 week before launch. Stellaris is my first “grand strategy” game in over 15 years, my last ones being the Sid Meier’s series, favorable Alpha Centauri for PC. I enjoyed many different genres over the years, but something about the space strategy game always sat back in my mind, a craving waiting to be once again sated. Needless to say, it only took about 10 minutes of watching the pre-release videos of this game, reviews, etc, to convince me not only to pre-order it, but to purchase the $69.99 Galaxy Edition to support the development of a game I saw with infinite potential. Paradox, thank you for living up to all your promises and potential for this game.
With nearly 350 hours logged through Steam, and ALL THE DLC, I’d like to say I know a thing or two about this game, and have started over ten empires through the release version (usually have to start a new empire each time due to so many changes), three of those empires being Ironman mode. We all know how brutal and real this mode can be. I’ve watched my empire accumulate 200k fleets only to be destroyed by The Scourge crisis. I’ve watched over 100 planets fall victim to the Robot Uprising crisis. I attempted to stand my ground in The War of Heaven, only to lead the last undecided empires to extinction, accepting our fate of defeat amongst giant in the playgrounds. I’ve even been betrayed by allies, attempting to stop The Unbidden Invasion, these so-called allies who turned foe when the opportunity to conquer my home world (a reclaimed Ring World found after the Precursor Event) was too tempting to ignore any longer. I've lost the Enigmatic Fortress, The Queen, The Dragon Egg, my Enclave allies were destroyed...I know pain and suffering from this game. It makes for one amazing experience, and know this, 10 years experience and assets lost gives you 100 more years for progress if your patient. This final play-through was proof of that for me. When all seemed lost, I emerged victorious!
I’ve laughed at the Awakened Evil Butterfly Empire, I’ve cried over Ether Drake destroying my fleet, I’ve screamed over Stellarite Devourer, and I’ve loved the gifts from the Cute Awakened Fox Empire. It took a long time, and I’ve learned that patience is key, but my final, epic Ironman mode is what I’d like to share with you now. This is my first victory in Stellaris, and the timing couldn’t be better with Utopia being released tomorrow (I literally just finished 1 hour ago). I’m pretty excited about this, because less than 1% of Steam players have done this (you only get trophies in Ironman, and I’ve gotten some other rare ones too!):
I’ll share my timeline, narrated every 50 years, with favorite pictures and a story of my empire I encountered during my LONG and FINAL 1.4 Ironman playthrough. This is a happy ending for this version, and a hopeful beginning to my new empire in 1.5 Utopia tomorrow ❤ So much more happened in between, I can’t even begin to think about it all. I had events and anomalies up to my final year, and the experience was fun from start to finish, never a dull moment. Thank you to Paradox for making such an amazing game, experience, there is truly nothing like it, in this universe or ours!
The Enthirian Sovereign State
2200 AD
The First Jump
The Enthirian Sovereign State make it’s fist warp jump to another system, going where our species could have only dreamed of merely one century ago. Scientists jump to nearby systems to discover and research new regions of the galaxy. Pirates who defected from our fleet are found and eradicated, ancient and powerful creatures are discovered, but our fleets are no match for them now. We establish Frontier Outposts to secure these regions of space, and wait for the time to strike. The first colonies are established beyond our solar system. The future of expansion, it seems, is in our hands.
2250 AD
First Contact
Space is not as empty as we first thought, rather the opposite. We have discovered another species, known as the Nharr Ancients, a Fallen Empire who’s reign over the galaxy receded hundreds of thousands of years ago. Though clearly they have technology we can only begin to fathom, and a fleet beyond overwhelming compared to ours, these peaceful people offer us gifts, such as resources and technology, to further enlighten our species. They seem keen on protecting us, and appear to have little interest in meddling with the galaxy. We learn through them that other species do exist, and the news has our worlds buzzing with excitement.
2300 AD
The Golden Age
An asteroid destroyed one of our new settlements, Omicron Gamma. An ill omen, it seems, or perhaps a taste of the beautiful yet equally dangerous mysteries the galaxy bestows upon us. In honor of those lost on Omicron Gamma, our main fleet has been renamed the Omicron Armada, commanded by Admiral Carth, the last governor of Omicron Gamma before it’s destruction.
We’ve made several contacts with new species, all whom are delighted to trade with us, some have even migrated to our home-world. There have been 14 new colonies, divided amongst 3 sectors. Our fleet continues to grow as we research new technologies, and we have even began enlightening 2 primitive species we discovered in the Omicron Sector.
It would seem the golden age is upon us.
2350 AD
To Infinity, and Beyond
After further researching particle technologies, we have discovered the Tachyon Lance, and outfitted our fleet with the weaponry. Our fleet now consists of over two dozen Battleships, and we have recently destroyed the Stellarite Devourer. Currently, our scientists are researching two major discoveries, one known as The Infinity Machine, the other known as The Enigmatic Fortress. These discoveries were made possible through a lost Curator Enclave, who’s aided us in our research for several years now, and we’ve even recruited one of their scientists!
2400 AD
The Fallen Ones
It’s been 20 years since The Sleepers Awake, the Xaplo Conquerors, sworn enemies of the Nharr Ancients, have waged a War In Heaven, with our galaxy as their playground. Faced with the option to save the galaxy or be destroyed with it, we swore our allegiance to a life-long friend, the Nharr. Against our wishes, we were thrust into their holy war, along with several other allies who had no choice but to succumb to their will. The other species were lured to the Xaplo, and the galaxy has been pitted against each other, pawns for an ancient rivalry that should have died hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Yet we Enthri have been strong, and we have observed this galaxy and it’s politics. We have our own ambitions, and when the moment is right, it is our empire that will dominate the galaxy, not these ancients. Our fleet will continue to grow as we deal with this crisis.
2450 AD
An Inevitable Arrival
The War In Heaven continues. To make things worse, our research into Psi Drive technology has yielded dangerous results; a rip in the very fabric of reality has opened a dimensional wormhole, and Extradimensional Invaders known as the Unbidden have began pouring through. To make things even worse than that, they have spawned right in the heart of our overlords enemy, the Xaplo, and have begun taking their ships and building an impenetrable stronghold. No fleets can get through the Xaplo’s, yet alone make it to the Unbidden territory.
With our overlord, the Nharr Ancients, losing this war, and with our allies either destroyed or conquered, it seems all hope is lost for the galaxy. If this ancient rivalry does not destroy us first, then the Unbidden will surely destroy us all.
2500 AD
A Miracle
Through a miracle, we have finally cracked the Enigmatic Fortress and unlocked it’s secrets! After years of research, we now have technology not even the Fallen Empires have! We’ve even managed to birth a new universe by helping The Infinity Machine solve it’s final equation. Our crippled fleet has been luring the Xaplo around the galaxy for nearly 4 decades, a game of cat and mouse if you will. We even managed to lure them into an Unbidden trap, where they were heavily damaged. Just when all seemed like it was lost, perhaps everything happens for a reason yet to be seen.
2510 AD
A Force to be Reckoned Wtih
With both our fleet and the Nharr recovering, the Unbidden were finally defeated, their wormhole closed, by us as a matter of fact. The entire Galaxy is throwing roses at our feet. We have fended off a foe more dangerous to the galaxy then the ancient rivals themselves, and the other empires know we are a force to be reckoned with.
2515 AD
The Student Becomes the Master
The War In Heaven reaches a stalemate after nearly two centuries of conflict, and the war comes to an end with no demands met. We seized the opportunity over-throw and declare independence from our overlord, ceded the last of the Xaplo systems and liberated all those enthralled by them, and now have one target left to secure dominance in the galaxy; the Nharr Ancients.
Our massive fleet has split into 10 smaller fleets, and our admiral has directed us to invade 10 systems simultaneously. This strategy has taken nearly one century to become possible, and with the Nharr weakened, the Unbidden stopped, and the Xaplo extinct, nothing can stop us. It seems the student has become the master, and their own tactics will be used against them.
2541 AD
Domination Victory
After a nearly a quarter century war, the final battle has been won. Both precursor empires have been eliminated, and now no one has the fleet or population capacity we do in the known galaxy. With over one-hundred worlds amongst 13 sectors, a fleet power of 358k (could easily double this, only half naval capacity) the Enthirian Soveriegn State has secured it’s place in the galaxy as the Risen Empire, and our legacy will endure until the end of time.
Or will time start over, the universe be born again, and another empire, millions of years from now, discover our ashes and ruins, only to ponder our final fate? The universe works in mysterious ways, it seems.
Special Thanks
To the developers for listening to the community and improving the game. The community for all the posts, strategies, and support provided on this forum. The various Enclaves who funded my ambitions, and the lost planet and Enthirian people of Omicron. Staring in the face of defeat, feeling like everything I accomplished was lost in one fell swoop, your tragic fate motivated me to keep this simulation going. Your legacy shall transcend time itself.
With Stellaris 1.5 Utopia releasing in under 24 hours at the time of writing this, I thought I’d take the time to share my epic final empire on 1.4 Kennedy. I have been playing Stellaris since day 1, I pre-ordered the Galaxy Edition 1 week before launch. Stellaris is my first “grand strategy” game in over 15 years, my last ones being the Sid Meier’s series, favorable Alpha Centauri for PC. I enjoyed many different genres over the years, but something about the space strategy game always sat back in my mind, a craving waiting to be once again sated. Needless to say, it only took about 10 minutes of watching the pre-release videos of this game, reviews, etc, to convince me not only to pre-order it, but to purchase the $69.99 Galaxy Edition to support the development of a game I saw with infinite potential. Paradox, thank you for living up to all your promises and potential for this game.
With nearly 350 hours logged through Steam, and ALL THE DLC, I’d like to say I know a thing or two about this game, and have started over ten empires through the release version (usually have to start a new empire each time due to so many changes), three of those empires being Ironman mode. We all know how brutal and real this mode can be. I’ve watched my empire accumulate 200k fleets only to be destroyed by The Scourge crisis. I’ve watched over 100 planets fall victim to the Robot Uprising crisis. I attempted to stand my ground in The War of Heaven, only to lead the last undecided empires to extinction, accepting our fate of defeat amongst giant in the playgrounds. I’ve even been betrayed by allies, attempting to stop The Unbidden Invasion, these so-called allies who turned foe when the opportunity to conquer my home world (a reclaimed Ring World found after the Precursor Event) was too tempting to ignore any longer. I've lost the Enigmatic Fortress, The Queen, The Dragon Egg, my Enclave allies were destroyed...I know pain and suffering from this game. It makes for one amazing experience, and know this, 10 years experience and assets lost gives you 100 more years for progress if your patient. This final play-through was proof of that for me. When all seemed lost, I emerged victorious!
I’ve laughed at the Awakened Evil Butterfly Empire, I’ve cried over Ether Drake destroying my fleet, I’ve screamed over Stellarite Devourer, and I’ve loved the gifts from the Cute Awakened Fox Empire. It took a long time, and I’ve learned that patience is key, but my final, epic Ironman mode is what I’d like to share with you now. This is my first victory in Stellaris, and the timing couldn’t be better with Utopia being released tomorrow (I literally just finished 1 hour ago). I’m pretty excited about this, because less than 1% of Steam players have done this (you only get trophies in Ironman, and I’ve gotten some other rare ones too!):
I’ll share my timeline, narrated every 50 years, with favorite pictures and a story of my empire I encountered during my LONG and FINAL 1.4 Ironman playthrough. This is a happy ending for this version, and a hopeful beginning to my new empire in 1.5 Utopia tomorrow ❤ So much more happened in between, I can’t even begin to think about it all. I had events and anomalies up to my final year, and the experience was fun from start to finish, never a dull moment. Thank you to Paradox for making such an amazing game, experience, there is truly nothing like it, in this universe or ours!
The Enthirian Sovereign State
2200 AD
The First Jump
The Enthirian Sovereign State make it’s fist warp jump to another system, going where our species could have only dreamed of merely one century ago. Scientists jump to nearby systems to discover and research new regions of the galaxy. Pirates who defected from our fleet are found and eradicated, ancient and powerful creatures are discovered, but our fleets are no match for them now. We establish Frontier Outposts to secure these regions of space, and wait for the time to strike. The first colonies are established beyond our solar system. The future of expansion, it seems, is in our hands.
2250 AD
First Contact
Space is not as empty as we first thought, rather the opposite. We have discovered another species, known as the Nharr Ancients, a Fallen Empire who’s reign over the galaxy receded hundreds of thousands of years ago. Though clearly they have technology we can only begin to fathom, and a fleet beyond overwhelming compared to ours, these peaceful people offer us gifts, such as resources and technology, to further enlighten our species. They seem keen on protecting us, and appear to have little interest in meddling with the galaxy. We learn through them that other species do exist, and the news has our worlds buzzing with excitement.
2300 AD
The Golden Age
An asteroid destroyed one of our new settlements, Omicron Gamma. An ill omen, it seems, or perhaps a taste of the beautiful yet equally dangerous mysteries the galaxy bestows upon us. In honor of those lost on Omicron Gamma, our main fleet has been renamed the Omicron Armada, commanded by Admiral Carth, the last governor of Omicron Gamma before it’s destruction.
We’ve made several contacts with new species, all whom are delighted to trade with us, some have even migrated to our home-world. There have been 14 new colonies, divided amongst 3 sectors. Our fleet continues to grow as we research new technologies, and we have even began enlightening 2 primitive species we discovered in the Omicron Sector.
It would seem the golden age is upon us.
2350 AD
To Infinity, and Beyond
After further researching particle technologies, we have discovered the Tachyon Lance, and outfitted our fleet with the weaponry. Our fleet now consists of over two dozen Battleships, and we have recently destroyed the Stellarite Devourer. Currently, our scientists are researching two major discoveries, one known as The Infinity Machine, the other known as The Enigmatic Fortress. These discoveries were made possible through a lost Curator Enclave, who’s aided us in our research for several years now, and we’ve even recruited one of their scientists!
2400 AD
The Fallen Ones
It’s been 20 years since The Sleepers Awake, the Xaplo Conquerors, sworn enemies of the Nharr Ancients, have waged a War In Heaven, with our galaxy as their playground. Faced with the option to save the galaxy or be destroyed with it, we swore our allegiance to a life-long friend, the Nharr. Against our wishes, we were thrust into their holy war, along with several other allies who had no choice but to succumb to their will. The other species were lured to the Xaplo, and the galaxy has been pitted against each other, pawns for an ancient rivalry that should have died hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Yet we Enthri have been strong, and we have observed this galaxy and it’s politics. We have our own ambitions, and when the moment is right, it is our empire that will dominate the galaxy, not these ancients. Our fleet will continue to grow as we deal with this crisis.
2450 AD
An Inevitable Arrival
The War In Heaven continues. To make things worse, our research into Psi Drive technology has yielded dangerous results; a rip in the very fabric of reality has opened a dimensional wormhole, and Extradimensional Invaders known as the Unbidden have began pouring through. To make things even worse than that, they have spawned right in the heart of our overlords enemy, the Xaplo, and have begun taking their ships and building an impenetrable stronghold. No fleets can get through the Xaplo’s, yet alone make it to the Unbidden territory.
With our overlord, the Nharr Ancients, losing this war, and with our allies either destroyed or conquered, it seems all hope is lost for the galaxy. If this ancient rivalry does not destroy us first, then the Unbidden will surely destroy us all.
2500 AD
A Miracle
Through a miracle, we have finally cracked the Enigmatic Fortress and unlocked it’s secrets! After years of research, we now have technology not even the Fallen Empires have! We’ve even managed to birth a new universe by helping The Infinity Machine solve it’s final equation. Our crippled fleet has been luring the Xaplo around the galaxy for nearly 4 decades, a game of cat and mouse if you will. We even managed to lure them into an Unbidden trap, where they were heavily damaged. Just when all seemed like it was lost, perhaps everything happens for a reason yet to be seen.
2510 AD
A Force to be Reckoned Wtih
With both our fleet and the Nharr recovering, the Unbidden were finally defeated, their wormhole closed, by us as a matter of fact. The entire Galaxy is throwing roses at our feet. We have fended off a foe more dangerous to the galaxy then the ancient rivals themselves, and the other empires know we are a force to be reckoned with.
2515 AD
The Student Becomes the Master
The War In Heaven reaches a stalemate after nearly two centuries of conflict, and the war comes to an end with no demands met. We seized the opportunity over-throw and declare independence from our overlord, ceded the last of the Xaplo systems and liberated all those enthralled by them, and now have one target left to secure dominance in the galaxy; the Nharr Ancients.
Our massive fleet has split into 10 smaller fleets, and our admiral has directed us to invade 10 systems simultaneously. This strategy has taken nearly one century to become possible, and with the Nharr weakened, the Unbidden stopped, and the Xaplo extinct, nothing can stop us. It seems the student has become the master, and their own tactics will be used against them.
2541 AD
Domination Victory
After a nearly a quarter century war, the final battle has been won. Both precursor empires have been eliminated, and now no one has the fleet or population capacity we do in the known galaxy. With over one-hundred worlds amongst 13 sectors, a fleet power of 358k (could easily double this, only half naval capacity) the Enthirian Soveriegn State has secured it’s place in the galaxy as the Risen Empire, and our legacy will endure until the end of time.
Or will time start over, the universe be born again, and another empire, millions of years from now, discover our ashes and ruins, only to ponder our final fate? The universe works in mysterious ways, it seems.
Special Thanks
To the developers for listening to the community and improving the game. The community for all the posts, strategies, and support provided on this forum. The various Enclaves who funded my ambitions, and the lost planet and Enthirian people of Omicron. Staring in the face of defeat, feeling like everything I accomplished was lost in one fell swoop, your tragic fate motivated me to keep this simulation going. Your legacy shall transcend time itself.
Last edited:
