Stellaris - A Good Entry into Space 4X?

[PaulMClem]

Have to be honest and I say I've never truly managed to crack the Space 4X genre. Dabbled with Galactic Civilizations III but not for long. On the surface, Stellaris looks the same sort of thing, apart from one obvious difference i.e. it's made by Paradox. I've watched some Let's Plays and the graphics look stunning. UI also appears clean and functional. Therefore I have a few queries:

1. As someone trying to break into Space 4X would you suggest that Stellaris is a good place to start? Is there enough depth, complexity i.e. things to keep you busy? Is the learning curve shallow enough to allow me to ease myself in relatively gently?

2. Would the game be worth playing in its vanilla i.e. free patch but non-DLC, format?

3. Any feel for what the base game will drop to in the next PDX sale? I'd assume there will be one when the Utopia expansion is released?

Any feedback will be much appreciated, and it might just bring a new player to Stellaris

PaulC.

 

[henzington]

The currently available dlc adds some special systems so it isn't necessary to get right away.

 

[Shuul]

Id say wait for Utopia, currently Stellaris missing in some critical areas as for me, but Utopia will make it much better.

 

[stumason]

Stellaris is an excellent game as vanilla, but I would add the caveat that you really should look at mods - at the very least, the set of mods done by AlphaAsh (named Alphamod on Steam) is excellent. There are quite a few quality of life mods I use as well, but Alphamod is something I can't do without.

 

[Sheriff Godwin Law]

1. As someone trying to break into Space 4X would you suggest that Stellaris is a good place to start? Is there enough depth, complexity i.e. things to keep you busy? Is the learning curve shallow enough to allow me to ease myself in relatively gently?

Paradox has never failed to satisfy in the "depth and complexity" department for me, but in fairness Stellaris is currently not as deep or complex as EU4, CK2 or Vichy in its current state. As for the learning curve, it's not as steep as EU4, Vichy or CK2, largely because you start with a single planet and add complexity on after that.

2. Would the game be worth playing in its vanilla i.e. free patch but non-DLC, format?

I have over a thousand hours played and the only mods I experimented with were flavor mods that let me play as robots. As for it's free patch non-DLC format, all the additions that come with the free patch are welcome and appear like they will improve the quality of the game.

3. Any feel for what the base game will drop to in the next PDX sale? I'd assume there will be one when the Utopia expansion is released?

I have the same assumption as you. If I were of the thrifty frame of mind, I'd wait for something like a 20% off sale to drop within a couple of weeks of Utopia being released.

It's a solid game in its vanilla state. I have not regretted the 58 dollars in total that I have spent on the game and DLC.

 

[PaulMClem]

Thanks for the feedback, folks. Has there only been one expansion so far, Leviathans? Does it add much?

 

[nyah]

Thanks for the feedback, folks. Has there only been one expansion so far, Leviathans? Does it add much?

Giant space monsters.

I'd say wait for Utopia to be released, even if you don't buy it yet. There's bound to be a sale and you'll be able to start learning with the new mechanics rather than having to relearn.

 

[henzington]

It adds several high end monsters in systems with different bonuses and lower level one that provides a mineral heavy system. It also adds enclaves which provide science, trade and extra strategic resources, and a couple useful buildings. It's a nice addition for the price.

 

[Sakkura]

The base game has been on sale for 50% off in the past (19.99€ on Steam). So another sale of that magnitude is inevitable, just don't know if they'll make the same cut at Utopia launch. Maybe they only cut it 33%, or maybe they cut it deeper than 50% for the first time.

 

[Sheriff Godwin Law]

Thanks for the feedback, folks. Has there only been one expansion so far, Leviathans? Does it add much?

It's a story pack. The biggest thing it adds is the ability for Fallen Empires to awaken and begin asserting themselves. They become a formidable end game threat that satisfy in the way most of the end game crisis do not. It has a few giant space monsters and story lines that it adds as well, but you can't really kill them until mid to end game. Enclaves are about the only addition that really has an immediate effect, they're a nice quality of life addition.

Well worth the money if you like the game enough to get to end game, or if you've played the game enough that you want to mix the end game up. If you're still on the fence, hold off until you decide if you're gonna go all in.

 

[Diezy]

Other games usually have a bunch of pre-defined civs, but Stellaris has this pretty easy way to customize, which grew into one of my favorite things about the game.

As more free content comes along, there'd probably be even more traits, civics and ethics to play around with. Also there'll be more colors and visuals to pick from.

Compared to other paradox atlas games, it's also much more accessible, and compared to other 4x, it has a good variety of more generic, less specialized stuff. Perhaps with future content, we will see some more crazy designs like the Hive Minds and Fanatic Purifiers coming up, Stay-at-Home civilizations, Nomad Fleets and AI rebellions might be a thing too!

 

[HandicapdHippo]

It's a story pack. The biggest thing it adds is the ability for Fallen Empires to awaken and begin asserting themselves.

Thats not part of the DLC, fallen empires awakening was part of the patch, its the war in heaven that's part of the DLC

 

[youpi ck]

This game is beautiful, it certainly lacks depth in some area to me like war, spying or trade but I think the war or trade is going to be the successor updates and utopia frankly this game you can You spend long hours without realizing it is very easy to take in hand I find I did not explore all the possibilities after 100 hours of play and you do not need DLC to appreciate it.

 

[ponasozis]

i wouldn't t call stellaris a good entry into 4x genre
its just allot different from all other 4x games and at same time not good enough as other 4x games not yet that is
stellaris is in this weird place where it tried to be both 4x game and grand strategy game but din t manage to do both great only okay so it definitely needs more updates

if you want an entry to 4x genre endless space 2 is looking pretty good but there is no real entry to 4x genre every game in it is just different all good that is the bad 4x games are usually pretty copy paste from moo2 or other successful titles

also gal civ 3 is dreadfully boring game and would not recommend it to anyone even after all the expansions

 

[Sheriff Godwin Law]

Thats not part of the DLC, fallen empires awakening was part of the patch, its the war in heaven that's part of the DLC

Ah, sorry got the expansion immediately, as I was ready to mix up the end game, so I guess I missed the distinction. Thanks.

In light of that, I believe what I said even more. Leviathans is a great addition, but a better investment for those who already love the game, if you're not already hooked, it's not gonna get you there.

 

[Serenity84]

I've watched some Let's Plays and the graphics look stunning. UI also appears clean and functional

Whatever gameplay faults it has, it's a very polished game at the technical level. Especially by Paradox standards. There are still some UI issues with some functions being needlessly frustrating, but it's nowhere near as bad as other Paradox games. They tried very hard to make it accessible.

 

[stumason]

The base game has been on sale for 50% off in the past (19.99€ on Steam). So another sale of that magnitude is inevitable, just don't know if they'll make the same cut at Utopia launch. Maybe they only cut it 33%, or maybe they cut it deeper than 50% for the first time.

I've noticed that with recent releases of PDS DLC (so, Monks and Mystics for CK2) the base game price gets slashed - presumably to increase uptake of the game and therefore the DLC.

I'm certain Stellaris will also be discounted around the release of Utopia.

 

[PaulMClem]

I'm certain Stellaris will also be discounted around the release of Utopia.

Managed to grab Stellaris base game + Leviathans Story Pack + Planetoids Species pack for £24 via Kingpin. Seemed a very good deal when compared with the prices on PDX store. Will now give me time to become familiar with the UI before Utopia.

 

[Ezumiyr]

Stellaris isn't really an entry to Space 4X as it is not one. It's a bit like Sins of a Solar Empire.
But, in the same time, I can't think of a good and modern entry to that genre. Maybe the last Master of Orion, as it involves a lot of things you'll find in most space 4X. Endless Space 2 is still in development, I don't feel like it would be a good entry to start with a half-developed game (even if it's certainly an enjoyable game).

If you want to play Stellaris, play it, it's really noob-friendly. But if you want a starting place from where you can try harder games, it's not a good pick.

 

[PaulMClem]

If you want to play Stellaris, play it, it's really noob-friendly

Sounds ideal