The arrival of Stellaris: Console Edition to Xbox One earlier in 2019 was a welcome one, particularly after seeing it garner a hugely successful time on PC. Now though it’s time to take things on to the next level, with the arrival of the Utopia Expansion.
We have a lot of catching up to do in Stellaris, as this is certainly a game for the individual who likes to spend months going deep with an experience, rather than taking in a quick fix for a couple of hours or so. The original base game is a deep, huge sim strategy affair whose genre doesn’t normally translate to the console market. We reviewed it upon release on Xbox One though and thoroughly enjoyed what is in place, admiring the deep sim-styled qualities and it’s ambition in scale.
Now though it’s all about the first massive expansion, and following on from a piece of DLC – Stellaris: Plantoid Species Pack – that arrived in March 2019, giving the player a new race of plant creatures, new ships and some new artwork, we get the chance to go to Utopia. This is the first big major expansion pack but what does it offer us?
The developers Paradox Interactive previously released this pack on PC and it was very well received. They describe it as so: “The stars have called you for millennia and now you walk among them. A universe of possibilities is open to your species as it takes its first fitful steps into the great unknown. Here you can turn your back on the divisive politics of the home planet. Here you can build something new. Here you can unify your people and build that perfect society. Only in space can you build Utopia.“
Sounds very nice doesn’t it? Well, this expansion offers several extra features for those gamers who want to invest another lifetime of hours to the Stellaris universe, with the following ideas in place…
- MEGASTRUCTURES – You can build these awe inspiring construction including Dyson Spheres and ring worlds, bringing both prestige and major advantages to your race of choice.
- HABITAT STATIONS – Building “tall” is always a good thing to action with an abundant population and you can establish space stations that will house a larger population, serving the role of planets in a small and confined empire.
- ASCENSION PERKS – Collect Unity points and adopt Traditions to unlock Ascension Perks that allow you to customise your empire in unique ways. Follow one of the three Ascension Paths and achieve Biological Mastery, give up your biological forms in a Synthetic Evolution, or unlock the full psionic potential of your species through Transcendance. This sounds fascinating… if a bit complicated.
- INDOCTRINATION – This could be used for evil or good. But whichever you decide you should be able to influence primitive civilisations and make them adopt your ethics through the use of observation stations, preparing them for enlightenment or annexation.
- ADVANCED SLAVERY – I hate this perk already but when you are a so-called ‘master of the universe’, needs must. Right? Maximize the benefits of slavery by choosing specific roles for enthralled species. Have them serve other Pops as Domestic Servants, fight for your empire as Battle Thralls, or keep them as Livestock to feed your people.
- ADVANCED GOVERNMENTS – Adopt unique civics and authorities for your government. Play as a Fanatic Purifier and shun all diplomacy, become a Hive Mind to avoid political strife or create a multi-species empire born of Syncretic Evolution.
This new Utopia pack is here right now and promises to give a huge injection of content to an already huge game. So prepare to strap on your space boots and get ready to head out to boldly go where no man (or woman, or alien) has gone before with Stellaris: Console Edition Utopia. You can grab it from the Xbox Store for £16.74. Bear in mind you’ll need the brilliant base game to hand first.
Let us know in the comments if you’ll be heading on out to the stars once more.
Game Description:
The stars have called you for millennia and now you walk among them. A universe of possibilities is open to your species as it takes its first fitful steps into the great unknown. Here you can turn your back on the divisive politics of the home planet. Here you can build something new. Here you can unify your people and build that perfect society.
