Paradox has revealed the launch date for the next major Stellaris update. The update - codenamed "Lem" after sci-fi writer Stanislaw Lem - will launch on September 14th and will bring lots of content with it, including a Tradition Tree overhaul and reworks for some paid DLC packs.
What's coming in the next Stellaris update?
The update is the first offering from the Custodian team, a new division within the Stellaris dev squad dedicated to updating and maintaining the game's impressive raft of content and expansions. First up, you're getting a Tradition Tree overhaul. Three new Trees are being added: Mercantile, Unyielding, and Subterfuge. The latter two will require the Apocalypse and Nemesis paid expansions respectively, but the first will be available to everyone who owns the game. In addition, Tradition Trees can now be mixed and matched, with each empire able to pick up to seven across a playthrough.
As well as the Tradition Tree changes, Paradox is also introducing some overhauls and tweaks to certain paid species DLC packs. You will, of course, require the pack in question if you want to take advantage of these changes. Here are the packs being changed, as well as what you can expect when the update lands next week.
Plantoids Species Pack
Three new Traits and two new Civics are being introduced to this pack. The Budding trait adds organic population assembly on a passive basis. Phototropic allows you to convert food upkeep into energy, while Radiotrophic lets you eat background radiation. Civics-wise, the Catalytic Processing Civic allows you to convert food into alloys, while the Idyllic Bloom Civic lets your civilization convert worlds into organic planets.
Humanoids Species Pack
One new Origin and two new Civics are coming to the Humanoids Species Pack. The new Clone Army origin is exactly what it sounds like: your species is what remains of a clone army, and must discover where it came from. In addition, the Masterful Crafters Civic gives your species an artistic bent, while the Decadent Lifestyle Civic leads your species to seek pleasure wherever it can find it.
Necroids Species Pack
The Reanimated Armies Civic is becoming the Reanimators Civic in the Stellaris Lem update, which Paradox says will create some "interesting reanimation options". The Death Cult civic is being overhauled after the Stellaris 3.0 population growth changes, and the Necrophage Origin is getting some balance updates and the new option to begin as a Hivemind (although you'll need the Utopia expansion for this).
Naturally, this being a Paradox game, the Stellaris Lem update is also launching with a whole raft of balance changes and tweaks, many of which will likely be humorously esoteric to the uninitiated. You can check these out over at the official Paradox forums (although at time of writing, the forums were undergoing maintenance, so you may wish to wait a little before you head in).
You can grab Stellaris right now via Steam, GOG, or several other storefronts. Despite being over five years old at this point, Stellaris is still going strong, with new updates and expansions being launched on a semi-regular basis. The game's latest expansion, Nemesis, allows you to "become the crisis", threatening the galaxy's existence with your rapidly spreading empire. You can pick it up from wherever you got your Stellaris launch codes.
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