Astral Planes will be available on November 16th! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2534090/Stellaris_Astral_Planes/ [previewyoutube=QlNR1ey4bpk;full][RDA trailer][/previewyoutube] Pre-Purchase Now on Steam! Astral Planes offers you the chance to chart your own path as you travel through Rifts in space and time for a glimpse of strange, new realities. What will you discover, in a universe beyond limits? The Stellaris team has been working with Abrakam Entertainment since October 2022, and they've been working on Astral Planes in close collaboration with the rest of the Stellaris team and we are excited to show you what theyve been working on all this time!

What are Astral Rifts?

In the galaxy, there are points at which the boundaries of space and time are weaker than others. Once discovered, these will appear as Astral Scars. Astral Scars are not large enough to explore on their own, but can leak material into our galaxy that might be of some use to your empire.
An Astral Scar After a time, these Scars will become unstable and blossom into a full-grown Astral Rift. Once you have an Astral Rift in your space, your scientists will begin studying how to explore the rift. Eventually, their studies will lead you to the Rift Sphere technology, allowing you to lower a scientist down into the rift and explore the dimension on the other side.
A fully formed Astral Rift Fully grown Astral Rifts will start appearing in the midgame, offering more exploration opportunities than ever before in Stellaris. After your Empire develops the Rift Sphere technology, you can begin to explore any Astral Rifts that exist within your space. Similar to Archaeology Sites, over time your Scientist will report back their findings and other events that happen on the other side of the rift. Unlike Archaeology Sites, Astral Rift explorations offer branching choices that can affect the outcome of the Rift. These decisions each have a difficulty - you may choose the safe option to protect your Scientists, or gamble that what theyre trying will be successful.
Nearly every rift contains some sort of unique reward, from new Faction Modifiers, Relics, Planetary Decisions and even Leaders if you make the right choices, and provided your Scientists survive those choices.

Astral Planes includes:

Core Mechanics

• Astral Scars
• New Site Type: Astral Rift
• New Resource: Astral Thread
• Astral Harvesting - Technology to harvest Astral Threads
• Rift Sphere - Technology to explore Astral Rifts Rifts
• "Rift in Space" Situation - Unlocks Rift Sphere tech.
• Random Stage 2 Rift Situation Events
• 30+ Rift Sites - Each site contains branching narratives, featuring multiple potential endings and a chance at powerful new rewards.
• New Relics - Astral Planes features new Relics, from the Infinity Root to The Continuum, featuring 8 new Relics in total.
• Astral Actions
  • 10 New Astral Actions
  • 4 Additional Astral Actions (requires Overlord)
• The Formless
• Riftworld Origin - start with an active Astral Rift in your home system
• 4 New Civics
  • Hyperspace Speciality
  • Dimensional Worship
  • Dark Consortium
  • Sovereign Guardianship
• New Sounds, Music and Visual Effects
  • 3 New Music Tracks from Andreas Waldetoft
  • 70+ New Event Pictures
  • 80+ New Sound Effects

* Some content may require DLC sold separately

Threads and Actions

Astral Rifts are tears in space and time, and at the edge of a tear, you can always find a few threads. These threads are condensed filaments of space-time itself, and can be used to alter the shape of space and behavior of time in our own universe. Enter, Astral Actions: Over time your scientists will develop new ways to use these threads, from using them to further physics research or to create new Astral Rifts, to using them to attract fleets of interdimensional beings and shifting fleets to another dimension. Overall, there are a total of 10 unique Astral Actions (plus an additional 4 Actions that require Overlord) that can be performed provided you have enough Astral threads. Some are infinitely repeatable, while others can only be performed once, or a limited number of times.

Hyperspace Specialty Civic

The manipulation of space and time is one of the core themes in Astral Planes. With the Hyperspace Specialty Civic, you start on the fast lane with hyperlane research. Effects:

• Guaranteed Research Option: Hyperspace Breach Points
• Low Intel on all systems within 3 Hyperlanes of your home system
• Planet Sensor Range: +2
• Sublight Speed: +10%
• Research Speed (Physics): +15%

Hyperlane Supervisor Council Position:

• Hyperlane Registrar Starbase Building: +1 Stability per Leader Level

Dimensional Worship Civic

Empires with the Dimensional Worship Civic believe divine existence lies beyond the folds of space and time. Systems containing instabilities in spacetime should be considered sacred, and are a source of pilgrimage and research. Dimensional Worship can construct a Dimensional Shrine starbase building in systems containing an Astral Rift or Scar, Wormhole, L-Gate or Shroud tunnel. Effects:

• Dimensional Shrine: +10 Unity
• Monthly Astral Threads: +25%
• Astral Rift chance in owned systems: +100%
• Rare Technologies appear at 1.1x the normal rate

Astral Minister Council Position:

• Priests provide +0.20 Physics Research per Leader Level

Dark Consortium Civic

Empires with the Dark Consortium Civic have an inherent and deep understanding of the nature of the universe, which allowed them to harness the unique properties of Dark Matter before the discovery of the Hyperdrive. The Dark Consortium Civic cannot be added or removed after game start. Effects:

• Start with Dark Matter Drawing already researched
• Access to 4 unique Edicts that cost Dark Matter
• Access to the Dark Matter Breakthrough Council Agenda

Shadow Weaver Council Position:

• Researchers generate +0.02 Dark Matter per Leader Level

Edicts:

• Dark Matter Forging: +5% Monthly Alloys
• Dark Matter Unravelling: +10% Monthly Energy Credits
• Baryonic Insight: +10% Monthly Physics Research
• Shadow Matrix: +1 Encryption, +1 Codebreaking, Maximum Infiltration Level: +10

After unlocking a Tier 5 Technology, you'll also have the ability to activate a Council Agenda which will unlock one of the Dark Matter technologies at random, previously only available if you were to 'liberate' it from one of the Fallen Empires.

Sovereign Guardianship Civic

Empires with the Sovereign Guardianship Civic started as a collection of warring tribes and have developed a historical preference for entrenched territories and defensive posturing. Now united, they set out into the stars with this same philosophy, aiming to keep their borders solid and tensions low. The Sovereign Guardianship Civic cannot be added or removed after game start. Effects:

• Unlocks Fanatic Guardians defensive armies
• Access to Reloading Bay Starbase Module
• Access to Inner Focus Edict
• Empire Size from Planets: +100%
• Empire Size from Branch Offices: +100%
• Empire Size from Systems: +150%
• Empire Size from Pops: -50%
• Empire Size from Districts: -50%
• Diplomatic Weight: +20%
• Unity from Soldiers: +1

First Citadel Council Position: Effects per Leader Level

• Defense Army Damage: +10%
• Starbase Hull Points: +5%
• Starbase Armor: +5%
• Shield Hit Points in Friendly Systems: +5%
• Ship Fire Rate in Friendly Systems: +5%
• Accuracy in Friendly Systems: +5%

Intended to enable a tall playstyle, Sovereign Guardianship has massive penalties for expansion. Those penalties are offset by defensive bonuses, including a new Starbase Module called the Reloading Bay which improves the efficiency of Starbase weaponry. You'll also be given access to a unique Edict which can convert your potentially languishing Influence into Unity.

Riftworld Origin

With the Riftworld Origin, your species evolved with an Astral Rift looming over your homeworld. After studying the object from afar for millennia, the recent advent of starship technology will finally allow you to reach out and discover what secrets it might hold.
Effects:

• Homeworld: Ancient Crater Archaeology Site
• Owned Systems: Chance for Astral Rifts +100%
• Astral Rift Exploration Speed: +25%
• Astral Rift Fail Probability: -50%

The Riftworld Origin is the only way for an Astral Rift to appear at the start of the game. What significance does this Rift have to your people? After spending most of your known history studying the Astral Rift over your homeworld, you will have accelerated access to Astral Rift technologies and possess a general attunement to the Astral Planes, as well as several bonuses that give you advantages when exploring Astral Rifts.

What is the story of the Astral Planes?

Well, first of all, yes there is an overarching story but we don't want to reveal too much. Of course, the Riftworld Origin has its own narrative to weave. Beyond that, regardless of your Origin, there is something else going on. Maybe you'll encounter it, and maybe you won't. If you continue to explore beyond the Rifts, it's sure to find you sooner or later. It will be your choice on how to handle what you find. Astral Planes will release on November 16th, and is currently available to Pre-Purchase on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2534090/Stellaris_Astral_Planes