The Cosmic Storms Mechanical Expansion is now available as the second installment of Stellaris: Season 08! [previewyoutube=mpf0Jh0bb2o;full][/previewyoutube] https://store.steampowered.com/app/2863060/Stellaris_Cosmic_Storms/ In Cosmic Storms, the skies teem with eight new storm types filled with peril and promise. From Electric Storms harnessing the power of lightning to the formidable Nexus Storm, a galactic tempest of unparalleled magnitude, these natural phenomena challenge you to make skillful choices to steer your empire safely and profitably through the chaos. Experience the majesty and menace of these cosmic forces through beautifully rendered art and immersive audio. Navigate the tempest, harness its power, and shape your empires destiny. The storms are coming. Are you prepared? The Cosmic Storms Mechanical Expansion contains:

• 8 New Space Storms
• Storm Chasers Origin
• 3 New Civics
  • Planetscapers
  • Astrometeorology
  • Storm Devotion
• Galactic Weather Control Ascension Perk
• Weather Forecasting Map Mode
• Two new Precursor narratives, with two new Relics
• Events, Anomalies, and Archaeology Sites
• Storm-related technologies, Edicts, and Galactic community resolutions

How Storms Work

Storms will begin to spawn randomly a few years after the game starts. Spawning storms has a cooldown, and there is a limit to how many storms can spawn in a galaxy in the early, mid, and late game. These limits can be configured during galaxy setup. Storms spawned by players, events, and other mechanics will spawn regardless of galaxy settings. When storms spawn, they will choose a target destination and dissipate after the time it would take to reach the destination has passed.

Storm Chasers Origin

Storm Chasers empires have always sought out the extremes. Born in a world ravaged by relentless storms, they are daredevils and thrill seekers who push themselves to the limit and beyond. They start with access to the Storm Manipulation Technology and within a unique system with the correct conditions to unleash a space storm. Storm Chasers also get bonuses when a storm is active in their space and increased chances for storms to spawn and for cosmic storm technologies. Additionally, their leaders get the unique Storm Rider trait, whose effects increase when the leader is in an active space storm.

Planetscapers Civic

This society carefully crafted a perfect balance on their homeworld and is ready to tend even the most inhospitable environments. They gain maluses to resources, pop growth, and pop upkeep for each natural blocker on their worlds, but they gain significant bonuses to those things once the blockers on the planet are cleared. Planetscapers also gain access to the Cultivated Worldscaping planetary decision, which increases a planets maximum districts, gives +75% resource districts, and adds cosmic storm protection, but decreases the habitability.

Astrometeorology Civic

Astrometeorologists focus on the science behind the cosmic storms. Starting with an Astrometeorology Observatory on their homeworld, this planet-unique structure slightly emphasizes physics research. It receives significant bonuses to its job output if theres a storm or other environmental effect active in the system, with additional science bonuses added from the Prime Forecaster council position.

Storm Devotion Civic

Using a unique combination of ritual and technology, empires with the Storm Devotion civic start with the ability to build the Storm Summoning Center, whose Storm Dancers increase the system's attractiveness to space storms while also producing unity and amenities. Their pops also gain the Storm Touched trait, which increases job output and decreases amenities usage while a space storm is active in the system.

Galactic Weather Control Ascension Perk

The Galactic Weather Control Ascension Perk requires the Advanced Storm Manipulation technology and one other ascension perk to be chosen. This ascension perk gives your science ships the ability to - with an investment in resources - spawn a storm in the system its in.

New Precursors

The adAkkaria Convention of Benevolence and The Inetian Traders are two new precursors coming in Cosmic Storms. Both are steeped in Storm Lore, with several archaeology sites and special projects to progress through as you uncover their secrets, giving you the opportunity to dig deeper into what sorts of empires would meddle with storms so devastating they are notable on the cosmic scale. Get Cosmic Storms today, or as part of Stellaris: Season 08! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2863060/Stellaris_Cosmic_Storms/

3.13 Vela Free Update

Alongside the customary bug fixes and improvements, the Custodian team has improved a few of the older features in the game. The Custodian team is a team of developers who are focused on improving older content in the game, as well as adding quality-of-life features and other improvements.

Changes to Planetary Resource Deposits

As part of our Custodian Update for the 3.13 Vela patch, weve made some changes to how planetary deposits for rare resources are handled. The deposits that previously gave access to Crystal Mines, Gas Extraction Wells, and Mote Harvesting Traps buildings now instead increase the number of mining districts available on the planet and, after researching the technology to extract the relevant resource, add a small amount of resource production to miners on that planet. Additionally, weve buffed the Betharian Power Plant to increase the energy produced by Technician Jobs.

Penal Colonies & Thrall Worlds

Much like how Resort Worlds were updated earlier this year, we have taken the time to revisit both Penal Colonies and Thrall Worlds. Penal Colonies now reduce crime across your empire while giving access to unique Prison Industrial Districts. These allow you to employ worker strata pops to produce alloys and consumer goods. Thrall Worlds, on the other hand, have taken inspiration from the countless examples across science fiction of elite battle thrall armies and give access to the Battle Thrall District. Armies trained on a Thrall World will start with additional XP, and Battle Thrall jobs will increase the damage your armies do. The Cosmic Storms Mechanical Expansion and the free 3.13 Vela update are available now!