ATCHED
Stellaris
Stellaris
4.5|Aug 13, 2026
View on Steam↗

Stellaris 4.5 'Cygnus' Open Beta Update 5 (bc43)

3/5 Moderate

BETAStarbase weapon modules receive a major rework with weapon-type specificity while the faction attraction system undergoes a comprehensive overhaul.

Share:

Key Changes

  • 1Starbase and Orbital Ring weapon modules are now weapon-type-specific and auto-upgrade with tech.
  • 2Comprehensive overhaul of faction and ethic attraction mechanics, including promotion/suppression impacts.
  • 3AI fleet composition is now dynamically driven by fleet doctrine and weapon preferences.
  • 4Nomadic empires now correctly benefit from Shroud patron accords and Machine Uprising events.
  • 5Synthetic Awareness trait nerfed from +25% Resources from Jobs to +15% Job Efficiency for Mechanical pops.
  • 6Cradle of Souls aura surge reworked to focus on Trust, Loyalty, and Cohesion instead of defense platforms.
  • 7Dimensional Manipulator changed to a fixed +5 districts instead of a 33% bonus.
  • 8Fixed major issues preventing Nomadic empires from joining wars or correctly handling assimilation.
  • 9Performance optimizations for daily faction updates and Galactic Community resolution caching.
  • 10Significant audio remastering pass for advisors, events, and portraits.

All Changes

🛰️Starbases & Orbital Rings(5)

  • changeStarbase Weapon Modules: Weapon modules (lasers, mass drivers, missiles, etc.) are now weapon-type-specific and automatically upgrade to the latest tier based on technology.
  • newStarbase Weapon Preference: Added Explosive and Strike Craft options to the Starbase Weapon Preference policy.
  • changeStarbase: Automated station designs now build weapon modules matching the chosen preference or fleet preference.
  • fixStarbase: Fixed a bug where starbase building queues remained locked after a controller flip at the end of a war.
  • changeGravitational Centrifuge: The Gravitational Centrifuge can no longer be built on Deep Space Citadels and Orbital Rings.

⚖️Factions & Ethics(10)

  • changeFactions: Overall pass to faction and ethic attractions to improve behavior for small pop groups and concurrent factions.
  • changeFactions: Promoting or suppressing a faction now directly impacts its attraction.
  • changeFactions: Factions with the same ethics can now be promoted and suppressed separately.
  • changePops: Pops no longer favor their current faction when evaluating which faction to join.
  • changeFactions: Progressive, Prosperity, and Totalitarian attraction now depends on citizenship rights instead of species.
  • buffSupremacists: Pops of another species can now join the Supremacists at a reduced attraction rate.
  • changeFactions: Factions losing all potential members are now destroyed after a delay instead of immediately.
  • fixSupremacists: Supremacists no longer appear in Pacifist empires.
  • fixManifesti: The Manifesti now correctly only accepts Egalitarian, Pacifist, and Xenophile Pops.
  • buffFactions: Factions no longer suffer an attraction penalty for lacking a leader.

🛸Nomadic Empires(6)

  • buffNomadic Empires: Nomad empires can now benefit from Composer of Strands, Whisperers in the Void, and End of the Cycle accords with appropriate rewards.
  • fixDriven Assimilator: Nomadic Driven Assimilator purge vassals now correctly assimilate Hive-Minded pops if the Overlord has the required traditions.
  • fixNomadic Empires: The Machine Uprising event now triggers a Nomadic Machine Empire to spawn for Nomadic Empires.
  • fixNomadic Empires: Fixed an issue preventing nomadic empires from joining wars.
  • fixNomadic Empires: Nomadic Empires can now be reborn as an exiled colony after failing the 'End of the Cycle' situation.
  • fixArkship: Fixed metallurgist jobs on Foundry Arkships paying upkeep in minerals instead of food for Catalytic Processing empires.

🎮Gameplay & Balance(6)

  • changeCradle of Souls: Cradle of Souls aura surge reworked: grants Trust, Favors, Loyalty, and Cohesion instead of building defense platforms; starbase fire-rate bonus removed.
  • nerfSynthetic Awareness: Synthetic Awareness luminary trait now grants +15% Job Efficiency for Mechanical/Machine Pops instead of +25% Resources from Jobs.
  • changeDimensional Manipulator: Dimensional Manipulator now grants a fixed 5 districts instead of a 33% bonus.
  • nerfOperational Reserves: Ships and cloned space fauna with mineral costs can no longer be built if Operational Reserves are critical.
  • buffPsionic Traits: Instrument and Cradle Chosen psionic leader traits now grant applicable bonuses to Gestalt and Nomad empires.
  • fixDistribute Luxury Goods: The Distribute Luxury Goods decision now has a 10-year cooldown.

🤖AI & Performance(5)

  • changeAI Fleet Composition: Fleet composition is now driven by active fleet doctrine and weapon preference instead of fixed personality ratios.
  • buffAI: AI now favors Crisis and Ascension hulls in fleet composition once unlocked.
  • fixPerformance: Reduced save game size by no longer storing unnecessary designed empires.
  • fixPerformance: Galactic Community resolutions are now cached to improve country modifier update performance.
  • fixScience Ships: Automated science ships once again spread out to survey different systems correctly.

🖥️UI/UX(4)

  • fixUI: Flag emblems are now correctly centered within the Empire's Flag hexagon frame.
  • newUI: Added new faction tooltips explaining membership, attraction, and join conditions.
  • newGalaxy Map: Added a missing War status filter to the galaxy map.
  • fixUI: Restored missing scrollbars in Starbase Shipyard, Army Hub, Defenses, and Critters lists.

🔊Audio & Visual(3)

  • fixAudio: Comprehensive volume balancing and remastering for Portraits, Paragons, Events, Archaeology, and Advisors.
  • fixAudio: Replaced 16 missing voice files for Machine Age and Galactic Paragons.
  • fixVisuals: Volcanic Planets now showcase correct sky assets.

Summary

Starbase & Fleet Rework

Starbase, Orbital Ring, and Waystation weapon modules are now weapon-type-specific (lasers, missiles, etc.) and automatically upgrade with technology. AI fleet composition is now driven by active fleet doctrines and weapon preferences rather than fixed personalities.

Faction System Overhaul

Factions have received a significant pass on attraction mechanics. Promoting or suppressing factions now has a direct impact on attraction, and pops no longer favor their current faction when evaluating which one to join. Additionally, citizenship rights now determine attraction for Progressive, Prosperity, and Totalitarian factions.

Nomadic Empire Refinements

Numerous fixes and improvements have been implemented for Nomadic empires, including better integration with the Shroud patrons, Machine Uprising triggers, and assimilation mechanics for Driven Assimilators.

← OlderStellaris 4.5 'Cygnus' Open Beta Update 4 (e6fd)Jul 15, 2026

More from Stellaris

View all patches →