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Stellaris
Stellaris
May 7, 2026
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Stellaris Dev Diary #419 - Happy Decennial!

3/5 Moderate

Utopia, Synthetic Dawn, and Humanoids DLCs are being integrated into the base game for free alongside a new Behemothkin portrait and Arachnophobia accessibility modes.

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Key Changes

  • 1Utopia, Synthetic Dawn, and Humanoids DLCs integrated into the base game for free
  • 2New Behemothkin Reptilian portrait added for Paradox Account users
  • 3Added Portrait Substitution accessibility settings (Arachnophobia/Arachnophilia modes)
  • 4Players can now override the 90 FPS render cap via settings.txt
  • 5Fixed a bug where leaders could become immortal due to old age
  • 6Resolved two major Out of Sync (OOS) stability issues
  • 7Teased the upcoming 'Nomads' gameplay toggle and Voidfarers origin

All Changes

🚀Base Game Updates(4)

  • changeUtopia: Utopia expansion content (Megastructures, Habitats, Hive Minds, Fanatic Purifiers) integrated into the base game.
  • changeSynthetic Dawn: Synthetic Dawn content (Machine Intelligence, Machine Rebellions, Machine Fallen Empire) integrated into the base game.
  • changeHumanoids Species Pack: Humanoids Species Pack content (Clone Army origin, Master Artificers, Humanoid shipset) integrated into the base game.
  • changeGalaxy Edition Upgrade: Most elements of the Galaxy Edition Upgrade have been rolled into the base game.

👁️Visuals & Accessibility(4)

  • newBehemothkin: Added the Behemothkin portrait to the Reptilian phenotype for players logged into a Paradox Account.
  • newAccessibility Settings: Added Portrait Substitution option in Accessibility settings to replace specific artwork types.
  • newArachnophobia Mode: Arachnophobia Mode replaces spider-like portraits with alternative artwork.
  • newArachnophilia Mode: Arachnophilia Mode replaces non-spider portraits with spider-like artwork.

⚙️Performance & Stability(3)

  • changePerformance: Added ability to override the default 90 FPS render cycle cap using refreshCap in settings.txt.
  • fixStability: Fixed a CS_SPECIES_COUNT and CS_SPECIES_INDEX Out of Sync (OOS) error when playing with nascent species.
  • fixStability: Fixed a CS_COUNTRY_RESOURCES Out of Sync (OOS) error.

🐛Bug Fixes(2)

  • fixLeaders: Fixed an issue where leaders could become too old to die, effectively becoming immortal.
  • fixVipra the Vapor: Corrected the greeting audio for Vipra the Vapor.

🛠️Modding(1)

  • changeModding: Simplified 'very old age' code; death probability now increases when exceeding 120% of species lifespan.

📅Coming Soon(3)

  • newNomads: New 'Nomads' gameplay toggle announced, allowing empires to exist without permanent planetary settlements.
  • newVoidfarers: New 'Voidfarers' origin announced, focusing on ship-based gameplay.
  • newNomads Expansion: Scientific Arkships, Waylines, and the Sacred Path origin teased for future reveal.

Summary

10th Anniversary & DLC Integration

To celebrate Stellaris' tenth anniversary, Paradox is rolling three major expansions—Utopia, Synthetic Dawn, and the Humanoids Species Pack—directly into the base game. This includes massive features like Megastructures, Hive Minds, Machine Intelligences, and the Clone Army origin. Players are encouraged to claim these for free now to ensure compatibility with older game versions.

v4.3.6 'Cetus' Update

The upcoming 4.3.6 update introduces the Behemothkin portrait for Paradox Account users and a new Portrait Substitution system. This system includes an Arachnophobia mode to replace spider-like portraits and an Arachnophilia mode to do the opposite. Technical improvements include an override for the 90 FPS render cap and fixes for leaders who were living indefinitely.

Future Content: Nomads

Looking ahead to the v4.4 'Pegasus' update, the developers teased the Nomads expansion. This will introduce a new empire toggle rather than a specific origin or civic, allowing for diverse nomadic playstyles including the new Voidfarers origin.

← OlderStellaris Dev Diary #417 - Situation Log UpdatedApr 23, 2026

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