When it comes to 4X and grand strategy games, you’ve got plenty of choice. But perhaps the biggest – certainly the most conceptually expansive – of them all is Stellaris, the long-running Paradox space game which lets you build your own alien species from its early inception into a galaxy-spanning powerhouse. In its new story DLC, Stellaris: Grand Archive, you’ll collect records of all the flora, fauna, artifacts, relics, and such that you encounter and build the ultimate collection, all housed in a grand megastructure.
Stellaris: Grand Archive is the latest expansion launching as part of the eighth season of content for one of Steam’s very best strategy games. In it, you’ll take charge of the eponymous megastructure, which will play host to “an unparalleled collection of xeno-geological artifacts, relics from forgotten civilizations, and untamed space fauna.” With 151 specimens to collect, and up to 240 spread across the various other pieces of Stellaris content, you’ll have quite the task on your hands.
That’s just the beginning, however. Once you’ve brought multiple varieties of space fauna into your possession, you can breed them and genetically enhance them in the Grand Archive’s Vivarium to create all-new custom fleets. You’ll likely need the extra might, too – the expansion also introduces two dangerous new creatures, Cutholoids and Voidworms, the latter of which can appear in a rampaging infestation that manifests as a new mid-game crisis.
You’ll also get access to two more origins. ‘Treasure Hunter’ civilizations are driven by a thirst for adventure and discovery, while ‘Primal Calling’ establishes your faction with a “primal connection to the wild,” acting as stewards to their world’s native wildlife. Rounding out the package are new Galactic Curators and Beastmasters civics, a pair of tradition trees in Archivism and Domestication, 17 new relics to find, and three additional pieces of music.
The Stellaris Grand Archive DLC launches Tuesday October 29. It’s priced at $14.99 / £12.79. You can also get it as part of the Season 8 expansion pass, which costs $39.99 / £34.99, or with the ongoing Stellaris Expansion Subscription for $9.99 / £8.50 per month. Simply head here to take a closer look.
You can also get up to speed on the best Stellaris mods for even more ways to customize your next campaign. Or explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate with the best 4X games on PC in 2024.
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