The developers over at Paradox Interactive have released the seventh expansion to Stellaris, adding even more content to a game already chock-full of it. The Overlord expansion is themed around being the one true ruler of space, and having the power and will to take it through a supreme and perfect empire.
With it comes new megastructures, new factions to play, and a whole new way to control, or subjugate, the citizens of the galaxy. What are the highlights of Stellaris' Overlord expansion?
10 Vassalization: Signing Their Life Away
Getting vassals is not new to Stellaris, but it has been very much overhauled in the Overlord expansion. Good news too; while the expansion does add a lot of depth and nuance to the system, a free update also brought some of Overlord over to all players with the 6th Anniversary "Cepheus" update. What once was simple is now a nuanced contractual agreement that can be fine-tuned in many ways.
Now, subjects and overlords operate on a contract made between each other, called the Terms of Agreement. Vassals will operate willingly as long as the contract isn't one-sided or otherwise undesirable, and either side may have obligations to uphold. Whether vassals are allowed to be free, expand on their own, and the tithes asked of them are major factors in vassal attitudes towards their overlords. All of these things can be tweaked or negotiated to increase gains at the price of loyalty, or vice versa. Balancing diplomacy with subjects alongside the power and influence to keep them in line is now even more in-depth than before. Vassals can even be integrated into empires, but be careful: if a player is integrated, it's game over.
9 Megastructure: Orbital Rings
The Overlord expansion added a few new megastructures to the roster, and this one sets the bar for cool yet simple designs. It's flashy, it's quintessential sci-fi, and it's, of course, BIG. Functionally, the Orbital Ring operates as a megastructure and starbase in one, both protecting the planet from threats and increasing its productivity. It's always good having something pull double duty in a game as tough as Stellaris.
An Orbital Ring can only be built on colonized planets and, as mentioned, does everything a starbase can, but with some extra perks on top. As well as the standard starbase buildings, Orbital Rings have nine different buildings in its repertoire to increase planetary output. These range from Giga-Malls to increase the economy to climate optimizers to make farms produce more food. It's a well-rounded addition to planets that can grant many benefits to any kind of empire.
8 Megastructure: Quantum Catapults
Quantum Catapults are a brand-new way to get around systems without the need for gateways, but with a few drawbacks. Players will have to wait a long time to get their hands on this structure, permitting they do not select the "Slingshot to the Stars" origin since that grants one from the start. They cost a ton of alloy to build and upgrade, but make up for their cost sink with utility and usability. There are a lot of threats in Stellaris, and being able to get across the galaxy to run away or take the fight to the enemy will come in handy.
Unlike Gateways, Quantum Catapults do not need a start and end location, instead letting ships be launched across systems at high speeds. The caveat is that their accuracy leaves much to be desired the farther it is aimed, and it is a one-way trip. They also can only be built or found around systems with pulsars, making them less flexible in placement, but more flexible in where they can send ships to. Thankfully, with some effort, a Quantum Catapult can be upgraded to increase its accuracy and make its drawbacks an acceptable, low-risk potential to be dealt with if necessary. It is a toss-up of pros and cons with a lot of utility.
7 New Origins: Imperial Fiefdom
There are now five new ways to begin a game of Stellaris, each of them unique and fitting to the themes of Overlord. First off is Imperial Fiefdom, placing players from the start under the rule of another empire as a specialist vassal. Picking this one shows off the new vassal system from the very beginning, allowing players to negotiate with their rulers for bigger pieces of the pie and gaining resources from a stronger source. This may sound like the Scion origin, and while it is similar, Imperial Fiefdom begins the player as a small cog in a very large machine. This might make the early game easier on new players, as some work is done for them by their rulers.
Of course, no empire exists without strife, and once that force falls, all those cogs get to pick up the pieces. Do players go to war with their former neighbors and allies? Or do they choose to go after smaller factions that no one is paying attention to in the chaos? Imperial Fiefdom sets up lots of intrigue and action early on to maximize that Overlord theme: the empire has fallen, and now it's up to someone to unify it all or burn it to the ground, under one banner.
6 New Origins: Slingshot To The Stars
Like Imperial Fiefdom, Slingshot To The Stars gives players the opportunity to play with some new stuff from the jump. The remains of a Quantum Catapult have been found nearby, and all it needs is some fixing to get it operational again. With a bit of clever know-how, one planet could immediately become a noticeable fixture on the map with a fixed-up catapult letting them be anywhere they want at a moment's notice. It's hard to ignore a civilization that makes borders obsolete. Options and choices such as these are what put Stellaris on the map as one of the most influential sci-fi games of all time.
Beginning with a ruined catapult and the technology to repair it, this civilization just needs the resources and time. But that isn't all it gets. With this origin, building starbases in remote locations cost a whopping 75% less influence. As long as this civ knows a location exists in the galaxy they can catapult to it, so with these boons, borders become more of a suggestion than a rule. Having a base in every corner of the map means this civ can be anywhere and everywhere if need be. Have fun dropping a fleet right in front of a capital planet with weapons primed. Once gateway technology is unlocked, return journeys become much easier too.
5 New Origins: Teachers Of The Shroud
If a big brain civilization is the player's goal, look no further than the Teachers of the Shroud origin. The player civilization will have been pre-selected by the mysterious Shroudwalkers and given knowledge in dreams to become a space-faring civilization. With the ability to build a Shroud Beacon in starbases early on, players can visit the Shroud enclave and converse with the beings that have guided them for so long, and be given their journey proper.
As beings tied to the Shroudwalkers, this civilization starts out with latent psionic abilities and the Mind Over Matter Ascension perk for greater research and energy. Because of this highly spiritual backstory, Teachers of the Shroud must be a religious civilization. What's fun is that after meeting the Shroud coven through the Shroud Beacon, the civilization becomes quasi-godlike and odd things will begin to occur within the empire and even the minds of the people within it for an unpredictable experience. With this, Teachers of the Shroud can be benevolent god-emperors or fanatical slayers at the drop of a hat, and it would still make sense. And of course, let's be honest, every Stellaris player loves going to war every once in a while, so the whole benevolence thing may not last anyway.
4 New Origins: Subterranean
If mind-expanding gods aren't the move, maybe mole men are more enticing. The Subterranean origin has the civilization evolve below ground for their entire history and only now choosing to expand beyond their land. Having chosen to burrow away from light and the surface, this civilization is hardy and versatile enough to live on a variety of planets. Beginning with the Cave Dweller trait, population growth is reduced at the benefit of greater survivability and high mineral gain rates. So, a small but economically sound population.
All in all, this origin is a tad similar to the Aquatic races, albeit without the aqua. What makes them appealing is their versatility. Having such high survivability means less than habitable worlds are just fine for them, and mining for resources also grants housing. Even cooler, they take a massive 75% less damage from orbital bombardments, forcing enemies into more intimate battles on underground home turf. Who needs fancy mind powers and space slingshots when this civilization can live virtually anywhere, and benefit from it?
3 New Origins: Progenitor Hive
Finally, the Progenitor Hive is the fifth origin added in the Overlord expansion, and if the Teachers of the Shroud sounded scary, just wait until this civilization comes into play. The Progenitor Hive separates itself from its Hive counterparts by evolving to allow for semi-independent leaders. This gives them increased proficiency, but at the price of needing constant oversight by the Hive.
An advantage of the Progenitor Hive is the offspring leaders, the semi-independent members of the Hive. They gain XP passively and can reach level 10 very easily without the risk of dying before reaching that goal. Another advantage is offspring nests, structures that can be built once per planet to spit out Progenitor species and buff menial drone output, as well as massively buffing offspring ships in the vicinity. Unfortunately, this is a double-edged sword, and ships without a nest suffer serious debuffs. Progenitor Hive civs are fast-growing and efficient but need to be carefully maintained. But keep the pressure on, and it won't be long until the Hive become a problem every other civilization has to look out for.
The Utopia expansion is required to play a Hive civilization, meaning both the Utopia and Overlord expansions are needed to play as the Progenitor Hive.
2 Enclaves: New Neutrals
Enclaves are neutral spaces offering services to those that can find them and build relationships with them. They control no planets, instead operating on large bases floating around space. The Overlord expansion adds three new enclaves for players to interact with, as well as adding unique visuals for the first time to add flavor to the experience. With varied benefits and distinct visuals, these enclaves are interesting additions to Stellaris' player experience.
The Shroudtouched Coven enclave is innately tied to the Teachers of the Shroud origin. Thankfully anyone can interact with them and reap the rewards, such as insight into other empires and the Shroud Beacon technology, allowing non-psionic races to contact the Shroud gods and suffer the consequences.
There are the Salvagers, space-faring shipbreakers salvaging the galaxy for parts. They're friendly and willing to buy ships outright, search for resources, and eventually build ships for players when their trust is gained. Being able to pawn shipbuilding to others will be a great time saver for players, and no doubt will be a desirable power for most factions. However, the third enclave is very different from the others.
1 Mercenaries: A Bespoke Enclave
Instead of being found in a remote corner of space like other enclaves, mercenary groups are created by the players themselves. If in an area with sufficient space that doesn't have another enclave inside it and has the capacity to create one, players can give up a fleet of at least 50 ships and make them mercenaries, hirable by other empires for up to 10 years similar to preexisting Marauder fleets.
Mercenaries will research better technologies and weapons on their own to become a larger and more deadly fleet. They operate under a patron empire, and can even build relationships with them, going so far as to cancel contracts with rival empires if given the order by a well-regarded patron. But be warned, the Galactic Community may choose to regulate them as they see fit.
Stellaris is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The Overlord expansion is currently only available on PC.