Paradox has Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, and publishes Cities Skylines 2 – when it comes to strategy and city-building games, it is still the developer. But when it comes to fear, it’s BHVR and Dead By Daylight that are vying for the top spot. Eight years since it first landed on Steam, Stellaris is still the best, biggest space strategy game. But while it’s detailed and deep, it arguably neglects one key characteristic of our boundless, unknowable universe, something fundamental to the experience of space exploration: fear. This is where the new Stellaris DLC becomes essential. Built in collaboration with the maker of DBD, it makes Paradox’s star-bound strategy stalwart suitably scary.
You may not have heard of the complexly named HD 189733b, but it’s a real planet – a real planet where the atmosphere is so hot that it rains shards of glass, horizontally, amid winds of some 4,500 miles per hour. With that in mind, welcome to Stellaris Cosmic Storms, the new DLC for the space 4X game that aims to capture the unimaginable terror of the universe’s deepest recesses. Alongside the usual encumbrances of running a galactic empire, you’re now up against eight types of freak weather events. These can (and will) spawn randomly and if you’ve not prepared for them or developed the relevant countermeasures, well, you’re likely to have a very bad day.
But you’re not just a victim to the new, horrifying weather. In Stellaris Cosmic Storms, you can use the ‘Weather Control’ perk that allows you to conjure and unleash your own apocalyptic downfalls and cloudbursts, yielding meteorology like a mighty super weapon. You also have access to three new civics, oriented towards the weather, and you can shape your space society in the mold of maelstrom worship with the new ‘Storm Chaser’ origin.
Stellaris Cosmic Storms is out now and available for $12.99 / £10.99. But even if you don’t purchase the DLC, the strategy game is still undergoing some significant changes thanks to the free 3.13 Vela update that also just landed. Alongside standard-issue bug fixes, 3.13 improves the Thrall and Prison worlds with new districts and jobs. If you want to get Stellars Cosmic Storms, head here.
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