Utopia, the much-trailed expansion to epic 4X space game Stellaris, finally has a release date: April 6, and a new trailer.
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The trailer introduces a mysterious energy source called the Sphere, and features two empires discussing how they will use it to realise very different ideas of ‘Utopia’.
Among the new features to be added in the expansion are:
- Ascension Perks: your species can earn a new resource called ‘unity’ to unlock traditions, which are similar to Civilization V’s social policies. As you gain traditions, you can choose how your people will evolve. Your options are a biological path, a psionic path or a synthetic path. Body, Mind or Machine – how will your species challenge the future?
- Megastructures: wonders, or wonder-like structures, come to Stellaris. Megastructures such as Dyson Spheres and ring worlds will bring both prestige and major advantages to your people.
- Habitat stations: a way to help you build ‘tall’ rather than wide, these space stations can house more population, serving the role of planets in a small and confined empire.
- Rights and privileges: discriminate among the many species under your thumb by setting specific policies for each, granting differing rights and privileges. Build an egalitarian paradise or follow a caste system.
There’s been no new word on update 1.5, aka ‘Banks’, which will be free to all players where Utopia will be paid DLC. Banks was due to coincide with Utopia, so presumably you can expect it to be applied at around the same sort of time as the expansion releases.
Utopia will cost you $19.99 US or €19.99, and will be available from Stellaris’s page on Steam or the Paradox store.