First Contact story pack for Stellaris set to release in March

Paradox Interactive has announced that their latest story pack for Stellaris, titled First Contact, will release on March 14th, 2023 and will focus on interactions between pre-FTL civilizations and cloaking technology. First Contact will also add new origins, story content, and game mechanics. You can check out a trailer above and read below for more details:

STOCKHOLM – Feb. 21, 2023 – Paradox Interactive, a developer and publisher of effective contact solutions, today announced that First Contact, the newest Story Pack for sci-fi strategy game Stellaris, will release on March 14, 2023. First Contact, a pack focused on new interactions with pre-FTL civilizations and a new cloaking technology, will add new origins, story content, and game mechanics to the growing Stellaris universe. Pre-orders for First Contact are available today at https://store.steampowered.com/app/2277860/Stellaris_First_Contact_Story_Pack/.

You are not alone! The galaxy is vast and full of wonders, but it’s also full of alien empires you’re going to encounter, whether you’re ready or not. First Contact offers a set of new origins and mechanics that give players the chance to tell stories about their civilizations’ early encounters with visitors from the stars — ones that may not have come in peace!

Features of First Contact include*:

New Origins:

Broken Shackles: You didn’t take to the stars; you were taken to the stars as an alien captive! Now, you and your fellow prisoners have overtaken the ship and found yourselves banding together to survive and thrive as a diverse new community. Can you rise to greatness from this humble origin… and will your former captors take notice?

Payback: No one would have believed your world was being watched keenly by intelligences greater than your own – until they actually showed up. But you did not go quietly into the night! Your civilization has repelled a would-be conqueror from space, and with sudden access to their advanced technology, you’re about to discover just what else is out there beyond the stars!

Fear of the Dark: As you’ve explored your home system, you’ve always suspected you weren’t alone in the galaxy… especially when one of your planets suddenly suffered an “incident” a while back. A very large faction of your own people have long advocated against tempting fate out in the dark abyss of the unknown. What path will you choose as you find yourself needing room to grow?

New Pre-FTL Interaction Options: What will your role be when the next member of the galactic community tells their origin story? New mechanics allow for a broader range of interactions with pre-FTL civilizations, depending on their level of technology and their awareness of your presence. Will your arrival be celebrated, or met with violent panic?

Cloaking Technology: Nobody saw this feature coming! Equip your ships with cloaking devices to survey in secret or catch a foe unaware; keep subtle tabs on your pre-FTL neighbors with cloaked observation posts. Just be sure your own scanners and intel are strong… you never know which of your neighbors might be lurking in the shadows!

First Contact will launch alongside the free 3.7 ‘Canis Minor’ update from the Stellaris custodians team, including gameplay improvements, adding new Archaeotechnologies to dig up in the Ancient Relics Story Pack, and more. For more information about Stellaris and First Contact, visit http://stellaris.com/.

*Some features may require content sold separately.

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