In a new developer video, Stellaris Game Director Martin Anward , has shared more details about the upcoming features of the game’s next expansion, “Synthetic Dawn,” as well as a release date: Sept. 21. Mark your calendars, robot fans, the synthetic uprising is on its way. You can check out the dev video below:
“Synthetic Dawn” is the second story pack for Stellaris, “focusing on deepening the lore and mechanics of robots and other synthetic beings,” explained Anward, before running through a brief overview of the four new robot factions.
Machine Empires are “playable robotic hiveminds that have overthrown their organic masters and taken to space to expand their robotic civilization,” Anward said. They’re the regular, run-of-the-mill robot faction, but there are three special offshoots as well.
Exterminators: This faction is borne of a rogue defense system that went out of control and killed its creators. It only interacts with organics through purging.
Assimilator: They only want to understand these squishy meat creatures… by assimilating them into their robotic hivemind.
Rogue Servitors: These Wall-E bots were built by a “decadent organic civilization to run their government and tend to their every need. They go into space looking for other organics that need to be delivered from the burdens of self-determination.” #IVolunteerAsTribute
Anward also shared more details about the Fallen Machine Empire , which “appears to have been engaged in a ‘Custodian Project’ to protect organic life from an unknown threat.” However, these fallen machines malfunction and behave erratically, so it’s unclear whether they are friend or foe. Fallen Machine Empires spawn at the start of the game, but can also appear during the course of a game as a result of rebelling droids and synths.
Minor features include 10 different voice options for empire and VR assistants (based on 8 different ethics), a special voice for hive minds and machine empires, and new robot portraits themed with different species (so you can have the wiggly fungal robot of your dreams).
Finally, Anward discussed the upcoming free 1.8 Čapek update, which will rework the gene modding mechanic. It will also add robo-modding, which lets you design and build different models of robots specialized to different tasks.
For more details on Stellaris: Synthetic Dawn , check out our extensive preview here. Stellaris: Synthetic Dawn will run you $9.99 and releases on Sept. 21.
Looking forward to the robot uprising? What should the Stellaris team focus on next? Feel free to let us know your thoughts on Stellaris: Synthetic Dawn below.
