Stellaris First Contact Will Arrive on PC in March

Written by Brandon Hofer on February 21, 2023

News: Some new content is headed your way with an unexpected addition that should add a new twist to the gameplay.

Paradox Interactive has revealed that First Contact, the newest story pack for sci-fi strategy game Stellaris, will release on March 14, 2023. This new content will be focused on new interactions with pre-FTL civilizations and a new cloaking technology, along with new origins, story content, and adding new game mechanics to the growing Stellaris universe.

In Stellaris 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.

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: 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 Archaeo technologies to dig up in the Ancient Relics Story Pack, and more.

Will you be playing this new content? Tell us what you think below.