Stellaris Dev Diary #358 - New Life in the Galaxy

A lil somethin somethin: You can find the details for this event on the announcement page here.

Hi everyone!

The Grand Archive Story Pack is lurking in an asteroid field nearby, and will ambush nearby Science Vessels on October 29th.

Today’s dev diary will look at the two new space fauna being added to Stellaris, as well as a peek at the Origins.
Cutholoids​

Cutholoids are cunning ambush predators, lurking within the shadowed hollows of desolate asteroids. There, they bide their time, waiting to ensnare unwary vessels that drift too close.

A typical first encounter with them may look something like this:


If my science ship was cloaked or had encountered them before, things might have turned out differently.​

Thankfully, Cutholoids have a very slow digestive process so these ships can be rescued by either capturing the Cutholoid or defeating it in battle.


I don’t have Gravity Snares yet, so arm the Nuclear Missiles – there’s “research” to be done.







When cloning your own Cutholoids from Hatcheries, these creatures can steal enemy ships by swallowing them whole.


Om nom nom. I wouldn’t call it exactly “a new car smell”.​

As one would expect, Cutholoids prefer systems with asteroid belts as their preferred habitat.
Voidworms​

Voidworms are parasitic creatures that depend on planet-based hosts to reproduce. They deposit spores on inhabited worlds with sufficient biomass, raising their offspring in nests perilously close to Black Holes.

Their full lifecycle is present in-game. Nymphs will grow through the Juvenile stage to maturity in Adulthood.

Voidworms mate in groups of three, a formation known as a "Troika." These creatures become bound for life in a never-ending mating ritual. However, they require an external biological host to produce offspring. Upon reaching maturity, each Voidworm develops a clutch of cysts within their reproductive systems. These protective cysts contain highly caustic gametes that, when combined with others in a Troika, can be sent to planets with suitable biomass in order to give birth to more of their nymphs.

Their hosts do not survive this process.


Who’s the cutest little Voidworm Nymph? Why, you are! Yes, you are!


A Juvenile Scout


A fleet of Adult Voidworms that have not yet merged


The Adults that have formed a Troika


A Voidworm Nest​

Nymphs will travel to and remain in the safety of their nest systems, while Juveniles explore the galaxy looking for suitable worlds for the next generation. Once they find a suitable target, the Adults will form Troikas and go forth to continue the cycle of life.

There is evidence that the Voidworms coordinate their bombardments so as to maintain a sustainable amount of viable hosts throughout the galaxy, so there’s absolutely nothing to worry about.
The Voidworm Plague​
OH COME ON, I LITERALLY JUST SAID THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!​

Oh. Okay, maybe that was a bit premature.

If Voidworm populations reach a critical mass in the galaxy, there is a chance that the Voidworm Plague will begin. In this possible mid-game crisis, a mutation causes swarms of Voidworms to enter a reproductive frenzy and begin to bombard planets with abandon.

A situation will begin to deal with the crisis, with several possible approaches.


Good old “Do Nothing”. Let someone else deal with it.​

Destroying the Voidworm nests will end the plague, or you can find a cure, rendering your population useless to the voidworm life cycle. Completing the situation will remove your planets from their target list.

The Galactic Community​ The Galactic Community, naturally, has a few ideas related to these new lifeforms.


Grand Archive Advanced Settings​ Since both of these new additions are rather aggressive, the Grand Archive Story Pack adds two new sliders into Advanced Settings to control the prevalence of Voidworms and Cutholoids.


My Science Ship might be safe, but we’re pretty much guaranteeing that the Voidworms will be a mid-game crisis.​
Treasure Hunters​ Treasure Hunters is the narrative-focused Origin in this Story Pack. You can expect a lengthy event chain with a mysterious treasure map at the core of it all.

Into pirates, swashbuckling (of sorts), and endless riches? Treasure Hunters may be an Origin you’re interested in. As it’s a narrative-focused Origin, I’m not going to spoil too much of it ahead of time.


Follow the trail and find riches beyond imagination.​

The Oviron Lodge are a prescripted empire we’ve created that uses the Treasure Hunters Origin with the Galactic Curators and Mining Guilds civics.
Primal Calling​ The Primal Calling Origin is heavily invested into various fauna related playstyles, from those who want to preserve and protect wildlife to those who prefer them stuffed and mounted as trophies of the hunt.



Primal Calling is one of our most versatile Origins, able to adapt to many different playstyles. After you complete First Contact with a new breed of Space Fauna, you’ll get to pick a stance for your civilization. Which stances you can pick are influenced by your ethics - for example, the Animal Handler stance requires some element of Pacifism or Xenophilia.



This stance choice has additional effects on your empire - replacing the Wrangler jobs with Ranchers, Animal Handlers, or Trophy Hunters, changing the Wildlife Ranch into Hunting Grounds, or granting various new perks or modifiers.

You will also get new events during first contact with space fauna, but caution is advised, as interacting with wildlife is unpredictable and sometimes dangerous.

The Graparx Primal Stalkers are our Primal Calling prescripted empire, with the Beastmasters and Citizen Service civics.
Next Week​ Next on the list is our preliminary 3.14.1 “Circinus” release notes. The Archive is almost open!

See you next week!