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Leviathan DLC Released For Stellaris

• David MacDonald
• October 21st, 2016

Paradox Interactive is well known for supporting their games with DLC long after they have launched. A good example of this is Crusader Kings II. Originally released in 2012, Paradox Interactive released a piece of DLC for it in August of this year. A very well received piece of DLC as well. It was only to be expected that their newest game, the grand strategy space game known as Stellaris, would receive the same treatment. As of now, their first major expansion, Leviathan, has been released for purchase.

Leviathan aims to greatly expand the world of Stellaris, and has quite a bit to offer fans. Independent factions, such as merchants and artists, are a part of the expansion. They can offer information, resources, or nice paintings for your budding empire. Mysterious entities called Guardians will also be added to the game offering, advanced technologies to those who can understand them or beat them. By far the biggest addition, however, is the War in Heaven. One of the most unique selling points of Stellaris is the Fallen Empires, once mighty empires that have regressed. In Leviathan, these empires can now reawaken, and if two awake at the same time they will wage war for control of the galaxy. Players will have the option of picking a side, or standing against them. Either way, the War in Heaven will not end until only one side is standing.

Smaller additions are included with a free update released at the same time as Leviathan. Changes that focus less on the galaxy being torn apart and more on minor tune ups.  Although Fallen Empires can still awaken with these free updates, they simply cannot trigger the War in Heaven. Auto-explore and colonization screens have been added, things that will take a fair bit of tedium out of the game. More customization options have been added to the galaxy too, as well as new art and music for the game. The A.I. will also be receiving a bit of a tune up, with the sector governors being smarter than they were before. This last part is particularly important, as a large empire is mostly run by those governors. Leviathan is available on Steam for $9.99