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Stellaris: Federations DLC Review

An overview of the Federation DLC for Stellaris.

By Chris Wilkinson Thu 02 Apr, 2020 9:49 PM
When we look at space based grand strategy, the main game we all think about is Stellaris which has been out for the past 4 years and it has changed a lot since its first release. Each of the major expansions has added in something unique to the game from the mega-structures which Utopia brought us to the colossus that we got in Apocalypse. Paradox have managed to keep the public entertained by constantly updating and improving their game.

A few weeks ago, they released their most recent DLC – Federations. This was a DLC which I know I personally was looking forward too for months as it promised so many interesting changes to one of the mechanics of the game, which in my mind, had been neglected for so long as realistically, with the exception of being guaranteed help in wars, the Federation didn’t really offer much in the way of “uniqueness”.

In Federations, one of the most interesting additions was the Origins which can now be given to your species when you create them. Without purchasing the DLC you are limited to just 3 of these, but by buying the DLC you get access to them all with some very interesting variety from a race who had once been powerful but beaten back to a single planet, to one who became established after living on a ring world. There’s definitely something in there for most players as it will allow you to give much more flavour to the people you spend time lovingly crafting. The main question, will your killer terminators start on a world that’s set to explode?

Alongside this we find changes with the main game itself with a lot being improved with the diplomatic systems as before this expansion, if you somehow managed to annoy a neighbour or they just didn’t like you from day one, it is much easier to change this now through the addition of Envoys and the relations system. No longer is it simple a case of the AI’s just liking or disliking you, there is a more tangible number to it which can be changed. So that race of cats who before just looked at you as if you were a mouse, you can try and charm (although with cats, how much can you really get them to do?).

These Envoys are not limited to just improving relations (or harming them if you’re that kind of person) with your neighbours as after some time, the galactic community will be established and while you don’t have to take part, these Envoys can be assigned there to improve your diplomatic weight, which itself gives you more ability to vote on the galactic stage. The graphics for this new section of the game are neat, looking like the senate from the Star Wars franchise and makes you feel like you’re a part of a UN of the Stars. Each faction in the galaxy can propose changes to galactic law which is then voted on when the senates in session, but a Galactic Council can be created; consisting of the most powerful members in the galaxy.

This seats on the galactic council can be made permanent by getting the galaxy to vote on this, as well as increase or decrease the number of these seats (they start at 3). So if like a certain Emperor and you want to become the senate, this is possible albeit extremely difficult to accomplish without a lot of favours, or you already own most of the galaxy anyway.

The final main change to the diplomatic updates that came with this update as mentioned before were the changes to the Federations themselves. Now, when forming a federation, it is possible to specify what kind you’ll be in whether it is something basic, or a research federation which helps everyone with their research skills. Each one has several levels it can progress through, each one providing bonuses to each member and a single bonus to the current leader. There are also laws which can be passed which range from whether the federation will have a fleet and how much is contributed by the members, to how votes are weighted whether it be equally or by diplomatic weight or if you’re consistently strong, you can set it so that the leader will always be the strongest person in the group. This means that like the senate, you can make it so you’re the all-powerful member of your federation.

When you get new members, the “cohesion” of the group does decrease but can be countered with those all-powerful envoys again who can increase the cohesion. However, if this is left it can recover but it will take some time and you risk losing levels in your federation, meaning you lose some of those benefits mentioned previously.

Although one of the most requested fixes that people have been asking for, for years, was to fix, or at least improve the lag we all feel at late game as it can almost make the game unplayable If there are enough pops in the galaxy. This was all due to the checks that the game had to make frequently through each pop. Thankfully the development team answered our prayers and there has been a substantial improvement to the end game experience, making it possible to play the game past the 24th century (and perhaps further although I’ve not tested this yet myself).

The last, main additions provided by this DLC is the Mega Shipyard mega-structure which allows you to build ships faster and in much larger quantities than the current shipyards which is extremely useful if you’re a warmonger so you can expand your fleet quickly, or if you’re that pacifist who is attacked, you can build up your defensive fleets fast. There is also the Juggernaut, which is a large, mobile station which is usually pretty powerful but also has the ability to make fleets itself, so it is perfect either as a mobile siege platform or supporting your advancing fleets and reinforcing them when they are damaged.

ufp stellaris small
(Click for full-sized version!)
Overall, when this DLC is compared to some of the previous ones released by Paradox, I have to say that they have definitely done a lot of great work here especially when it is taken alongside what has come before. This is because they’ve given some love to the sections of the game which have been left to the side. If Paradox keep up with DLC’s of this calibre and keep listening to the fans, I can’t see why this game can’t last another 4-5 years from now.

Our UFP Community Members also have been playing Stellaris, make sure to check out the events page for any upcoming Stellaris events. Here's a recent snapshot of their games within Stellaris: Federation.

What did you think of this article? Have you purchased the Let us know!

WRITTEN BY Chris Wilkinson
EDITED BY Infinity
8 Comments
Thu 02 Apr, 2020 9:52 PM
Great article!
Thu 02 Apr, 2020 10:23 PM
Brilliant article. I've actually missed some of the details from this DLC previously, so it's good to see everything it's actually adding.
Thu 02 Apr, 2020 10:52 PM
Awesome article! This makes me want to pick up the game this weekend. I may not be able to get the DLCs immediately, but I'm going in on the base. Thanks Chris.
Thu 02 Apr, 2020 11:12 PM
Thanks guys Smile I appreciate your feedback
Fri 03 Apr, 2020 4:57 AM
Well Done Chris, that's a very good read.
Fri 03 Apr, 2020 7:52 AM
Great article and review, Chris! Smile Thumbs up

I think I have to take a closer look at the Stellaris universe. I have got the vanilla version without any DLC. After a while of playing the game I always got the impression that it gets very confusing with all the planets you have to take care of, ships to send here and there, anomalies to research... wah, help, S.O.S.! Big Grin

Perhaps I just have to learn the mechanics a bit more.
Fri 03 Apr, 2020 7:56 AM
Great article and review, Chris! Smile Thumbs up

I think I have to take a closer look at the Stellaris universe. I have got the vanilla version without any DLC. After a while of playing the game I always got the impression that it gets very confusing with all the planets you have to take care of, ships to send here and there, anomalies to research... wah, help, S.O.S.! Big Grin

Perhaps I just have to learn the mechanics a bit more.
Hopefully by the time you get to that stage, your technology research starts hitting some of the automation techs like auto survey, explore, etc. It does do you head in if you got the largest map with max empires. It also become difficult with all the pop ups and events so if you're not into micro-managing it can be a chore but if you like to decide if each planets population is a slave or to be exterminated. Its a lot of fun.
Fri 03 Apr, 2020 12:19 PM
Plus you can set some of your planets to manage themselves so you don't always have to micro manage them Smile but it definitely can be overwhelming when you first start playing for sure