Stellaris Apocalypse, Was it worth it? Stellaris Mega Pack DLC/expansion review and gameplay

[Spector]

This is a review and gameplay commentary of everything that was new and went boom in the Apocalypse expansion, the second major DLC for Stellaris, a 4X grand strategy video game developed and published by Paradox Interactive. I talk about the worth of this expansion for the players and the game and try to answer was it worth making and is it worth getting today. It's now available on console as well. This DLC is also contained in the Stellaris Mega Pack which I am going to go through one DLC at a time.

https://youtu.be/FzoKIyLBeL4

Excerpt:

Let's look more costly at the cost effectiveness of the Colossus and it’s impact on the gameplay. First of all just unlocking the ability to research the required technologies means getting the Colossus Project ascension perk, and then comes the weapon research and the expensive build. While the appeal of fielding what is essentially a Death Star for its destructive power is undeniable, the gameplay of Stellaris doesn’t give you many benefits from using the Colossus to crack open valuable planets.

The stigma of being the “Destroyer of worlds” alone will ruin your galactic standing and potential diplomatic relationships with other civilizations. Luckily there are four more weapon types which are less destructive but spell as much doom for the target as the Apocalyptic World Cracker. All four have unique consequences for the planet and your civilization as the attacker. With so many strings attached to this one ship and it’s weapon, building it, and NOT even using it, becomes an actual option. This is because it gains you a Casus belli, a justification for war, of the Total War kind and in the complex conquest system in Stellaris this makes things much simpler for both the attacker and the defender.

The one feature of this DLC which really makes it worth it gameplay wise are the Marauders. A race of space nomads turn pirates and mercenaries for hire. They work in such a unique way that some players have even started calling them space Mongols, especially because their leader is named Khan. This leader can trigger a special mid-game crisis related to the different Marauders clans coming together and forming a single power structure. This feature has really divided the player base, because of its inherent unpredictability and pure star ship power. While some players enjoy the challenge and don’t mind the Marauders spawning next to their home systems others find the randomness of this difficulty challenge annoying to say the least. The greatest problem here is the fact that defending or even attacking the Marauders requires large investments of resources into fleets of spaceships. Even just to guard and protect your systems you still have to pay for the upkeep of such a force. I for one don’t mind the challenge but I can fully understand every player who finds such a game mechanic obstructive to their playstyle, especially because of it’s unpredictable nature.

Stellaris: Apocalypse is a full expansion which redefines stellar warfare for all players with a host of new offensive and defensive options. Destroy entire worlds with terrifying new planet-killer weapons, fight against (or alongside) ruthless space pirates, and maybe discover a few non-violent game features as well.

The Apocalypse expansion includes:

-Planet Destroyers: Keep the local systems in line with fear of the new "Colossus" planet-killer weapon – a technological terror that eliminates entire worlds from the universe.

-"Titan" class ships: New enormous capital ships can lead fleets to conquest, offering tremendous bonuses to the vessels under their command. Meanwhile, fortify key systems with massive orbital installations and secure your homeworld as an impenetrable bastion among the stars.

-Pirates of the Constellation: Watch out for Marauders – space nomads who raid settled empires on the fringe of civilization. Hire them as mercenaries, but take care that they don't unify and trigger a new mid-game crisis!

-Some non-violent Features: New Ascension Perks and Civics are added in the expansion providing new ways to further customize your inter-stellar empire. Life Seeded, Post-Apocalyptic and Barbaric Despoiliers.

-Sounds of Destruction: Featuring 3 new tracks (~14 minutes) from composer Andreas Waldetoft for a pleasurable planet-shattering expedition.

Paradox store: https://www.paradoxplaza.com/stellaris-apocalypse/STST01ESK0000013.html

Steam Store link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/716670/Stellaris_Apocalypse/

[Drunk Demoman]

Colossus has one use, and one use only. Getting rid of end game slow down, one planet at a time.

[galadon3]

Originally posted by A Black Square:

Colossus has one use, and one use only. Getting rid of end game slow down, one planet at a time.

THIS, OP basically missed the most important point of the colossus, getting total war CB

[Spector]

Originally posted by galadon3:

Originally posted by A Black Square:

Colossus has one use, and one use only. Getting rid of end game slow down, one planet at a time.

THIS, OP basically missed the most important point of the colossus, getting total war CB

I mentioned that specifically during the video. The text here is just just a fragment of my review.