this game is so confusing, also nothing is happening midgame?

[x]

Recently bought the base game. It started out really fun, surveying, expanding, building, researching, etc.

After a few hours, my borders were "complete", meaning I was completely boxed in by other federations. Since then, not a lot has happened? I figured there would be some diplomatic intrigue or wars or something but basically nothing has happened since this point, ~15 hours in, year 2415.

I've built out every mining and research station possible.

For the last 30 minutes, I was just clicking research option after research option. Nothing else has been happening for years and years and years. Eventually I got bored and just automated the research trees.

My army is completely full, 421/421. I have an overabundance of most resources, though I do have to spend energy to alloys. Despite this, I'm almost always full on energy, and I always keep my army upgraded. Yet there are still multiple other armies with "Overwhelming" despite the fact that I'm as big as I'm allowed to be?

I have a bunch of colonies with constant unemployment, even though they are fully built out, and I have them set to auto-manage. But I keep getting alerts about unemployment and crime anyways, so I keep increasing their pay.

At one point, a war with an ally was declared, but it ended sometime later, and seemingly had no effect? I didn't even see the war...

But the overall theme is, nothing "real" is happening. Nothing that requires any decision making or strategy whatsoever, I'm just clicking "ok" over and over for the last several hours.

Did my game get borked somehow? Maybe everyone in my galaxy is just too peaceful? Should I be declaring wars? (I'm human federation, egalitarian, so doesn't really match the rp).

Do I need to buy DLC? Is this just how the game is? Maybe I'm missing some important optimization aspect?

[[FvN] Var]

Your game did not get borked. The galaxy will eventually just settle in a stalemate and its upon you as the player to break it.
There are no diplomatic intrigues in paradox games, its always very shallow and basic diplomacy. The endgame is very much just you declaring war on everyone and subjugating the galaxy, the variance only comes on the way you choose to get to the point of going full Great Crusade mode.

What can shake up the galaxy at large are the mid- and end-game crisis, if you adjusted them appropriatly prior to game start. That would be for example the machine uprisings, that throw several empires into a civil war, if they researched the "wrong" techs and didnt take precautions, or the fallen empires awakening.

[HappySack]

The mid-game is the weakest part of the game, without mods the only thing to do is war because any other events like the great Khan or AI uprising are a complete joke that are heavily outdated and don't offer anything of value in modern Stellaris.

[Gustuv Wynd]

That is how the game is. Mid game is about building up your fleets and planets. You need to be building logistical stations and ground based defense armies to increase your fleet cap. Specialize your planets. Boost your research. Boost alloy production. Once you get that done...you declare war and increase the size of your empire so you have more to develop.

I mainly play old versions of the game that a lot more fun in my opinion so I also have few DLCs and it all works for me. Though if you are surrounded by overwhelming fleet powers mid game...just make a new a game. You're toast.

[Elitewrecker PT]

"I have a bunch of colonies with constant unemployment, even though they are fully built out, and I have them set to auto-manage."
Doubt that they're fully developed.

[Grinch]

2415 is not "midgame"

[Pieshaman]

This could be just the silence before the storm.

Use this peaceful period of the galaxy to prepare yourself for events you will not expect.

[Mazey]

Your naval cap is increased with strongholds and naval logistics starbase buildings. You should be able to get it a lot higher than 400ish. You can also build over the cap, and it just cost more resources. People often recommend going to double your cap.

If you're not getting a surplus of alloys then you are definitely not optimised, use this time to fiddle with them.