Distant Worlds 2 News

[p]On March 10th, we celebrate the fourth anniversary of Distant Worlds 2, an epic journey through unexplored galaxies.[/p][p][/p][p]Since launch, the game has seen 4 DLCs that expanded and enriched the experience:[/p]

• [p]3 faction expansions, adding new governments, ship models, artwork, narrative events, and unique technologies. This includes the first pairing of Ikkuro and Dhayut, followed by Quameno and Gizureans. The final faction expansion to be released introduced the Atuuk and Wekkarus to DW2. [/p]
• [p]1 major feature and narrative expansion, Return of the Shakturi, introducing an end-game crisis, new diplomatic options, technologies, and an exciting story guiding players through the epic Shakturi War.[/p]

[p]
[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]In addition, many major free updates to the base game have resolved long-standing issues, improved the UI, fixed bugs, and brought the base game factions up to the same quality level as the DLC factions. Just last year, we released the major Mercantile Update that updated the Teekan and Haakonish. This involved updating ship models and introducing new mechanics to best capture each faction's identity.[/p][p]To celebrate, the entire Distant Worlds franchise is on sale on Steam until March 16th! It’s the perfect opportunity to discover this fantastic game if you don’t own it yet, or to complete your collection.[/p][p]And this is just the beginning: more expansions, updates, and content are planned for DW2 in the future[/p][p]A huge thanks to our community for your continued interest, feedback, and support—we couldn’t have reached this milestone without you![/p][p]Take advantage of the deals and get ready to dominate the galaxy.[/p][p][/p][p]BUY THE GAME NOW:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p] [/p]

[p]Welcome back, explorers.[/p][p]We’re pleased to announce that a new update for Distant Worlds 2 is out now.[/p][p][/p][p]Below some highlights: [/p]

• [p]Colony invasions have been changed to give invading forces more of a chance to consolidate forces before starting combat;[/p]

• [p]Raids are now timed and should damage colonies less. As long as raiders have more strength than defenders after a short period, the raid will succeed;[/p]
• [p]Stealth values have changed, so that stealthy ships should now be harder to detect at limits of scanner range;[/p]
• [p]Many abandoned debris ships are now unrepairable, but can be salvaged for tech bonuses;[/p]
• [p]Fixes to Haakonish and Teekan factions based on Mercantile Update feedback;[/p]
• [p]Miscellaneous crash and bug fixes.[/p]

[p]Click here for the full changelog.[/p][p][/p][p]BUY THE GAME NOW:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]Welcome back, explorers.[/p][p]We’re pleased to announce that a major update for Distant Worlds 2 is out now: the Mercantile Update.[/p][p]This update marks the second-to-last (only the Ackdarians remain) free update focused on bringing the base game factions to a similar gameplay level as the new factions added in the post-release DLCs. This update is similar to a Free DLC in that it includes a refresh of the Teekan and Haakonish factions as well as many other changes focused on making manual play and general quality of life better, with a focus on story events, the resource/trade economy and fleet and ship behavior.[/p][p]Please note that data and game event fixes will only apply when starting a new game. [/p][p][/p][p]But that’s not all: Distant Worlds 2 will be on sale from today at 18:00 CET until December 16, with a 65% discount. Also, all the DLC are on sale too.[/p][p]Grab your Christmas gift.[/p][p][/p][p]FULL CHANGELOG:[/p][p]GENERAL[/p][p]• Fixed multiple crashes • Fixed incorrect game date shown in Load Game preview • Small performance improvement when starting new games • Improved overall performance[/p][p]AUTOMATION INTERFACE
• Added startup message summarizing current Automation settings and how they work
• Added Automation settings info to Advisor suggestion messages
• Added automation option for Artifacts (send to optimal location)[/p][p]TEEKAN FACTION REFRESH
• New loading screen illustrations added
• Improved starting access to civilian ships
• Military ships now have smaller hulls but equal component capacity (more fragile)
• Ships, stations, and facilities build 30% faster
• More willing to initiate Trade Agreements
• Increased resistance to bombardment and ground combat damage
• Militia and troops gain major combat bonuses on Desert planets
• “Salvage Kings” ability allowing special salvage recovery events
• Galactic Nomads option when reduced to one colony (evacuate population and become refugee fleet)
• Colonizing planets provides migration attraction bonus
• New “Great Bakdur Hunt” event on Desert planets
• Added new character traits and updated Victory Conditions
• Expanded and updated tech tree
• Texture refresh for ships and stations
• Added new event illustrations and loading art
• Corrected pirate faction race (“The Nameless Teekans”)
• Fixed “Lost Teekan Colony” event facility ownership and maintenance
• Unified bonus population from Lost Colony event
• Preferred standoff weapon changed to Torpedoes[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]HAAKONISH FACTION REFRESH
• New loading screen illustrations added
• Ships, stations, and facilities cost 20% more and take ~10% longer to build
• Start with an additional Mining Ship
• Enhanced Trade Treaty mechanics:
• Binding Contracts increase trade weighting toward Haakonish
• Penalty Clauses cause reputation penalties and treaty breakage when at war
• Account Confiscation grants immediate income boost equal to last year’s trade value
• Exploit Loopholes option grants instant income at cost of reputation and treaty termination
• Completing Haakonish-specific tech boosts happiness
• Creative Accounting planetary action increases short-term income at cost of higher corruption
• Xenophobic Riots option reduces non-Haakonish population by 25% at reputation and migration penalties
• New character traits added
• Tech tree expanded, including early Haakonish-exclusive Gravitic Area weapon (Vortex Bomb)
• Texture improvements to select ships and stations
• New event illustrations and loading art added[/p][p]STORY EVENT LOGIC
• Fixed faction events spawning incorrectly on homeworlds
• Expanded fallback logic for “EmptySystem” location hints so events always find valid locations
• Fixed Pirate Ambush ruins event failing to spawn pirate ships
• Pirate Ambush ships now spawn closer to investigating vessels[/p][p]RESOURCE ECONOMY
• Improved resource delivery and freighter handling logic
• Fixed manually controlled freighters being auto-assigned to cargo missions[/p][p]TOURISM
• Passenger ships more cautious when checking private economy funding
• Soft cap on scenery bonuses affecting tourism income (diminishing returns above 25%)[/p][p]FLEET & SHIP BEHAVIOR
• Manual fleet ships no longer auto-return to fleet core
• Fleet templates now properly apply formation settings
• Defend fleets no longer auto-attack outside their current system
• Improved retreat evaluation for more accurate strength calculations
• Refuel and repair missions allow dispersed ships to use nearest facilities individually
• Fixed fleets stalling on queued missions
• Escorting ships now count as “available,” reducing downtime
• Fleets more willing to engage threats despite low fuel (especially manual fleets)
• Fixed fleets attacking dangerous sites without sufficient strength
• Improved display and detection of dangerous locations
• Attacks now break off when fleeing targets exceed engagement range
• Pursuit behavior updated to dynamically track hyperspace jumps
• Fixed disabled ships attempting to retrofit while in damaging storms
• Fixed carriers incorrectly displaying negative attack strength
• Fixed ships sometimes not attacking when in range
• Increased default Auto-Response Range for Manual and Invasion fleets
• Fixed manually assigned mining missions missing offload locations
• Fixed ships auto-offloading cargo incorrectly during Dock missions[/p][p]INVASION FLEETS
• Improved troop loading logic to prioritize populous and appropriate colonies
• Honours garrison and minimum defense thresholds
• Considers Army Templates for optimal troop composition
• Manual troop loading via colony right-click still available
• Fixed automated troop transports looping unload/load actions[/p][p]FUEL TANKERS & FLEETS
• Manual fuel tankers now follow fleet missions and require manual refuel actions
• Automated fuel tankers continue operating independently
• Improved tanker navigation to dynamic fleet locations
• Tankers no longer refuel fleets with queued missions
• Independent automated tankers no longer refuel manual fleets if auto-refueling is disabled
• Improved detection of fleet availability after refueling
• Updated Galactopedia article on tanker mechanics
• Added new instructional hint for fuel tanker operations
• Immediate clearing of “Waiting for Fuel Tankers” message when transfers cancel[/p][p]BOMBARDMENT
• Bombardment resistance no longer renders planetary facilities invulnerable[/p][p]TROOPS INTERFACE
• Colony and selection screens now show troops required by Army Template
• Required troops are prevented from being loaded by automated transports[/p][p]DIPLOMACY
• Fixed diplomatic incident value updates[/p][p]COLONIZATION
• Automated colonization avoids dangerous locations[/p][p]CONSTRUCTION
• All non-obsolete buildable base types now appear in colony right-click menus
• Fixed advisor recommending blank bases[/p][p]ECONOMY
• Fixed cash values becoming NaN[/p][p]GRAPHICS
• Adjusted city night-light shader for stability and consistency
• Improved planet rendering artifacts at low zoom and shallow angles[/p][p]SALVAGE TECH BONUSES
• Reduced tech bonus from retiring advanced ships[/p][p]USER INTERFACE
• Fixed Victory Conditions tooltip offset
• Messages properly close on returning to main menu
• Messages remain closed when exiting Ship Design
• Fixed “Distance from Item” sorting in Monitoring Stations list
• Added Size visibility to troop summary popups
• Improved display of admirals and generals in UI, with layout compression for large rosters[/p][p]GAME EDITOR
• Renaming stars or planets now also updates associated location names[/p][p]DATA & MODDING
• Increased component ID limit to 4095
• Adjusted Teekan tech tree to better handle ZimZip shuttles with carriers
• Reduced starting populations on Bartuc and Horazon for storyline adjustments
• Fixed related event issues[/p][p][/p][p]BUY THE GAME:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]Welcome back, explorers.[/p][p]We’re pleased to announce that a major update for Distant Worlds 2 is coming soon: the Mercantile Update. This is a significant update designed to refresh and improve the gameplay experience with targeted changes to key areas of the game.[/p][p][/p][h3]What’s included in the Mercantile Update[/h3]

• [p]Rework of the two Mercantile Guild factions: the Teekan and the Haakonish.
  Both factions are being refreshed with updated ship textures and new gameplay features, giving them deeper mechanics and a more defined role within the galaxy.[/p]
• [p]Improvements to ship and fleet behavior.
  Expect more effective and consistent decision-making in battles and strategic maneuvers, along with numerous refinements addressing corner cases—especially for players who prefer manual control.[/p]
• [p]Additional features and quality-of-life updates.
  The update also brings improved UI elements and new notifications related to automation settings, plus a wide range of bug fixes and general improvements.[/p]

[p]We look forward to sharing more soon.[/p][p][/p][p]BUY THE GAME NOW:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]EXPAND YOUR GALAXY:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]First revealed during Slitherine Next in July, the new Distant Worlds 2 roadmap promises an exciting year ahead.
We've kicked things off with the Anniversary update and are following it up with a major update refreshing the Teekan and Haakonish in the Autumn.
Winter brings the brand-new expansion Shadows Rising, while spring will see a major update focusing on the Ackdarians.[/p][p][/p][p]And that’s not all: a new DLC is already in the works![/p][p]Get ready to experience the next chapter in the universe of Distant Worlds 2.[/p][p][/p][p]If you missed the Distant Worlds 2 segment at the Slitherine Next event on July 9th, catch up and watch it here:[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]
BUY THE GAME NOW:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]