Nexus 5X News

Having used their advanced scientific minds to conquer the harsh elements of their home world Hiverion, The Voor Technocracy have now set their sights on conquering the galaxy!

Unlike with some of the other factions in Stellaris Nexus, the Voor's unique resource, Patrons, doesn't have any passive effects. Instead, they get unique buildings and research options, which helps to set them apart and creates some very interesting strategic pathways.

You gain Patrons by using the Explore Edict or by trading technology with rival factions. And considering the unique research options the Voor have, this can really help sway Pacts in your favor, gaining you votes, credits, ships and even planets. Just be careful of who you give the Graviton Bomb to, as they might use it to destroy the planet they just traded you.



To balance this all out, their intense focus on the mind means they're physically weaker than some other factions, which plays out as a -1 ship strength to all fleets.

But special buildings and research are not the only thing that Patrons can be used on, as it also triggers some unique leader Edicts. Like the Explorer's unique Edict; Deep Space Mission, which creates an Academic Fleet in any visible star system. Now this costs 10 Materials, 3 Munitions and 2 Patrons. But when you consider that Academic Fleets can be used to Explore anomalies, it seems a small price to pay.



If you'd rather focus on research than exploration, the Technocrat has Cybernetic Mandate; which gives you +2 Science and Materials, at the cost of -1 Support income, and 1 Patrons, which helps you get to those level 8 techs faster.

The Voor Technocracy are great for players who enjoy an active play style but not specifically a military one. Researching, trading and exploring are their principal focus, and through that you can blow up planets, increase ship strength to rival any faction and enjoy the quiet comfort of knowing that you're the smartest person in the galaxy.

Whatboy Studio Director Dax asked Writer Jolly what it is about the Voor that makes him come back to them game after game. You can find the discussion in the YouTube link below:

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The United Nations of Earth are our personal galactic representatives and the playable human faction of Stellaris Nexus. Possibly the most flexible faction in the game, the UNE's unique resource Senate Backing does a few things that will help you establish your empire and shoot you to the top of the leaderboard.

First, each turn you will receive additional support equal to the number of Senate Backing you have, and second when you get to 3 or more Senate Backing, they will be automatically spent at the start of your next turn to draw an extra Edict. Now if you're trying to build up Support that can sound like a penalty, but when you factor in that you earn Senate Backing by playing either the Politics or Consolidate Edicts, you can see that it's actually a fast-moving resource, and if you get a Politics Edict you can use it to create a Consolidate Edict and end up with a boost to your resources and +2 Senate Backing, which then means you get more Support the next turn. Of course, this is not the only way to use this resource, as with all factions the UNE leaders have unique Edicts, which show off each leader's specific play styles.

For instance, if you play as the Diplomat, you get the Edict Forced Negotiation, which costs 2 Senate Backing and lets you form any Pact with a peaceful empire, and is perfect for a more passive-aggressive play through, as you can force through Packs which other players will need to break if they want to attack you, which can cost them Succession Points.



If, however, you want to take a more active aggressive approach, the Admiral gets Bolster, which adds 2 Ships to a fleet you control for just 1 Senate Backing. Meaning you can spontaneously reinforce your fleets before a battle.



Last but not least we have the Patriot who focuses on spy craft and gets the Edict Security, which gives you +1 Senate Backing and puts a Counter Espionage agent on a planet you control, which will prevent anyone trying to get revenge for any plots you may or may not have played against them.

As we said before the UNE is an extremely flexible faction, and great for new players who want to experiment with different play styles.

Watch the video version right here:

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Hi Everyone!

In the last dev diary, we talked about support and actions and the options that you have to use your actions each turn.

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[h2]Common Edicts[/h2]
Every Action that you take outside of fleet actions is done through an Edict, so in this diary we're going to go into a lot more detail about what Edicts are and how they differ between factions.

The Common Edicts are:

• Construction, which allows you to build new buildings and projects on the planets within your empire to improve your economy.
  
• Research, that unlock new and exciting technology such as new ship types, weapons and social advancements.
  
• Explore, which enables you to send a science vessel to investigate and expose anomalies within the galaxy.
  
• Command, allows you to issue special fleet roles to your fleets allowing you to customise how they are used in combat scenarios or to give you an economy boost by being deployed in mining for valuable materials resource.
  

These Edicts provide the foundation and the core of the 4X experience, allowing you to build you economy, voyage outward from your homeworld, to explore new star systems and to develop new cutting edge technologies.

But where Stellaris Nexus gets really interesting is when players clash with one another using Edicts such as Diplomacy and Espionage. Expanding your borders out from your homeworld towards Nexus inevitably means that at some point you will come into contact with your neighbours and will have to decide whether to engage with them diplomatically, commercially or militarily.

The core of the design has always been about getting players interacting with one another - talking, shouting, trading, forming alliances and engaging in backstabbery!

The Diplomacy Edict is the way in which players form temporary alliances. You can form pacts with other players such as Military Pacts, Research Agreements, Trade Agreements and Non-Aggression Pacts. But there can only be one winner at the end of the game, so you enter these diplomatic agreements with the knowledge that one of you is very likely to betray the other at some point in the game.

Entering into these pacts rewards both factions with Succession Points, as well providing both with a boost to science, credits or munitions resources, depending on the type of pact so its pretty hard to say no when a rival faction makes you an offer of a diplomatic deal. On top of that, these offers can also come with sweeteners to twist your arm, such as new technology, extra credits or even entire fleets or planets! A non-aggression pact means that you will allow the fleets of your neighbour to enter and pass through your territorial borders without triggering an attack.

Sending a Trade Edict to another player benefits both factions equally. Each faction has an 'Empire Trade Value' which represents the commercial strength of the faction. When a trade envoy is exchanged between factions, BOTH receive a credits boost equal to their joint Empire Trade Value.
The Culture Edict comes with many benefits. Most importantly it awards you with Succession Points each time the Galactic Council meets and it also extends your eyes and your reach throughout the galaxy and makes other factions a softer target for espionage or peaceful annexation.

The Espionage Edict provides players with a whole range of secretive plots that allow them to attack other factions without a formal declaration of war. This can range from just stealing a few credits or a technology all the way up to blowing up a rival factions starbase or even an entire planet.



Finally, every faction has access to the Politics Edict. Politics functions as a wild edict and allows you to pick any of your basic edicts to play immediately but comes at the cost of additional support.

[h2]Unique Edicts[/h2]
To make every player feel unique and powerful in the game, each faction and leader have access to their own suite of unique edicts.



Faction edicts player into the role and fantasy of playing as the various different factions. For example, the Kel-Azaan, and honourable warrior race, have access to the 'Pre-emptive Strike' Edict, which allows them to soften up a planet before invasion.

The Voor is a faction committed to science and research and have unique access to the Cybernetic Mandate edict. Playing this edict provides a modest boost to science and materials, but come at the cost of the support of the populace.

[h2]Ultimate Edicts[/h2]
Eventually through following your leaders unique agenda and levelling up you'll get access to a powerful Ultimate Edict.

These Ultimate Edicts give you immense game-changing powers that you can use in your final push for victory.

These Ultimates are unique to each faction.



For example, the mercantile Chinorr get access to the 'Buy Out' Edict which allows them to use their immense wealth to forcibly purchase a planet from another player.

The secretive and insular Turtuon faction gain access to the 'Extreme Measures' Ultimate,. When played, this edict delivers extensive damage to any rival fleets that are stationed on the borders of the Turtuon Empire.

[h2]Discovered Edicts[/h2]
Through exploration, players can gain access to additional resources which add powerful new edicts into your deck.



The Zro Monopoly edict allows you to send a trade convoy to a rival with a significant credits boost.

FTL Refining lets you move every fleet under your command for free and Volatile Weaponry allows you to reinforce your fleets on the fly wherever they are in the galaxy.

The use of edicts is the way that players express their will as they expand their empire across the stars and they mean that every decision that you make is impactful, meaningful and fast.

So that’s a brief overview of how Edicts work in Stellaris Nexus.

We'll see you again soon for another Dev Diary!

- the Whatboy Team.

While the Chinorr might not be the galaxy's most attractive faction, the Combine boasts some of the largest and most successful corporations, all dedicated to securing quality, quantity and above all, profit.

This brings us to Stellaris Nexus's universal resource; Credits.

In-game, your two main resources are Support and Material, but when those run out, they can be substituted for Credits. Now, there are a few ways you can earn Credits that are universal across all factions; the Trade Edict, which supplies both sides with Credits based on your Trade Value. Or, if someone is trying to sweeten a Diplomacy deal, they can offer you some Credits to help sway your decision.



What's different with the Chinorr is their unique resource Corporations, as for each Corporation you have, you earn that many Credits per turn. This means that you can effectively pay your way for each action you want to take. Is your support running low? Credits. Not enough Materials for that Mega Structure? Credits. Want to get those ships on to Nexus this turn? Credits!

Having a steady income can open the game up and help you to grow your empire fast. But that's not all, as each faction leader gets their own unique Edicts. Such as the Mercenary, who has the Edict Mercenaries, which trades 1 Corporation for a 5-ship strong Privateer Fleet, perfect for that quick assault or betrayal. Or the Exploiter who gets Recruitment, which allows you to add 1 building slot to a planet you own for just 15 Credits. Allowing you to grow your economy without having to expand your empire.



It's not all smooth sailing for the Chinorr though, as their less-than-pleasant looks mean that in Succession Mode when you establish a Diplomatic pact, you earn fewer Succession points than the other factions. But that just means you'll need to make more pacts with more factions, which means more opportunities for Trade deals, and even more Credits. Just remember that you can't take it with you, so spend it while it's there.

The Chinorr are one of the most flexible factions in Stellaris Nexus and are great for players who enjoy a faster-paced play style, that is focused on making friends and exploiting people.



Whatboy Studio Director Dax sat down with Designer Sam to discuss the best ways to spend your profits as the Chinorr Combine. You can find the discussion in the video below (which we'll keep unlisted on YouTube for now!):
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Throughout the galaxy the Kel-Azaan Republic are known for their fearsome battle tactics and their intense dedication to honorable combat.

The way this plays out in Stellaris Nexus revolves around the Kel-Azaan's unique resource Bloodlust.

Now, depending on which of the leaders you decide to play, Bloodlust can do a few different things. But universally across all Kel-Azaan leaders, the more Bloodlust you have, the stronger your fleets are going to be, and even better than that you acquire Bloodlust by conquering planets and getting into fights.

Of course, once in a fight there is no retreating for the Kel-Azaan, so be sure to always keep an eye on where your fleets are posted, because it's either win or die. You still get Bloodlust just for being in the fight though, so even if you lose, the rest of your fleets get a boost.

Each leader has some unique Edicts which use Bloodlust to play. For example, the Hunter has the unique Edict Great Hunt that costs 3 Bloodlust and increases all resources of a planet by 25% and gives you a permanent +5 to Munitions. Which can be a great way to set up your economy in the early game.



Meanwhile, the Conqueror has the Edict Invasion Fleet with a Bloodlust cost of 8, and lets you create a 5-ship strong Armored Troop Carrier fleet in any visible star system. Which can help turn the tide in any fight.

These are just some of the exciting Edicts unique to the Kel-Azaan which sets them apart from the others and makes them such a fun faction to play, especially if you prefer a more military focused play style.

The Kel-Azaan are perfect for medium to aggressive players, as well as new adopters to Stellaris Nexus.



Whatboy Studio Director Dax sat down with Network Coder Callum to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the Kel-Azaan, and what players can expect when playing as them. You can find the discussion in the below video (which we'll keep unlisted on YouTube for now!):

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