- This article is about the game expansion. For the game mechanics see first contact.
First Contact
First Contact is the 5th story pack for Stellaris. It was announced on 2023-01-17[1] and was released on 2023-03-14[2] alongside patch 3.7.
DLC features[]
You are not alone! The galaxy is vast and full of wonders, but it's also full of alien empires you're going to encounter, whether you're ready or not.
First Contact offers a set of new origins and mechanics that give players the chance to tell stories about their civilizations' early encounters with visitors from the stars — ones that may not have come in peace:
- New Origins
- Broken Shackles: You didn't take to the stars; you were taken to the stars as an alien captive! Now, you and your fellow prisoners have overtaken the ship and found yourselves banding together to survive and thrive as a diverse new community. Can you rise to greatness from this humble origin… and will your former captors take notice?
- Payback: No one would have believed your world was being watched keenly by intelligences greater than your own — until they invaded. But you did not go quietly into the night! Your civilization has repelled a would-be conqueror from space, and with sudden access to their advanced technology, you're about to discover just what else is out there beyond the stars!
- Fear of the Dark: As you've explored your home system, you've always suspected you weren't alone in the galaxy… especially when one of your planets suddenly suffered an “incident” a while back. A very large faction of your own people have long advocated against tempting fate out in the dark abyss of the unknown. What path will you choose as you find yourself needing room to grow?
- New Pre-FTL Interaction Options: What will your role be when the next member of the galactic community tells their origin story?
- New mechanics allow for a broader range of interactions with pre-FTL civilizations, depending on their level of technology and their awareness of your presence. Will your arrival be celebrated, or met with violent panic?
- Cloaking Technology: Nobody saw this feature coming!
- Equip your ships with cloaking devices to survey in secret or catch a foe unaware.
- Keep subtle tabs on your pre-FTL neighbors with cloaked observation posts.
- Just be sure your own scanners and intel are strong... you never know which of your neighbors might be lurking in the shadows!
Videos[]
Cinematic trailers[]
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Video diaries[]
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Dev diaries[]
- Main article: Developer diaries
All developer diaries about the First Contact story pack and patch 3.7 (aka Canis Minor).
- Patch 3.7 (Canis Minor)
| No. | Title and Link | Description | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Message from Minamar Specialized Industries | Teaser for patch and DLC | 2023-01-12 |
| 2 | Announcing First Contact | Announcement of First Contact story pack | 2023-01-17 |
| 3 | The Vision of First Contact | A summary of some features and why First Contact story pack comes out | 2023-01-19 |
| 4 | Broken Shackles | Introducing a new origin (Broken Shackles) | 2023-01-26 |
| 5 | Observation and Awareness | Observation events and interactions with pre-FTL civilisations in First Contact story pack | 2023-02-02 |
| 6 | Fear and Archaeotechs in First Contact | A new origin (Fear of the Dark) and changes to archaeological mechanics | 2023-02-09 |
| 7 | The Art of MSI | Art development of MSI (Minamar Specialized Industries) in First Contact story pack | 2023-02-16 |
| 8 | Payback and Insights | A new origin (Payback) and Insight technologies | 2023-02-23 |
| 9 | Hide and Seek | Cloaking & counter-cloaking systems and new low-tech civics | 2023-03-02 |
| 10 | We Have Contact (3.7.2 'Canis Minor' Patch Notes) | Preliminary changelog and new achievements for 3.7 | 2023-03-09 |
| 11 | First Contact is Out, What's Next? | Post-launch support for 3.7 and First Contact story pack | 2023-03-23 |
| 12 | 3.7.4 Released, and Concepts | Patch notes for 3.7.4, and preview of concepts tooltips coming in 3.8 | 2023-03-30 |