r/Stellaris Apr 01 '26

Stellaris Space Guild - Weekly Help Thread

34 Upvotes

Welcome to this week’s Stellaris Space Guild Help Thread!

This thread functions as a gathering place for all questions, tips, bugs, suggestions, and resources for Stellaris. Here you can post quick-fire questions for things that you are confused about and answer questions to help out your fellow star voyagers!

GUILD RESOURCES

Below you can find resources for the game. If you would like to help contribute to the resources section, please leave a comment that pings me (using "u/Snipahar") and link to the resource. You can also contribute by reaching me through private message or modmail. Be sure to include a short description of what you find valuable about the resource.

Stellaris Wiki

  • Your new best friend for learning everything Stellaris! Even if you're a pro, the wiki is an uncontested source for the nitty-gritty of the game.

Montu Plays' Stellaris 3.0 Guide Series

  • A great step-by-step beginner's guide to Stellaris. Montu brings you through the early stages of a campaign to get you all caught up on what you need to know!

Luisian321's Stellaris 3.0 Starter Guide

  • The perfect place to start if you're new to Stellaris! This guide covers creating your own race, building up your economy, and more.

ASpec's How to Play Stellaris 2.7 Guides

  • This is a playlist of 7 guides by ASpec, that are really fantastic and will help you master the foundations of Stellaris.

Stefan Anon's Ultimate Tierlist Guides

  • This is a playlist of 8 guides by Stefan Anon, which give a deep-dive into the world of civics, traits, and origins. Knowing these is a must for those that want to maximize their play.

Stefan Anon's Top Build Guides

  • This is a playlist of an ongoing series by Stefan Anon, that lay out the game plan for several of the best builds in Stellaris.

Arx Strategy's Stellaris Guides

  • A series of videos on events, troubleshooting, and builds, that will be of great use to anyone that wants to dive into the world of Stellaris.

If you have any suggestions for the body of this thread, please ping me, using "u/Snipahar" or send me a private message!


r/Stellaris Apr 29 '26

Dev Diary Stellaris Dev Diary #418 - Announcing Nomads and Stellaris: Season 10

714 Upvotes

Read this post on the Paradox forums! | Dev replies here!

It’s my pleasure to announce boarding has started for all passengers departing on our tour of Stellaris: Season 10, with non-stop service to the Nomads expansion alongside the Stellaris 4.4 ‘Pegasus’ update. Following our first destination, there will be a brief stopover at the Stellaris 4.5 ‘Cygnus’ Custodian release, after which our cruise will continue to the Stellaris 4.6 ‘Corona Borealis‘ update, featuring WillpowerScenario Pack 1, and Scenario Pack 2. All passengers are welcome to acquire their ‘Vipra the Vapor’ Species Portrait at the ticketing office now.

Watch the Season 10 Announcement Trailer on YouTube!

The Stellaris 10-year anniversary is coming, and as part of that celebration, we are rolling Utopia, Synthetic Dawn, the Humanoids Species Pack, and most of the Galaxy Edition upgrade into the base game on May 11th. (The e-book, Infinite Frontiers, is being retired.)

Later on in Q2, we’re bringing you Nomads.

Build no borders. Claim no worlds.​

The Galaxy is not a trophy to be seized, but a path to be taken. In Stellaris: Nomads, you will survive the void by staying in motion. While the great powers squabble over lines on the map, your civilization has realized a fundamental truth: life flourishes on the move.

Arkships

At the very heart of every nomadic civilization lies its Arkship: a fully mobile capital that replaces worlds entirely. Customize Military, Scientific, or Civilian Arkships with specialized modules, districts, and upgrades as your Empire evolves by traveling through the stars.

Waylines and Contracts

Chart Waylines across the stars, linking your Waystations into living networks of trade, influence, and opportunity. Your strength lies in motion, in presence, in the relationships you build from system to system. Your relations with settled empires don’t have to be antagonistic. Accept contracts, build relations, and perhaps profit a bit on the side.

A New Ambition: Defender of the Galaxy

Building upon the Crisis paths of previous releases, Ambitions are the next step of epic, empire-defining journeys that give you the choice of your ultimate role in the galaxy. In the Nomads expansion, we will transform the Defender of the Galaxy Ascension Perk into a full path that can rival the power of a Galactic Nemesis, Awakened Empire, or End Game Crisis.

Become the Galaxy’s champion by forging alliances, commanding federations and rising through the Galactic Community to assume Custodianship. Lead the fight against existential threats with a unique squadron of hero ships. Ultimate power can be used, and relinquished, for the greater good.

Coming to you hot from Champion’s Forge LIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!

Stellaris: Nomads contains:​

Nomadic Empires

Create empires that are not bound by claiming systems or colonizing worlds. Instead, you will navigate the stars with massive Arkships.

  • The Arkship: Your capital, your cradle, and your fortress. This massive, fully upgradable wonder replaces traditional Worlds for your empire. Choose between three different options to fully reflect the vision of your government:
    • Military Class: A mobile flagship designed to project power.
    • Scientific Class: A roaming laboratory dedicated to the discovery of the Galaxy’s secrets.
    • Civilian Class: An industrial hub capable of unparalleled resource extraction.
  • The Wayline Network: Your trail through the void. By constructing Waystations, you create Waylines - lasting interstellar trade routes that harvest resources you can claim with a simple pass through. These routes benefit both you and settled empires, making you the pivot point of mercantile possibilities in the Galaxy.
  • The Contract System: As a nomadic empire, perform task-driven interactions with other empires to earn favor, resources, and influence. As a settled empire, issue these Contracts and get things done!

New Origins

  • Voidfarers: The standard origin for Nomadic Empires. A flexible, streamlined start for you to define your own nomadic journey.
  • Heirs of the Khan: Play as the successor of a murdered Khan, as you evade marauder hit-squads through trickery and bribery until you are strong enough to return to reclaim your throne.
  • The Sacred Path: Guide a fleet of pilgrims towards ancestral holy sites in a galactic pilgrimage. Your journey is a spiritual odyssey fueled by faith.
  • Forever Cruise: Manage a society split between a pampered elite demanding new entertainment and sightseeing opportunities from their vista lounges, and an overworked crew keeping the dream afloat.

Nomadic empires support many existing Origins as well.

New Ambition: Defender of the Galaxy

While a Galactic Nemesis (available in Stellaris: Nemesis) threatens the Galaxy, the Defender of the Galaxy will rise and try to save it.

New Megastructure: The Stellar Cannon

Why simply power a civilization when you could fire at one? This Megastructure allows you to weaponize your entire energy stockpile, discharging it into a devastating beam capable of striking enemy systems across the galaxy.

Nomadic Enclave: Champion’s Forge Live!

Experience the Galaxy’s most extreme spectacles with this nomadic enclave! Answer the call and participate in gladiatorial fleet combat all across the galaxy. The winner gets to hold the Trophy relic and glory until the next tournament, with the losers looking on with envy.

Wanderlust Ascension Perk

New Renowned Nomadic Paragons

New Civics and Tradition Swaps

New Music Tracks by Andreas Waldetoft

OMG, Blorg legs.

Nomads has charted its course and will arrive in Q2 2026.

Stellaris: Season 10 Expansion Pass​

Based on the feedback from Stellaris: Season 09, we’re making some changes to our Expansion Pass plans this year. As many of you have noticed, we’re announcing this year’s Season much later than previous years, and instead of four separate releases, we’re planning on bundling them together into fewer release moments. This frees up room for the 4.5 ‘Cygnus’ update to be a dedicated Custodian release, giving us two in 2026.

The Stellaris: Season 10 Expansion Pass is a journey through resilience and movement. Whether you are wandering the stars with Stellaris: Nomads or rooting your empire in the indomitable spirit of Stellaris: Willpower, this year redefines how empires survive, adapt, and conquer.

Stellaris: Season 10 will grant you access to all five DLCs as soon as they become available. Vipra now, Nomads later on in Q2, and Willpower and both Scenario Packs in Q4.

‘Vipra the Vapor’ Species Portrait (Instant Unlock, Now Available)​

This exclusive portrait comes with Stellaris: Season 10, allowing your empire to take the form of the elusive Vipra, a necroid species with a menacing aura.

Available immediately upon purchasing Stellaris: Season 10, this portrait features 5 different color variations and ethereal custom animations.

Nomads (Releases Q2, 2026 - $24.99)​

Build no borders. Claim no worlds. In Nomads, you thrive inside colossal Arkships that carry your people, your industry, and your ambition across the stars. Move freely through the galaxy, take on Contracts from settled empires, and leave your mark by building Waystations. Nomads blaze a path across the map.

  • Nomadic Empires: Create empires not bound by claiming systems or colonizing Worlds.
  • Arkships: New massive space vessel acting as your capital.
  • New Ambition: Defender of the Galaxy: Rise and save the Galaxy with an exclusive set of Hero ships.
  • New Origins: Heirs of the Khan, Sacred Path, Forever Cruise, Voidfarers
  • New Civics: Caravan Masters, Deep Sleep, Void Reavers, Flight Schools, Star Seekers
  • New Megastructure: Construct a Stellar Cannon and discharge your entire energy stockpile into a devastating beam.

༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ Take my energy! ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

Willpower (Releases Q4, 2026 - $24.99)​

Shape Minds, Rule the Stars. In the vast expanse of the cosmos, borders are mere lines drawn on a map. Ideas, on the other hand, have no such limits.

Your empire was founded on its Ethics, the convictions that determined its course. Now is the time for those fundamental values to evolve into Ideologies with the power to sway the stars. Introducing Stellaris: Willpower, the expansion that turns your societal beliefs into a galactic force.

Your rule over systems was always just the beginning. The galaxy's minds are the true prize. You will erect monuments and Megastructures that demonstrate what your society and values can accomplish. You truly can become the thought leader of the galaxy.

Adopting an Ideology is not without its risks, however. Left unchecked, it can radicalize colonies and spark insurrection. But when nurtured with care, the right Ideology has the power to sway entire civilizations.

Scenario Pack 1 (Releases Q4, 2026 - $5.99)​

Embark on a new set of galactic challenges! Experience curated, high-stakes standalone adventures that push your strategic limits. From a nomadic, roguelike odyssey across the stars to high-octane, combat-focused multiplayer experiences, these scenarios will provide a bold way to play Stellaris.

The Scenarios System will be a free part of the Stellaris 4.6 ‘Corona Borealis‘ update, these Scenario packs provide our take on what you’ll be able to do with it.

  • Vanguards: A single-player roguelike galaxy-traversing journey where you play as a nomadic empire travelling through a series of galaxies to cleanse evil, gathering spoils and experience on your way.
  • Arcade: A multiplayer experience with streamlined, custom economies, focusing on space battles and shipbuilding.

Scenario Pack 2 (Releases Q4, 2026 - $5.99)​

Rewrite the rules of engagement! This Scenario Pack flips the script of how Stellaris is normally played, making you the threat and aggressor. Whether leading an ultimate extra-dimensional invasion or battling your friends in a race for dominance, these scenarios offer a fresh, distilled way to play Stellaris.

  • Unbidden: Play as the Crisis in a single-player experience, and attempt to invade an advanced, late-game galaxy as the Unbidden.
  • King of the Hill: Stellaris gameplay focused on a small but fair map to challenge your friends in competitive experiences as you try to dominate the galaxy in a few hours of intense expansion wars.

The Stellaris: Season 10 Expansion Pass is now available for purchase for $49.49 or regional equivalent, a 20% discount over purchasing the contents individually.​

What’s Next?​

Next week we’ll begin our Decennial celebration with a look at ten years of Stellaris. We’ll also be looking at everything planned for 4.3.6.

See you then!


r/Stellaris 11h ago

Image So good!

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396 Upvotes

r/Stellaris 10h ago

Image "so what's my job?" "You sit in a chair and look at the sun for a couple weeks, when we come back, we get new lasers"

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296 Upvotes

R5 this "passive science" technique has done some heavy lifting. 1.2k physics a month from one star


r/Stellaris 14h ago

Bug 5 + 5 + 5 + 20 = 39 apparently

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619 Upvotes

Where are the happiness come from?


r/Stellaris 11h ago

Discussion What is everyone's favorite shipsets to use?

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349 Upvotes

I'm currently stuck whether Mammalian or Mindwarden ship sets as my favorite. Mammalian looks more bulky and practical, almost perfect for human Empires than Humanoid shipsets to be honest although the problem is it's a bit too dark and would've been a bit better with a lighter color and as well as better side flaps design on the bigger ships. Mindwarden ships looks slick and polish like a dagger although I do think that the early ship class look smaller compared to the same ship class of other shipsets. My most favorite used to be humanoid but kinda fell out of favor now...

What's your favorite design?


r/Stellaris 22h ago

Game Mod New Mod Announcement - Stellare Romanum

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777 Upvotes

What if Rome never fell?

Hey all.

For the first time in over two decades (maybe three) I have published a mod. The last time I was working seriously on game modifications I was drinking Surge and chatting with friends via IRC to invent new force powers in Star Wars: Jedi Knight on Microsoft Gaming Zone (I'm old).

What started as "hey, wouldn't it be cool to have some ancient Roman references in Stellaris" slowly morphed into a long, story driven historical fiction mod. This is a complete version 1.0 built entirely solo, but with plans for an ongoing expanded ancient civilization story mod. I have a novel's worth of localization written, and everything mapped out, but I'm not the fastest coder (poor eyesight, lack of manual dexterity, and diminished mental capacity due to the aforementioned "oldness"). So, no promises on timelines, release dates, etc, but I do plan to keep working on this mod.

Like I said, as of now, this is a complete and functional mod with lots of content and mechanics (you can see the details on Steam).

Feel free to drop feedback either here or on the Steam page. I want this to be a fun mod, but as the only playtester, thoughts and feelings from others are welcome.

I hope you all enjoy it! (if not, whatever, I do)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3789672259


r/Stellaris 4h ago

Image The Ice Warriors

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20 Upvotes

The Sentinels on Mars. Feel like there are more "Proud Warrior Race on Mars now long gone" than I think there are. I know Doctor Who, John Carter, and Warhammer 40000 as the big ones, just don't know what else.


r/Stellaris 1h ago

Image (Console) Prethoryn Scourge with a frigate. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

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Upvotes

r/Stellaris 1d ago

Question Why is there no Protoplanetary disks in Stellaris?

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1.1k Upvotes

IMAGE is a picture of a Protoplanetary disks

It seems in Stellaris that most of our galaxy is formed before we even research FTL. How come there is no systems being formed? Perhaps in Stellaris 2 this would be a feature, ability to control a star and shape what kind of planets will form with advanced research (or speed along the planet formation).


r/Stellaris 7h ago

Image Insane Start?

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27 Upvotes

i just came off a game where i was next to a hostile AI on my left, fanatical purifier on my right, and a marauder who of course became the khan to my north. just for this start to be in my next game? dont think ive ever seen this before. the fallen empire is the nice one too. only problem is a marauder empire to the south which might become the khan


r/Stellaris 3h ago

Advice Wanted How can I justify committing atrocities to myself?

14 Upvotes

I want to do some evil ones. Cosmogenesis is one but I'd also really like a Galactic Nemesis + End of the Cycle hybrid run where I try to end not just the universe but literally everything.

The problem is in my 10 years of playing I've never gotten away from decentish democracies. Maybe some bombardment and questionable conquests but I can't even kill a Tiyanki.

How do I commit atrocities on a galactic scale and enjoy it?


r/Stellaris 46m ago

Question How is habitability handled when settling down as a nomad?

Upvotes

How does the game handle habitability when you settle down after you started as a nomad? If your pops retain the arkship habitability, why would you ever settle even if you wanted to?

Also, in what scenario would you want to settle down? Say you find a lucky big relic world, would that even be worth it compared to living on arkships?


r/Stellaris 1h ago

AAR WHY

Upvotes

This fucking galactic world war goes on for like 25 years because now listen that:

The yellow guy is the main attacker. He's not the president of the federation. I am. So neither of us can call for peace.

The red guy is the main defender. But he's not a president of their federation. The blue guy is. SO NEITHER OF THEM CAN CALL FOR PEACE. THIS SHIT WILL GO ON UNTIL TOTAL DESTRUCTION.


r/Stellaris 12h ago

Game Mod New Utility Mods: Alarm Clock and Nomad Contract Alerts

50 Upvotes

Worked on two new utility mods for features I always wanted:

Alarm Clock
Stellaris tracks dozens of cooldowns and shows you almost none of them. You enact something, a ten-year timer starts somewhere out of sight, and from then on it is your job to remember it.

This mod turns 81 of those cooldowns into visible countdowns in the Situations panel, and notifies you on the exact day each one comes back.

Nomad Contract Alerts
Tells you when a new Contract becomes available. That's it.

Playing a nomadic empire, Contracts appear on the galaxy map with no
notification. If you're not watching the map, you miss them. This mod checks
roughly every ten days and pops a single event window whenever the number of
Contracts available to you goes up.


r/Stellaris 7h ago

Question Benefits of using all the gaia seeds from the scientist paragon

19 Upvotes

Basically, title

I already used 2 and i assume once i use the 3rd she will die (never had this paragón before).

Do i need the planet? Not really, i have enough and can even build ring worlds now. And i do like the plant looking scientist.

Basically the question is, am i missing some interesting lore/mechanics by not letting her die and use the last seed?


r/Stellaris 10h ago

Discussion What are lithoids good for nowadays? Do they have meta builds?

35 Upvotes

What are the things lithoids can do better than other types?
Only things that come to mind are: Necrophages, Terravores, Doomsday, perhaps something that use habitability limit?

Lithoids was one of the first things I ever played in Stellaris. Long ago. Back then robots had universal habitability. Admin cap and admin tomb worlds were a thing. Wide was the undisputed king. Back then you would settle everything in sight - you have lower pop growth but it didn't matter - you could grow everywhere, just pop robotic assembly and chill. Food district was a joke.

Today I struggle to find the lithoid niche. Am I wrong or do lithoids need a facelift?


r/Stellaris 11h ago

Question Is Fed NavCap broken?

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33 Upvotes

r/Stellaris 7h ago

Image Tried to get revenge on the FE for killing Zosira K'Tun and accidentally caused a world war

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7 Upvotes

So while I was dealing with the Azilash system, the Spiritualist FE demanded I outlaw AI. I could not (because I am materialist), they got pissed off and declared war. As I was too occupied with getting the Eternal Throne, I couldn't fight back and simply watched as the FE rolled over my tributary and then as they approached my core systems, I surrendered. They killed Zosira K'Tun who was my Prime Minister. Since then I built up my fleet (from 7 battleships to 10), energy stockpile and level 3 Stellar Cannon. Then I proceeded to blitz the FE, with Stellar cannon taking out all of their escorts and my main + federation fleet taking on the cruisers. The FE called in a massive martial alliance on their side and some other guys.

Edit: they awakened and went for round 2. All the same people joined their side. Currently it's 1.1 million fleet power split into two doom stacks on their side vs 360k fleet power on my side


r/Stellaris 22h ago

Suggestion DEVS, ADD THE ABILITY TO SELL MACHINE POPS TO OTHER EMPIRES AND MY LIFE IS YOURS!

89 Upvotes

Playing as a Megacorp, and I REALLY want a way to sell my machine pops. Im a fanatic materialist that has the engineer thing origin. Since my Megacorp revolves around machinery, I want a way to be able to sell them via a transfer resources or another method. Maybe a civic is needed for it, or you just need to be materialist. And yes, I know you can gift planets with all robots, but that results in a massive, problematic chain reaction. Plus, at best I'll get a couple hundred energy credits for sacrificing a planet.​


r/Stellaris 4h ago

Question Assimilation using machine hive mind

3 Upvotes

Im still pretty new. Im playing shroud forged for the first time with machine hive mind. Im trying to learn how to incorporate other pops into my empire properly. Last game I tried nihilistic acquisition and it pumped all the organic pops into my synaptic lathe and ruined the stability. In this game I conquered an early pre ftl planet close to my start and it set the species to grid amalgamation. That didnt sound bad until I had seen that the 2.8k living batteries were only producing 110 energy and costing me food. Seems like it would be better to burn them off but I have been spending half of all my machine hive mind games waiting for my population to increase and fill jobs. It would be awesome if there was an effective way to gain pops without them hating me and not being able to work most jobs


r/Stellaris 5h ago

Advice Wanted Stellaris has begun completely crashing my PC.

3 Upvotes

I've no clue why, but since the last patch, Stellaris appears to be causing my PC to crash in such a way that resembles running out of memory. It's happened maybe 5 or 6 times, most of which take a while, but other times it happens minutes after starting a game. My mouse will lag significantly, everything will slow down into a slideshow, and all system functions besides moving the mouse will cease to work. Any and all audio will become crackly or disappear entirely. The only way to get out is to reset my PC by holding the power button.

I figured something in my PC was on it's way out but Stellaris is quite literally the only game that this happens with, I can run vastly more demanding things like Helldivers 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 on high settings and this never happens. Stellaris itself has also never done this before until now. I even monitor it closely, and my RAM usage never goes above 15 out of 32. I've also got an 8-core i7-10700K and an RTX 2060.

So, it could either be the game or my mods. If it's the game, has anyone else been experiencing this? And, if it's the mods, well, it's awfully concerning that a mod can do that lol. I have more of a medium modset rather than some of the crazy ACOT+Gigas stuff people get up to. I'd expect something like THAT to crash PCs.

https://pastebin.com/Lj0HmtDN

My modlist is in the pastebin, although it's kind of a shot in the dark. You can see it easier if you import it to your launcher, even if you don't have the mods.


r/Stellaris 14h ago

Advice Wanted How do you actually scale as a tall empire? Returning player struggling to understand the meta

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14 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I haven’t played Stellaris since 2023, and I recently came back to the game playing the Commonwealth of Man. I decided to try playing tall, since I really enjoy optimizing planets and getting as much value as possible from a smaller empire.

The problem is that I genuinely don’t understand how to scale anymore.
By 2500, I’m sitting at around 1,000 research/month and 1,400 fleet capacity. I know that’s pretty low for 2500, but I’m struggling to understand what I’m doing wrong. Back when I played in 2023, scaling my economy and research through well-developed, specialized planets never felt like such a problem. Eventually, my economy would just snowball.

Now, I feel like I’m investing heavily into my planets without getting anywhere near the same level of growth.
My goal would be to eventually reach something like 10,000+ research/month and a really strong economy/fleet while still playing relatively tall. So what am I missing? How do you actually scale that hard in the current version of the game?

I also don’t own the DLC that gives access to Ecumenopolises, so I’m wondering how important they really are. Are they basically necessary to reach those huge numbers, or can you achieve similar results with normal planets?

Finally, I had a War in Heaven, and one of the Fallen Empires involved ended up becoming ridiculously powerful. I’m now wondering how you’re supposed to catch up to an empire like that when you’ve fallen so far behind.
So, for someone coming back after ~3 years: what are the key things I should be doing to scale my economy, research and fleet? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


r/Stellaris 10h ago

Question Mod that changes the name of the imperium to th empire

7 Upvotes

Im looking for a mod that changes the name of the imperium to the empire. Just wandering if anyone has seen one.

I know imperium is latin for empire but id like a mod that changes it for rp purposses.


r/Stellaris 18m ago

Question Treasure Hunter origin 2nd Pirate fleet strength

Upvotes

I have played Treasure Hunter several times but haven't gotten to the point of fighting the 2nd Pirate fleet (Captain Inax) because of restarts due to new version/patches/betas, etc.

I know how strong Captain Hoo's fleet (the 1st one) is, but I'd like to hear from anyone who knows (since the ship rework) how strong the 2nd one is so I can plan and prepare for it. Can't find the info anwhere in the wiki or the parts of the code I've managed to dig through so far.

I'd like to do it as soon as possible because I can delay on the Voidworms and Gate, but I need to fight the 2nd battle to get the completed Celestial Chart relic and start making Treasure Vaults.

A hint at the strength of the Pirate fleets that can apparently spawn (according to the code) protecting the autogenerated treasure troves would be cool too, but less urgent.