There was a curious lack of a thing called Pluto (planet, dwarf planet. I played the humans (or the United Nations of Earth) because they were the first ones to pop up on the screen, and because being in our own galaxy increased my accessibility. Don't know what you're doing in Stellaris? You'll figure it out. Don't know what you're doing in a city sim game? Good luck not going bankrupt before I finish this sen. Stellaris is the type of game that let's you fumble around for a few hours without ruining you. Then you'll realize that there are other systems just like yours who are also trying to expand and conquer, and before you know it, you'll have double-digit hours logged and still have the sneaking suspicion that you've hardly cracked the surface.īut you'll still be playing. You'll ask yourself how to upgrade your ships, and you'll find the answer. You'll figure out that you don't necessarily need a Frontier Outpost to build orbital stations. Then you'll realize that there's still so much to learn. You'll learn what to buy with your minerals. You'll learn about producing and upgrading structures on the planet surface. You can make the greatest game in the world, but if it's hidden behind impossibly convoluted gameplay with no reasonable 'in,' then no one will ever play it. This is fundamental stuff, but it's also the most important. With the aforementioned tutorial settings, it walks you through the various scenarios in a way that feels organic, without cramming a game's worth of information down your throat and saying 'have at it.' That's why tutorial videos aren't really going to help you if you don't already know what you're doing. I was surprised how easily I took to Stellaris after convincing myself that I wouldn't and couldn't. The success of Paradox's latest comes down to accessibility. All I know is that I had to pry myself away from the game to do even simple things like eat and sleep, let alone write this review. Its addictive nature and entertainment value are much harder to quantify. Sure, Stellaris stacks up in all the measurables-it's the prettiest and the deepest, and it wasn't marred by any serious technical issues, which is becoming a novelty nowadays-but it's the intangibles that really separate Stellaris from the pack. Just play, and ramp the tutorial settings up to 'blithering idiot,' which you fucking are.ħ. Doubt your existence as a game reviewer.Ħ. Watch tutorial videos before getting lost five minutes in.ĥ.

How to play stellaris for beginners