Stellaris developers are not yet ready to release the final version of update 4.5, but have sent the eighth preliminary version to public beta. The patch significantly changes the way factions work and populace behavior, while correcting a long list of bugs.
The main change is a redesign of popular moral transitions: transitions between faiths now occur more frequently, but the changes themselves become less drastic. The fleshing out of factions instead slows down, while the influence of moral appeal grows. Pops also now leave inactive factions immediately instead of waiting for monthly updates. To speed up the system, developers have added compute caching, which should have a positive impact on performance.
We have not forgotten artificial intelligence. Empires are now better at specializing city worlds, will not build research and industrial buildings without adequate infrastructure, and are less likely to build unnecessary colony ships. Additionally, the patch fixes dozens of issues – from incorrect megastructures and diplomacy interfaces to stuck assimilation vassals and morality generation bugs.
The interface features new faction icons and indicators that support changes, as well as improved tooltips and clickable areas. Changes for modders have also been added, including new faction attraction options. The final version of Stellaris 4.5 is still in development.