Stellaris: Nomads makes exploration the heart of empire building

Stellaris: Nomads is available now, opening Stellaris: Season 10 with a new style of play built around travel, survival and discovery across the galaxy.

Rather than asking players to begin by claiming systems and settling planets, the expansion lets them lead a civilization that exists on the move. Nomadic Empires are designed around journeys between stars, with power coming from mobility, relationships and the routes they create along the way.

That shift gives Stellaris a stronger adventure focus. Players are no longer tied to a fixed homeworld in the usual sense. Instead, their society is carried aboard Arkships, which act as mobile capitals, population centers, industrial hubs and defensive strongholds.

Each Arkship class supports a different kind of voyage. Military Arkships are built for force projection, Scientific Arkships focus on research and discovery, and Civilian Arkships support industry and resource gathering. Together, they turn the empire itself into a travelling fleet rather than a static territory.

The wider galaxy also plays a larger role in nomadic play. The Wayline Network allows players to build Waystations and establish interstellar routes that can support their own people while also providing value to settled empires. Contracts add another layer, letting nomadic civilizations complete tasks for other powers in exchange for rewards such as resources, favor and influence.

Several new origins lean into the theme of life on the move. The Sacred Path follows pilgrims seeking ancestral holy sites, while Heirs of the Khan casts players as a displaced successor hunted by marauder forces. Forever Cruise focuses on tension aboard an Arkship divided between wealthy passengers and the crew keeping it running, while Voidfarers offers a more open-ended nomadic start.

The expansion also adds the Defender of the Galaxy Ambition, the Stellar Cannon megastructure, Champion’s Forge Live! fleet tournaments, new civics, the Wanderlust Ascension Perk, renowned nomadic paragons, tradition swaps and new music.

If you want to read all about the new expansion with further detail, you can view the full announcement here.