We both know why we're here, so let's dive right into it: Endless Space 2's next expansion is coming soon, and is called Supremacy. Endless Space's samurai chicken badasses have come home to roost, and they bring along some hard-hitting new stuff. Buckle up, we're going in.
NEW FACTION: THE HISSHO
The Hissho are back, ready to kick ass and take names!
Tempered by steel and battle, the Hissho evolved from avian ancestors on their Home Planet of Uchi. Focused on the constant wars between their own tribes, they lived ignorant of the different species roaming the galaxy until they were picked up by the Endless, augmented and then quickly put to the test as gladiators fighting in the decadent arenas of their new masters. How long this period of mindless slaughter for the pleasure of their overlords lasted, none of them could say, and of this bygone age only memories of slavery and exploitation remain, along with those of glory and adulation.
The Hissho are a military-oriented faction whose main gameplay feature is Keii (which translates to respect or deference). This new resource that can only be replenished through combat is used to power special abilities applied on Hissho fleets. It also drives their empire Obedience which replaces happiness and supersedes the Obedience of their star systems. Crushingly strong on the offensive, the Hissho will only fall if you cannot sustain your war economy and let your Keii wither away.
Powerful and versatile, Hissho fleets can easily switch between straightforward and devious loadouts thanks to numerous polyvalent slot modules capable of hosting both support and defense or attack modules. Loadout notwithstanding, they are a force to be reckoned with. It is said that Hissho fleets sometimes sacrifice their ships in suicide attacks when the odds are stacked against them and the stakes are high. Face them at your own peril...
BEHEMOTHS
The origin of the gigantic module platforms known as the Behemoth is shrouded in mystery: some say the ships themselves were built using Endless technology, others that they were found drifting in the depths of space, empty and silent. Whatever their true provenance, they are a boon to any faction building them, after completing a quest. Their versatility gives them plenty of uses, from mining to defense platforms to system-annihilating Obliterators, they start out strong, and additional research only makes them stronger!
FREE UPDATE FEATURE: GROUND BATTLE REVAMP & BATTLE RELICS
GROUND BATTLE REVAMP
In keeping with the Amplitude tradition, new stuff that you can buy comes with new free stuff! This time around, we've reworked the Ground Battle to make it more legible as far as player choices are concerned, and give players more choices to manage systems they conquer. This includes the visualization during the battle as well as the pre- and post-battle screens, shown below:
Settling here was a mistake, Riftborn scum...
Do we even want to take over?
SYSTEM RELICS
The relics system allows you to leave your mark on the galaxy, to acknowledge the actions of players and AI. Several game actions will be tracked and logged by the game when they happen, and will be displayed in scan view of different entities:
- Big Space battles will generate "Debris fields" on Systems, indicating who took part, who won, and the scale of forces
- Assimilating a minor faction will generate a "Pre-galactic civilization" marker on the planet where the assimilation took place
- Destroyed Pirate lairs will generate a "Crashed Pirate Lair" marker on the planet on which they were destroyed
- Big Ground battles will generate "Devastated No-man's Land" on a planet on which they took place
All of these have a chance to trigger anomalies or explorable curiosities on the concerned planets...
And of course, the usual fixes and improvements! The full changelog will be posted once the update is live.
WHEN CAN I GET THIS?
- This will be available next week on August 2nd.
- Endless Space 2 Supremacy with the discount is available HERE for pre-order for 11.69 € /$ 11.69 / £ 9.89 (-10%)
- A bundle of both Endless Space 2 Supremacy & Endless Legend Inferno (HERE) is available for pre-order for 20.78 € /$ 20.78 / £ 17.58
We're very happy with how Supremacy has turned out and hope you will be, too! What are you looking forward to the most?