Stellaris 4.3.6 "Cetus": Three Major DLCs Now Free in Base Game

Stellaris Turns 10: Paradox Gifts Founding DLCs to All Players

On May 11, 2026, Paradox deployed patch 4.3.6 “Cetus” for Stellaris — and this is no ordinary update. As part of the game’s 10th anniversary celebrations, three previously paid DLCs are now included directly in the base game for all PC players:

Utopia (2017) — megastructures, hive minds, ascension paths
Synthetic Dawn Story Pack (2017) — machine empires, synthetic rebellions
Humanoids Species Pack (2017) — 10 portraits, Clone Army origin, galactic skinset

These three DLCs collectively represented around $35-40 on Steam. In exchange, the base game price increases by approximately $10 (or local equivalent). For new players, the day-one experience is now dramatically richer.

Utopia: Hive Minds and Megastructures for Everyone
Synthetic Dawn: Machine Empires Enter the Base Game
Humanoids Species Pack
Other Cetus Patch Features
Price Impact and Existing Owners

Utopia: Hive Minds and Megastructures for Everyone {#h-utopia}

Utopia was consistently the first DLC recommended to any Stellaris newcomer since 2017. With Cetus, its features join the base game:

Megastructures: Dyson Sphere, Science Nexus, Deep Space Citadel — civilization-scale projects that span in-game decades
Orbital Habitats: artificial colonies orbiting any planet, invaluable for dense systems
Ascension Paths: three major routes (biological, synthetic, psionic) to fundamentally transform your species
Hive Minds: the most popular gestalt mechanic — your pops share a collective consciousness, bypassing politics and factions
Fanatic Purifiers, Indoctrination, Advanced Slavery: tools for the most aggressive empire builds

Synthetic Dawn: Machine Empires Enter the Base Game {#h-synthetic-dawn}

Synthetic Dawn (2017) introduced a radical alternative to organic empires: Machine Intelligence. Now accessible to all:

Machine Empire: a fully distinct empire type with its own population mechanics (robot pops don’t consume food or happiness), unique policies and narrative arc
Synthetic rebellions: your robots can revolt and form their own empire mid-game — one of the most memorable lore events in strategy gaming
Fallen Machine Empire: a unique late-game adversary with its own agenda
7 machine portraits and dedicated story events

For players drawn to transhumanist sci-fi or AI civilizations, this is one of the most distinctive offerings in the 4X genre.

Humanoids Species Pack {#h-humanoids}

Less mechanically transformative, Humanoids primarily enriches visual options and adds a few civics:

10 new humanoid portraits for species customization
Humanoid ship skinset with a distinct aesthetic
Clone Army (origin): start as a civilization born from genetically optimized soldier-clones, with unique constraints and advantages
Civics: Master Artificers, Pleasure Seekers, Pompous Purists — three additional governance orientations

Other Cetus Patch Features {#h-cetus-features}

Patch 4.3.6 goes beyond a simple bundle. Introduced progressively since the 4.3.0 open beta in late 2025:

Portrait Substitution System — a fully scriptable modding framework that automatically replaces portraits. The official application: an Arachnophobia Mode that substitutes arachnid species with alternative sprites. Fully open to the modding community.

Fleet Sliders — Advanced Galaxy Settings now include multiplier sliders for Naval Capacity and Command Limit (×0.5 to ×5). Build games with tiny skirmish fleets or titanic armadas as you see fit.

Economic Overhaul — the full 4.3 cycle flattened Stellaris’s economy, reducing exponential non-linear growth loops in favor of more deliberate management where each modifier matters.

Behemothkin Portrait — an exclusive portrait gifted to players connected to a Paradox account.

Price Impact and Existing Owners {#h-price}

The ~$10 base game price increase is real. For new players, the equation remains favorable: immediate access to the full experience (Hive Minds, Machine Empires, Megastructures) without additional purchases.

For existing owners of these DLCs: no refunds, but those DLCs were already in your library. The perceived value remains intact — and with Cetus, your base game now includes this content even on a fresh reinstall.

A Good Time to Start (or Return)

With Cetus, Paradox crosses a threshold: Stellaris is no longer a game you “buy then complete with DLC”. The base game alone now delivers the core of what makes Stellaris unique — the ability to build radically different civilizations, from Hive Mind to Machine Empire.

If you’ve been hesitating for years, patch 4.3.6 is a serious entry point. If you haven’t played in a long time, it’s a good reason to rediscover a galaxy that has changed enormously.

Going further: our top 10 best Stellaris mods 2026 and the complete console commands guide.