12
32-
Here we have it, the Stellaris DLC ranking of the top 10 best expansion packs for the game. Initially launched back in 2016, the base game Stellaris has become one of the most ubiquitous space-faring 4X strategies on the market over the past six years. Not only is it arguably the crown jewel of Paradox Interactive, but it's also an impeccable strategy game in general. One that makes good use of just about every sci-fi trope under the sun, leveraging it to allow you, the player, to build out your interstellar empire just the way you want.
This, however, wouldn't have been possible had Paradox not kept working on the game over all these years. Indeed, with almost 20 disparate pieces of DLC available for Stellaris, the developer, and the publisher have both invested much to make this game as good as it is. That said, not every DLC is a must-have, and today, we aim to help you on this front.
READ MORE: The Best Paradox Interactive Games of All Time
What kinds of Stellaris DLC are there?
There are three different types of Stellaris DLC for you to consider:
- DLC/X-PAC
- Story Pack
- Species Pack
As you may or may not know, Stellaris has just received its all-new Toxoids Species Pack. Species Packs are relatively small offerings that add new creatures, civilizations, origins, and civics to the mix, allowing players to customize their budding empire just the way they want. These are all equally interesting and entirely preferential: Some players may prefer to create a civilization of sentient interstellar trees; others may be into aquatic creatures instead. There's no right or wrong answer as to which kind is best, simply choose the type of alien civilization you enjoy the most!
For this article, however, we're most interested in Story Packs and full-fledged DLCs than Species Packs, as these will make the chunk of your Stellaris gameplay loop.
Specifically, DLCs add massive, sprawling new feature sets to the base game, like building megastructures and introducing indoctrinal philosophies to bring about a utopian society. Story Packs, on the other hand, are all about increasing the amount of variety and sheer content present in the game. These two types of DLC are our main considerations for this article!
What Stellaris DLCs Are Best? Top 10 Stellaris DLCs:
#10: Leviathans Story Pack
The planet-sized space whale trope is, for some, one of the most fascinating ideas in all of sci-fi. If that rings true for you, too, you shouldn't miss out on the Leviathans Story Pack. This DLC adds a whole roster of dangerous new titans for civilizations to contend with. From moons cracking open to reveal incubating horrors to fallen empires seeking tribute after long eons in hibernation, there's not a side-quest to complain about here.
#9: Distant Stars Story Pack
Another major narrative-based DLC for Stellaris, this one combines some of Leviathan's own features (such as the existence of spacefaring behemoth fauna) with a host of other features. New anomalies, a mysterious gateway network, and a conspiracy that stretches across the stars - a perfect match for almost every Stellaris fan. Especially fans of the exploration phase of the base game, which let's face it, is probably all of us!
#8: Overlord X-PAC
This comprehensive DLC is all about control and the vassalization of entire galaxies. Perfect for players that want (or need!) to unite everyone and everything under their umbrella. Will you create Specialist Empires to serve specific purposes for you? Is military conquest simply passe? No worries, Overlord gives you more tools for total and absolute control than ever before, from brutal subjugation to peaceful coexistence. As long as it's all under your control, of course.
#7: Ancient Relics Story Pack
Ancient Relics is all about cherishing that which came before. History and lore buffs need to apply, as this DLC goes deep into the core lore of Stellaris and of some of its oldest Relic Worlds and Relic Civilizations. Indeed, if you'd like to make good use of history to further your own burgeoning empire, then Ancient Relics is the way to go.
#6: Federations X-PAC
Do you fancy yourself a political mastermind, by chance? If so, the Grand Federations expansion pack will be your best choice. It is one of the most widely acclaimed DLCs for Stellaris simply because it adds an incredible array of options for dealing with threats both physical and ideological - without resorting to outright violence. On top of that, this DLC introduced the concept of empire origins, which allows players to flesh out their empires' backstories for maximum effect.
#5: MegaCorp X-PAC
With the MegaCorp DLC, you have the opportunity to turn all of the known universes into a hyper-capitalist dystopia-- sorry, utopia, in one fell swoop. Become a budding CEO of an interstellar hyper-corporation. Establish immense city worlds and, perhaps, an occasional galactic slave market. Build megastructures that dwarf entire moons. Really, the world's your oyster with this one.
What's more, the accompanying free patch of the DLC rewrites parts of the game completely (as did the 2.0 update), with the premium features providing a nice add-on on top of that. If you like the idea of making a lot of money, then this really is for you.
#4: Synthetic Dawn Story Pack
Arguably the best narrative-based DLC Stellaris has to offer, Synthetic Dawn is basically a Species Pack and a Story Pack all at once. Robots! Digitalization! AI! The rise of the machine threat, and the potential destruction of all organic life! Except, this time around, it's you who is in control of the machine threat in the first place.
#3: Nemesis X-PAC
Sometimes, you just need to go on a spree and burn down entire galaxies. Right? Well, Stellaris lets you do exactly that with the Nemesis expansion pack, which tasks players with turning into a right and proper interstellar menace. It's a perfect match for those who saw Mass Effect's Reapers or, perhaps, Destiny's Darkness and thought that the bad guys might actually have a point!
It also adds more features for the Espionage system. The Espionage system may not be the coolest system the game has to offer, but it can come in handy when plotting galactical domination, if that's your thing!
#2: Apocalypse X-PAC
The Apocalypse DLC works perfectly when installed alongside the Nemesis DLC. Why? Well, the answer is simple: it's a redefinition of Stellaris's admittedly kludgy combat mechanics. The expansion provides a substantial array of new apocalypse-class combat implements to the player, making it oh-so-easy to blow up a planet every now and then. Y'know, just to keep the rest of your empire in check.
#1: Utopia X-PAC
Sick and tired of playing the villain? Had enough of constant interstellar warfare? For many players, Utopia is the pinnacle of Stellaris's DLC roster, which is kind of funny as it was also the very first major X-PAC the game had ever received. From stealthy indoctrination mechanics all the way to truly democratic governmental implementations, this is the way to go if you just want your people to prosper.
The Ultimate Stellaris DLC Ranking
To summarize, then, we rank Stellaris DLC like so:
- #1: Utopia
- #2: Apocalypse
- #3: Nemesis
- #4: Synthetic Dawn
- #5: MegaCorp
- #6: Federations
- #7: Ancient Relics
- #8: Overlord
- #9: Distant Stars
- #10: Leviathans
If you're going to be buying these DLCs, this is the rough order to purchase them in!
Which Stellaris DLC Will You Get?
So, do you agree with our Stellaris DLC ranking? Disagree? It may be worth pointing out that we did a similar guide for some of Paradox Interactive's finest strategy games of all time. There, too, we featured many of the same Stellaris DLCs, and we drew them up from community forums, gaming subreddits, and other public media, which is a recommendation in its own right.
Whether you like them at a glance or not, we're absolutely positive that any of these DLCs will add heaps more replayability to your Stellaris build. The extent to which some of them expand the base game is downright unprecedented. By the time you're done with your desired upgrades, Stellaris may well play like a completely different strategy title!
And, really, that's the beauty of Paradox's work. Their long-term additions to the core gameplay formula always add something valuable and interesting to the mix. Depending on your preference, of course, you may end up choosing Apocalypse over Synthetic Dawn, but both of them are phenomenal additions to the gameplay loop. So, you can't lose no matter which X-PAC you choose!
Get in the Game ! 
