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Stellaris for PC is a 4X real-time strategy game: 4X meaning explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate which refers to the actions taken by the characters in order to achieve the aims of the game, whether they are gathering valuable resources, claiming new territories, or simply kicking enemy butt. About the Game There are eight species from which the player can choose, and the strategic thinking should be applied right from the start. Some species are better with some pathways than others: for example, warlike races are unlikely to make good spiritual pacifists just as ethereal beings are unlikely to be able to swing a hefty weapon with any great authority! See more about the races below. The player joins their species of choice very shortly after the invention of faster-than-light (FTL) travel has dramatically expanded their options. You can choose to be a peaceful explorer, sharing resources and information as you go, or you can be completely blood-thirsty, besting every other being you come across. Whichever way you choose to play, there are pathways to be followed: from building military might to learning farming skills, to playing politics in order to get what you need. For example, you can land on a new planet and take their resources by force, or you can form an alliance or bartering system to get hold of those resources peacefully. Amongst the pathways to be followed and expanded there is science, construction and vehicle building, all of which can help you no matter how militant or pacifist you have decided to be. Technology is Available: For Some! AI and robotic technology is available, but if you are a pacifist and spiritual species you will not be able to enjoy these. Instead, landing on any planet that already has this technology will see it being dismantl