Stellaris: Shadows of the Shroud review – Frienemies from beyond

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When fantasy and science fiction collide, the results can be epic, especially when combined with the vastness of space. Stellaris: Shadows of the Shroud does just that, letting you command a space empire and tap into the abilities of powerful, otherworldly entities – the kind a warlock might deal with in Dungeons & Dragons. But because this is a large-scale strategy game, these powers aren’t limited to a single character; you could potentially destroy entire star systems with a single, devastating move.

While some elements existed in previous versions of Stellaris, the Shadows of the Shroud DLC significantly expands on the idea of mysterious, powerful entities. These beings, hidden beyond the Shroud, are now much more detailed and offer greater opportunities for interaction – if you’re brave enough to explore the unknown and develop your species’ psychic abilities.

Choosing this difficult route can earn you the favor of the Shroud’s most influential factions, granting significant advantages to your empire. However, the more you connect with the Shroud, the more its influence will spread, not just within your empire, but potentially to those around you. Your neighbors might not appreciate your dealings with these powerful forces, or the way the Shroud could affect their lands.

Those who support us have their own expectations, and to keep their support, we need to meet them. Each supporter has a personal sense of what’s right and wrong. If we follow their guidelines, they’ll continue to help, but if we upset them, they’re likely to withdraw their support.

Just as previous updates revamped the Synthetic, Cybernetic, and Biological Ascension paths, ‘Shadows of the Shroud’ overhauls Psionic Ascension. This rework makes the benefits of choosing this path more distinct and enjoyable, enhances the storytelling experience, and introduces a new ‘Shroud’ mechanic to further define the playstyle.

As a player, I’ve found that each of the Psionic patrons lets you build your empire’s psychic abilities in really different ways, which is awesome. But the Shroud… that’s a dangerous path. It hooks you with powerful upgrades, promising even more, but go too deep and you risk *becoming* the galactic threat yourself – basically, sacrificing everything to evolve into this crazy Shroud being. It’s a tempting power trip, but seriously, be careful!

Paradox Interactive consistently delivers on power fantasies, and ‘Shadows of the Shroud’ is another strong example. The mysterious Shroud is accessible in every game, regardless of which character origin you choose – which is fortunate, as I found the new origins to be surprisingly challenging to play effectively.

If you’re playing as a machine empire, the Shroud-Forged Origin lets you easily access and interact with the Shroud, but it comes at a steep economic cost. It turns a large portion of your population into a privileged, psionic elite who mostly just meditate, requiring a special resource to power their abilities. These citizens don’t contribute much to your economy and are actually more expensive to maintain. Progressing through this origin also involves exposing your planets to the Shroud, which can render areas uninhabitable and useless for production.

Because having too many standard units slowed down my progress in the event, I had to temporarily stop building them, which further damaged my economy. I went bankrupt at least once and was forced to watch helplessly as a massive space creature destroyed parts of my empire while I was trying to overcome a major obstacle.

It’s hard to say if the changes were worth it. While my species gained psionic abilities, I unlocked a powerful advancement path, and could quickly explore new areas, my empire was a mess. The economy was terrible, and I think the process of gaining these abilities broke something in the game. My planets were filled with thousands of citizens who weren’t assigned to any jobs, weren’t counted as unemployed, and just… existed, increasing costs without contributing anything.

Once nearby empires noticed my vulnerability and started wanting more land, the campaign ended, no matter how powerful my psychic abilities were.

The Mindwarden Origin presents a different kind of challenge. Unlike those interested in space magic, the Mindwardens are focused on one thing: completely eliminating the Shroud from the galaxy, which means facing powerful opponents. They do have unique abilities to help them succeed. And for players who enjoy a darker path, the Endbringers offer a doomsday cult with some interesting gameplay options.

The game also features a few new civilizations, and introduces mechanics like Secret Societies, letting players focus on espionage and intrigue.

Okay, so if you’re like me and really dig the idea of psionic powers – either using them or fighting against them – and you’ve played a decent amount of this kind of game, then Shadows of the Shroud is a no-brainer. It really expands on that whole concept in a cool way. But honestly, if that doesn’t really grab you, you can probably hold off and snag it when it’s on sale – no rush!

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2025-09-23 12:18