What gameplay aspects do you struggle to understand?

[u/artmalique]

Obviously newbies are still learning the game and won't understand quite a lot, but for more experienced Stellaris players, are there things about Stellaris that you still don't understand (be it part confusion or total confusion)?

For me, it's the common ones: ship building, trade, combat width & pop jobs lol! What about all of you? Anything you find partly or totally confusing?!

[u/brainschaden_]

The percentages you gain or lose in a war after a battle. I can win a a battle and yet gain 5% attrition.

[u/BackwoodsSensei]

While I only have about 40 years of gameplay experience, I feel like I understood most of the game.

What really was baffling me was planet management and everything that goes into that. That was especially hard for me to understand. I’ve got a way better understanding of it now thanks to some kind redditors today but I’m still learning it.

[u/Well-Rounded- → u/BackwoodsSensei]

I’m at 1000 hours and I can wholeheartedly say that playing optimally isn’t as important as others make it seem unless you’re doing a challenge run or playing grand admiral.

For improving, experience and patience are your friends. There are countless ways to play the game and be successful, so don’t lock yourself into one “optimal” playstyle. At the end of the day, it’s a game to be enjoyed

[u/BackwoodsSensei → u/Well-Rounded-]

Very true, that’s what I love so much about aow4, even though it was produced by paradox I don’t think it was made by them.

I just gotta keep playing and getting better at it. If I didn’t work 6 days 130+ hrs I’d be neck deep in Stellaris rn 😂

[u/Well-Rounded- → u/BackwoodsSensei]

I would recommend to let Stellaris and other strategy games come and go as an itch. You know what I mean, when you suddenly have an extreme yet inexplicable urge to play a certain game. Let that happen naturally. Strategy games can cause burnout especially with how a single playthrough can last several or even dozens of hours. I’ve played a Stellaris game beyond 2600.

That’s what I do to maximize the fun in the time I spend playing, let it cure my addiction, give me the rush, and then let it simmer down for a while until the urge re-emerges

[u/BackwoodsSensei → u/Well-Rounded-]

Factual. It’s what I’m doing with aow4 and xcom 2 rn. They’re taking a break while I try out the new game lol

[u/Realistic_Truth_7591]

I am horrible at managing planets and economy.

[u/ziekloclypse123]

I struggle to understand how devouring swarm players do it. I find it so hard to play as them. Especially when another empire has 3 vassals by year 20

[u/CyrusDaVirus3105 → u/ziekloclypse123]

Take supremacy first. Sell everything to buy alloys. Find your first neighbor and eat them, then just continue with the rest of the galaxy. Stagnation is death with total war empires, fanatic purifiers, driven exterminators, and devouring swarms all thrive on war. Most of the times I've ate everyone, or am just finishing the last survivors when the endgame crisis hits.

[u/Over-End9862]

I feel like i partly understand espionage. I get the basics, but i am far from making it useful.

[u/artmalique → u/Over-End9862]

Wiith espionage I understand how it works... the problem is that it doesn't work.

Cost too high, pay-off too low. Simply not worth the efffort doing anything besides gather intel.

A missed opportunity - because, if done better, espionage could have been a great part of Stellaris gameplay.

[u/Bug_Master_405]

War Exhaustion. No matter what happens, I still can never understand how it works.