Version

This article is timeless and should be accurate for any version of the game.

This article is about the game expansion. For the game mechanics see first contact.

First Contact

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Type

Story pack

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Release date / Patch

2023-03-14 / 3.7

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Store: Story pack

Paradox / Steam

First Contact is the 5th story pack for Stellaris. It was announced on 2023-01-17 and was released on 2023-03-14 alongside patch 3.7.

DLC features

You are not alone! The galaxy is vast and full of wonders, but it's also full of alien empires you're going to encounter, whether you're ready or not.

First Contact offers a set of new origins and mechanics that give players the chance to tell stories about their civilizations' early encounters with visitors from the stars — ones that may not have come in peace:

• New Origins
  • Broken Shackles: You didn't take to the stars; you were taken to the stars as an alien captive! Now, you and your fellow prisoners have overtaken the ship and found yourselves banding together to survive and thrive as a diverse new community. Can you rise to greatness from this humble origin… and will your former captors take notice?
  • Payback: No one would have believed your world was being watched keenly by intelligences greater than your own — until they invaded. But you did not go quietly into the night! Your civilization has repelled a would-be conqueror from space, and with sudden access to their advanced technology, you're about to discover just what else is out there beyond the stars!
  • Fear of the Dark: As you've explored your home system, you've always suspected you weren't alone in the galaxy… especially when one of your planets suddenly suffered an “incident” a while back. A very large faction of your own people have long advocated against tempting fate out in the dark abyss of the unknown. What path will you choose as you find yourself needing room to grow?

• New Pre-FTL Interaction Options: What will your role be when the next member of the galactic community tells their origin story?
  • New mechanics allow for a broader range of interactions with pre-FTL civilizations, depending on their level of technology and their awareness of your presence. Will your arrival be celebrated, or met with violent panic?

• Cloaking Technology: Nobody saw this feature coming!
  • Equip your ships with cloaking devices to survey in secret or catch a foe unaware.
  • Keep subtle tabs on your pre-FTL neighbors with cloaked observation posts.
  • Just be sure your own scanners and intel are strong... you never know which of your neighbors might be lurking in the shadows!

Videos

Cinematic trailers

First Contact: Release Date Announcement Trailer. First Contact offers a set of new origins and mechanics that give players the chance to tell stories about their civilizations’ early encounters with visitors from the stars — ones that may not have come in peace!

First Contact: Announcement Trailer. You are not alone! The galaxy is vast and full of wonders, but it’s also full of alien empires you’re going to encounter, whether you’re ready or not.

Video diaries

First Contact: The Art of MSI. Ever expect to see the phrase "Corporate Vaporwave" in a Dev Diary? MSI's style is what concept artist Lloyd Drake-Brockman calls "a combo of bright neon, classical architecture & modern corporate sensibilities."

First Contact: Origin Highlight - Fear of the Dark. Do our devs Iggy and MrCosmogone have a phobia that something's always there? Or are they just finding new uses for minor artifacts?

First Contact: Pre-FTL Observation. How will you to observe, research, and affect pre-FTL civilizations.

First Contact: Origin Highlight - Broken Shackles. Let's band together with Stellaris content designer CGInglis as he takes us through the beginning of the Broken Shackles origin.

First Contact: The Vision. Stellaris' game director Eladrin talks about the team's vision for the First Contact story pack.

Dev diaries

Main article: Developer diaries

All developer diaries about the First Contact story pack and patch 3.7 (aka Canis Minor).

Patch 3.7 (Canis Minor)

No.	Title and Link	Description	Date
1	A Message from Minamar Specialized Industries	Teaser for patch and DLC	2023-01-12
2	Announcing First Contact	Announcement of First Contact story pack	2023-01-17
3	The Vision of First Contact	A summary of some features and why First Contact story pack comes out	2023-01-19
4	Broken Shackles	Introducing a new origin (Broken Shackles)	2023-01-26
5	Observation and Awareness	Observation events and interactions with pre-FTL civilisations in First Contact story pack	2023-02-02
6	Fear and Archaeotechs in First Contact	A new origin (Fear of the Dark) and changes to archaeological mechanics	2023-02-09
7	The Art of MSI	Art development of MSI (Minamar Specialized Industries) in First Contact story pack	2023-02-16
8	Payback and Insights	A new origin (Payback) and Insight technologies	2023-02-23
9	Hide and Seek	Cloaking & counter-cloaking systems and new low-tech civics	2023-03-02
10	We Have Contact (3.7.2 'Canis Minor' Patch Notes)	Preliminary changelog and new achievements for 3.7	2023-03-09
11	First Contact is Out, What’s Next?	Post-launch support for 3.7 and First Contact story pack	2023-03-23
12	3.7.4 Released, and Concepts	Patch notes for 3.7.4, and preview of concepts tooltips coming in 3.8	2023-03-30