EDIT: Feb 17, 2023
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I somehow still play this game. I somehow still work towards all achievements. I somehow still enjoy the hours spent.

The game continues to change, and DLC continue to be released. Like all Paradox games, this is and will always be a point of contention for people. I'm of the opinion that not every DLC is necessary or even desirable, but Paradox has done a lot to ensure that the majority of DLC, including previously cosmetic ones, are worth the money.

I recommend that you play the base game first, see if you like the style. Utopia is the best DLC to grab once you're sure that you like the game. After that, go for Ancient Relics. If you want more diplomatic gameplay, pick up Federations. Megacorp and Synthetic Dawn add some really fun variant styles of empires that you can grab later.

Flavor wise Leviathans and Distant Stars are the top picks once you're satisfied with the core gameplay. Leave Overlord, Apocalypse, and Nemesis for once you're actually playing the late game regularly, they barely impact the early and mid game in a meaningful way.

Species packs are entirely optional, though they do add unique playstyles in addition to their portrait options. Still, that pales in comparison to the fantastic modding scene.

TL;DR: The game is still fun. You don't need all of the DLC. Enjoy the core offerings, the regular updates keep things fairly fresh. Also ♥♥♥♥ trying to 100% the achievements (I'm still going to do it)

EDIT: Jun 26, 2020
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It's been a while since I've updated this review. The game has changed in many ways since Apocalypse with revamped diplomacy and the galactic market systems. Lithoids added new racial mechanics to join Synthetics as unique play styles and there are new archaeology sites to excavate for relics and storylines. Origins give unique starts and all of these systems are open to modders to toy with.

All in all, Stellaris has shaped into a great 4X game emphasizing roleplay and modding. I still find myself going back to the game every few months to play a new idea for an empire. I've also jumped head first into the world of mods, expanding gameplay in a myriad of ways with More Events, new portrait sets and ship sets, improved AI, and more.

The game still has it's faults, specifically late game lag. 200 years into a game and things slow down significantly, though it has improved over some points of the game's life. This makes purging or using Colossus ships to erase inhabited planets improve performance quite a bit.

I don't know that I'll keep 100% completing achievements now that mods are eating most of my play time, but I can still fully recommend this game to those that are looking for a roleplay centric 4X game.

EDIT: Feb 25, 2018:
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Apocalypse has arrived and along with it the 2.0 update. The game has changed. A lot.

Hyperlanes are now the only FTL method with wormholes linking distant systems toegther and Gateways allowing instant jumps to other Gateways. Territory is no longer a blob nor a game of "guess how much territory you lose by removing a frontier outpost" and is instead a system by system claim. War is also changed. Star systems can have modifiers affecting combat and static defenses actually do something.

The updates have been controversial to say the least, but given the massive overhaul, I'd say that it's been almost entirely improvements. A few tweaks to war weariness and a few tweaks to the AI's understanding of galactic geography and you'll have a solid warfare system.

That said, the game still isn't challenging to me. How could it, with 1000+ hours of experience into how the AI acts. But that's okay, because this game provides you with plenty of opportunities to tell a story. Stories about how the Delta 255 Mobile Platform Director achieved galactic peace by putting the local Fanatic Purifiers in their own little bubble. Or how the Black Sun Imperium unified the galaxy against the Contingency with displays of overwhelming might and psionic powers pulled from the Shroud, only to doom the galaxy to the end of the cycle.

Stellaris is a great game with growing potential. Apocalypse adds some much missed Sci-Fi tropes and the 2.0 update is fantastic for future balancing. I have no doubt that Paradox will continue to support this game for many years and look forward to it's growth.

Still recommended.

EDIT: Aug 31, 2017:
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It's been a year and Stellaris has grown as a game considerably. The addition of Utopia bringing Traditions and Ascension perks make the early game a little more rewarding, while improving the late game via some really powerful perks. Countless balance changes have changed fleet compositions wildly, and new events make the game more flavorful than ever.

However. there is one big caveat. Unity, Traditions, and Ascensions highlight a huge issue with the AI. Namely that they have yet another way to fall behind. Due to suboptimal ship designs, horrible building prioritization, and the inability to keep Tradtions on track due to a lack of Unity production mean that a mildly competent player can run circles around even an "Insane" difficulty AI.

That said, do I still recommend Stellaris? For the most part yes. Stellaris will always shine as a roleplaying 4X before anything else. I look forward to further support for this game and will be aiming to 100% the game for the third time with the new expansion.


Original Review:
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Let's be clear. Stellaris is far from perfect. Tons of balance issues, a samey early game, a barren late game.

That said, Stellaris has a huge amount of potentional. If the game recieves half of the support that EUIV and CK2 have been given over the years, it'll possibly be the best Space 4X on the market.

Highly Recommened that you play with Hyperlanes only and optionally a mod to remove Jump Drives.