Public Beta 1.3.6.6 Now Available

[SlizInez]

Hi everyone,

Please try this new beta and let us know if it helps your game. We encourage you to start a new game as there may be changes that only take effect upon starting a new game.

To facilitate frequent beta iterations as needed, this beta is only available for now on Steam and GOG. All Matrix customers also have a free Steam key available (through your My Page) which can be activated if desired to install DW2 via Steam and test this Beta there.

On Steam, you can switch to it by going to Distant Worlds 2 in your Steam Library, right-clicking on it, choosing Properties -> Betas -> then choosing the latest beta branch from the drop-down list and allowing Steam to update your game. If it updates correctly, you should see the latest beta version listed as your version in-game on the bottom right.

On GOG, you can switch to it by going to Distant Worlds 2 in your GOG Library, selecting Distant Worlds 2, then clicking on the button next to "Play" that looks like two horizontal lines with small offset circles, choosing Manage Installation -> Configure then picking the latest Beta from the Beta channels drop-down list and allowing GOG to update.

The Core game engine has been upgraded to use newer versions of Stride and .NET. We now include .NET in the game executable, so no additional external .NET redistributables are required.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you still experience crashes with 1.0.6.4 or later, especially crashes in battle, please try the new DXVK rendering option in the game settings. This can be found under "Rendering Mode", which can be switched from DirectX 11 to DXVK. DXVK is only guaranteed to work with the SDR (Standard Definition Rendering) option in your game settings. It may work with some HDR (High Definition Rendering) settings, but we do not advise trying those at this time. The DXVK option will likely resolve many issues caused by driver bugs or incompatibilities.

If you try this setting and the game does not launch, please note the command line option in the changes below to switch back to DirectX 11. (To force DirectX on launch, add --use-dx11 as a command-line argument to DistantWorlds2.exe).

Changes in 1.3.6.6 (July 30th, 2026):

GALAXY MAP
- updated Empire Territory shader (Galaxy map) to use more subtle alpha-blending of flag images.
- further refinements to empire flags in galaxy territory map: reduced maximum size of flags within each territory area, flags now only show when zoom out to level where system badges disappear, added options in game settings to control: On, Off or only on when Diplomacy overlay is active

USER INTERFACE
- added new filter option in New Research Locations list: 'All - including foreign occupied'. This option includes all known research locations that your empire has not exploited yet (even when another empire has built a research station at the location). This allows you to target and take over foreign research locations

CONTRACTS
- ensure do not offer contracts to acquire artifact for independent colony when they already have the artifact
- ensure do not offer contracts with 2 rewards of the same type

INDEPENDENT COLONIES
- greatly reduced level when independent colonies decide to become space-faring empires (lower population and development required), thus happening sooner in the game
- independent colonies that transition to space-faring empires get a significant boost from a Population Boom event that lasts for several years, greatly increasing rates of population growth, happiness and development
- ensure independent colonies always have at least one luxury resource if the planet type allows
- increased resource consumption rate for independent colonies

BOARDING AND RAIDING

- reduced default ship/base defence values for boarding by 50%
- made ship/base boarding battles more random, less dependent on overwhelming forces
- added chance for base raids to end before all attackers or defenders are wiped out,
i.e. the raid completes early. Raid success influenced by ratio of attackers and defenders when raid completes
- reduced resource amounts gained from raids
- reduced chance of full tech breakthroughs from raids
- colony raids now less likely to damage facilities at the colony

EVENTS
- now prevent a faction from acquiring an abandoned ship or base when they have untriggered events that the faction cannot trigger. This shouldn’t affect current storylines, but is a necessary update to support upcoming development.

SHIP MOVEMENT
- slightly increased ship turn rate when stationary or slow

PIRATES
- reduced build rate for pirate ships

ZENOX
- fixed some minor typos in the Zenox dialog textbuild rate for pirate ships

[Xmudder]

- greatly reduced level when independent colonies decide to become space-faring empires (lower population and development required), thus happening sooner in the game

If we are going in this direction, can we please get some better vasslilzation / diploannex mechanics? Too many minor empires clogs up the game map (and game engine) and makes them easy prey for the return of the Shakturi storyline monsters.

Better vassilization / diploannex would also help pie rats vassalize planets while remaining pie rats, and allow majors to diploannex pie rats one at a time, instead of en masse when a hive carrier is killed.

And can we please buy colony ships from other empires filled with their citizens to colonize in our territory? Perhaps gated behind a vassilization or migration treaty?

I forget if I ever posted my request for a refugees welcome / population smuggling / slave trading mechanic.

[Parrius]

I have to agree and second this! These are great ideas and would be fantastic additions to the game especially with independents becoming empires over time. It would be great to be able to vassalize them. Right now as it stands, they sometimes become full empires right in the middle of my territory and I have to invade them. It would be a good option to be able to diplomatically annex them before they become full empires. At least if they are within your sphere of control. I would also love the return of the trade sanction mechanics from DWU. Trade sanctions made the economic game much more robust.

Better vassalization / diploannex would also help pie rats vassalize planets while remaining pie rats, and allow majors to diploannex pie rats one at a time, instead of en masse when a hive carrier is killed.

And can we please buy colony ships from other empires filled with their citizens to colonize in our territory? Perhaps gated behind a vassilization or migration treaty?

I forget if I ever posted my request for a refugees welcome / population smuggling / slave trading mechanic.

[Xmudder]

- greatly reduced level when independent colonies decide to become space-faring empires (lower population and development required), thus happening sooner in the game

Really not enjoying this in my new game under 1.3.6.6 Makes the whole "how many AIs do you want" choice at game creation superfluous, there are no where near enough ambassadors to go around, and now I am considering reducing the number of independent colonies at map creation. And it takes forever to get an invasion fleet together to conquer them, given how the troop transports have to wander around picking up units and how slow units are to build. All the OPMs hate me, because I am so much bigger and more powerful then them.

Suggestion: make this a option at game start. One planet minors evolving into majors? Never / Early (easy) / middle (normal) / late game (hard). Put it on the start new game - colonization screen alongside minor frequency.

[Xmudder]

2 hang and crash without error logs with 1.3.6.6 so far.

edit: happened a third time, 2/3 times it happened when I tried to save my game, 2/3 times it happened after government change. Damnit, I liked my Securan Expansionist Organized Engineer leader - which is why I tried to save the game once she got Engineer.

edit2: reloaded, she became an engineer. Game later suffered a severe slowdown, so i tried to save, and it hung on me.

[Eagle2046]

Whereis the link to download Patch 1.3.6.6 ? I must be blind because I don't see it. Thanks.

[Xirael]

Game freezes on manual saves and also, I believe, on autosave (after a few successful saves; saving is a gamble). But I cannot be sure, because, as I said, it just freezes and the only option is to kill the process, so no crash log.
I never had that problem with any builds before.

[Buio]

Beta 1.3.6.6 seems to start freezing a bit into the game as others mentioned. Done it in both games I've tested as Mortalen. Around 2790-2800 for me.

[MaximKI]

Whereis the link to download Patch 1.3.6.6 ? I must be blind because I don't see it. Thanks.

We release public betas only on Steam and GOG. If you're looking for an installer download for standalone - we will have one ready, once we release this cycle of updates as an official update.

[MaximKI]

@Buio @Xirael, we've received several reports of performance issues on this build. We'll investigate.