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The future of the galaxy is yours to shape.
Distant Worlds 2: Shadows Rising launches on October 7, 2026, introducing playable Pirates, the new Age of Shadows, Shadowports, smuggling, contracts, and much more. The free Command Update is available now, and you can already join the public beta for the new DLC.
Wishlist the DLC and sign up for the beta today: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app ... 2307827956

Thank for the new info and trailer. Looks great, lots of new stuff playing as a pirate. Looking forward to release.

On the Steam DLC page there are two images of pirate bases and ships. Posted below.

sofia12 wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2026 8:41 am Distant Worlds 2: Shadows Rising launches on October 7, 2026, introducing playable ...

I am not feeling it. My favorite DW2 youtuber absolutely hated the nomadic starts system, and I've honestly been full of fear to even try something like nomadic. The whole idea of playing as a pirate is confusing and I doubt a blurry 50s video on steam is going to convince me otherwise.

To be clear - pirates aren't necessarily nomads in this game. You'll have the option to play as a pirate faction or a lone pirate. Of the two, lone pirates are what you might consider more 'nomadic', but you only control a single ship with the option of later transitioning into a full pirate faction. Pirate factions have stations and infrastructure they have to maintain - they're just based in space compared to empire, which are planterary focused.

MaximKI wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2026 1:48 pm , but you only control a single ship with the option of later transitioning into a full pirate faction.

OK, here's the $15 dollar question. (it's about $15, right?) After buying this, am I limited to one super ship... what happens? Why is this more fun than the normal game?

kanliot2 wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2026 5:03 pm

MaximKI wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2026 1:48 pm , but you only control a single ship with the option of later transitioning into a full pirate faction.

OK, here's the $15 dollar question. (it's about $15, right?) After buying this, am I limited to one super ship... what happens? Why is this more fun than the normal game?

I think they are going for the Elite, X4, Eve Online, Privateer, Firefly, Free Trader Beowolf (Traveller) etc market of flying your ship around doing missions, as well as the "who needs planets" space station empire trope (Stellaris just added something like this in Nomads). Two for the price of one! They already have a "nomads looking for a home" refugee fleet covered (Battlestar Galactica). If you can play pirates in the age of the main game, it would also be similar to a hands off observer game. Alternately, start in the dark ages fighting the Hive, and you now have something fairly GrimDark from game start.

That being said, it's not really my cup of tea, I like my 4x... but the idea of being on the Settled System Empire side of this in the main game interests me, as it means Pirates are more than "buy star system maps for money until they join you for killing a Hive Carrier" and Minors are more than "bribe them till they join you (or conquer them instead)."

I just hope external missions are kept separate from internal missions so they don't step on each other.

Cool! Thanks!

Since I'm also presented with less valuable targets, do you know If the expansion will have weapon grouping or hold fire? Otherwise it seems like the low value targets tend to draw the sunday punches.