v1.42 Faith and Fire Update Now Available
Get Sins II Now
The latest update for Sins of a Solar Empire II, titled "Faith and Fire," is here, and it’s packed with intriguing new features and gameplay enhancements. This month, players can look forward to the introduction of new population orbital structures across all three factions, designed to boost immigration and population growth on planets.
For Advent players, a significant balance overhaul accompanies the update, along with a fresh planetary Focus track to invest in, allowing for deeper strategic planning. Additionally, new planet items themed around the Hive Asteroid and Oceanic planets have been added, expanding the tactical options available to players.
One of the standout changes in v1.42 is the complete overhaul of Planetary Shields. No longer offering total invulnerability, these shields now function similarly to unit shields, complete with health pools and shield burst mechanics. This shift adds a layer of complexity to planetary bombardment and superweapon counterplay, enhancing the overall strategic depth of the game.
Visual improvements and performance optimizations are also part of this update, ensuring that your space battles are not only more engaging but also run smoother than ever. On the competitive front, a new 1v1 map called "Cutthroat" has been introduced, placing players in a tight, devastated solar system that promises intense skirmishes.
Finally, the update enhances the social experience with upgraded Discord Rich Presence features, allowing players to showcase their in-game activities and easily invite friends to join the action.
With these exciting additions, the "Faith and Fire" update is set to enrich the Sins of a Solar Empire II experience, making it a great time for both veterans and newcomers to dive back into the game.
Release Status: *** RELEASED ***
May’s flowers bring our Faith and Fire update to all loyal Sinners! This month we’re introducing new population orbital structures for the three races. These new buildings will enhance a planet’s population growth by encouraging immigration. The Advent receives another large balance pass this month, along with a new planetary Focus track to invest in. We’ve also added a number of new planet items for all races focused around the Hive Asteroid and the Oceanic planet. Planetary Shields have been overhauled in v1.42 as well. Planetary shields no longer provide invulnerability to a world and now behave like normal unit shields with health pools and shield burst mechanics, adding needed depth to planetary bombardment and superweapon counterplay.
In addition to balance and new content, we’ve made lots of new visual FX improvements/additions to the game. These along with some performance optimizations should make your battles better than ever. Last, but not least, we’ve added a new 1v1 map called ‘Cutthroat’ for all players. This map pits you in close quarters against your enemy in a largely devasted tiny solar system.
Discord Rich Presence and Game Invites
We have upgraded to the latest Discord SDK and enhanced our Rich Presence implementation. This allows you to showcase your activities in Sins of a Solar Empire II and invite your friends to join you!
When you’re playing, Sins II Discord users will be able to see what you’re up to:
When you start up Sins 2 the Discord overlay will invite you to play with your friends who are already in-game:
Once you have a lobby up, you can invite players individually or in our community Discord!
Once you hit that invite button Discord users will be given the option to join your match right in the chat:
We will provide further updates regarding our efforts to enhance the implementation of Discord support in later updates.
To Use a Previous Version (Steam Only)
On Steam
Select ‘Sins of a Solar Empire II’ in your Steam Library.
Click the gear icon in the upper right.
Select Properties → Betas
Select one of the listed versions from the Beta Participation dropdown.
Steam will update you to those files.
Hotfix Change Log (v1.42.7)
Gameplay
Superweapon Gravity Well Limit added. A planet can now only support one Novalith or Deliverance Engine at a time.
Novalith base range reduced from 25 to 15.
Novalith cost increased from 5000/1000/1500 to 5000/1500/2000.
Novalith Exotic Cost increased from 3 Tauranite / 1 Quarnium to 3 Tauranite / 2 Quarnium.
Novalith Unlock tech cost changed from 1 Tauranite to 1 Quarnium.
Novalith Range tech cost increased from 2 Tauranite to 2 Tauranite and 1 Quarnium.
Misc.
Change Log
Gameplay
Added in new faction population structures, providing a stacking 25% population growth bonus to the planet they are built at:
Added new map - Cutthroat: In this small system both players have very limited resources to compete with. What will you do? There are minor factions you could destroy, but then you’ll lose access to the markets. There’s a gas giant in the system, but you’ll need to tech up to colonize it. Hidden are two powerful artifacts which could decide it all, if you can find them first!
Changed Planetary Shields to no longer be invulnerable. Planet shields now use shield points, passive regeneration and shield burst like other units. While a planet still has Shield Points, any bombardment damage will be unable to kill population.
All Faction Starbase Planetary Shield item stats set to:
Shield Points: 10,000
Shield Regeneration: 100/s
Shield Burst Restore Cooldown: 30s
Shield Burst Restore Percentage: 50%
TEC Ankylon Planetary Shield item stats set to:
Shield Points: 5,000
Shield Regeneration: 250/s
Shield Burst Restore Cooldown: 15s
Shield Burst Restore Percentage: 100%
Ancient Starbase Planetary Shield item stats set to:
Shield Points: 25,000
Shield Regeneration: 500/s
Shield Burst Restore Cooldown: 30s
Shield Burst Restore Percentage: 50%
Rebalanced Planetary Population:
Planets now start with higher population levels, especially homeworld archetype planets.
Planets now have slightly lower population growth rates.
Planet Track availability rebalanced to better reflect planet intended value and role. Commerce track levels in particular are more common on most planet types.
Commerce Planet Track now provides base credit income and per pop credit income at all levels. Commerce income rates are also higher on most planets.
Mining Tracks now only provide base income values when a planet has only one resource type available, otherwise they provide per pop income only. Base income, when present, now scales with track level. For example, a Terran planet provides both Metal and Crystal per pop, but no base income. A Volcanic planet provides both base and per pop Metal income, but no Crystal income of any sort. A Crystalline planet provides both base and per pop Crystal income, but no Metal income of any sort.
Mining ratios have now been assigned based on faction bias instead of arbitrary Metal bias. This means that instead of Metal bringing in more income than Crystal in all cases, each faction brings in a higher rate from their preferred resource. This should better align the faction economies to match their intended and expected resource profiles, generating shortages and surpluses along factional lines instead of universally generating a Metal surplus and a Crystal and Credit shortage.
TEC Metal and Crystal incomes no longer vary.
Vasari now collect Metal at a higher rate than Crystal (functionally no change from previous patch resource income ratio).
Advent now collect Crystal at a higher rate than Metal (inverted compared to previous patch resource income ratio).
Planet Track level maximum values no longer vary with faction (with the exception of Commerce being unavailable to Vasari and Focus being available only to Advent). This will help planet types retain their identity consistently, especially with so many more planet types now present.
Additional Item slots added to several planet types to accommodate the greater number of planet items in the game.
Increased base Max Allegiance from 20% to 50%. This should incur more cases of needing to convert enemy allegiant pops when dealing with contested planets.
Reduced Allied Pop bonus scalar from 1.0 to 0.5, which means that at 50% Allegiant Population on a planet will receive 25% bonus income from population sources.
Advent
Added three new ship items:
Consecration Inducer - rapidly regenerates shield points, especially when empowered by a high Psi Power.
Structural Force Field - grants bonus hull points and an active instant hull point repair.
Votary Siphon - a new consumable item that provides a small amount of Psi Power passively and a large amount when activated. The Votary Siphon replaces the Psintegrat Choir as the free starting item for the Advent.
Added one new planet item for the Hive asteroid:
Added one new planet item for the Oceanic planet:
Added new Advent planet track for Focus. Planets now act as the primary source of Focus for Unity abilities, granting Max Focus based on Focus track level and Focus Regeneration based on population and Focus Track level. Planets favored by the Advent, such as Desert, Barren and Geomagnetic all have higher available Focus Track levels. Focus Track now also acts as a prerequisite for construction of Unity Temple structures, at a rate of 1 Temple available per Focus Track level completed on the planet.
Advent homeworld starting bonus now includes Focus track at level 2.
Base Focus reduced from 1,000 to 100.
Base Focus regeneration reduced from 0.5 to 0.1.
Focus research subjects now give double the previous max. Focus points, but lower Focus regeneration rates. Focus windfall bonuses have also been increased.
Cynosural Reservoir planet item - decreased Max Focus point bonus from 200 to 100.
NeuroAugment Center planet item - effect changed from +0.3 Focus Regeneration to +30% Focus per population.
NeuroPsion Purifier planet item - decreased empire wide Focus regeneration rate bonus from 15% to 10%.
Rebalanced Advent Unity abilities: Focus capacity and regeneration is now more dynamic and generally more abundant, requiring Unity abilities to cost more Focus overall. Cooldowns have also been increased, and are now a factor with leveling to provide some additional incentive to level abilities that provide most of their function at level 1 (like Recall). Max level Unity abilities remain largely rate limited by Focus expenditure and throughput however.
Added Sacrifice Unity ability to Advent Reborn. A remake of the classic Wail of the Sacrificed function from Rebellion. This ability allows the Reborn to sacrifice all of their allegiant population on a planet to generate a large damage wave at that planet and all adjacent planets, dealing more damage for each pop sacrificed - but beware! It deals friendly fire damage as well!
Re-Added Conversion Unity ability to Advent Wrath:
Requires 50% Allegiant population to activate.
Level upgrade requirements decreased from 3/7/12 to 3/6/9 Unity points
Focus cost increased from 100/200/300 to 1000/1000/1000.
Cooldown time changed from 180/120/60 to 480/300/120.
No longer increases population loss from bombardment; increases bombing damage to 50/100/150.
For enemy planets:
Removed detection constraint (i.e., visibility)
Added requirement that planet must have 50% allied population.
For neutral planets:
Removed detection constraint
Added requirement that planet must be within dominant culture of the Advent player or an ally.
Added requirement that planet must have 50% allied population.
Avatar Unity ability:
Chastise Unity ability:
Cooldown changed from 120 sec to 360/225/90 sec.
Focus cost from 200 to 300.
Ship Max Speed values from 30/45/60 to 15/22.5/30.
Missile Max Speed values from 60/90/120 to 30/45/60.
Cleanse Unity ability:
Increased Focus cost from 100 to 200.
Cooldown increased from 30 sec. to 240/150/60 sec.
Hull restore increased from 0.3/0.45/0.6 to 0.6/0.75/0.9.
Clairvoyance Unity ability:
Fury Unity ability:
Focus cost increased from 300 to 900
Cooldown changed from 150 sec. to 420/240/90 sec.
Duration changed from 30/45/60 sec. to 45/45/45 sec.
Damage bonus increased from 15/20/25 to 20/30/40.
Penetration increased from 500 to 1000.
Proselytize Unity ability:
Focus cost increased from 75 to 200.
Cooldown changed from 120 sec. to 360/225/90 sec.
Duration changed from 30/60/90 sec. to 30/45/60 sec.
Culture rate changed from 3/6/9 to 3/4/5.
Now provides a bonus to population assimilation of 30%/40%/50%.
Recall Unity ability:
Focus cost increased from 200 to 300.
Cooldown changed from 60 to 360/225/90 sec.
Hull point restoration decreased from 33%/66%/100% to 30%/45%/60% of max.
Armor point restoration decreased from 33%/66%/100% to 30%/45%/60% of max.
Shield point restoration decreased from 33%/66%/100% to 30%/45%/60% of max.
While Recall is charging, Weapons, Phase Jump and Abilities are all disabled.
Resurrection Unity ability:
Added requirement that targets be in dominant culture of the Advent player or an ally.
Cooldown increased from 60 to 480/300/120 sec.
Ability changed from random chance to Max Fleet Supply per cast of 20/30/40 per second for 15 seconds, for a maximum potential of 300/450/600 resurrected supply per cast.
Sanctify Unity ability:
Refined Warheads research moved from Tier 1 to Tier 2.
Kinetic Focusing research moved from Tier 2 to Tier 3.
Kinetic Cascade research moved from Tier 3 to Tier 4.
Anima Redirection research moved from Tier 2 to Tier 3.
Rapture and Revelation missile Pierce values changed from 150 to 200.
Transcencia Starbase and Eradica Titan missile Pierce changed from 300 to 400.
Rebalanced Advent Consumable Items:
Plasma Nova Generator is now an aura attached to the casting ship, allowing the enemy to escape its effects by moving away, similar to how Radiation Bomb and Subspace Rupture function.
All Advent consumable items now grant a passive effect while equipped to the ship. This bonus is lost when the item is fully consumed.
Antimatter Pod - 20% Antimatter regeneration rate.
Plasma Nova Generator - -10% Plasma weapon and Plasma planet bombing reload.
Shield Battery - 20% Shield regeneration rate.
Rebalanced Advent Psi Power scaling on items:
Brilliance Array Antimatter regeneration Psi Power ratio changed from 0.001 to 0.003.
PsiKinetic Plating Armor point bonus increased from +25% to +50%; Armor strength Psi Power ratio increased from 0.25 to 0.3.
Vex Amplifier weapon cooldown bonus Psi Power ratio changed from -0.002 to -0.003r.
Synchronous Shield item rebalanced:
Reworked Advent Rapture Battlecruiser’s Malice ability to have a max target count. This was a necessary change as the ability was heavily degrading performance. Malice duration reduced from 30 to 20 sec.; radius reduced from 3000 to 2500; damage increased from 0.03 to 0.3 per damage inflicted with a Psi Power ratio of 0.001.
Progenitor Mothership Colonize ability bonus changed from granting free Research tracks to Focus tracks.
Updated Hydrostatic Shield Dome Max Population point bonus from 150 to 75/175.
Added Kinetic Dampening Tech to Advent (upgrade for the Hydrostatic Dome).
Wrath Global Unity tech now provides Culture Rate when a planet reaches Focus Track level of 3.
Destra Crusader Super Heavy Plasma damage per shot increased from 140 to 175.
TEC
Added one new ship item:
Added two new planet items to the Hive Asteroid:
Added two new planet items to the Oceanic planet:
Homeworld starting Commerce Track level decreased from 4 to 3; starting Mining Track level decreased from 2 to 1.
Asteroid Commerce Mandate research bonus decreased from 50% to 25%.
Terran Commerce Mandate research bonus decreased from 25% to 10%.
Increased Novalith Range from 15/20 to 25/40. At 25 AU (base range before upgrade) it should now be able to attack roughly a quarter of the Random 10 Player map. At 40 AU it can attack roughly half of the map, or if built in the center of the map, almost the entire map.
Rebalanced ship items costs to enable more variety and better scaling for capital ships - most notably Heavy Gauss Slugs.
Ablative Armor Ship Item:
Ablative Armor is intended to be a more niche, conditional selection for TEC capital ships to use when faced with mass Exoria Illuminator or Beam Modulator Vasari capitals. Therefore, it has been made cheaper to access (tier 2) and better at resisting beams specifically, but provides a lesser universal bonus (Armor Strength) compared to its counterpart.
Research unlock moved from tier 3 to tier 2.
Raw damage prevented increased from 20% to 50% per point dealt.
Removed max Armor point bonus.
Adds 25 points to Armor Strength.
Reactive Plating Ship Item
Reactive Plating is intended to be somewhat more universally useful compared to its counterpart Ablative Armor, therefore it has been given an improved Armor Strength bonus to ensure it is useful even when faced with non-missile attacks.
Research unlock moved from tier 2 to tier 4.
Removed Max Armor point bonus.
Adds 50 points to Armor Strength.
Radiation Bomb Unit Item
Now applies a Shield, Hull and Armor Regeneration penalty of 25/50%.
Damage increased from 10/15 to 15/15.
Duration decreased from 45/60 to 45/45 sec.
Armor Pierce increased from 250 to 500.
Armor Patch Kit Unit Item
Vasari
Added one new ship item:
Added four new planet items to the Hive asteroid:
Cloning Vats - Increases the Population and Population growth rate of the Hive Asteroid.
Closed Cycle Refinery - Allows the Hive asteroid to function as an Exotic Refinery.
Compliance Inducer - Increases the maximum Allegiance, population assimilation rate and Culture resistance of the Hive asteroid.
Industrial Nanoforge - Increases the build rate of ship factories at the Hive asteroid.
City Planet Core Strip value increased from 15,000 Metal and 5,000 Crystal to 25,000 Metal and 10,000 Crystal.
Deconstruction Nanites Planet Item Base Metal income rate increased from 3.6 to 4.8, but can no longer be built on Hive Asteroids or Ship Graveyards. This should increase the relative value of the City Planet for the Vasari, while ensuring that the presence of a Hive asteroid or Ship Graveyard doesn’t give them an extreme economic power spike - especially now that the Hive asteroid provides other forms of Vasari specific items.
Rebalanced economic tech and items to favor boosting base values in several cases, which should enable a slightly less pop dependent playstyle for the Vasari.
Rebalanced beam tech and items to apply to planetary bombardment beams.
Numerous tooltip improvements.
(Paths to Power) Updated Treasure Hunt scenario to display “Enemies Eliminated”.
(Paths to Power) Updated Last Stand to be easier in the first 20 waves.
(Paths to Power) Added button to Escape menu to re-display scenario details.
Added per population research point stats to research planet track.
Added scalar for priority targets range. Allows a unit (which must be able to move) to seek priority targets based on a multiplier of max weapon range. This should ensure that units engage preferred targets more reliably instead of getting distracted with whatever is in range.
Removed ability disable from Magnetic Cloud and replaced it with ability cost and cooldown penalties of 50%.
Adjusted planet_phase_lane_max_distance_radius_scalar on the Random 10 Player map to greatly reduce instances of unintended phase lane layouts in homeworld clusters.
Added Primordial planets to the random rich spawn list. They should now appear about as often as Ferrous and Crystalline planets.
Bug Fixes / Misc.
Added initial Discord social SDK features.
Optimized memory pool sizes for visual effects, mesh instances, buffs and unit items.
Made optimizations to RAM usage.
Updated auction notifications so that they appear and stay fixed to the left side of the notification area.
Fixed bug where max population was using base max population instead of max population for planet modifiers.
Optimized ‘Privateer' achievement to be less CPU intensive. This should improve performance overall in the early game.
Fixed but that caused random factions to be selected when loading a multiplayer save game.
Updated Shield Burst point buffs to be green when positive in tooltips.
Fixed some Alert messages from appearing in mod games that were built on older data.
Updated Korean translations (thanks to everyone who’s helping with this!).
(Paths to Power) Fixed issue so that scenario settings don’t change general user prefs.
(Paths to Power) Fixed bug that allowed humans to hot join and/or takeover AI lobby slots in Last Stand multiplayer.
(Paths to Power) Fixed bug that allowed players to change AI difficulty levels when the scenario called for certain difficulties to be blocked.
(Paths to Power) Fixed unique scenario MP games using the last used lobby options. Allowed certain settings to be overridden.
(Paths to Power) Added homeworld victory to Last Stand scenario. It’s intended that if a player’s homeworld is destroyed, the game is over.
(Paths to Power) Fixed View Leaderboard button displaying when there’s no Leaderboard for a scenario.
(Paths to Power) Fixed Scenario Details button in Last Stand breaking pausing and causing the game movement to stutter.
(Paths to Power) Added button to Escape menu to show the full scenario details dialog for reference.
(Paths to Power) Added description to the Vasari ‘Mad Titan’ tooltip.
(Paths to Power) Fixed bug that prevented the Vasari ‘Mad Titan’ from spawning on loaded games.
VFX
Updated TEC Sova ambient vfx.
Updated TEC Dunov Magnetic Singularity vfx.
Added Advent Consecration Inducer vfx.
Added Advent Votary Siphon vfx.
Updated TEC Ragnarov Piercing Shot vfx.
Updated TEC Ragnarov Explosive Shot vfx.
Updated Advent Reborn Chastic Burst vfx.
Updated TEC Dunov Concussion Charge vfx.
Updated TEC Dunov EMP vfx.
Updated TEC Dunov Overcharge vfx.
Updated TEC Marza Concussion Charge muzzle vfx.
Updated TEC Kol Adaptive Forcefield vfx.
Added Vasari Loyalist titan Desperation vfx.
Added Advent starbase planetary shield vfx.
Updated/optimized Pirate point defense vfx.
Added Vasari starbase planetary shield vfx.
Added TEC starbase planetary shield vfx.
Updated/optimized TEC autocannon muzzle vfx.
Updated/optimized TEC gauss cannon vfx.
Added new Advent missile exhaust vfx.
Updated Vasari heavy beam weapon vfx.
Removed point light from point defense autocannon muzzles.
Updated Advent strikecraft exhaust vfx.
Updated titan level-up vfx.
Added new Suppression vfx.
Updated Dissever vfx.
Updated Nullify vfx.
Added planet elevator explosions.
Updated planet bombing vfx (all).
Added Plasma Nova Generator vfx.
Added Inertial Anchor vfx.
Modding
Planetary Shield System:
Planets can now have Shield Points, Shield Restore Rate as well as Shield Burst stats (cooldown and percentage) assigned to their innate Defense Track levels in factional .player files.
Planets still require the enable_can_have_shields_burst_restored unit mutation in order to gain Shield Burst.
Planetary shield stats can all be assigned via buffs, meaning that any Ability can be used to grant Shields to planets dynamically - including items and planet bonuses.
Sources of Planet Shields stack as long as the provider buffs applying them are allowed to stack, ensuring that a Planet Shield could potentially be made more powerful through multiple sources.
Focus Planet Track:
Supports mana_restore_rate, mana_restore_rate_per_population, bonus_max_mana, bonus_max_mana_per_population, and max_unity_provider_count, as well as the usual max_health_points provided by all planet tracks.
This track type is hidden if a faction does not make use of the Unity system.
Added per population research point stats to research planet track.
Added scalar for priority targets range. Allows a unit (which must be able to move) to seek priority targets based on a multiplier of max weapon range.
Added new action_value_transform_type: per_planet_owner_allied_population_points
Added new planet modifier types: mana_restore_rate_per_population and bonus_max_mana_per_population
(Paths to Power) Added new unique scenario key to change a player’s starting assets - player_starting_assets
(Paths to Power) Added required_players to scenario info.
