[Update]: Stellaris' Toxoids Species Pack has added noble knights, poisonous baths and bad breath.

After quite a few teasers and previews, Stellaris' newest expansion Overlord has now finally been released. As the name might imply, Overlord is all about offering you new ways of projecting your power and asserting your will over the universe, be this for the betterment of all or merely yourself.

What this means in gameplay terms is that the whole vassalization mechanic has been reworked to be more interesting for both parties, and this even includes cases where your empire ends up on the wrong side of a galactic tyrant! There's also new mid-game megastructures to play around with, three new enclaves to butter up for major benefits, as well as five new origins to give you a new perspective and challenges to overcome.

You can get a pretty good idea of what Overlord is trying to do, as well as what the new vassalization mechanics are all about, through two of the trailers below. The first is the launch trailer that's mostly here to set the mood, while the second is a more in-depth overview of vassalization. Have a gander:

As is tradition, the Overlord expansion has launched alongside the chunky free Update 3.4 - Cepheus. This one brings with it a variety of improvements to diplomacy and vassals, as well as some excellent quality-of-life tweaks. Rather than babble on, allow me to share with you the brief rundown Paradox released a short while ago. It'll quickly clue you in on what's been changed:

To learn more about the Overlord expansion, as well as its accompanying free update, you should head on over to Steam. Have fun, and do at least try to be nice to your subjects!