If you play Stellaris for long enough, the end-game crisis will start. You may have heard about this game mechanic and may have even done some research about the threats that are ahead of you.
A vital piece of information you should know is when this game-breaking crisis is going to begin. It is far from random and is customizable to make the game easier or harder for you.
Recommended Read: What Are the Best Ascension Perks in Stellaris?
Knowing the approximate date of the crisis’s arrival is beyond helpful. With their approach becoming more and more certain every year, you can arrange a sensible time to prepare for the crisis.
In Stellaris, the game will begin rolling for the start of the end-game crisis when the end-game year is reached. By default, this year is 2400. The more years that pass after the start of the end game, the higher the odds of the end game crisis triggering.
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When Does the End Game Crisis Start in Stellaris?
If you are new to the game and you find yourself pretty deep into a run; you may be excited or nervous about facing the end-game crisis.
Your run is likely going well, and you have built an empire you are proud of. It would be a shame if someone came and destroyed it.
Unfortunately for your empire, one of three possible evil forces is going to visit the galaxy and try to do that. Having a rough idea of when they will arrive is the first asset you can acquire in your bid to fight these threats.
A lot of factors go into determining when the crisis will arrive. While I will not be going into detail about the maths the game does in the background, I will be giving a brief overview of when the game decides to start the crisis.
End Game Start Date
When you begin any run of Stellaris, the game presents you with a game settings menu. This is for tailoring your Stellaris experience to your tastes and or experience levels.
You can set the difficulty, galaxy size, galaxy shape, the number of fallen empires, and a host of other options.
The option that dictates the start of the crisis is “end game start date.” The default setting for the end game date is the year 2400. So, 200 years of in-game time will pass before any end-game features can begin, including the crisis.
200 years is plenty of time to build an empire strong enough to contend with the crisis. If you are new, don’t be afraid to push this year out to give yourself more time. On the other hand, if you are looking for more challenge, bring that date forward and face the crisis sooner.
Once this date hits, the game starts rolling to trigger the crisis every five years.
Rolling for The Crisis
At the beginning of the end game, a few things need to be true for the crisis to trigger.
There are too many factors to list here, so let me keep it simple. In a default settings game of Stellaris, the game is likely to start rolling for the crisis 25 years after the end game starts.
If any empire has jump drives, the game will start rolling as soon as the end-game date arrives.
It is best to assume that the crisis will start sooner rather than later, so be ready. I have a beginner build guide; you can check out if you are struggling to overcome or reach the crisis.
When the game decides to start rolling for the crisis; it will perform some random number generating (RNG) in the background every five years.
Early on, the chances of this RNG resulting in the crisis starting is low. As time goes on, the chances of the crisis spawning increases.
50 years after the end game start date is a good estimate of when the crisis will spawn. So in a standard settings game, that would be the year 2450. Well, there is one more factor you may want to know.
If your empire has completed the ancient robot world archaeological site, the end-game crisis can spawn early.
The Unbidden can spawn before the end-game date has been reached if you complete this event chain. While the chances are low, you should be very careful with what you decide to dig up on alien worlds.
This is everything you need to know about when the end-game crisis will start in Stellaris.
If you have any questions or suggestions for this guide, please let us know in the comments section below. As always, have fun waiting for the end-game crisis in Stellaris.
