patch · July 7, 2026
Stellaris 4.4.5 'Pegasus' Update Refines Nomads, Automation, and Reserves
The 4.4.5 'Pegasus' patch for Stellaris introduces a galaxy generation resource abundance slider, per-action fleet automation toggles, and overhauled Operational Reserves mechanics for nomadic factions alongside dozens of bug fixes.
Paradox Interactive deployed the Stellaris 4.4.5 'Pegasus' update across Steam, GOG, and the MS Store, bringing extensive quality-of-life adjustments, interface enhancements, and mechanical rebalances centered on nomads and automation systems.
Automation and Galaxy Generation Controls
Galaxy setup now features a Resource Abundance slider ranging from "Scarce" to x5 in 0.25 increments, defaulting to x2. Fleet automation menus include per-action options, allowing Nomad Arkships and Logistic Ships to fine-tune Harvest, Strip Mine, and Deep Scan behaviors. Settings can be saved as defaults per ship type, while Construction Automation gains dedicated options for Mining Stations, Research Stations, Observation Posts, and Special Projects. Science, construction, and nomad fleets now share a unified, scrollable automation window with collapsible categories.
Operational Reserves and Nomadic Rebalances
Operational Reserves track Energy and Minerals at a 1:1 ratio instead of 3:1. Maximum capacity now scales with the number and tier of owned Arkships rather than a fixed cap. A new Critical stage introduces severe research, Unity, and Alloy penalties, plus debuffs for Lithoid, Mechanical, and Machine pops. Opinion penalties for strip-mining, reprocessing, and Exodus Jumps decay faster, while Space Fauna now temporarily disable waystations instead of destroying them.
Forever Cruise and Origin Fixes
Hive Mind Forever Cruise empires with machine passengers can research machine assembly technologies, while regular Forever Cruise empires with machine passengers start with Robot Assembly Plants. Rogue Servitor Forever Cruise passengers grant an additional +1% Complex Drone Job Efficiency, and passenger satisfaction situations allow players to linger in the middle stage longer. Numerous fixes address duplicate anomalies, broken megastructure collection, and incorrect living standards.
Performance and Interface Upgrades
Performance improves through fixes to science ship Excavate and Astral Rift automation, eliminating recurring daily stutters when targets are unavailable. Late-game CPU overhead drops via optimized per-fleet order checks. The Operational Reserves topbar tooltip displays predicted monthly changes when holding ALT, and the Details map mode cycles through Normal, Detailed, and Hidden states.
Why this patch matters
The Pegasus update addresses long-standing player requests for automation micromanagement and nomadic empire scaling, streamlining fleet orders and resource systems for smoother macro control.