hotfix · July 9, 2026

Stellaris 4.4.6 Hotfix and Pegasus Patch Address Automation and Reserves

Stellaris Hotfix 4.4.6 and the 4.4.5 Pegasus patch introduce a Resource Abundance slider, fix permanent science ship losses, and rebalance Operational Reserves.

Paradox has deployed a targeted hotfix for Stellaris, following closely on the heels of the 4.4.5 Pegasus patch, to solve permanent science ship losses during Astral Rift automation and streamline game settings.

Galaxy Customization and Resource Abundance

A new Resource Abundance slider in galaxy settings allows players to scale resource density from Scarce up to x5 in 0.25 increments, defaulting to x2. Furthermore, automation settings are unified across Science, Construction, and Nomad fleets into a shared scrollable window with collapsible categories and a reset option.

Operational Reserves Rebalance

Operational Reserves now track Energy and Minerals on a strict 1:1 ratio instead of 3:1. Maximum capacity now scales with the number and tier of owned Arkships rather than relying on a fixed cap. A new Critical reserve stage imposes severe research, Unity, and Alloy penalties, alongside debuffs to pop growth, job efficiency, and lithoid happiness.

Critical Bug Fixes

Science ships set to automatically explore Astral Rifts no longer get lost forever. Automated ships no longer drop their active tasks when evading hostile fleets. Harvest Resources contracts cancel correctly if another empire claims the resources first, and legacy scripts no longer block capital arkships from discovering precursors.

Why this patch matters

This update remedies frustrating automation bugs while giving players deeper control over galaxy generation and resource management loops.