Sins of a Solar Empire II v1.61 'Prelude' Update Is Live

Get Sins II  |  View Changelog Below

We've switched gears for our June update. The ARES AI overhaul still needs more time in the oven, so rather than rush it, we're holding it in the opt-in build and shipping a smaller, focused v1.61 in the meantime.

This one is about making the AI a sharper opponent. AI players now survey the planets they own based on difficulty, and we've adjusted their bonus modifiers to clear up situations where they used to get stuck (the classic "AI runs out of exotic refineries and stalls" problem). A new AI loadouts system lets them make smarter choices about which abilities and upgrades to pick for their units.

The Radiance Battleship also got attention. Its autocasting is a lot less wasteful now. It picks better moments and better targets for its abilities instead of firing into open space.

Modders, there's something for you too: new player AI tuning values and a .loadout system for defining ability and upgrade pick order. Details are in the change log below.

A note on ARES: the new ARES AI system is still available in opt-in, and we'll keep updating that build as we go. Our plan is to release ARES alongside our next DLC in early Fall. Thanks for the patience while we get it right.

 

Changelog:

 

June 2026 - 'Prelude' v1.61 Update

Release Status: *** RELEASED ***

We’ve decided to switch gears for our June update to a more modest v1.61. Our ARES update (which is still available in opt-in) requires more time in the oven before a full public release. As such, our plan is to release the new ARES AI system along side our next DLC in early Fall. Expect continued updates to the opt-in build for ARES as we work.

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Change Log - v1.61

• AI players can now survey planets they own based on difficulty level.

• AI bonus modifiers adjusted to help ease issues that get an AI’s progress blocked (e.g., not enough exotic refineries).

• Added new AI loadouts subsystem which allows AI players to better pick out abilities/upgrades for all units.

• Improved autocasting and AI only autocasting for the Radiance Battleship. It will now use its abilities more intelligently. Animosity and Cleansing Brilliance will now activate in the center of groups of units, while Detonate Antimatter will favor targets that are higher level or channeling abilities.

• By user request, the original AI portrait art is now selectable for each faction (we won’t judge).

• Players can now use custom portrait art in the faction customization section - scroll to the bottom and click the + box. These appear in single-player games only.

Modding

• Added two new enums to player_ai.uniforms:

  • surveying_upgrade_check_interval_in_minutes

    • Type: array

  • max_concurrent_surveying_upgrade_requests

    • Type: positive integer value

• Added new .loadout system. Allows you to define ability/upgrade picking order.

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To Use Older Versions (for Mods, etc)

• On Steam

  • Select ‘Sins of a Solar Empire II’ in your Steam Library.

  • Click the gear icon in the upper right.

  • Select Properties → Game Versions & Betas

  • Select the version you want from the Beta Participation list.

  • Steam will update you to that version.