I loved the first game. I'm not sure how they screwed this one up so bad. First, this seems like it would be pretty straightforward. Don't have the game scream at the player. I can't imagine how someone sat down and thought that would be a good idea. The voices are supposed to be Admirals and ship captains of Capital ships. They scream at the player like they are high school drama queens that just found out Bobby Jackson is taking that skank Tricia to prom. It is absolutely terrible.
Secondly, this is a game that has been finely tuned for people who take it as a serious competition. If that is your thing, and you love being screamed out, this game is for you.
They changed the parts of the first game that made it fun. Now Starbases and Titans are destroyed within seconds by 300 frigates. I'm sure there is a counter somewhere. But why bother?
In the first game, creating Starbases and Titans that could hang on for a second before being destroyed allowed the player to think and respond. The AI is so hyper-charged with cheating, both in resources and in experience, that it would be nice to try to think out a strategy.
The moving planets, while ok is some scenarios, mix it up enjoyably, in too many the planets thrash around in jittery insanity to the point one can't find a planet from minute to minute.
Part of the competition must be not providing useful information. How many times have I gone back to my capital to build a ship, only to discover it was under attack by huge fleet.
The game spends so much time giving you the same stupid voice over and over and over again, that the most important information is drowned out in their dreadful, repetitive, grating cacophony.
Why is it that game developers have lost sight of the fact that games are supposed to be fun?
Apparently some developers think annoying their players is funny.
It is another strategy game absolutely ruined by cranking it up to the point only coke heads can keep up. The reason the RTS genre has died is exactly for this reason. The developers all seem to think that RTS fans love the heart pounding pace of frantic shooters. We didn't and we don't. We want a strategy game that is about strategy.
These RTS games that all about clicking 100,000 times in a game that ends in 20 minutes appeals to a specific type of fan, obsessed with one game, and only wanting to play in multiplayer.
It's a shame, because the first Sins was a great game, enjoyable to relax with after a hard day's work.

I thought I would enjoy this game as 4x games are my bread and butter. It just lacks any substance. The tech tree was unlocked before I entered the mid game. By the time I was attacking my first opponent I had gotten my economy to the point that money was basically unlimited. I could expand more, but why would I? I had the maximum fleet size and more money than I could spend.
Zero politics.
Zero story or events.
Just race to your space station tech and the ability to synthesize exotic materials and then nothing matters as it takes the coordinated efforts of a nearly maxed out military to effectively fight even one space station.

They made advent borderline unplayable

It is basically Sins of a Solar Empire 1 but updated to look and play much better, though some features of what SoaSE eventually became through expansions and smaller dlc are not present, they, or variants thereupon are on the cards for future updates, so if you enjoyed the original game but want a smoother, more visually striking experience this is great, if however you want a diverse and wide range of mods to enhance your experience beyond what is currently on offer (at the time of writing) stick with SoaSE:Rebellion for the time being.

Not yet better than the original but on the right path, development is at a glacial pace though.

I have loved the Sins series for a long time and even got in on this during the early access beta on Epic. The use of AI for all of the tech tree art, the fact that it took them like 3 years just to get this game to be mostly the same feature level as the previous installments. and I just noticed on 3/1/2025 that they then have the nerve to charge 60bucks for each of their DLC for this game. Its insane, I really loved this game series and I even got in early on this but just wow. Also the game still has less than the previous version. There is no tech or options for diplomacy, you CAN have deals with other players but gone are all of the treaties that gave both you and your partner buffs. Also, even though advent was meant to be unique in that unlike the other factions they used laser tech instead of missiles welp now you can just missile boat spam as advent too. I am just really disappointing with the state of the game and especially these 60 dollar DLCs. One of which just gives you some more ships. OH and as of writing none of these DLCs seem to have been released yet anyways. Just ridiculous.

🛡️ Review: Sins of a Solar Empire 2 by Dovahkiin 🛡️

Ah, dear mortals. Gather 'round as I regale you with a tale of valor, dragons, and... video games? Yes, even the Dragonborn needs a break from saving Skyrim! So, let's talk about this new adventure called Sins of a Solar Empire 2.

When I wasn't Fus Ro Dah-ing my enemies off cliffs or shouting them into oblivion, I found myself drawn to the stars. Sins of a Solar Empire 2, built on the bones of its predecessor like a well-furnished Breezehome, brought me a realm of strategic depth and galactic conquest.

As I traversed the cosmos, I discovered Phase Lane changes—a worthy challenge for a seasoned warrior like myself. Defensive builds? Pfft, child's play. These phase lanes demanded the cunning of a master tactician. And let's not forget the orbit structure placements. I shifted those celestial bodies with the grace of a sword dance, adding layers of strategy that even the Thalmor couldn't unravel.

But the true glory of this game lies in the differences between the three factions. Each one as unique as a Daedric Prince, offering diverse play styles that kept me engaged longer than any bard's tale. I reveled in the chaos, outsmarting my foes, and conquering the stars like I conquered Skyrim.

In conclusion, Sins of a Solar Empire 2 provided a thrilling escape from my duties as the Dragonborn. But heed my words, mortals: get a life, bozos, and stop playing games! Even though I had a blast, there's more to life than digital conquests. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a dragon that needs slaying.

Macro is so much easier now that the Fleet system exists.

Good improvement from the Prior. Looking forward for the Star Wars and other Mods.

This game is fun and feels like the beginning of a successor to the original. It needs a good bit of work to equal, much less surpass, the original. If that was all I would thumbs up and be patient. Currently however the game crashes so much it's nearly unplayable. I will keep playing though and if they fix it, I will change review, otherwise consider it extremely buggy.