Status
SteamPeaks
ChartsSalesUpcomingPatchesNewsCalculator
New on SteamEvery app, DLC and depot the minute Steam creates itAppsEvery app on Steam, newest change firstPackagesSubs and bundles, and what each containsDepotsDepots, manifests and install sizesTagsSteam's user tags and the games under themDevelopers & publishersCompanies and their cataloguesTechnologiesEngines, SDKs and anti-cheat found in the filesChange historyEvery PICS changelist as it lands
SignalsNineteen readings of the whole catalogueCompareAny games side by sideRecordsAll-time peaks and the days they were setReportsWeekly and monthly write-upsAlerts & newsroomWatch a game, get told when it movesSteam statusIs Steam up, right nowWeb API explorerTry the endpoints in the browser
NewsSteam's own announcements and the sales calendarCalculatorWhat a Steam account is worth, and its pile of shame
/
Sign in
/
SteamPeaks
The ultimate resource for Steam data.
ExploreChartsSalesSales and festsUpcomingPatchesNewsRecordsTrendingSignals
DatabaseAppsPackagesDepotsTagsDevelopersTechnologiesChange history
ToolsCalculatorCompareSearchAlertsSteam statusAPI
SiteMethodologyFAQDiscordSupportSign in via Steam
Not affiliated with Valve or Steam. Game names and artwork belong to their owners. All times UTC.
PrivacyCookiesFair useStatus
Distant Worlds 2: Factions - Ikkuro and DhayutNewsThe Atuuk - Dev Diary #1
Community

The Atuuk - Dev Diary #1

Distant Worlds 2: Factions - Ikkuro and Dhayut · published 4 Mar 2025, 14:32 UTC

All newsPlayers around this dateRead on Steam

The Atuuk are the youngest starfarers of the galaxy. They are highly sociable and are eager to take their place amongst the other factions in the galaxy and prove that they too can be great.

While the Atuuk don’t excel in any particular area of empire building, in fact, they are a generally a bit worse, they more than make up for it with their high population growth, overall higher levels of happiness, and affinity for diplomacy. However, the Atuuk’s greatest strength is their society’s ability to mobilize and organize around the Great Direction – their faction’s flagship mechanic.

Whenever the Atuuk choose a Great Direction, a general focus for their society, they become extremely proficient in one area of their empire and can even surpass some of the other factions, though only temporarily. Alongside the Great Direction, the Atuuk forego the normal leadership mechanics of Distant Worlds’ governments and instead their leaders will change occasionally based on the constantly shifting Great Directions the Atuuk pursue. The Atuuk yearn for a Great One to lead them on their Great Directions, and this Great One, in turn makes Atuuk society all the more inspired and motivated. It is possible that these Great Ones may turn out not to be true Great Ones, which will lead to a new selection of Great Ones until a true Great One is found.

Atuuk victory conditions also flow from their Great Directions. There are seven Great Directions in total, each providing a unique objective that thematically fits with the Great Direction’s features. As such, the Great Directions are there not only to provide bonuses to your faction, but to challenge you to truly take the Atuuk to galactic greatness.

Players can expect the following unique features for the Atuuk when they purchase Distant Worlds 2: Factions – Atuuk and Wekkarus:

  • Unique mechanics tied to the Atuuk Great Direction – a cyclical change of focus for Atuuk society that greatly improves their abilities in a singular area of their empire, ranging from improved research to greatly enhanced combat strength, and many more, while also providing an increasing number of victory objectives to prove their greatness to the galaxy. Periodically, Atuuk will need to choose a new Great One from a pool of their own marked with Great Potential to lead them on their Great Direction. Some Atuuk may have reservations on the direction the Atuuk are taking with Direction Doubt, though this is only temporary.
  • The Atuuk are a happy faction that plays well on the galactic diplomatic stage, though they are naïve, gullible, and quite dim-witted, which means they don’t excel in any particular area when not following one of their special Great Directions.
  • Additional and surprising bonuses and effects when pressing the big glowing Red Button on their science stations
  • Atuuk construction standards aren’t quite up to snuff compared to the other galactic players, so their ships will experience unexpected malfunctions while traversing the galaxy.
  • Bonuses to combat when outnumbering their opponents when fighting on the planet surface. There are a lot of Atuuk!
  • The Intergalactic Welcome Center makes the Atuuk empire more attractive for all migrants and tourists, thus strengthening the bonds of interstellar understanding
  • Collection of Great Things – a unique facility that gathers all the wondrous things the Atuuk have gathered in their travels and exploration that improve their overall happiness and research
  • Special thematic Character Traits for their entire lineup of characters bringing out the flavor of the Atuuk faction
  • Their unique story gives them an advantage when dealing with some of the factions in the galaxy to help them form strong bonds and long-standing treaties.
  • Atuuk are the first faction to be completely immune to psychic effects, making them a useful ally for anyone fighting psychically-capable factions

WISHLIST NOW:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3350550/Distant_Worlds_2_Factions__Atuuk_and_Wekkarus/

More from Distant Worlds 2: Factions - Ikkuro and Dhayut

Other announcements

All news
Community2 Sep 2026Dev Diary #3 – Lone PirateThe Shadows Rising expansion for Distant Worlds 2 introduces a completely new game mode: Lone Pirate. You have a single ship, travelling the stars. You have no bases or other ships. You have the freedom to pursue any path you choose: · Simple trading of in-demand resources across the galaxy · Action-packed raiding and combat to loot and pillage, or to acquire new ships · Stealthily perform cont…Community19 Aug 2026Dev Diary #2 – Pirate FactionsSee our second dev diary for an explanation of Pirate Factions, the Age of Shadows, and their unique gameplay. What are Pirate Factions? Pirate Factions in Distant Worlds 2: Shadows Rising are space-based Empires which function differently in many ways from the more typical planetary Empires. While we also had playable Pirates in Distant Worlds 1, we’ve done significantly more with them in Dist…Community5 Aug 2026Dev Diary #1 - An introduction to the upcoming DLCWhat is a Pirate? What is a Pirate? In Distant Worlds 2, the term Pirate refers to a variety of space-based survivors of the cataclysm that ended the last Great War against the Shakturi, who are willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Some are more focused on trade and espionage, others on raiding and fighting, some prefer a mix of everything. Living in space across generations has been ver…