If, in a game of Galactic Civilizations IV, you find yourself contemplating the galaxy's woes and wondering 'how did it come to this?' you should know that the answer is: the Drengin (probably). While they may not be the architects of every misfortune (the two Terran factions.
Looking further back to the timeline of Galactic Civilizations III, the Drengin are even the reason the Dread Lords (the setting's ultimate bad guys) returned and nearly conquered the galaxy. Galactic Civilizations IV's antagonists were unlocked during beta we felt now was the right time to gaze more thoroughly into the face of evil.
If you haven't checked them out for yourself yet, don't forget you can pre-order the game today to get instant access to the current build. Like the Arcean Republic, the Drengin are one of the galaxy's older races, and have developed a reputation founded on pillars of cruelty and conquest.
There is no species the Drengin won't conquer and enslave, and no depth of depravity to which they won't sink in order to keep their population in line. Surprising no one, their default civilization traits include a high intimidation factor and a low likeability rating, which makes engaging in diplomacy with the Drengin challenging, to say the least.
Pre-order now
Similar to the Xeloxi, the Drengin's particular affinity for enslavement allows them to construct unique buildings and adopt policies that other factions can't access. The Prison Labor Cap gives manufacturing boosts according to each planet's prison occupancy, and the Drengin can enact the Coerced Colonization and Slave Labor policies to make the most of the rest of the population – whether those people like it or not.
Drengin worlds tend to have issues with discontent and approval, which means a surprising amount of energy is spent trying to keep the empire's citizens – especially slavelings – in check. The regular Drengin citizenry are a hardy bunch, though, with high resistance and a specific affinity for becoming soldiers.
They don't mind their planet being left undefended either, as they feel they're more than capable of defending themselves. Speaking of planets, the Drengin homeworld of Drengi plays perfectly into its people's affinity for conquest. Some wealth-boosting tiles interspersed with other bonuses break up a sea of more traditional manufacturing and production-boosting tiles. Their starting artefact also lets them spawn space monsters, which can prove a key strategic distraction if deployed properly.
Pre-order now
The Drengin's impressive array of command ships will further aid you in your martial endeavours:
- The Path of Rhuin – a small fighter that doesn't require any logistical , giving it a lot of flexibility.
- The Anvil – a small ship with a beam attack that gets stronger with every level.
- Iron Fist – this small ship has a modest armament, but it also boosts manufacturing by 20% for any world at which it is stationed.
- Unyielding Will – generates +1 control for each battle it wins, and provides Point Defence for any fleet within its area of effect.
- The Lash – a strong missile attack ship that completely heals itself after every battle.
- Skyfire – a strong, large warship that increases the kinetic attack of its entire fleet and boosts the manufacturing of any world at which it is stationed, both by 30%.
- Heart of Conquest – the Drengin flagship, which boosts the beam attack of its entire fleet by 30% and raises the approval of any world at which it is stationed by 10%.
The Drengin will bring the galaxy to heel one way or another, and are the perfect choice for when you're looking to scratch the 'pure evil' itch on your alignment matrix. They'll still have to fight off the Festron to become masters of the universe, but they've got the will and the economic base to do it. Just make sure your empire doesn't collapse into civil unrest while you're not looking.
Galactic Civilizations IV Galactic Civilizations IV $39.99 Pre-Order Network N earns commission from qualifying sales.
You can play as the Drengin and every other launch faction in Galactic Civilizations IV's beta – pre-order today for instant access.