Paradox have today launched the new Season 09 Expansion Pass, which initially launches with the Stargazer Species Portrait. There's stuff that's actually interesting to come though, but you have to wait until May 5th.
Diplomacy is your main path to victory, military conquest seems almost discouraged. To actually conquer worlds you invade, you have to assert a claim beforehand. Simply flooding the system with troops and ships and killing everything that isn’t your empire doesn’t work for some reason.
Devouring swarms simply don’t have this problem.
Devouring swarm campaigns are for the stressed work week lmao