Two weeks ago, we interviewed Paradox Development Studio on the new converter DLC that lets you import your version of medieval Europe from Crusader Kings II into Europa Univesalis IV . Now that the DLC is out, we went hunting for some of the less than historically accurate groups and nations that can be carried over. From Viking holy orders to a restored Roman Empire, here's how they pan out in EU4.
The Jomsvikings
A Norse Pagan warrior brotherhood that functions as a Holy Order in CK2, the Jomsvikings become a playable Warrior Cult (basically identical to a theocracy) if they survive with landed titles into EU4. In addition to the Land and Naval Forcelimit modifiers they gain from importing the Reformed Norse faith, they also have a unique idea group:
The Jomsvikings Code: Morale of Armies +0.10
The Legend of Jomsborg: Land Forcelimit +15%, Naval Forcelimit +5%
For the Glory of the Allfather: Manpower Recovery Speed +10%
By Thor's Name: Permanent cassus belli against all non-pagans
Adopt Feudal System: Production Efficiency +10%
Implement the Högting: Stability Cost -10%
Valhalla Awaits: Yearly Prestige +1
Their traditions grant a bonus to Leader Shock and Discipline, and completing the tree grants a +10% to Infantry Combat Ability. So, war. And more war. Especially in the early game (when Shock is more important than Fire), they are likely to have one of the scariest armies in the world. I recommend the Quality ideas in the Military group, which will make your soldiers truly peerless.
The Roman Empire
If you managed to restore the Roman Empire as Byzantium using CK2's Legacy of Rome DLC, they will be imported into EU4 as an Empire with a unique idea group:
Pax Romana: National Revolt Risk -1
Legacy of Rome: Diplomatic Reputation +5
S.P.Q.R.: Stability Cost -20%
The Roman Legions: Land Forcelimit +15%, Infantry Combat Ability +10%
Roman Architecture: Production Efficiency +20%
Imperial Bureaucracy: National Tax Modifier +10%
Imperium Sine Fine: Core Creation Cost -20%
Their traditions grant +10% Discipline and +1 Yearly Legitimacy, while completing the track gives you an insane +33% Manpower. This seems more than a little overpowered, based on the other idea groups in the game. But hey, restoring Rome in CK2 isn't easy, so being rewarded with all the tools to become an intercontinental superpower is probably appropriate. In contrast to the Jomsvikings, Rome pairs well with the Quantity military ideas, which should swell your ranks to the point that globally-based legions are barely a tax on your resources.
The High American Tech Group
If your CK2 game was running the Sunset Invasion DLC when you exported it, the Europeans will find a very different version of the Americas when they arrive in EU4. All of the Native American Nations will be lifted up from the New World tech group (200% tech cost, -2 Monarch Power) to a fictional 'High American' tech group, which is identical to the Western tech group (100% tech cost, no monarch power modifiers.)
Central America is blanketed by the Aztec Empire, while their rivals, the Incans (who, if you payed attention to CK2's Aztec Invasion Events, actually invented gunpowder infantry in this universe) dominate South America. Contrary to what I was told in the interview, the other North American states from Vanilla EU4 still exist as independent nations, and they have High American technology. The Creek, Shawnee, and Huron are Feudal Monarchies. the Cherokee have a Theocracy, and the Mayans and Iroquois are.. Merchant Republics, for some reason. All follow the Aztec Religion, save the Incans, and the Shamanist Huron.
The new Aztec and Incan relgions are both considered part of the Pagan religious group. The Aztec Religion grants -1 National Revolt Risk and +0.5 Morale of Armies. The Incan Religion grants +10% Tax Modifier, and +1 Tolerance of the True Faith.
The Aztecs and Incans also get unique idea groups, while the rest of the North Americans use the generic ones.
Aztec ideas are mostly focused on warfare and forcibly colonizing the Old World:
Build the Tepochicalli and the Calmecac: Technology Cost -5%
Enact the Flower Wars: National Revolt Risk -1
Invade the Whiteskins: Naval Attrition -10%, enables Conquistadors and Explorers even if you haven't unlocked the prerequisite tech
State Administration Reform: National Tax Modifier +5%
Found the Imperial Cities: Production Efficiency +5%
Found the Imperial Jaguars and Eagles: Discipline +10%
The Imperial Road Network: Global Tariffs +10%
Aztec traditions grant +5% Infantry Combat Ability and -5% Advisor Cost. Completing the track grants +0.1 Morale of Armies.
Incan ideas focus more on economy and infrastructure.
Census Record Quipo: National Manpower Modifier +5%
Enforce Quechua: Stability Cost -5%
The Written Word: Technology Cost -10%
Official Axe-monies: National Trade Income +10%
Imperial Gold Trading: Merchants +1
State Administration Reform: National Tax Modifier +5%
The Imperial Road Network: Global Tariffs +10%
Incan traditions grant +20% Fort Defense and -5% Advisor Cost.Completing the track grants +10% Land Forcelimit.
If you haven't yet, check out our review of Europa Universalis IV .
It’s a rare strategy game that’s still receiving major expansions so many years after release. The fact that Crusader Kings II is one of those few represents just one of the aspects that makes it special. But with all that extra stuff comes a hefty, extra price tag. Across 15+ DLCs (if we’re just counting the major, gameplay-altering ones), you can expect to pay nearly $200 on top of the base game (at full price) to acquire the “full” experience.
We have guides for Paradox's other grand-strategy titles as well, namely Europa Universalis 4 & Stellaris - check them out!
Steam sales and combo bundles can easily knock more than half of that off, but it’s still tough to digest if you’re just getting started. So, we’ve broken down every gameplay DLC, and whether we think it's worth your money.
SWORD OF ISLAM (2012) - $9.99
Highlights:
Unlocks Muslim rulers (base CK2 only allows you to select Christian characters) with loads of new mechanics
Is it worth it?
As you’re going to discover with many CK2 expansions, it depends highly on whether or not you are interested in playing the new content it unlocks. You can play non-Muslim rulers forever and the fact that you don’t have this DLC installed will have no effect on you at all. They are a rather large, distinct, and interesting sphere of CK2’s world, however, and quite worth giving a spin if you’re looking for something different from feudal Catholic Europe.
LEGACY OF ROME (2012) - $4.99
Highlights:
Is it worth it?
Absolutely. It’s only $5, and retinues are such an essential element of late game CK2 that you’re basically handicapping yourself by not having access to them. The other features are fairly specific to Byzantium and other Eastern Orthodox rulers, but retinues alone put Legacy of Rome on the essential list - especially since it tends to go for under $3 on sale.
SUNSET INVASION (2012) - $4.99
Highlights:
Is it worth it?
As probably CK2’s most controversial expansion, and the only highly anachronistic one, that’s a bit of a loaded question. It’s probably the least essential expansion, and I play with it turned off the vast majority of the time. That being said, there is enjoyment to be had if you go in knowing you want an unrealistic and almost silly campaign that’s quite a bit different from what CK2 has to offer otherwise. It also puts pressure on Western Europe at a time when things can start to feel static, similar to the role the Mongols play in Eastern Europe.
THE REPUBLIC (2013) - $9.99
Highlights:
Is it worth it?
Like Sword of Islam, this one is entirely situational. You won’t see any of its effects if you only ever play feudal rulers. And given that there are a fairly small number of republics in the game’s timeframe, it opens up fewer, new options than most of the character-unlocking DLCs. Still, republics offer a rather unique way to play the game that can help keep things from feeling stale, especially for players who love to amass gold and spend it on cool stuff.
THE OLD GODS (2013) - $14.99
Highlights:
Is it worth it?
Absolutely. This is still probably my overall favorite CK2 expansion, though I admit that I’m heavily biased towards all things Norse pagan. The 867 start date is far more volatile and dynamic than 1066, with greater ahistorical possibilities, while not straying so far out of the feudal age that it feels like a bad fit for CK2’s mechanics -- which is the impression I often get from the even earlier 769 start added in the Charlemagne expansion, which we will discuss below. Pagans and Zoroastrians are a ton of fun, as are their respective mechanics for cementing their places in history.
SONS OF ABRAHAM (2013) - $9.99
Highlights:
Is it worth it?
This is the first major expansion to expand on Catholic Europe, the area the game focused on at release. If that’s your thing, this one is borderline essential. The new holy orders make a big difference in making some previously bare bones religions feel fleshed-out. Judaism gets some pretty cool stuff, like being able to restore the Kingdom of Israel, which makes for a fun playthrough. And the new Muslim mechanics offer an interesting trade-off, allowing you to continue the scientific revolution of medieval Islam at the risk of potentially offending some of your more devout coreligionists. There’s something for everyone, but Muslim, Christian, and Jewish characters will get the most out of it.
RAJAS OF INDIA (2014) - $14.99
Highights:
Is it worth it?
This one is very easy to ignore if you’re not particularly interested in the Indian subcontinent, especially given its relative distance and isolation from the rest of the map. The Indian religions are each flavorful and interesting, but to this day still feel less fleshed-out and more disconnected from the rest of the map. There’s plenty of enjoyment to be had, but it’s definitely among the least essential DLCs.
CHARLEMAGNE (2014) - $14.99
Highlights:
Is it worth it?
I have mixed feelings about Charlemagne. At first, I loved the 769 start. But the more I’ve played it, the more two issues become apparent. One: CK2 was not designed to handle this time period. Two: 700 years (769 - 1444) is just too long to play a single campaign. I almost always get bored long before I’m finished, which makes the extra centuries more of a burden than a boon. The story events with Charlemagne are a lot of fun to play through a time or two, but leave the dozens of subsequent generations feeling less dramatic and dynamic. I find it hard to say this expansion isn’t worth ever getting. Quite the contrary. But I don’t consider it nearly as essential as I once did.
WAY OF LIFE (2014) - $7.99
Highlights:
Is it worth it?
It doesn’t sound like much, but the answer is definitely yes. No matter what kind of character you’re playing focuses can break up the monotony and add a greater sense of reality to the world, while helping to break up the long chunks of time when there might be nothing politically interesting going on. Some of the best events in CK2 came out of this DLC, and I’d have a hard time making myself play without it.
HORSE LORDS (2015) - $14.99
Highlights:
Is it worth it?
We’re back in firmly situational territory here. The hordes can be a ton of fun to play, but are really emblematic of what I see as the developers trying to “hack” CK2’s systems and make them do things they were never intended for. The somewhat awkward management of nomad holdings and governments can get you to wondering why they didn’t just make a new game about horse nomads, instead of trying to shoehorn them into a feudal incest simulator. If you don’t plan on playing as a horse nomad tribe or holding land along the Silk Road, you can definitely skip this one.
CONCLAVE (2016) - $14.99
Highlights:
Is it worth it?
For my money, absolutely. It was one of the more controversial expansions at launch due to the addition of some questionable features (and I was one of the loudest complainers!) that have since been revised and/or made toggleable game options. But the core of it, the new council mechanics, is fantastic. It brings new depth and strategy to internal politics, makes playing a vassal of a higher ruler much more fun, and more realistically simulates the simple fact that most rulers in the middle ages were not even close to being unchallenged, absolute monarchs. Getting your way is a lot more satisfying when you have to manipulate a bunch of people to do so.
THE REAPER’S DUE (2016) - $9.99
Highlights:
Is it worth it?
Before Reaper’s Due, I was always complaining about how one of the most momentous, continent-changing events of the Middle Ages, the Black Death, was barely represented in CK2. Now, it’s much more of a world event with fanfare and unique mechanics. And while it still doesn’t trigger the kinds of cascading historical changes it did in the real world, it’s still nice to see it getting more recognition. The court physician and prosperity systems are also useful and interesting no matter whom you’re playing.
MONKS AND MYSTICS (2016) - $14.99
Highlights:
Is it worth it?
Some of the societies are really cool, but also nearly as unrealistic as Sunset Invasion at the higher levels. So if you want a purely historical playthrough, it’s probably safe to skip this one. The new events are really the highlight of it all. They’re well-written and often shocking, and combined with those added in previous expansions like Reaper’s Due and Way of Life, really give your character enough to do that you can play CK2 almost as an RPG or a visual novel instead of a strategy game about conquest. At least, until they start to get repetitive - which they definitely will if you stay with the same society for long enough,
Jade Dragon (2017) - $14.99
Highlights:
Is it worth it?
Crusader Kings 2 Remove Aztec
Rally points and the new CBs are nice, all-around quality of life features. But what will really determine how much bang you get for your buck with Jade Dragon is how often you like to play on the Eastern edge of the map. Having the Chinese Emperor to deal with makes the region feel very different, both in terms of opportunities and challenges. The huge number of new events and diplomatic options tied to China liven things up as well. Obviously, however, the further from China your realm is located, the less any of this is going to matter.
Holy Fury (2018) - $19.99 (Review)
Highlights
Is it worth it?
It’s a strong yes, although there’s an equally strong caveat. Holy Fury manages to breathe new life into the wider game thanks to the Random/Shattered world options. Much like the Random New World from EU4, your mileage on this may vary, but Holy Fury also manages to completely revitalise the Christian game specifically on more standard map settings through new Crusade and Character mechanics. We didn’t think CK2 could do it again, but by gosh, it’s done it again.
CAVEAT: Unfortunately, if you lack DLCs like Sword of Islam, Sons of Abraham, and Rajas of India you may accidentally run into several ‘Game Over’ states if you switch your character to a religion you’re not allowed to play as. Check our review for more details. Also, the free patch once again proves to be as strong, if not stronger, than the DLC itself.
MINOR DLCs:
Ruler Designer ($4.99) - Allows you to create a ruler from scratch, selecting traits, appearance, culture, religion, and stats. They will replace any character in the historical map you choose. This is a fun, worthwhile little DLC… but keep in mind that in a game you will likely play for over a dozen generations, the character you create will only be a small part of the story.
Customization Pack ($4.99) - Allows you to change the hair and beard of a character any time you want, as well as rename any of your titles. While by no means essential, I’d definitely miss being able to call the empire I just founded whatever I damn well please if I were to play without it.
Europa Universalis IV Save Converter ($9.99) - In theory, this is one of my single favourite pieces of DLC Paradox has ever put out. Being able to continue my medieval shenanigans into the renaissance, potentially completing an epic, 1100-year-long mega-campaign makes me drool just thinking about it. The only reason this one doesn’t get my unreserved endorsement is that support for it is spotty. The team in charge of maintaining the converter is far too small (basically one guy, from what I understand), to keep up with the major changes being made to both games on a regular basis. Sometimes, it’s in great working shape. At other times, it’s largely nonfunctional with little concept of when a new update might get it up and running again. I’m so, so, so glad it exists, and it’s a wonder to behold when it’s in top form. I just wish it got the love it deserved to be an integral part of PDS’s grand strategy equation.
THE BREAKDOWN
Essential Expansions for Everyone:
Situational Expansions (In No Particular Order):
Got any other thoughts on the Crusader Kings II DLCs? Let us know in the comments below! Kamailio centos 6 install.
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Crusader Kings is a historical grand Turn-Based Strategy / Real-Time Strategy4X game produced and published by Paradox Interactive. It's set chronologically before its sister series, Europa Universalis, and uses a variant of the Europa Universalis II engine.
The game was originally developed by Snowball, who abandoned it in a very unfinished state, forcing Paradox to do some last-minute fixes before release; this makes the game exceedingly buggy and all but unplayable in its post-release state. Some furious activity both by the community (via modding) and Paradox Interactive itself (via both patching and the Deus Vult expansion) has rendered the game significantly more stable and fixed many of the gameplay mechanics.
The gameplay itself is somewhat original in concept: Rather than playing a particular nation you play as a dynasty (with direct control being vested in the head of said dynasty) in medieval Europe starting in 1066 and ending in the early 1400's. While you can raise armies, form alliances and so forth the most important aspect of the game is management of your family and estates: The amount of land you can directly control is limited by certain factors, and thus you have to parcel out land to your vassals. The vassals have their own personality traits and ideas (some of which make them butt heads with you, or each other). The focus on individual characters and the dynamics within your dynasty gives the game a quality that is almost The Sims-like. It's also notable for being one of the first Paradox Interactive games to rely on Random Events with complicated triggers rather than chains of Scripted Events to drive the game, which would go on to become the staple of the company's later games.
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A sequel, Crusader Kings II, was released on February 14th 2012, and a demo has also been released. Amongst other gameplay changes, the sequel introduces character ambitions, an expanded plotting and intrigue mechanic, a revamp of the holy order and mercenary system and the sub-division of provinces into baronies, bishoprics and cities, all ruled by vassals.
Paradox has released numerous expansion packs for CKII, each focusing on different aspects:
For game mods, see FanWorks.Crusader Kings.
This video-game provides examples of:
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