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Crusader Kings III: Chapter IV


Hello everyone! I'm the Community Manager with Paradox Studio Black, and today we're excited to present to you the next stage in Crusader Kings III's development: Chapter IV. Today, we'll go over the themes of each piece of content that make up the Chapter, as well as give a brief peek at their features. Without further ado, let's get into it.



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Core Expansion: Khans of the Steppe​

The first release in Chapter IV, Khans of the Steppe, focuses on the brand-new Nomadic Government and the systems we've created to support it. Inspired by the nomadic peoples of the Eurasian Steppe, these mechanics will challenge you to adapt to a lifestyle dominated by the ebb and flow of the land's vitality, maintain your herds, and establish your dominance over the region by any means necessary.

Key Features​

Nomadic Government​

Nomads don't live in a single static location; historically they travelled across the steppe as climate and fertility demanded, and we've strived to recreate that experience in Khans of the Steppe. You'll guide your people and herds across the region, tapping into the fertility of the land for as long as it lasts. Once resources run dry, you must migrate anew. Chieftains can roam peacefully by negotiating with neighboring shepherds, or seize new pastures by force.

Herd​

Representing your horses, cattle, and overall strength within the steppe, the new Herd system becomes a cornerstone of diplomatic, martial, and economic actions. Use it to fuel your warbands, or as currency in your negotiations.

Dominance​

Prove your might on the steppe through Dominance, increasing it alongside your power and territory. At its highest level, you might even claim the mantle of Genghis Khan; the Universal Ruler.

Seasons & Survival​

Life in the steppe is harsh, affected by the changing climate and weather patterns. A White Zud could blanket the land in snow, decimating fertility and putting pressure on you to find greener pastures. Meanwhile, milder conditions can bring bountiful growth to your herds, ushering in a period of prosperity.

Khans of the Steppe releases on April 28, with dev diaries scheduled for every Tuesday until then. Be sure to mark your calendars if you're eager to try your hand at this new style of governance and rulership.




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Event Pack: Coronations​


Beyond the steppe of Eurasia, Chapter IV introduces a new event pack simply titled: Coronations. In the medieval world, a coronation was more than just a gathering, it represented the moment where earthly and divine legitimacy converged.

Coronation Activity​

Coronations function as a new activity type, letting you experience the event first hand. Coordinate with religious authorities and conduct the perfect ceremony to establish your right to rule in the eyes of your vassals and subjects. Plan it wisely, because the consequences of this activity can echo throughout your entire reign and beyond.




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Major Expansion: All Under Heaven​

Chapter IV's flagship Major Expansion, All Under Heaven, is set to be the largest and most ambitious expansion in Crusader Kings history. We're completing our map of the medieval world by extending its scope across all of Asia. This massive expansion brings new gameplay, unique governments, and entirely different perspectives on life in the medieval era.

Key Features​

From Ireland to Cathay​

From the celestial might of Imperial China and the unique governments of Japan and Korea, to the god-kings of the Indonesian archipelago, each new area in All Under Heaven features new cultures, faiths, and flavor.

Hegemony​

To properly represent the power and influence of China in this period, we're introducing a new tier of title above an empire: the Hegemony. This new title tier allows for further granular representation of the division of power within large-scale realms.

Dynastic Cycle​

The fate of the imperial dynasties follows a cyclical pattern, reflecting historical eras of stability and eras of chaos. Players will struggle to maintain the Mandate of Heaven and prove that they are the right choice to navigate the empire through treacherous waters.

Imperial Treasury​

A new centralized treasury system for the Chinese Emperor represents the flow of wealth upward and into the empire's coffers, letting you decide how to spend (or squander) resources that could make or break the stability of the realm.

While no release date is being announced at this time, you can expect our normal in-depth developer diaries to start for this expansion shortly after the release of Khans of the Steppe, with our first dev diary tentatively scheduled for May.



1.15 "Crown" Update: Available Now​

To properly prepare for our upcoming content in Chapter IV, we're releasing a broad set of changes to the game's existing content with our 1.15 "Crown" Update, available to all owners of Crusader Kings III right now, free of charge. This update overhauls multiple systems and fixes numerous issues to ensure your experience in the medieval world is more enjoyable.

Update Highlights​

Court Position Overhaul​

A more intuitive interface for appointing and managing your court's less essential roles. New court positions are introduced, while existing ones are given tasks that their holders can be directed to perform for various benefits. Additionally, you can now choose to replace vacancies manually, or set specific positions to be refilled automatically.

Army Automation and AI Improvements​

Focus on what's important to you while you let the AI handle martial affairs. There's also new interface elements to clarify what allied armies (or your own, if automation is enabled) are actually doing, making it easier than ever to coordinate your war efforts.

Improvements to Crusade AI​

The AI will now gather its armies before striking at its enemies as a properly coordinated force. Expect more unified Great Holy War offensives, and fiercer opposition as a defender.

From quality-of-life changes to bug squashing, the 1.15 "Crown" update refines the overall experience of the game. It's also available right now, so give it a try and let us know what you think!


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Instant Unlock: Crowns of the World​

For those eager to dive into Chapter IV content as soon as possible, anyone who purchases the Chapter IV pass will immediately receive the Crowns of the World cosmetic pack, unlocking various culture-specific crowns and turbans. Whether you play in Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa, you're sure to find new stylish ways to represent your royal persona.


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Community Q&A​

We want to ensure that the content in Chapter IV is the best it can be, and a huge part of that is building strong communications and relationships between us and our players. Your feedback on existing content as well as upcoming features is vital to this effort. To facilitate this, we're collecting questions from all of you until March 19, and will publish a video responding to as many of these as we can on March 26th. Submit your questions below in the comments, or on any of our social media channels.


Chapter IV is the most ambitious content cycle in Crusader Kings history, offering everything from the struggles of maintaining your herd as a nomadic ruler in Khans of the Steppe, to the weight of ceremony and duty in Coronations, culminating in the completion of our map of the medieval world in All Under Heaven. Whether you choose to play in the new areas being introduced to the game or your existing favorites, Chapter IV will redefine the stories you make in Crusader Kings III.

The 1.15 "Crown" Update and the Chapter IV pass are both available right now. The Crown update is available for free to all owners of Crusader Kings III, while those who purchase the Chapter IV pass will immediately receive Crowns of the World as well as all the content mentioned above as soon as it is released.
 
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Looking at the list of additions in the DLC page of All Under Heaven it looks like it probably is the biggest DLC for CK ever, with most of Asia basically covered with the flavor and new gov types. After Chapter IV, will the scope of expansions follow suit with the next chapter, and we get something like Crusades, Catholic rework, etc, in all one update? Because I can't wait for that if that's the case!
 
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AIM the Bulldozer said:
I fully agree that China and other parts of Asia should be added, but not now. In my opinion the current map should have its flavour and mechanics fleshed out before any map expansions take place.
Click to expand...
> Wants the current map fleshed out instead of China
> The entire eastern portion of the existing map can't be fleshed out without China

Anyway, this looks great, and sets the table for a Chapter 5 that can build on these additions to do trade and thus, Crusades, properly
 
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Exciting to see all of Asia in one go, especially with content for it! Wonder if some of the mechanics for southeast Asia will carry over to India, at least before India gets its own content.

Also "completing our map of the medieval world", I imagine this means further extension south into Africa is off the cards? Not exactly a deal breaker but Swahili coast, Madagascar and Great Zimbabwe as far as I know were still important pieces of the medieval trade networks and in my eyes the map would feel incomplete without. Would be nice to know if they till have potential to be included someday or not.
 
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How can this be the largest and most ambitious chapter to date? Besides adding Asia as a whole (which is huge). It barely adds anything to the existing world, beside for coronation which seems rather small. Chapter 3 brought us plague system and wanderers, which played a role for everyone for every playstyle.
This chapter focuses on purely Asia, which feels very one sided on the whole customer base.
 
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Not to be demeaning, but was it a hard choice between this expansion and other more requested expansions from western audiences, knowing that it will inevitably be very divisive?
 
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This sounds awesome, just hope there is something that prevents china from blobbing all over the (I guess now former) eastern half of the map. Hated it in CK2 when China would for no good reason own everything from mongolia to bangladesh, feels weird and ahistorical.
 
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This new title tier allows for further granular representation of the division of power within large-scale realms.
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It is my hope that this is a stepping stone towards more granular representations of governing in general. I might be reading too much into this, but I hope I'm not, because it was this line that stood out to me the most in this massive teaser!
 
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A few questions:

Will the mongols be balanced on release with China in mind, or will they be rebalanced when the lands to their east are added?

While I understand character limitations, will there be a representation of what I understand to be the rather extensive concubinage in the Chinese courts beyond giving them the concubine marriage type? Perhaps, since some seemingly had thousands, there could be a system in which the concubines are not characters but a decision and the heir produced is the only character generated?

Is there anything particular you’d like to share about Korea? The advertising here seems focused on China, Japan, and Indonesia. Unified Silla should exist still by the earliest start date and be rather soon to break apart.

Will the hegemony be available to rulers who own a certain number of empires or meet some other conditions, or only to the Chinese?

For coronations, is this a gold cost, a prestige cost, or a mix? Seems like a good opportunity to add a trade off of prestige for legitimacy, which as a mechanic sometimes seem to punish my rightful heir who has almost no legitimacy compared to what is expected of him when he comes to rule. Perhaps also a discounted cost if you are in fact legitimate (ie, elected through a law on the title or the eldest son of the ruler)?

Edit: Will there be a gamerule option to turn the map expansion off or some other map limiting option for those who have performance issues and who are uninterested in using the whole map for their playthrough? A lot of current achievements should be achievable without ever touching on the existing east, let alone all of Asia.
 
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Honestly, when I saw the Chinese court in the spoiler picture, I couldn't believe that you would add the rest of Asia. I think the coronation should be introduced as a mandatory event when moving from a duke, grav or adventurer to the status of a king or emperor, that is, the transition of the royal title should be delayed according to all canons.
 
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avVE said:
How can this be the largest and most ambitious chapter to date? Besides adding Asia as a whole (which is huge). It barely adds anything to the existing world, beside for coronation which seems rather small. Chapter 3 brought us plague system and wanderers, which played a role for everyone for every playstyle.
This chapter focuses on purely Asia, which feels very one sided on the whole customer base.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah man, it's not like the Steppe is 25% of the existing map or anything. No, they're barely adding anything to the existing world, you got it.
 
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I secretly hope that someday the game map will be expanded to include America (Mesoamerica, Incas and Eastern Coast of North America) and deeper into Africa. Of course there should be limits to how much the rest of the world can discover these areas - it might be useful to extend the time frame to 1521 (beginnings of great geographical discoveries).
 
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Even though the coronations are simply an event pack and this sets some lower expectations, I really wish you’ll use the 3D court room for the events themselves. Since you’re already using court rooms for events in the Royal Court, seems like this is possible without too much hassle.
 
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