The holy Swedish month of July is over and our workforce has been steadily trickling back into the office, resigned to the fact that sunlight is a luxury we won't be seeing for another 11 months. With that lovely thought in mind, let's return to our weekly dev diaries and talk about a new feature for our upcoming yet unrevealed expansion for Europa Universalis IV: Coptic Holy Sites.

Copts have had a rough time. Way back in EU's history they were simply represented as the Orthodox faith before getting their own religion within the Christian group, but even then they lacked their own flavour, destined to be left in the Horn of Africa and Armenia with hungry neighbours and their Patriarch being locked up and bullied in Mamluk-held Alexandria.

Well no longer! A feature in the upcoming DLC is a Holy Sites system unique for Coptic nations. Any nation which follows the Coptic faith will have access to a screen showing their Holy Sites. There are 5 in total, detailed with who is currently controlling them and the faith followed by the province. It is the Copts' holy mission to see these restored to Coptic control.

As shown above, Armenia (Who I released&played as from QQ) can open their Coptic menu and see the state of their Holy Sites. If a Holy Site is held by any Coptic nation and the province itself follows the One True Faith™ then all Coptic nations will be granted a blessing from the Patriarch. You are able to pick from the 5 available blessings but be sure that you or your Coptic friends hold onto your possessions tightly, as losing ownership of a Holy Site to a nation of another faith will lose you the blessing until it is returned to Coptic hands.

In 1444 the only Holy site in control of the Copts is Aksum, in the far north of Ethiopia. This will allow all existing Coptic nations to pick one blessing of their choice from the above list.

Legitimize Government: +0.5 Legitimacy
Encourage Wariors of the Faith: +10% manpower recovery
Send Monks to Establish Monasteries: +1.5% missionary strength
Promote Territorial Rights: -10% Core creation Cost
Will of the Martyrs: +5% discipline

Unlike other religious mechanics, the Coptic Holy Sites will collectively make all followers of that religion stronger. It makes no difference in the available Blessings if your nation or another Coptic nation holds the Holy Sites. Should the Copts fight back from their perilous position in 1444 and secure their Holy Sites, they will be that much stronger. Co-operate with other Coptic nations and share the Patriarch's blessings

Alongside the Holy sites and Patriarch Blessings, Copts will have a healthy dose of unique flavour events and missions to drive their liberation of the Holy Sites. Coptic Holy Sites will be a paid feature in the upcoming DLC, which will be released alongside the free 1.18 patch.

Next week I'll pass the reins back to Johan, as we return to see what changes have been going on in the Throne Room

 

[Grand Historian]

Tell me we're getting some Armenian unit DLC. And also for Persia and the Arabs

I would prefer the Protestant and Catholic units packs get released before Armenia gets a complete set.

The more regions you conquer the more various items appear in your throne room! Conquer Iraq and add Imassu to your collection! Conqeur Paris to get cheese on your table! Unlock more items with Throne Room DLCs!

Paradox pls add

Conquer Byzantium to get a portrait of DDRJake giving you a thumbs up.

The Armenian church is Miaphysite, but to lump it in with the Coptic church is wrong. The Armenians should be represented by a separate, entirely new faith.

Or just rename Coptic Miaphysite, as it's been requested since 1.8.

 

[Metallord]

And then swap to Byzzies for those awesome missions and events, then form Rome
ROME SHALL RISE AGAIN!

SPQR for tha win

 

[Dakka]

I would prefer the Protestant and Catholic units packs get released before Armenia gets a complete set.

I had almost forgotten about those. It's been 8 months since they've been finished?
I have the Catholic Majors, but I feel like I am taunted by the Protestant majors whenever I look at that damn ribbon.

I would also like to see a lot of the German states, eastern Europe, and Scandies finished before the doomed nations in the caucuses

 

[Grand Historian]

I had almost forgotten about those. It's been 8 months since they've been finished?
I have the Catholic Majors, but I feel like I am taunted by the Protestant majors whenever I look at that damn ribbon.

I would also like to see a lot of the German states, eastern Europe, and Scandies finished before the doomed nations in the caucuses

Yeah, I think Hungary should get units before a nation that didn't even exist during EU4's timeframe.

(It's doubly taunting for me since I never even got around to getting the Catholic pack, and it hasn't been put up on the store yet.)

 

[diceyy]

Is there any national decision along the lines of the pentarchy for orthodox if you control all 5 holy sites?

 

[Dakka]

Yeah, I think Hungary should get units before a nation that didn't even exist during EU4's timeframe.

(It's doubly taunting for me since I never even got around to getting the Catholic pack, and it hasn't been put up on the store yet.)

I remember you mentioning that. That's a shame, because the models do look quite nice. Hungary and Lithuania in particular are both countries that really quite desperately need sprites, alongside Denmark. All three of these nations made a pretty large mark in game and historically. Not to mention vanilla Eastern sprites are really ugly

 

[Grand Historian]

Hungary and Lithuania in particular are both countries that really quite desperately need sprites, alongside Denmark. All three of these nations made a pretty large mark in game and historically.

I also wouldn't mind seeing Wallachia get something. Sure, they weren't a major power in any sense of the word, but they did have the ability to draw up some disproportionately huge armies when they wanted to and dealt the Ottomans some pretty nasty defeats.

(And less generic eastern sprites is always a bonus.)

I'd also toss Bohemia onto the pile, if only because I just want to see something involving wagons.

 

[Mudcrab]

Beautiful Hayasdan! (and a very rare upvote).

Moon in the Armenian Cemetery

O moon, fair lamp divinely lit!
God set you in the sky (to be)
To lead night's hosts, for darkness blind
And for my heart a DLC.

 

[EldarPanic]

Not to mention vanilla Eastern sprites are really ugly

Yes so much yes!!! I really hate those sprites because they look like something the Russians would use. Please paradox WE'RE NOT RUSSIAN.

 

[GeneralPetrov]

I don't disagree with you guys that there are plenty of eastern tech nations like Hungary that deserve a unit pack, but I really think a lot of sub-Saharan nations desperately need a unit pack a lot more.

Seriously, they're stuck with literally the crappiest and blandest unit models in the game: a black guy in permanently bland grey rags and no shoes holding either a very basic spear, or a musket. Playing as a strong and rich empire of Songhai is just down right depressing when I apparently cant even give my glorious army a basic uniform or shoes.

 

[Sun_Wu]

one more different, rarely used mechanic for tiny part of the world, instead of noticable, fun, gameplay-improving changes. Perfect.

So to clarify
It is a boring part of the world so no one plays it
No one plays it so it doesn't deserve flavour

Victorian Crusader Universallis you mean. Don't forget about great powers

That is MEIOU & Taxes 2.0 which will likely come out within a month.
You can read about it here https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...g-meiou-pop-overhaul-progress-reports.952020/
We also give updates nearly every day

The Armenian church is Miaphysite, but to lump it in with the Coptic church is wrong. The Armenians should be represented by a separate, entirely new faith.

Should just be renamed Miaphysite

 

[raikaria]

So... Ethiopia mechanics; because the other Copts generally get eaten... by Ethiopia. And in fact need to be to reach the other sites.

Unless of course Armenia gets released.

 

[LeSingeAffame]

As someone who loves playing as Ethiopia, THANK YOU !
This looks really greate

 

[Mauer]

This is good and all, but I feel like religions overall should have more staying power, conversion is too easy and Coptic provinces outside of Ethiopia will be converted in the first 50 years of the game.

The Reformation already does most of its converting via centers of reformations and events, so making conversion harder wouldn't impact it too much.

 

[GeneralPetrov]

This is good and all, but I feel like religions overall should have more staying power, conversion is too easy and Coptic provinces outside of Ethiopia will be converted in the first 50 years of the game.

The Reformation already does most of its converting via centers of reformations and events, so making conversion harder wouldn't impact it too much.

Another example would be Greece, which in the vast majority of my games is converted to Sunni islam by 1600, even though the Ottomans almost always take humanist ideas.

Religious conversion in general just seems a bit too easy and cheap in game, especially when you get religious ideas and can fully convert a province in a matter of a couple of years.

 

[Nyrael]

Religious conversion in general just seems a bit too easy and cheap in game, especially when you get religious ideas and can fully convert a province in a matter of a couple of years.

Well, what do you expect from a game that allows you to convert a province's culture in a small timeframe with absolutely no drawbacks?
Cultural and religious conversions in general need a larger overhaul. Cultural and religious changes in the world did not follow some template, they were affected by way too many things to be predictable.

 

[Exemplar Voss]

So... Ethiopia mechanics; because the other Copts generally get eaten... by Ethiopia. And in fact need to be to reach the other sites.

Basically, and most of the time they'll have one bonus up until the point the Mamluks or Ottomans take it away from them.
The opportunity cost on this mechanic is really high, with a really low benefit. Just in terms of religions alone I can think of half-a-dozen that are entirely awful and need reworking and would affect entire regions rather than one country and a releasable that will just get washed over by the green tide.

 

[seriousgigi]

The more regions you conquer the more various items appear in your throne room! Conquer Iraq and add Imassu to your collection! Conqeur Paris to get cheese on your table! Unlock more items with Throne Room DLCs!

Paradox pls add

or coat of arms of duchies/kingdoms/empires you conquered.

 

[grandadmiralbob]

Can you change your choice of buff, and if so, how often?

 

[Incompetent]

Coptic looks like a really strong choice now if you're in a position to take all those sites early. Might be a bit OP compared to other Christian options (and the other Christian options are already better than most non-Christians), but I suppose it's balanced by the fact that the Copts start out weak and isolated from other Christians (limiting their opportunities for PU games, for instance).