Crusader Kings 3 Chapter IV has just been revealed, and at first glance, it looks amazing and has confirmed many players’ speculations about what was to come. This year, we can expect to get Khans of the Steppe, a Core Expansion pack that focuses on the Steppe region; Coronations, an event pack that adds the much needed and wanted coronations event; and finally, All Under Heaven, this year’s major expansion that adds the entirety of Asia.
Paradox claims that Chapter IV will be the biggest chapter to date, and so far, it looks like it’s true, with it promising to increase the map and content of the game by 30%. If you are unfamiliar with how Cusader Kings 3 DLC works, I’ll explain. At the start of every year, they release a video like the one above that details what we can expect DLC wise through the year, then release all of them to pre order inthe form of the Chapter Bundle that has all the DLC in it for 20% off and you cant buy the DLC individually until its released.
The components of Chapter IV are:
- Crowns of the World Instant Unlock: Available immediately upon purchase of Chapter IV, this pack includes six new historic royal crowns, four new hairstyles and two new beard designs for character portraits.
- Khans of the Steppe: This Core Expansion pack focuses on greater historic detail and flavor for the nomadic tribes, including new game mechanics like herd migration and clan politics.
- Coronations: This event pack highlights the decisions a ruler must make upon taking the throne. Prepare an elaborate coronation to display your wealth and power to vassals and rivals alike.
- All Under Heaven: This Major Expansion for Crusader Kings III extends the game map to include China, Japan and Southeast Asia. Explore new types of government for each region, as well as special events, decisions, and roles for characters, as you prepare original alternate histories of a medieval world that you will shape, unseen in any previous Crusader Kings game.
Update 1.15.0 ‘Crown’!
To keep players engaged before the first of three upcoming DLCs arrives on April 28th, alongside the Chapter 4 reveal, a free Update, 1.15.0 Crown, has been released. This update introduces several enhancements, including simplified court position interactions, automated armies allowing AI control for task prioritization, and improved AI army clarity.
Beyond these core features, Update 1.15.0 Crown delivers numerous bug fixes, warfare adjustments, and UI refinements, promising a smoother and more enjoyable gaming experience. I, for one, am eager to start a new campaign and experience these changes firsthand.
Is it Worth it to Buy?
As someone who’s put way over a thousand hours into CK3 at this point, you’d think I’d have a pretty good idea of if it was worth it to buy or not, but I don’t. I’m quite conflicted on whether or not the Chapter IV bundle is worth it, although the bundle has some of the biggest DLCs to date, adding some much-needed flavour to the Steppe, adding coronations and increasing the map by over 30% with the Asia DLC. But I’m not sure if the chapter as a whole is worth it with, as it costs close to £40 and contains one fewer DLC than the previous bundle.
As a whole, I’m very excited as to what’s to come in the Chapter 4 DLC, but I do think that the pricing of the bundle is quite alarming, but we will have to wait quite a while to see if the DLC is worth the price increase.
