#Ck2 horse lords strategy update#

Sadly, many of these mechanics feel more like minor gameplay tweaks than an expansion. It adds more unique choices for Holy Orders too. Meanwhile, Jewish leaders have all new event chains to form Israel. Catholics and Muslims get new events and features. While most expansions focus on specific religions or cultures, Sons of Abraham tries to spread the love across all three Abrahamic religions. But more often than not, these events would cascade to ruin your playthrough.В ThatвЂ™s why I ranked it a lot lower in spite of these features. The expansion adds more dread and morbidity to the game. The ReaperвЂ™s Due focuses on diseases and their (sometimes insane) cures, as well as a new court physician appointee. The Black Death, one of the most devastating plagues in human history, takes center stage in this expansion. You can freely interact with these new rulers/nations, but to play as them youвЂ™ll obviously need the expansion. Rajas of India is another expansion that only focuses on a niche choice. Also, the mechanics for Islamic rulers werenвЂ™t too fleshed out with Decadence becoming a major issue to properly handle and simulate in the game. So, itвЂ™s another question of whether you want to play as a certain religion/faction or not.

#Ck2 horse lords strategy update#

The reason it ranks so low is that Sword of Islam only gave you the chance to play as them whereas the free update that came with it already allowed AI Muslim rulers access to these mechanics. The first expansion for Crusader Kings II was important in that it let you pick Muslim rulers to reenact their bloody rivalry with Christendom. Although, itвЂ™s worth noting that their trade posts can cause quite the border gore when using its specific map mode. Horse Lords added trade dynamics via the Silk Road in the East, while The RepublicВ is an earlier analog for the West.ДЇor the most part, you can enjoy a game of Crusader Kings II without ever playing as a merchant republic. This one allows you to play as various merchant republics in the game world. The RepublicД¬ontinuing with the trend of вЂњonly if you want to play as a specific factionвЂќ is The Republic. So for the most part, this expansion just offers Mongol hordes and steppe nomads. Playing as nomadic rulers wasВ already possible via The Old Gods which released two years prior. With this expansion, youвЂ™re able to establish tributary states while giving more flavor for nomadic rulers and enjoying the benefits of a pre-determined Silk Road.

Jade Dragon did try to follow in the footsteps of its older cousin, Horse Lords. ItвЂ™s also worth noting that youвЂ™re going to have a hard time maximizing your enjoyment if you donвЂ™t have Horse Lords, The Old Gods, or Rajas of India since the action takes place on the eastern end of the map unless you allow for zero restrictions when interacting with China. The mechanics just become a little too ahistorical and anachronistic. Unfortunately, itвЂ™s like the Sunset Invasion but set in the East. Jade Dragon has all the right ingredients to make it a brilliant expansion. But it did make Western Europe a lot livelier for a time. The highly unrealistic Aztec invasion of Europe is not something that history fans appreciated. Sunset Invasion isnвЂ™t so much an expansion as it is a glorified event. ItвЂ™s a feature that should have been included in the base game from the start or as a free update, which has earned the ire of many players. The feature allowed you to customize your rulerвЂ™s looks, traits, and heraldry before you start a game for a $4.99 price tag. WeвЂ™re kicking off our list with what might be one of the most controversial DLCs in Crusader Kings II history: the Ruler Designer. (Dis)honorable Mention: Crusader Kings II Ruler Designer

IвЂ™ve also added a (dis)honorable mention for a certain offering. As someone who has been playing the game from the start and has tried out every expansion and DLC that Paradox Interactive has provided.ДЇor the sake of clarity, IвЂ™ve arranged the expansions/DLC from worst to best while also summarizing the features they provide. Then there are certain expansions that benefit from previously released DLC. Some add major improvements to specific religions or cultures without doing anything for others. But not all of them are worth the time and money. Since the gameвЂ™s launch in 2012, Crusader Kings IIВ has wracked up 15 expansions and counting.