What's Coming to Crusader Kings 3 in 2025?

Summary

The video discusses potential expansions for *Crusader Kings* DLC, focusing on enhancing Merchant Republics, trade mechanics, and introducing new gameplay features. The speaker suggests incorporating historical regions like Italy and the Hanseatic League, while exploring criminal and high-dread character playstyles in a 'Villains and Vagabonds' DLC. They also advocate for reworks in warfare and new content for regions like Slavic Eastern Europe, Africa, and India. The video emphasizes balancing historical accuracy with engaging new gameplay mechanics, aiming for diverse, region-specific content to enrich the player's experience.

Takeaways

• 😀 Merchant Republics DLC could focus on trade and transport, emphasizing a flavorful system rather than complex naval combat.
• 🚢 The speaker proposes a rework of naval mechanics, limiting ship usage to transport and trade, specifically for Merchant Republics like Venice, Pisa, and Amalfi.
• 💰 The DLC could allow players to build up Merchant Republics and create fleets for trade, similar to the Hanseatic League in northern Germany.
• ⚔️ The Villains and Vagabonds event pack would explore high-dread rulers, criminals, and unlanded characters, adding events based on evil vs honorable themes.
• 💡 A possible addition to the game could involve contrasting themes of fairness and honor, incorporating honorable knights or despotic rulers into the storyline.
• 🌍 The expansion could also include content for unreformed faiths in Eastern Europe and Slavic regions, adding depth to these areas of the map.
• 💥 The Hundred Years' War DLC would focus on the wars between England and France, possibly incorporating a warfare rework with new flavor content around these historical conflicts.
• 🌍 The speaker envisions more content for Africa and India, regions that are currently underrepresented, with potential updates around cultures, religions, and achievements.
• 🔮 Future expansions could explore the concept of secret societies and secret religions, with more fantastical and outlandish content making its way into the game after 2026.
• 🗺️ The overall direction for *Crusader Kings* is a balance of mechanical gameplay improvements and content-focused expansions, ensuring the game evolves in both structure and flavor.

Q & A

What is the focus of the proposed 'Merchant Republics' DLC for Crusader Kings 3?

The proposed 'Merchant Republics' DLC would focus on adding more depth to trade systems, with particular emphasis on Italian republics like Venice, Pisa, and Amalfi. It would also include the ability for players to interact with these republics through trade and even naval combat in certain scenarios, though naval warfare would not be the primary focus.

Why does the speaker oppose the idea of expanding naval warfare across the entire game map?

The speaker believes that while naval combat was present during the time period of *Crusader Kings 3*, it was not a central aspect of expansion or state-building, unlike in later periods such as *EU4* or *EU5*. They argue that including naval combat for transport or battles across the entire map would be out of place and detract from the game's focus.

How does the speaker envision the role of naval warfare if it were to be added?

If naval warfare were to be included, the speaker envisions it as part of the trade mechanics or exclusive to interactions between Merchant Republics. Naval fleets would be tied to trade routes, allowing players to hire fleets for transporting armies or goods, rather than building ships just for crossing seas and then disbanding them.

What does the speaker think about the possibility of two expansions focusing on Italy and Merchant Republics in the same timeframe?

The speaker is skeptical about the idea of having two expansions focused on Italy and Merchant Republics. Since the first expansion is expected to be religion-based and focused on Italy, adding another expansion for Merchant Republics in the same region may feel redundant. However, they express hope that this type of content could be developed over time.

What content would the speaker like to see added in future expansions aside from Italy and Merchant Republics?

The speaker suggests several possible future expansions, such as content focused on the Slavic and Eastern European regions, with updates to unreformed faiths, as well as a potential 'Hundred Years War' DLC, which could feature warfare mechanics and regional flavor specific to England, France, and other involved territories.

What is the proposed idea for the 'Villains and Vagabonds' event pack?

The 'Villains and Vagabonds' event pack would add new gameplay elements for high-dread rulers, criminals, and unlanded characters. It would introduce contrasting themes of fairness, honor, and evil, providing more depth to these character types and adding flavorful events for players to explore.

How does the speaker believe the 'Villains and Vagabonds' event pack would synergize with recent game changes?

The speaker believes that 'Villains and Vagabonds' would align well with recent updates to the game, such as the addition of unlanded characters. The event pack could provide more content for evil rulers, criminal characters, and players looking to explore the darker side of governance and personal power, adding depth to the unlanded gameplay system.

What content is suggested for the 'steppe and nomadic' regions in a potential future expansion?

A potential future expansion could focus on the steppe and nomadic cultures, introducing new mechanics and flavor content for these regions. This could involve updates to the steppe's unique gameplay features, expanding the role of nomadic tribes, and providing more in-depth content for these often underdeveloped areas of the map.

What is the speaker’s opinion on the inclusion of more content for Africa and India?

The speaker expresses a strong desire for more content related to Africa and India. They point out that India offers a fun, diverse experience with high-development areas and unique achievements, while Africa is underrepresented in the game. More content for these regions would add variety and new challenges for players.

How does the speaker view the future direction of *Crusader Kings 3* content?

The speaker is optimistic about the future of *Crusader Kings 3*, expecting more structural gameplay changes and expansions that introduce new mechanics, such as warfare reworks and content focused on different regions of the world. They also hope that in the coming years, the game might embrace more fantastical elements like secret societies or religions, though they acknowledge that this might come later as the game matures.