While Paradox Interactive publishes a fair number of games, its bread and butter are definitely its franchises of grand strategy games. The most recent paradox strategy game, Crusader Kings 3, received its somewhat divisive Royal Court DLC in February, and Paradox is already moving ahead with the game’s next expansion.
The publisher announced Crusader Kings 3’s upcoming DLC on Tuesday, April 19th. Titled Fate of Iberia, the new content pack releases on May 31st and introduces new mechanics and flavor to the medieval Iberian Peninsula.
Fate of Iberia is Crusader Kings 3’s third DLC and second Flavor Pack. This means that it focuses primarily on fleshing out a specific region of the map rather than adding or overhauling major features. Paradox announced the new Flavor pack with a short trailer, setting the scene for medieval Iberia’s chaotic and ever-changing political landscape. The fluid situation means that players may find allies in unlikely places while staying alert for ambitious rivals within and without their own realms. The pack also introduces dozens of new pieces of Clothing and Headgear for Iberian characters.
The Paradox staff discussed the upcoming content further in a new development diary released the same day. The blog post notes that the Iberian Peninsula, modern-day Portugal and Spain, is one of the most played regions in Crusader Kings 3 due to the political situation and the historical events during the strategy game’s timeframe. The DLC hopes to enhance these aspects with a new mechanic called “Iberian Struggle.” Developers intend for it to help simulate the centuries-long tug-of-war between the Catholic kingdoms in the north and Muslim realms in the south.
Paradox didn’t go into specifics just yet, but said, “The Struggle will create new opportunities and add constraints for the rulers within Iberia.” These appear to include altering the relationship between the northern and southern realms to be more or less antagonistic. Screenshots embedded in the post indicate that players can push things in their preferred direction by triggering Catalysts. These include things like wars, diplomatic actions, assassinations, and engaging in various other Crusader Kings 3 mechanics.
Paradox also accompanies the Fate of Iberia DLC with a free update focused on the same region. Its features include a new bookmark in Crusader Kings 3’s 867 start date with five new recommended characters offering unique challenges as vassals of the various Christian and Muslim realms. Paradox also reworked the map borders, adjusted the Culture distribution, and introduced a new Faith to better represent Crusader Kings 3’s historical scenarios.
Crusader Kings 3 players will benefit from the free content with or without the new DLC, though Paradox designed the update to interact with the upcoming Fate of Iberia flavor pack. Meanwhile, players interested in the flavor pack can pre-order it now for $6.99 on Steam. It’s also free for players who purchase or already own the $74.99 Royal Edition of Crusader Kings 3.
Crusader Kings 3 is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Paradox Interactive