Crusader Kings III Gets First Major Expansion

Crusader Kings III's first major expansion will grant players a seat of power to make decisions of [...]

By Christian Hoffer

Crusader Kings III's first major expansion will grant players a seat of power to make decisions of court. Earlier this week, Paradox Interactive announced "Royal Court," the first large expansion for the kingdom simulation game. As its name suggests, Royal Court focuses on the management of your dynasty's throne room, adding both aesthetics and more practical matters to kingdom management. Not only will the throne room serve as a place to show off your kingdom's achievements, you'll also be regularly called upon by various subjects and vassals to deal with disputes or handle matters of state.

Central to the "Royal Court" is a new Grandeur mechanic. Players increase their Grandeur by successfully holding court and spending their wealth on their throne room and entertaining gifts. As a player's Grandeur increases, their throne room will attract different kinds of visitors, including Inspired NPCs, who will request money in exchange for completing certain projects. The results of these projects, whether it's a new invention or the discovery of a relic, will then be displayed in the Royal Court for the remainder of the dynasty. Other items will have more practical effects, adding new pieces of clothing or weapons that can be added to character portraits.

As with other aspects of Crusader Kings III, the passage of time and the outside impact of the world will also play a role in one's Grandeur. Not only will artifacts age over time, players will also need to keep their throne room intact during war. An invading force might take your throne room by force during a war, or a player will lose their throne room if their kingdom enters a prolonged period of decline. Additionally, players will also suffer potential diplomatic repercussions if they don't maintain their kingdom's Grandeur, which may have a wider impact with neighbors and the business of managing a multi-generational dynasty.

In addition to the paid "Royal Court" DLC, Paradox is also releasing a free overhaul to Crusader Kings 3's culture system. The overhaul is designed to make the culture system closer to the game's religion mechanic in modularity. Cultures will now have an Ethos and Traditions, which add a variety of different mechanical effects to the game. Some of these Traditions were previously in the game as lesser-known mechanics, but the Culture system will add a level of visibility and make them much easier to find.

No release date was announced for the "Royal Court" DLC, but it (and the accompanying free update) will be released at some point in 2021.

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