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EU4 Lions of the North is the latest venture from Paradox, and it looks good! I mean, with exciting new projects being announced left, right, and center, alongside top-tier expansion packs and DLCs, it's a great time to be a strategy fan in general. But Europa Universalis 4: Lions of the North DLC stands out from the crowd, and this article will explain why that is.
Much like most other Paradox grand strategy expansion packs, Lions of the North is all about laser-focused iterative development of a specific region of the world, in this case, the Scandinavian and Baltic nations in the North Sea, all vying to project power on the continent. While this is significantly more niche-oriented that, say, the phenomenal Mandate of Heaven or Art of War DLCs, it's still going to be a must-have for players hailing from the Northern Sea trade regions. And, of course, for those who wish to establish commercial and political dominance playing as these major power countries!
Paradox is also using the release of Lions of the North DLC to push out a series of comprehensive content updates for all owners of the game. This article is dedicated specifically to paid content, but base game owners needn't fret about being left in the dust. There's something for everyone!
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EU4 Lions of the North DLC Summary
The core gist of the Lions of the North DLC is that it aims to offer more options, including new new government reform options, to each of the featured Baltic Sea nations. This is accomplished by introducing a wealth of new Mission Trees across the Northern Sea trade regions. Each of the Baltic Sea nations will have a healthier selection of long-term goals/new mission trees to pursue, making it easier for players to customize their run and progress organically in their quest for commercial and political dominance in the North Sea. And that's not even taking into account the massively improved replayability.
In broad, general terms, there are major new mission trees for 11 disparate nations, from Denmark to Finland. More specifically, this may include the plight faced by the Teutonic Order, who, under increased Polish and Lithuanian pressure, need to choose whether to pursue religious zealotry or evolve into the great Prussian experiment. Livonia and Courland, on the other hand, can choose between abject rivalry or modern secularization. The new mission trees involve give-and-take, with no obvious "good guy" options for these Baltic Sea nations to choose from.
Instead of making things cut-and-dry, the new mission trees simply attempt to give more options to you, the end-user to project power. This means that the Lions of the North players are simply expected to experiment with new mission trees and see where neo-history takes them. That is, after all, the whole point of Europa Universalis 4.
All New Lions of the North Content
More conclusively, however, prospective EU4 Lions of the North players are going to want to know exactly what they're getting from the Lions of the North DLC. At $14.99/£11.39/€14.99 a pop, it's a somewhat pricy predicament, and its niche means that not everyone will be interested in buying it in the first place. But for those who want to experience commercial and political dominance with the Scandinavian and Baltic nations, here are the mission trees and other new content included:
- Power maintenance and influence improvement Mission Tree updates for Denmark
- Breakaway Mission Tree updates for major power houses Sweden and Norway
- Zealotry vs secularization Mission Tree updates for Teutonic Order resisting Polish and Lithuanian pressure, as well as for Riga, and the Livonian Order
- Ambition Mission Tree updates for regional powers Poland, Lithuania, and the Commonwealth
- Various changes to existing Mission Trees for Gotland, Scandinavia, Finland, and Danzig
- All-new Estate Privilege and Government Reform features
- Introduction of the Swedish Carolean Infantry
- Introduction of the Polish-Lithuanian Winged Hussars
- 35 all-new army sprites for select regional powers
- 3 new pieces of Scandinavian OST
- 3 new pieces of Baltic-themed OST
In truth, with Lions of the North we're looking at a fairly substantial addition to the game, hyper-focused on the Northern Sea trade regions and the Baltic Nations as it might be. The potential issue, of course, lies in whether players end up using the featured Baltic Sea nations or not. That is practically the main concern in this particular value calculation, especially since Paradox Interactive is adding a bunch of other stuff (hotfixes, optimizations, etc.) through the free hotfix.
The DLC certainly adds a bunch more depth to the pertaining Northern Sea trade regions. With new government reform options, it will allow players to evolve their nations in ways they previously had no way of exploring, making the Baltic Sea nations far more adaptive and malleable than ever before.
Should You Get It?
Being one of the finest Paradox Interactive games ever developed, Europa Universalis 4 lives in a niche all of its own. It's a game for history buffs, by default. History buffs are, in turn, bound to be way more curious about regional national differences and historical progression than the average gamer. This, in turn, may well result in Lions of the North being an absolute must-have for you.
And, really, that's a fair assessment. With Lions of the North, we're looking at a massive expansion of the Baltics. With more options and functionality, players can truly carve out their own alt-history slice of heaven. Should that sound like an exciting way to play, we recommend you go for it.
Play Europa Universalis 4: Lions of the North DLC today!
If, however, you prefer more generalized improvements and additions, this might not be as ubiquitous as some other DLCs are. Quite simply, this X-Pac's worth depends entirely on your interest in this particular region of the world. If you prefer other regions and never really delve into Scandinavia, the DLC might not have much to offer, but that's perfectly fine.
Paradox Interactive has slowly been filling out its roster of regional upgrades for EU4, and this trend is bound to continue. Sooner or later, your region of preference will be highlighted too. If that region is Scandinavia, specifically, then go for it!
What's Next for Paradox Interactive?
While we don't really know what DLC might be coming for EU4 next, we do know what Paradox Interactive's next big push is. Unsurprisingly, it's Victoria 3, which we've already covered in some detail. As exciting as Victoria 3 may be, Europa Universalis 4 still has many merits. Doubly so until the next Victoria actually comes out!
It's a more polished, exciting, and gamey experience. One that's arguably way easier to jump right into. At the same time, Victoria offers a more in-depth simulation engine with more moving parts for players to account for.
In fact, if you're quite new to Paradox grand strategy gaming, EU4 with some key DLCs may be the perfect starting point. It's neat, satisfying, sensible, and fairly intuitive. It's also a joy to play once you get the hang of it. So, if you're eager to play some grand strategy but just can't choose which one - consider Europa Universalis 4. And, perhaps, its all-new Scandinavian Lions of the North expansion pack!
Don't Forget About The Big Europa Universalis 4 Sale!
To celebrate the launch of EU4's awesome new expansion pack, 2Game is hosting a one-of-a-kind Paradox game & DLC sale - specifically the Europa Universalis content. Prices have been slashed by up to 75%, which means huge savings if you're looking to stock up on crucial game upgrades.
If you're unsure which X-Pac options to look into, we've got just the guide for you! We've gone into substantial detail discussing some key expansion packs in our must-have Paradox game DLC article, so be sure to give that a read. With that in mind, here are a few highlight deals for you to check out:
- Mandate of Heaven | 50% discount
- Emperor | 50% discount
- Art of War | 50% discount
- Rights of Man | 50% discount
- Common Sense | 50% discount
And! If you decide to go all-in and splurge on a full collection of must-have DLC, then take note: you can get the Europa Universalis 4 DLC Collection at 66% off! A heck of a deal, if we say so ourselves!
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