Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado PC

El Dorado is the fifth expansion for the 2013’s Europa Universalis IV, a grand strategy game for PC. Just like in case of the vanilla game, it was developed by Paradox Development Studio, an in-house development studio of Paradox Interactive.

Plot

Similarly to the first expansion for the game, entitled Conquest of Paradise, the developers take us to the times of conquistadors, when both Americas are being discovered and plundered. This time around, we get a different look at these events, though. The gameplay is focused on the Central and Southern America of the turn of the 15th and 16th century, when the region was torn by the struggle between the Spanish conquerors and the defending Aztecs.

Mechanics

El Dorado lets us join either side of the conflict. As the Spanish, we have to become as rich as possible, not only by conquering the Aztec “golden cities” but also by sending explorers to uncharted corners of the world. We might as well invest in a privateer fleet and pillage ships of other European conquerors when they transport gold back to their rulers’ treasury or, alternatively, guard the Atlantic by hunting pirates. The latter can gain us the favor of the pope, which in turn provides a huge support during the negotiations of the Treaty of Tordesillas – a historical agreement between Portugal and Spain from the end of the 15th century that set the overseas spheres of influence of the two colonial superpowers.

As the Aztecs, we have to ensure the safety of our lands by endeavoring to drive the Europeans out and force them to go home empty-handed. The new religions (for example, the cult of Inca god) are of great importance. Most of them require us to make bloody sacrifices to maintain the favor of the wrathful deities.

Misc

El Dorado for PC offers more than just the campaign of the struggle between the Spanish and the Aztecs. The expansion also comes with a new tool to be used in the remaining gameplay variants – Nation Designer, a system of customizing nations to our preferences before starting a new game. We can influence such elements as the capitol of our country, its culture and ruler, and even the neighboring provinces.

Last updated on 14 February 2024