New Europa Universalis 4 DLC Launches Tomorrow; Two More on the Way
Tomorrow, the Leviathan DLC for Europa Universalis 4 will be released. Paradox Interactive announced that it will not be the last expansion. Later this year we're supposed to get two more.
- Paradox Interactive announced that following the Leviathan DLC, two more expansions will be coming out this year for Europa Universalis IV;
- The new expansion will be released on April 27th;
- It will focus on Southeast Asia and will introduce minor changes to the diplomacy system and economy.
Despite eight years having passed since its release, Europa Universalis IV continues to receive new content. Tomorrow, on Tuesday April 27th, the Leviathan DLC will be released, which will focus on the area of Southeast Asia and will introduce minor changes to the diplomacy system and the game's economy, enabling us to develop our country without expanding its borders. However, this is not the end, because Johan Andersson, the head of Paradox Tinto, a studio established in 2020, which took over the work on the series, announced further support for the game. Later this year we can expect two more expansions.
The aim of the developers is to highlight those parts of the world map, which so far have been omitted or not properly developed. This does not mean that we expect far-reaching improvements in the gameplay mechanics. Andersson puts it this way:
“I think the game doesn’t need any huge overhauls, but there’s still parts of the world that we still want to look at. There will be gradual, small improvements to certain areas and zones. We’ll know how big they are in a few months, or a month or so after Leviathan is out, when we are in the middle of the progress on the next one. I don’t really plan super long ahead for EU stuff anymore. And it depends on what the team wants to do."
The developer's rather loose approach, lacking a larger-scale annual plan, may come as a surprise, but remember that the team at Paradaox Tinto is still being built, making Andersson seem reluctant to give details lest he later disappoint the audiences. Future expansions may vary in scale from smaller, containing unit packs, to larger ones that will introduce changes to gameplay mechanics. According to the leader of Tinto team, a game like Europa Universalis IV should receive two to three expansions a year, which can already be considered a substitute for a plan.
The process of creating new content for such a large and complex production as EU4 seems at least interesting. Andersson admitted in a recent interview with Wargamer that his team began work on Leviathan not with the idea of new mechanics, but because of an influx of design concepts. Based on these, the restructuring of the Southeast Asia map began, and while refining more of its regions, new aspects of the mechanics came on their own. In addition to the aforementioned changes to the game's diplomacy and economic system, we can expect a revamped totemism, as well as redesigned - for greater cultural and historical accuracy - Aboriginal peoples.
The Leviathan DLC will be released tomorrow on Steam. Remember that now you can also purchase a subscription from Paradox, which - as long as you own the base game - will give you access to all previous expansions. The monthly cost is 4.99 euros.
- Europa Universalis IV - official websiteite
- Europa Universalis IV review - Paradox's best strategy game
- Europa Universalis IV - game guide
