The strategy game Crusader Kings III allows you to experience the Middle Ages as a noble ruler like no other game before. Now the title expands to the east and lets you feel the diverse region.
What is Crusader Kings III about? The strategy game CK3 is one of the most popular games on Steam. With 91% positive reviews from over 78,000 votes, gamers’ opinions align with the insights of MeinMMO editor-in-chief and strategy expert Schuhmann. He has spent nearly 1,500 hours in CK3 and previously predicted what might change in the title this year. One of his predictions is now coming true.
According to the developers, 2025 is set to be the biggest year yet for Crusader Kings III (via Steam). Although the game already has 16 DLCs that bring various new features, traits, and rulers, one of the largest changes yet is on the way.
Here you can watch the trailer for Crusader Kings III:
Expansion to the East
What new feature is coming next? As the developers state in a developer diary on Steam, they are currently working on expanding their game to the east. Specifically, the upcoming DLC will focus on the nomadic peoples of the steppe.
The gameplay for these peoples will differ significantly from previous mechanics. Instead of expanding your lands through machinations, sieges, or affairs, the new DLC is about herds and hordes. Your gameplay as a nomad will develop very differently from the typical flow of a ruler of a growing empire in Europe.
The nomads do not have a permanent settlement but move with their herds. Herd is also the new currency that these peoples use for various mechanics. For example, they recruit their military from their herd.
The intrigues also work differently. Instead of sending as many children as possible to the noble houses of Europe, the focus for the nomads is all about dominance and obedience. The more powerful a ruler is perceived to be, the more vassals and domains they can have. However, all vassals have an obedience value that determines whether they will fight for your cause or act against you.
How do the lands work? The nomads are known for their mobility. They travel through the lands of the steppe and are always chasing after the most fertile piece of land. In CK3, this means you and your horde will strip your own lands of fertility and then move on once the place becomes barren.
This migration, as the developers call it, leads to frequent conflicts between the nomadic peoples. All peoples want to graze the best piece of earth, but only the strong will prevail.
Abandoned lands are restored by shepherds. They regenerate the fertility of the land so that you can repopulate it later. Fertility is also influenced by the seasons. In winter, all peoples tend to retreat to warm places, where conflicts may arise again.
The different peoples can form alliances, for example, to stop a powerful Gurkhan. The Gurkhan is the most powerful ruler of the steppe and is the character in the game who has reached the highest level of dominance.
Alongside a completely different gameplay system, new characters, decisions, and events inspired by nomadic life await you, such as stories about the famous Genghis Khan. However, it will still take a while before the DLC is released. In the meantime, you can find out how strategy expert Schuhmann managed to create 12,300 descendants with a lonely Viking: Steam: I started as a lonely Viking – 400 years later I have half of Europe, 12,300 descendants, and a problem
