Europa Universalis IV

Today, Paradox Interactive and Paradox Development Studio announced the next expansion for their hit grand strategy game Europa Universalis IV.

Thomas Paine wrote that laws get their force from the consent of those who agree to live under them. It is in this spirit of that Paradox Development Studio continues expand and improve Europa Universalis IV, with the upcoming Rights of Man.

This expansion to Paradox Development Studio’s best-selling historical strategy game introduces a number of small changes that add up to a deeper and more dynamic experience. Near the top of this list is the Great Power mechanic, where the most developed nations have access to new diplomatic options to bully or entice weaker neighbors. Keep that development going, or lose the powers you paid a high price for.

Rights of Man also adds a little more character to your monarchs, as they acquire traits that will give bonuses (or penalties) to your country, and affect how rival nations approach you. Beware the conqueror next door, but be nice to the generous king across the river – he may have some gold to spare in your time of need.

Other features coming in Rights of Man include:

• New goals for Coptic and Fetishist religions
• Greater control over adopting new cultures in your empire
• Leader Traits giving battle hardened commanders added prowess
• More detailed military instructions for Subject Nations
• Revolutionary Republics now have Factions to balance
• Ottoman Empire gets new Harem Politics events and options
• AND MUCH MUCH MORE

As usual, the release of Rights of Man will be accompanied by a free update for all Europa Universalis IV players – and this one will have the first major overhaul of the technology system since launch.

The grandest historical strategy game is just getting grander. For more information on the game, click here.

Source: Blue’s News

Paradox Interactive announces what they call the grand success of their recent grand strategy releases. They explain: “Hearts of Iron IV, Paradox’s recently released World War II-themed grand strategy game, has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide in less than two weeks after its release, making it the publisher’s fastest-selling historical strategy game to date. Stellaris, the developer’s first sci-fi grand strategy title, has now sold over 500,000 copies worldwide in just over a month since its release in early May. Finally, Europa Universalis IV, Paradox’s iconic world-conquest grand strategy game, has now sold over 1 million copies worldwide, not including sales of expansions and other downloadable content (DLC) for the core game.” They celebrate the news with the release of free musical DLC for Europa Universalis IV and plans for a livestream later today:

To celebrate these milestones, Paradox is offering a new musical add-on for Europa Universalis IV to all players for free for a limited time. Starting today and lasting through July 4, 2016, the new DLC “Fredman’s Epistles” can be downloaded from Steam at no charge, adding a collection of traditional Swedish songs from the 18th century to the game’s soundtrack. The songs, arranged from original works by famed Swedish poet and songwriter Carl Michael Bellman, provide an authentic piece of Swedish culture to Europa Universalis IV, perfect for taking on the world as a Scandinavian superpower. Following the limited free release, Fredman’s Epistles will remain available for 1.99$ from digital retailers.

To further celebrate the one million Europa Universalis IV players the developers will host a special stream on June 21st, 15.00-18.00 CEST, where they will play the oldest available version of the game and talk about its’ development.

Command the Seas and Control the Trade in Mare Nostrum

Your nation has long been at one with the sea. Salt water runs through the veins of your sailors, and no sound is as stirring as that of the wind whipping a top-sail just before the full gale arrives. The sea lanes hold the wealth of the East. Heave ho, and set sail for profit.

Mare Nostrum has arrived.

Mare Nostrum is the newest expansion DLC for Europa Universalis IV, Paradox Development Studio’s best-selling grand strategy game set in the adventurous days of the Age of Exploration, the Renaissance and the wars of Reformation and Revolution. Mare Nostrum adds a number of improvements and updates to the game, bringing more control and detail to the naval game.

Features include:

• Naval Missions: Naval interface improved to make control of your fleets less hands-on and more mission oriented
• Barbary Raids: The Berber nations of North Africa can raid their neighbors for money and extra sailors
• New Espionage System: Build a spy network and call on it to undertake actions in enemy lands
• Trade Leagues: Merchant republics can recruit minor nations into their Trade League for common defence and, more importantly, common riches
• Condottieri: Rent out your army so it can fight someone else’s wars while you earn gold
• And, as always, the expansion DLC is accompanied by a massive update that is free to every Europa Universalis IV player – even if they never buy Mare Nostrum. This update will include an updated map, a new state system to organize your nation, tweaks to naval combat and the introduction of sailors to man your ships.

Mare Nostrum is available from major digital retailers for $14.99.

Watch the release trailer here.

For more information, visit the official Europa Universalis IV website.

Dev Video Outlines Coming Changes

Paradox Development Studio has decided that Mare Nostrum, the newest naval themed expansion to their best-selling historical strategy game Europa Universalis IV, will leave port on April 5, 2016.

Mare Nostrum adds new depth to many parts of the classic empire builder, including new options for the merchant republics. These tiny financially motivated states can now form Trade Leagues, uniting their commercial might in a military and a mercantile alliance that makes everyone richer and stronger.

The expansion also introduces new mercenary options with greater control over your naval missions, the chance to rent your armies as condottieri, and the ability to share maps with your neighbors.

A new developer video with Creative Director Johan Andersson outlines some of the coming changes.

And, even if you pass on buying Mare Nostrum, April 5 will also be the occasion for a substantial free update for all Europa Universalis players. This massive patch will add new features, which will enhance the player experience. The update will include:

• Map Expansion: Greater detail to Ireland and sub-Saharan African, especially in the Congo and East Central Africa, and new “States and Territories” system
• Espionage Reworking: Your diplomats can now build spy networks in enemy nations, from where you can fabricate claims on enemy holdings or undermine them from within.
• Interface improvements: Better tooltips overall, and naval blockades are now more obvious on the map
• Naval Combat Changes: better morale system and increased chance to capture enemy vessels

And even more changes to game balance, AI and modding triggers.

Watch the new Developer Diary here.

For more information, visit the official Europa Universalis IV website.

Mare Nostrum Arrives in Port Soon

If you control the sea lanes, you control the trade. If you control the trade, you control the world. It all sounds so easy. But first you need guns and ships and men to man them. It’s one thing to protect your coasts, but another to project power beyond them. Are you ready to make the ocean yours?

Mare Nostrum is the new expansion DLC for Paradox Development Studio’s best-selling historical grand strategy game Europa Universalis IV. For those of you not up on your Latin, “mare nostrum” was the old Roman term for the Mediterranean – it means “our sea”, reflecting the Roman goal to dominate the sea to protect the food and riches that were rowed into its ports.

Mare Nostrum, therefore, takes its name from the major changes made to the naval game in Europa Universalis. For example, your coastal provinces produce sailors who will be needed to man and repair the warships and transports you have come to rely on. A new mission system for naval orders simplifies naval management, and the Barbary Coast nations of North Africa can now raid their neighbors for gold and sailor conscripts.

Other features of Mare Nostrum will include:

• Condottieri: Rent out your soldiers as mercenaries to give an underdog a fighting chance while filling your treasury
• Trade Leagues: For merchant republics, the power of the purse is amplified by creating economic and military alliances
• Share Maps: Instead of waiting for the world to come to you, ask your friends if they have discoveries they are willing to share.
• PLUS changes to diplomacy, subject nation management and much more, including the usual major patch that will be a FREE upgrade to all EU4 owners.

Mare Nostrum will be available soon from major digital retailers and the Paradox store.

View the Europa Universalis IV: Mare Nostrum announcement trailer here.

The day has come! Europa Universalis IV: The Cossacks has arrived on digital storefronts around the world, bringing not just hosts of invaders and rebels, but a pile of new features, mechanics and improvements to the best-selling historical grand strategy game from Paradox Development Studio!

We are also revealing a new feature that will let you track your performance against your own history and against other players around the world. The Leaderboard will record any game score you achieve in Ironman mode (where you can earn achievements) so long as you are logged in to your Paradox Account and have a forum registration. (And if you don’t have a Paradox Account, this is a great reason to have one.)

Watch your scores improve as you learn the game, or as you move from country to country, strategy to strategy. Can you beat our development team at their own game?

But even if you have no interest in playing Ironman and proving that you are the Grandest Strategist in All the Lands, The Cossacks gives you many new options in domestic and international strategy, all designed to flesh out the rich history of the early modern world.

For more information, visit the official Europa Universalis IV website.

Paradox Walks You Through Major Improvements

Just when you think you’ve mastered the grandest of grand strategy games, the developers come along and change everything again – for the better!

With Europa Universalis IV: Cossacks one week away, Project Lead Martin Anward thought you all should get a quick rundown of the major changes coming your way in this, the sixth major expansion to Paradox Development Studio’s hit historical strategy game.

Anward runs through the improvements we’ve made to domestic politics, diplomacy, culture, nomadic steppe nations and more. If you’ve missed our written developer diaries over the last few months, this six minute video will get you and all other Europa Universalis IV fans up to speed.

Cossacks will arrive on digital storefronts, including the Paradox Store, on December 1, 2015.

For more information, visit the official Europa Universalis IV website.

Cossacks Get Their Marching Orders on December 1

With the holiday season soon in full swing, it’s the perfect time to plan how you’ll be spending those late nights in front of the computer. Why not conquer the world?

On December 1, 2015, you will be able to play The Cossacks, the next expansion for Europa Universalis IV, the best-selling historical grand-strategy game from Paradox Development Studio. With a host of new features and upgrades as impressive as the legendary steppe warriors themselves, The Cossacks brings even more depth and detail to Paradox’s flagship series.

A new diplomatic system lets you highlight provinces for expansion, pointing out to friend and foe alike where your ambitions lie. Earn the trust of your allies by performing favors for them, and use the promise of enemy territory to entice them to your side.

Other features include:

• The Estates: Allocate lands to clergy, nobles and merchants as you try to balance the powers in your Renaissance state.
• Tell The World What You Want: Designate neighboring provinces as “places of interest”, build trust with other nations, and entice allies with the promise of land for their support.
• Tengri: Tengri is now a Syncretic faith, allowing it to tolerate a secondary religion as if it were a national faith.
• Horde Unity and Razing: Nomadic nations now must pay attention the horde unity of their tribes – a unity that can only be maintained by the occasional pillaging
• Improved Culture Change: You can now restore a previous culture to a converted province, or convert a province you hold to a culture that is not your own.
• Native Policies: Set your policy for colonial encounters with natives. Are you focused on quick subjugation, peaceful growth or trading advantages?
• Improved Espionage: New spy actions allow you to study the technology of more advanced countries and prod your rivals’ subjects towards independence.

And, as always, even if you don’t buy The Cossacks, its release will be accompanied with a free major content update for all Europa Universalis IV players.

For more information, visit the official Europa Universalis IV website.

For centuries, the European steppes were dominated by a unique warrior culture. The Cossacks were fiercely independent soldiers, and some of the elite cavalry of Poland and Russia through early-modern history.

The Cossacks, the newest expansion to Paradox Development Studios’ best-selling historical grand strategy game Europa Universalis IV, pays homage to this legendarily proud people with a ton of new features that enhance the diplomatic game and give you new things to tend to during peacetime. The Cossacks will come to digital retailers and the Paradox store in late 2015.

Check out the announcement trailer here.

The central new mechanic is the Estate system. You can assign control of your provinces to local factions – priests, nobles, or even Cossacks! – sacrificing some income in the name of lower unrest, more manpower or cheaper cavalry. You must keep an eye these Estates, though! If they get too strong, they may make a move on your throne. If they feel neglected, they may interfere with efficient governance.

Other features include:

• New Diplomatic Options: Let the world know what you think of your neighbors by setting a public attitude to foreign powers.
• Tell The World What You Want: Designate neighboring provinces as “places of interest”, build trust with other nations, and entice allies with the promise of land for their support.
• Tengri: Tengri is now a Syncretic faith, allowing it to tolerate a secondary religion as if it were a national faith.
• Horde Unity and Razing: Nomadic nations now must pay attention the horde unity of their tribes – a unity that can only be maintained by the occasional pillaging
• Improved Culture Change: You can now restore a previous culture to a converted province, or convert a province you hold to a culture that is not your own.
• Native Policies: Set your policy for colonial encounters with natives. Are you focused on quick subjugation, peaceful growth or trading advantages?
• Improved Espionage: New spy actions allow you to study the technology of more advanced countries and prod your rivals’ subjects towards independence.

And, as always, even if you don’t buy The Cossacks, its release will be accompanied with a free major content update for all Europa Universalis IV players.

Common Sense Expansion Brings Major Changes to Acclaimed Empire Builder

The Common Sense expansion to Paradox’s strategy hit Europa Universalis IV is available today, and it comes with tonnes of major changes to the core game, making it one of the most significant pieces of DLC yet in the EU4 franchise. With a focus on making your nation work better, Common Sense gives you new tools to make sure your global empire rests on a sound foundation.

This new trailer will give you the run down on some of the peacetime opportunities coming your way.

Central to Common Sense is the idea of Development – your provinces are now more than an all powerful tax number. You can improve your regions based on tax, trade and military power specifically, giving each a focus or strength. Or, you can develop broadly to prevent crushing losses when a center of manpower falls to the enemy.

We’re also introducing Parliaments, allowing constitutional systems of government new ways to put the power of the people’s representatives to work on behalf of the nation – for a price.

There is a host of other changes to the game, including improvements to the Protestant religion, the creation of national churches, karma for Buddhist rulers and much, much more. And even if you don’t buy the expansion, the free update we provide with every new expansion will transform your play experience in interesting ways. This time, we have modified the role of forts in battle and shaken up the map and diplomatic situation in the 1444 start date.

And click this link for a list of all the free updates coming courtesy of today’s major patch!

Common Sense is available at major digital retailers now! Become the king (or doge, or empress or khan) you have always wanted to be.

For more information, visit europauniversalis4.com.