Among the many announcements made at Paradox Interactive’s Insider event, they have unveiled a flavor pack for Crusader Kings III, called Northern Lords. This DLC is the first of many flavor packs planned to be added to the game over time. While not a full expansion’s worth of content, Northern Lords will still be adding much to the base game.
As the name would suggest, players can now play as a Viking kingdom in lands such as Norway and Denmark. Like the Vikings of old, they won’t be content to stay in their lands for long and will wish to expand and raid nearby lands across the ocean. Norse Kings can go on epic and far-reaching adventures to lands such as England and France, where they can try to establish a new Kingdom in more hospitable lands. For those who don’t play as Vikings, the AI for these new factions will go out raiding and pillaging themselves.
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Players can immerse themselves in the Norse culture and way of life through strange pagan rituals such as erecting rune stones to honor your ancestors or sacrificing prisoners in a ritual to the gods. Dynasty Legacies have been improved to be more interesting and unique depending on which path you choose for your Kingdom, such as the Adventure and Pillaging path. Of course, it’s not all about raiding and war, as Norse Kings will occasionally have special events like characters visiting your court, offering some unique role-playing moments that better defines what kind of kingdom and ruler you are. The pack also adds some new army types that are unique to Norse Kingdoms like Holy Warriors, Shield Maidens and Berserkers.
Northern Lords is also releasing alongside the free 1.3 “Corvus” patch, named in honor of Odin’s Ravens. The patch will be adding winter weather, with snow building up in the northern parts of the world, adding new events and being a factor in battles. Rulers can engage in single combat duels with their rivals. Players can also make their rulers poets if they want, which is highly recommended as poetry is considered of great importance to the Norse. Some additional minor updates include multiple new coat of arms, religious symbols and music, all of which are Norse-themed.
Of course, Crusader Kings III wasn’t the only game covered at Paradox Insider, where developers mentioned new content for its sci-fi-focused games, Surviving Mars and Stellaris. Surviving Mars is planned to receive new content later this year, including new buildings within your domed communities. Stellaris fans have also been given a release date for the highly anticipated Nemesis expansion, coming out next month on April 15.
Crusader Kings III: Northern Lords is available now for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux.