The new DLC “Road to Power” revitalizes the strategy game Crusader Kings 3. The DLC brings landless adventurers as playable characters, the Eastern Roman Empire of Byzantium and its unique game mechanics, and a game start that matches the movie Kingdom of Heaven. Crusader Kings 3 has more concurrent players on Steam than in the last two and a half years. Only at release and once in February 2022 did it have more players. The DLC has been a huge hit with fans on Steam.
How does the new DLC affect Crusader Kings 3 player numbers on Steam? The new DLC Road to Power went live on Steam yesterday at 6 p.m. German time. At 9 p.m. the peak in the number of concurrent active players was reached with 47,733 concurrent players on Steam.
The last time Crusader Kings 3 had more players was in February 2022, when the first major DLC, “Royal Court,” was released, which brought many innovations to the core game: Crusader Kings 3 is essentially a dynasty simulator in which you plan your rise to emperor or pursue other role-playing goals, such as having all of Europe ruled by your descendants.
The new DLC now opens up a whole new way for players to play, because for the first time in the almost 25-year history of the game series, you can play landless adventurers.
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Paradox DLCs are often criticized – but Steam users love this DLC
How is the DLC received? On Steam, the DLC has 93% positive reviews. This is a rarity for DLCs from Paradox, as the developers are often accused of “creating too small DLCs that should actually already be included in the base game” and charging too much money for them.
But that is not the case with “Road to Power”. Here, the DLC is raved about as a “return to former strength”.
One person writes in a review on Steam: “I can finally play myself in my favorite game. Traveling through medieval Europe as a drunkard without knowing where I am or what I’m doing. Great.”
Another commented dryly: “4 years after launch, they bring crusades to a game called Kings of the Crusades. 10 out of 10.”
A very nice emotional gamer report from PC Gamer is in which the author describes the fate of a Chinese scholar who travels the world and achieves fame and fortune in Byzantium. The 1st comment on a reader’s article:
As long as I can continue to impregnate my biological sister as is the custom in Crusader Kings 3, I am happy.
Others are also raving about the DLC: it’s the best yet. Role players in particular will get their money’s worth. The playable characters without land open up so many possibilities.
The content and its scope in particular are praised, because in addition to the landless adventures, which enable a new style of play, the Byzantine Empire and the possibility of playing an empire that is no longer feudal but bureaucratic, bring a completely new form of play.
The DLC also has a new, later start date, which takes us back to the time of the film “Kingdom of Heaven”. The battle of the leper King Baldwin (cover image) against the Saracen army leader Saladin is raging.
For many, it is an appealing power fantasy to make it from adventurer to emperor of the Roman Empire. We at MeinMMO were not so enthusiastic about the DLC as true Vikings, because they are somewhat neglected in the DLC: The new €30 DLC for my favorite game on Steam turns a mighty Viking into a leek