00:00 [MUSIC]
00:17 Hello everyone, this is Sonia Linares,
00:19 Head of Operations at Paradox Tinto,
00:21 and I'm in Barcelona today with Álvaro Sanz,
00:23 Content Design Coordinator, and Marcus Hoffman,
00:26 and we're here to talk about King of Kings.
00:30 [MUSIC]
00:33 King of Kings is the new expansion for Europe Universalis 4.
00:36 The name is inspired by the title Shahanshah,
00:38 which was assumed by many rulers in the Middle East,
00:41 especially in Persia.
00:42 But the expansion also adds a lot of new material
00:45 for other historic claimants to the title,
00:47 the rulers of Egypt and the emperors in Byzantium.
00:50 [MUSIC]
00:52 We've done some work on this region in other expansions,
00:54 notably in Cradle of Civilization in 2017.
00:57 But with the revised Ottoman Empire
00:59 in this year's Domination DLC,
01:01 it's time to balance the scales a bit
01:02 with new content for the regional rivals.
01:05 In all, King of Kings has hundreds of new missions,
01:08 over 150 new events,
01:10 dozens of changes to state and government reforms,
01:12 and a lot of unique decisions
01:14 for the nations of the Middle and Near East.
01:16 [MUSIC]
01:20 Persia is not a sturdy nation in 1444,
01:24 but after being formed,
01:25 it can be a very powerful player on the world stage,
01:29 limiting Ottoman expansion to the east
01:31 and Mughal expansion to the west.
01:33 [MUSIC]
01:35 Early modern Persia was historically formed
01:37 by the Sephabids from Ardabil,
01:39 so we have made this a more attractive path in the game,
01:43 with more claims and missions to guide the historical outcome.
01:46 But no matter who forms Persia,
01:48 it will come with a lot of new content.
01:50 [MUSIC]
01:53 A major new feature is Persian influence,
01:56 a diplomatic interaction that allows Persia
01:59 to bring weaker states into its orbit.
02:02 There is also the promotion of Persian culture and art,
02:05 historically a major factor in the power
02:07 of the Iranian people in this period.
02:10 We've also tried to offer meaningful alternate religious paths
02:13 for the Persian player.
02:15 [MUSIC]
02:17 SIA Islam is not firmly established yet in Iran
02:20 in the 15th century,
02:21 with a majority of Sunni population
02:23 and pockets of Zoroastrian devotees.
02:26 The religion you choose to follow
02:28 will open different mission paths for the country.
02:31 In all, Persia gets over 70 possible new missions,
02:34 6 new government reforms,
02:36 and 60 new historical events.
02:39 It's a lot of new material
02:41 for a very exciting and diverse nation.
02:44 [MUSIC]
02:47 The Mamluks were one of the dominant Muslim powers
02:50 of the late Middle Ages.
02:51 They entered the early modern period
02:53 as one of the primary rivals to the Ascendant Ottomans in the north.
02:56 The Sultanate is well-situated to control trade
02:59 in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean,
03:02 especially if they can establish their dominance
03:04 over Mecca and other Arabian states.
03:07 [MUSIC]
03:08 There are 30 new missions to explore
03:10 for this powerful crossroad between continents.
03:12 In King of Kings, we represent the unique place of the Mamluks
03:15 with five unique government reforms
03:17 and multiple estate privileges.
03:19 [MUSIC]
03:22 To represent the fertility of the Nile,
03:24 the Mamluks can now export grain
03:26 as a special diplomatic interaction.
03:28 And as long as they control the holy city of Mecca,
03:31 they can also promote the Hajj
03:32 as a way to improve relations with fellow Muslims.
03:35 The Mamluks also have access to near-government mechanics
03:38 if they are able to form Egypt.
03:40 Egypt can westernize by spending monarch points
03:43 to build up bonuses that will improve their situation.
03:45 The price can add up, but the newly formed country
03:48 will be able to gain major economic benefits
03:50 or even European units.
03:52 [MUSIC]
03:55 Despite being a fan favorite,
03:57 the Byzantine Empire is a major challenge
04:00 even for experienced EU4 players.
04:03 It faces inmate extermination from the neighboring Ottomans
04:07 and needs a strong military alliance to get past the early game.
04:11 [MUSIC]
04:14 We've decided to reward those who can make it out alive
04:18 with a lot of unique Byzantine flavor
04:21 to reflect the fading empire's glorious past
04:24 and the ambitions for the future.
04:26 We have expanded the Byzantine mission tree
04:29 to include over 50 missions
04:31 to guide the restoration of Eastern Roman greatness
04:34 with a unique type of subject, the Pronoia.
04:37 [MUSIC]
04:40 Pronoia's status can be given to any vassal
04:43 and is a free diplomatic relation
04:45 that offers greater military support.
04:48 Byzantium also gets some new government reforms,
04:52 including the possibility to restore the Roman senate system
04:56 and new state privileges as well,
04:59 including enforcing the unity of Christianity
05:02 and a special treatment for Latin merchants.
05:05 The goal is to make the restoration of the Roman Empire
05:08 a pleasant challenge even beyond survival.
05:11 [MUSIC]
05:13 Those are the three most important empires in King of Kings,
05:16 but the surrounding nations will also be able
05:18 to shape the balance of power in their favor.
05:21 The mountain kingdoms of Armenia and Georgia
05:23 receive new national missions,
05:25 and we strengthened the options for the Turkmen kingdoms
05:28 of Akköyönlü and Karaköyönlü as well,
05:30 especially important if we want to make
05:32 the Persian region feel more dynamic.
05:35 And we can't forget the important nations further south,
05:38 such as the Arabian tribes or Yemen.
05:40 In the right hands, the trade hubs of the peninsula
05:43 can fund a mighty empire.
05:45 [MUSIC]
05:47 We've put a lot of effort into research and design
05:50 to make sure we capture some of the potential histories
05:52 for these regions.
05:53 So go ahead, dig into these exciting regions,
05:56 share your thoughts, and don't forget to have fun.
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