Paradox just revealed the release date for the Crusader Kings 3: All Under Heaven DLC, and it’s coming sooner than many players expected. After the less-than-ideal reception of the Coronations expansion, players are undoubtedly excited to get their hands on the All Under Heaven DLC.
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That said, here is every exciting thing you can expect from Crusader Kings 3: All Under Heaven, the most substantial expansion in Crusader Kings history.
All Of East Asia
The most exciting addition to the game is a map expansion. The expansion adds the nations of East Asia and Southeast Asia, including the medieval empires of China and Japan. With this extension comes the promise of new challenges, new historical characters, new character art and design, and new mechanics. This expansion increases the CK3 map size by nearly 30%, meaning many provinces, cultures, faiths, and traditions that haven’t been fully represented (or represented at all) are getting a more detailed treatment.
New Mechanics
Like every major expansion, the All Under Heaven DLC introduces new mechanics and government types, some of which are specific to the new map additions, and others affect the whole map, including pre-existing areas.
China
- Hegemony: A new tier of title above Empires. China enters CK3 as the first “hegemonic” realm.
- Celestial Government: An extension of the administrative/imperial government style with new features. Celestial Government depends heavily on merit, which is derived from character decisions and service rather than just inheritance or influence.
- Imperial Treasury: If you play as a ruler in China, rather than directing income locally, you are required to send collected wealth to the Emperor’s imperial treasury, which then allocates resources.
- Dynastic Cycle: Chinese history is loaded with cycles of stability, chaos, collapse, and renewal. All Under Heaven introduces these dynamics: mandating legitimacy, managing periods of disorder (chaos), and dealing with challenges to the Mandate of Heaven. If you lose legitimacy or stability, things can get dire.
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Japan
- Playing in Japan offers two main styles of governors/vassals: Ritsuryō and Soryō.
- The supreme ruler (initially called Kampaku, a kind of regent) is drawn from Ritsuryō, acting in the Emperor’s name. But strong Soryō rulers may attempt to seize power and declare themselves Shogun. There is a dynamic tension between court-based influence and regional militarized power.
- There is new tracking of relationships between houses/clans, which will matter more: alliances, prestige, and internal rivalries.
Southeast Asia
- Mandala Government: A style of Government that is less about strict feudal domain limits and more about influence, tributaries, religious legitimacy, etc. More fluid boundaries, more diplomatic/religious mechanics.
- Devaraja / God-King: In certain societies, rulers assume a divine role. In the All Under Heaven DLC, temple-centered empires have mechanics tailored to devotion, temple building, and religious authority.
- Tributary Missions: as a tributary ruler, you perform missions to gain favor with subjects/overlords or to more deeply integrate with the system.
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Global/Other Systems
- Great Projects: Joint or large-scale construction or public works, possibly spanning multiple regions or rulers. Essentially, massive temples, maybe fortifications, infrastructure, etc.
- Natural Disasters: New disasters will affect these regions, but rather than just a penalty, they’ll often be occasions for rulers to prove themselves (through response, rebuilding, etc).
- Silk Road: Trade route mechanics with economic benefits. Chinese innovations travel along the Silk Road, benefiting neighbors even outside Asia. Control of trade nodes/cities along the route will confer advantages.
- New Bookmarks / Start Dates: New historical scenarios to play from, with famous historical figures and states in East Asia and Southeast Asia.
Character Design, Art, Visuals & Flavor
One of the more exciting aspects for many players is how the new expansion will look and feel. Paradox is putting effort into aesthetics / cultural authenticity / visual diversity.
- The dev diary for character design shows heavy inspiration from the Tang and Song dynasties (for China).
- In that context, they have created 84 culture‑asset pieces for China alone in this DLC: 16 new hairstyles, 21 pieces of clothing, 12 beards, 12 leg pieces, 18 headgear, two armor sets, and three map units.
- The art team has created mood boards, historical references to art, textiles, silks, patterning, and color palettes. You will notice these patterns and colors.
- The new regions will have their own ethnicities, event illustrations, holdings, throne rooms, and artifacts. All that adds up to richer visual immersion.
Release Date and System Requirements
The Crusader Kings 3 All Under Heaven DLC will be available on Steam for Windows, Mac, and Linux at $30.
The recommended specifications are an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X CPU, 16 GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 480 GPU, and an SSD. The minimum requirements are an Intel Core i5-750 or AMD FX-4300 CPU, 8 GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7870 GPU, and 20 GB of storage space.
