Crusader Kings 3 is currently enjoying a surge in popularity on Steam, reaching the top of the best-sellers list. This renewed interest coincides with the launch of the “Khans of the Steppe” DLC and a significant 70% discount on the base game.
At the time of this report, Crusader Kings 3 holds the seventh position in both the United States and worldwide Steam sales charts. This represents a jump of over 70 places compared to its ranking just a week prior, indicating a strong wave of new and returning players eager to engage with the medieval grand strategy title.
New Mongol-Focused Expansion: Khans of the Steppe
The “Khans of the Steppe” DLC centers around the Mongol cultures, introducing new government styles and mechanics tailored for playing as characters inhabiting the Eurasian steppe. Previously, the standard Crusader Kings 3 system of titles and loyalties didn’t accurately represent the nomadic societies of the Mongols, Turkic peoples, and Tungusic groups of that era.
This expansion allows players to adopt a nomadic government style, emphasizing migration across the steppe and the management of a new resource called Herd. This Herd currency can then be used to recruit unique cavalry units. Accompanying this are new mechanics for managing tributary relationships and confederate allegiances, as well as options for exerting dominance over settled populations through the strategic use of mounted archery.
To showcase these new features, the DLC includes a new bookmark, one of Crusader Kings 3’s historical starting points. This bookmark places players in the role of Temujin, the historical figure who would eventually become known as Genghis Khan, during a pivotal moment in his rise to power.
The release of this expansion has also sparked personal interest for some. One individual mentioned contemplating the papacy and, as a result, starting a new Crusader Kings 3 campaign as a Frankish mercenary captain venturing eastward to explore the potential interactions between the Mongols and Catholicism. Initial outcomes in this playthrough have been varied. While earning enough as a sellsword in Eurasia to acquire a title among the steppe peoples, being Catholic has reportedly given the khan’s other vassals ample reason to plot assassinations. The individual humorously wondered if the new expansion would further complicate the precarious situation of their character, Siegmund von Leistenburg, the count of Naushki.
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