Crusader Kings III: Royal Court

As the first expansion of what I’ll assume will be many, Royal Court has impressed me. This expansion has had some serious effort put into it for a company that has put out a lot of DLC in the past that simply adds more buttons to press and counters to track. For what it adds, it’s an expensive purchase, but improving the experience of a game you’re meant to play for hundreds of hours might just make it worthwhile. It’s the sort of expansion that you’d feel the exclusion of, and that in itself is an accomplishment.

Royal Court is the expansion that all fans of Crusader Kings III have been waiting for. It improves the flawed aspects of the base game and introduces a range of new mechanics – not all of them are as engaging as the titular court, but all of them make the life of a medieval monarch far more interesting.

While I did enjoy my time with the expansion, it doesn’t feel like a vital purchase for someone who’s playing the game for the first time. But, if you’ve already guided several lords and ladies to glorious conquest or gruesome death, Royal Court provides a much-needed injection of new things to do that will spice up new playthroughs, at least for a while.

A magnificent DLC in the truest sense of the word. For hardcore fans though, it sets the wrong priorities.

Crusader Kings III: Royal Court offers a plethora of customization options and more role-playing flavor. Sadly, it's bogged down by its reliance on random events that can get tiresome later in your campaign.