Pivot Of Empire Brings Much-Needed Depth To India In Victoria 3

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home November 21, 2024 3 Views 7 Min Read
Pivot Of Empire Brings Much-Needed Depth To India In Victoria 3

Victoria 3’s update schedule has settled into a comfortable tempo in the two years since launch, following the pattern of releasing a crunchy expansion that expands on the game’s systems and adds to its signature Paradox depth, followed by a more flavorful Immersion Pack focused on fleshing out gameplay for a specific region of the world. Pivot of Empire, this year’s second Victoria DLC, falls into the second category, offering a campaign of tension, intrigue, and warfare on the Indian subcontinent.

capitalists inspect a factory in victoria 3

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South Asia has long needed some extra attention in Victoria 3, especially given the importance of the region to the period. Until now, the British Raj played more or less like any other subject nation, just a lot bigger. Pivot of Empire adds new events, unique mechanics, and even laws for breaking free from British subjugation or tightening the Queen’s grip on her most prized colony.

the people of delhi celebrate phool walon ki sair in a unique event for the pivot of empire dlc in victoria 3.

Pivot of Empire isn’t a DLC for Victoria newcomers. Even the easiest start on the subcontinent – taking the reins of the East India Company and maintaining control in the name of the Crown – requires a good working knowledge of the game just to stay afloat. While you have full access to the resources of the British Empire at its height, the expectations from London are almost impossibly high. You’ll be expected to expand the company’s holdings while also changing your construction priorities to suit the whims of the Board of Directors, and maintaining the loyalty of local princes and priests.

If that sounds like a tall order, that’s because it is. Unless you can masterfully thread the needle, a revolt is going to happen within the first few decades of the game; it’s not a question of if, but when. Unlike Victoria’s standard rebellions, though, the Sepoy Mutiny lets each region of India (and Pakistan, if it’s also been conquered by Britain when the die is cast) that is sufficiently rebellious break off into an independent nation; as the player, you can stay the course and put down the rebels, or switch to any one of the freedom fighters.

The rebels aren’t allied to one another, but they’re all fighting the East India Company; assuming they win the uphill battle and drive the British out a century early, there won’t be a unified India when the dust settles. Freedom is only the beginning – now you’ll have to see if you can work together with your new neighbors, set yourself up as their new overlord, or fall prey to another invader if you can’t stand together.

Forming a Power Bloc with the Sphere of Influence DLC could lead to a fun mid-game campaign in South Asia.

Of course, Victoria 3 is an economy sim above all else, and Pivot of Empire offers a lot of unexpected challenges in keeping your gold reserves in the black. The high population of India’s major cities, combined with how the game’s taxation system works, means that you’ll never be able to efficiently collect taxes, no matter how many Government Administrations you build. That means you’ll have to rely on cash crops via the DLC’s unique Extraction Economy law, which buffs agriculture and mining but prohibits advanced industries. Specifically, you need to make sure that your government owns the most productive farms and plantations, as well as the railways that transport the goods; the usual strategy of taxing businesses and workers goes out the window in this campaign.

All told, I can only recommend getting Pivot of Empire if you’re planning to play a campaign in South Asia, which you should only do if you’re looking for a challenge. This is one for the hardcore players. That said, when you do decide that it’s time to visit 19th-century Bengal and Mysore, this DLC is a must-have.

If you’re not quite ready to take that plunge, though, never fear; Pivot of Empire is launching alongside the 1.8 patch, which includes a lot of quality-of-life improvements that give Victoria 3 more narrative immersion and depth.

Political movements are now more numerous and persistent; you’ll see more movements within your nation at any given time, but now they can be suppressed or bolstered (instead of interest groups), and only the most radical or popular movements will start to make demands. Cultural acceptance (or lack thereof) is also more granular now, as opposed to the binary status of a pop being accepted or not that the game had before.

the wildfires harvest condition in progress in victoria 3

The most fun additions in 1.8 are weather events that can affect productivity in a region. They add a layer of unpredictability to campaigns, and encourage you to think twice about putting all your grain production in a single state to maximize the economy of scale bonus – after all, it would be a shame if a wildfire burnt up all those nice, efficient fields.

Taken together, Pivot of Empire and the 1.8 patch represent another step in Victoria 3’s steady growth. They’re not world-shattering updates, but they’re welcome ones all the same.

Navigating the uncharted waters of history to give the British Empire a black eye and establish a free India is a monumental task, and longtime Victoria fans will be eager to answer the challenge.

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