Victoria 3 update 1.8 may well be a good time to reassess the long-suffering grand strategy game. Launching without the warfare elements long-time players desired, the Paradox sequel landed to a decidedly mixed reaction. It’s been more than two years since launch, however, and the Crusader Kings 3, Stellaris, and Europa Universalis 4 developer has continued to upgrade and support Victoria 3 in its typical long-form fashion. As the latest patch notes bring a wealth of improvements alongside its new Pivot of Empire DLC, recent reviews are back to ‘mostly positive,’ and things are really looking up.
New Victoria 3 DLC Pivot of Empire is the latest ‘immersion pack’ to join Paradox’s lineup of flavorful, themed expansions for its best grand strategy games. This pack focuses on the evolution of India through the 19th and early 20th centuries, during a tumultuous time from its place in the Sikh Empire through to its colonial rule by the East India Company and British Raj. You’ll determine whether you guide its cultures to independence and self-rule, or remain a powerhouse pawn of the British Empire.
Whether you decide to pick up Pivot of Empire or not, the substantial free patch 1.8 arriving alongside it is full of reasons to check in with Victoria 3. Top of the list in the ‘Masala Chai’ update is a complete reform of the discrimination system, with a more nuanced acceptance of the culture and religion in your territories. Citizenship and Church and State laws have been reworked alongside a number of new modifiers for each, and you can pass laws to help push newly arrived cultures become more gradually accepted among your country’s population.
Political movements have also been completely redesigned. Rather than attempting to enact or prevent a single law, they’re now long-term ideological, cultural, or religious forces that will apply continual pressure to shape the country to their liking. Getting them on your side can be a real boon, but you’ll have to carefully consider how you treat them. Alongside this, secessions and revolutions have now been adjusted so that civil wars are tied to specific movements looking to take charge of the country.
There are lots of additional improvements and balance changes to look forward to – too many, indeed, to list here, although there are certainly some highlights. Wargoals can be introduced to diplomatic plays on behalf of your allied subjects. Taxation now alters expected living standards rather than generating radicals directly. There’s a new option to enable an early-game grace period of one, five, or ten years during which both radicals and loyalists are much less common to help you get off to a smoother start. Paradox also notes that “The Devout is no longer very racist by default.”
The AI for computer-controlled leaders has been given a welcome upgrade as well, which should reduce some of its stranger behavior to become less frequent occurrences. It’ll now be less likely to start wars over subjects it doesn’t recognize from nations it does, and will be harder to convince to accept diplomatic play support. It will, however, look to implement both police and a country-wide power plant network in most cases where possible.
Victoria 3 update 1.8 ‘Masala Chai’ is out now. The Pivot of Empire DLC is also available as of Thursday November 21 – expect to pay $9.99 / £8.50 for the Indian-themed immersion pack. You can read through the complete patch notes for update 1.8 courtesy of Paradox Interactive.
If all this has you tempted to finally take a swing on the game for the first time, take a look through our Victoria 3 beginner’s guide to help you get started. For more ways to scratch that tactical itch, here are the best 4X games.
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