What does the CK3 Tours and Tournaments DLC add to the awesome Crusader Kings 3? A lot! Virtually everyone knows by now that Paradox Interactive hit a slam dunk with Crusader Kings 3. The formula has only been further expanded since the game's launch a few years back. With a wealth of new DLCs and big expansion packs, like the upcoming Tours and Tournaments DLC, the game continues to proliferate in every way that matters. But! Is this new expansion worth your money? What is it, really, that you're getting here?

In 2020, Crusader Kings 3 made its onto spot #1 of 2Game's Top 100 PC Games article. Could Tours and Tournaments help bump it back up to dethrone Elden Ring? To figure that out, we won't need to wait long. Tours and Tournaments is due to launch on May 11, giving us just enough time to review everything related. Perhaps we'll know by then to what extent this major expansion elevates the grand activities of the game, as you embark on your own personalized epic tour of this medieval world in all its splendor!

READ MORE: Paradox Interactive's 2023 Game Announcements

What is the CK3 Tours and Tournaments DLC?

Coming out as the follow-up to the earlier Elegance of the Empire DLC and the second part of Crusader Kings 3's Chapter 2 content roadmap, Tours and Tournaments is an exciting new entry for Paradox, but also for the players themselves. It is what it says on the tin, too. We're getting an adventure-heavy X-Pac here, featuring knightly games, grand tournaments, festivities such as grand weddings and falconry hunts, and heaps more.

Broadly speaking, the goal for this expansion is to give players the tools to experience a more daring sort of narrative development in CK3. As a grand strategy and RPG hybrid, the game mainly concerns itself with lordly matters, like state control, cultural progression, and - indeed - courtly intrigue. Tours and Tournaments takes things in a different, albeit not unrelated, direction, as you create your very own epic story!

Pre-order the Tours and Tournaments DLC via 2Game today!

All The New Features

Before we nail down the context, though, the value proposition matters most. Why should we be adding this new X-Pac to our builds of Crusader Kings 3? What is Paradox introducing to the game that we need to have? To figure this one out, we need to look at the marketed features:

• Epic Tours & Entourages: take to the road with a hand-picked entourage of knights and adventurers and see what the world offers
• Grand Tournaments: all-new artifacts and assorted prizes are available via Contests, Tournaments, and similar adventures
• Grand Activities: leave nothing to chance through aggrandizing events serving your court
• Knightly Honors: bestow special honours upon your most favoured servants, specializing them in politics, warfare, or other aspects of the ruling class
• New Art: a wealth of new artwork ranging from the early to the late Middle Ages

That's a lot of stuff, to be sure, but it only tells a part of the whole story. To explain what we mean by this, take Tournaments. While it would've been easy for Paradox to phone it in and simply have a new scheduled Tournament event happen every so often, these are instead mini-games in their own right. Paradox promises plenty of depth and interactivity that ties into the rest of your ongoing simulation.

Players can, for example, set a specific Intent for a given Tournament and then see their characters set about realizing it. Will your ruler end up bashing someone's head in a fit of rage? Or will they, perhaps, try to court a lord or a lady along the way? The storytelling aspect is endless, and a similar amount of depth is added with each of the aforementioned new features. Scheming is on the menu - if that's what you're gunning for.

Organic Storytelling Comes Into Focus

Whereas many of Crusader Kings 3's previous DLCs tried to expand upon the game's grand strategy features, Tours and Tournaments takes things in a slightly different direction. The RPG side of things, specifically, is being substantially expanded upon. An Epic Tour could, for example, quickly develop into an unpredictable road trip with your unexpected foes cropping up along the way. It's an opportunity not only to develop your rulers' stat sheets, but also to explore your fiefdom and really experience the medieval world.

This alone is an immensely valuable feature. Even more impressive is that it all ties into the rest of the game. Backroom diplomacy, for one, is about to receive a massive boost with these new goodies. Add Grand events to the mix (e.g. a Grand Wedding), and your political prowess will never be the same.

Paradox has never been shy about the fact that emergent storytelling is a key aspect of CK3, and with Tours and Tournaments, this aspect of the game is being underlined once more.

Will You Add Tours and Tournaments to Your Build of the Game?

Tours and Tournaments DLC is bound to launch on May 11, 2023. As a premier expansion pack, it is priced at $29,99/EUR 29,99, or an equivalent amount in your regional currency. This makes it one of the more expensive DLC options on the market. The fact of the matter is, though, that it promises nothing short of a potentially game-changing list of additions for Crusader Kings 3, complete with grand activities, grand weddings, and museum-worthy character art!

For immersion and organic sandbox storytelling, it's a dream come true. Even if you aren't keen on such things, the new features are intertwined with the rest of the game, so they are bound to enrich any playthrough. Naturally, all Paradox DLCs are designed in such a way that they are effectively optional. Those who opt not to get it, then, won't find the core gameplay loop lacking!

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