Crusader Kings 3 is heading north for its first DLC, coming next week

Paradox has revealed Crusader Kings 3's first bit of DLC, which will be good news for anyone wanting even more Vikings in their lives, and bad news for anyone hoping this would be the first expansion. Instead, it's a 'flavor pack', which is a bit slimmer than an expansion, but also cheaper.

The Northern Lords Flavor Pack will toss in new art, 3D models, music, events and features like adventurer realms created by formerly landless warriors. So it's not purely cosmetic. Since we've already got Viking raids and invasions, it looks like this pack is more interested in what the Norse get up to when they're not pillaging monasteries and burning down villages.

If any of this is giving you an itch to make a new Norse lord, then you won't have long to wait. It's launching on Tuesday, March 16. It will also be accompanied by a hefty free patch, 1.3, which Paradox has been teasing over the last month. It's thematically in keeping with the Northern Lords pack, but should have a bit more broad appeal.

Included in 1.3 is winter weather and map tweaks, a poetry trait that lets you spit out randomised couplets and a new duelling system. It covers a lot of ground beyond these highlights, and might actually be a bit more compelling than the DLC.

Sadly, it doesn't look there's anything from my Crusader Kings 3 DLC wish list. Oh well! Maybe next time.

Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog. 

Read more
Mongolian throne room
Crusader Kings 3 saddles up for a long-awaited return to the east with its first Asian DLC, Khans of the Steppe
Bannerlord naval expansion reveal
Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord is heading to the ocean with a Viking-themed naval expansion this summer
King wielding his axe against would-be assassins in Norland.
Medieval colony sim Norland is getting a 'damn big update' that completely overhauls the game's mechanics: 'We're rolling out some radical changes to the core gameplay'
Kislev
Total War: Warhammer 3's next patch will overhaul its Kislev faction, which Creative Assembly has 'identified as the most in need of a deep review and rethink'
Henry on horseback
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 reveals 3 expansions and a 'Hardcore Mode' coming in 2025
Civilization 7 screenshot
Civilization 7's post-launch roadmap will bring the Bermuda Triangle and Mount Everest to all players in March
Latest in Strategy
Civilization 7 Great Britain - Modern Civ art (via YouTube)
As Civilization 7 struggles to keep up with Civ 5 player counts, a new patch is coming tomorrow with still more UI changes and gameplay tweaks
Battle Brothers
Nearly 2 years after its last update, the excellent Battle Brothers gets 'a bucket load of fixes' and free new content
King wielding his axe against would-be assassins in Norland.
Medieval colony sim Norland is getting a 'damn big update' that completely overhauls the game's mechanics: 'We're rolling out some radical changes to the core gameplay'
Age of Empires 2
Former Age of Empires 2 dev claims Microsoft demanded its first expansion should have a Korean faction, because 'StarCraft sold 3 million copies in Korea'
Endless Legend 2 Kin faction reveal
It's turtle time: Endless Legend 2's first faction is the fortification-loving Kin of Sheredyn
A massive beachhead assault in indie RTS Beyond All Reason
Over 110 players and 10,000 units clash as this free RTS celebrates its growing multiplayer scene with some of the biggest multiplayer battles ever fought
Latest in News
Ciri in The Witcher 4
The Witcher 4 won't be out until sometime in 2027 at the soonest, CD Projekt says
Dwarf Fortress adventure mode art
After 23 years of making Dwarf Fortress, even its creator is still 'terrified' of drowning all his dwarves with heavy aquifers: 'Part of the problem is we are just not good at videogames'
A unique aspect of Japanese architecture turned out to be a key reason the Like a Dragon games can reuse assets so effectively—and deliver more compact, memorable open worlds than western cities
Pacific Drive Endless Expeditions spring 2025 update trailer still - a sexy, tricked-out 1980s station wagon being blasted with magic healing electricity
Pacific Drive developers change their mind: A year after refusing to give it mid-run saves, it's getting mid-run saves
Starfield's companion robot giving a thumbs-up
Former Bethesda dev who quit Starfield to go solo says it's 'much less stressful as an indie' without daily meetings or 'office politics': it's 'very refreshing to just care about the game'
Schedule I drug deal going down
Forget REPO, Monster Hunter Wilds and Assassin's Creed Shadows, Steam's current global top seller is an early access game about managing a drug empire