While Paradox Interactive has gained ire in the past thanks to its DLC practices, sometimes the company makes good decisions. One of these was to introduce a subscription service for Europa Universalis 4 that allows users to access every DLC at a much lower cost than buying everything individually.
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However, Paradox has also made some less than stellar choices. Many fans were displeased with the release of the Leviathan expansion. It was... not well received. Newcomers can easily feel overwhelmed by the sheer selection on offer, and it's helpful to know which DLCs are worth installing or purchasing. Preferably while heavily on sale.
Updated on October 19th, 2021 by Ryan Bamsey: While there is no news of any upcoming DLC releases, Europa Universalis 4 remains a very popular giant of the grand strategy scene. We've added some more DLCs to this list that you may wish to consider adding to your collection.
12 Emperor
While some of the changes that arrived with Emperor were game-breaking (immensely powerful Holy Roman Empire, anybody?) and had to be nerfed, the DLC still adds quite a lot of content.
Emperor deals mainly with the Holy Roman Empire (no, not that Roman empire) and the powers of the Pope which are both of vital importance for any nations playing within Europe. Players will have to keep an eye on it and may find it a more satisfying experience if they actually play as the Emperor.
11 Golden Century
If you're a fan of playing on the Iberian peninsula, this DLC may be the one for you - it adds the ability to establish religious orders and even new mission trees for the local nations. Even if you stay away from that corner of Europe, this DLC adds a lot of flavor to the colonization mechanics of the game.
An exciting addition is the ability to form Pirate Republics. These are a new government type focused on raiding coastlines, unique pirate factions in place of the standard estates, and their own set of government reforms. Use Golden Century to play out the piratical nonsense of your dreams!
10 Dharma
Paradox has historically neglected certain parts of the world in the development of Europa Universalis 4, and Asia has been one of them. Dharma seems to address this problem, developing many Indian nations and giving them unique features and mission trees that make the area more attractive to play.
Additional improvements made by Dharma include governmental reforms and trade improvements that affect all nations in the game. Being able to mold the structure of a government to your own playstyle is a powerful (and fun) feature.
9 Mare Nostrum
Art from the Mare Nostrum DLC for Europa Universalis 4
This DLC adds a lot of features and mechanics that relate to the naval side of the game. Not only does it add new behaviors that you can set your fleets to make them better at acting autonomously, but there are options added that affect trade, coastal raiding, traditional land warfare, and espionage.
One neat feature added by this DLC (that you'd expect to be in the base game...) is a timeline that can be viewed to see how the world has changed over the entirety of the current game. Use it to witness your nation reach its grandest heights... or use it to investigate exactly when everything went wrong on the path to ruin.
8 Wealth of Nations
Based mainly around the trading mechanics, Wealth of Nations is a pretty vital DLC for players of Europa Universalis 4. It adds quite a few interactions that people can use to influence the world around them, diplomatically and covertly.
One of the highlights of Wealth of Nations is the introduction of Trade Companies which can be quite useful (or even vital) in creating a vastly rich empire. If you enjoy playing with the colonization and trade mechanics, you will enjoy this DLC.
7 Mandate of Heaven
Mandate of Heaven adds quite a lot of features to Europa Universalis 4. Ostensibly it focuses mainly on the regions of China and Japan, adding the Chinese Empire mechanic for the former and a whole new style of gameplay with daimyos for the latter.
One of the best additions made by this DLC however is the diplomatic macrobuilder which severely cuts down on the micromanagement of diplomats. Being able to 'set and forget' means that players are less likely to worry about using all of their resources correctly, in a game with a lot of resources to use.
6 Sabaton Soundtrack
While it rather stands out here, this DLC is cheap and comes highly recommended by the users of Steam. For those not in the know, Sabaton is a Swedish power metal band that writes "songs about the art of war and the never-ending battles of mankind".
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While the songs added by this pack may break the immersion of some players, you might appreciate the new tracks. Especially as Europa Universalis 4 is a game that demands a lot of time from its players and hearing the same songs constantly can be grating, something that the developers of Call of Duty Warzone understand.
5 Cradle of Civilization
This DLC naturally focuses on improvements to the nations situated in what is considered one of the cradles of civilization – the Middle East. Introducing new unique government types multiple improvements to the mechanics that Islam utilizes, this DLC makes playing in that area of the world a more interesting experience.
It also adds other features, such as the ability to promote advisors into better (yet more expensive) advisors, the concept of army professionalism, and adding more utility to merchants. Notably, careful exploitation of these mechanics can be useful in making extremely powerful nations.
4 Rights of Man
Rights of Man is a DLC that seems to be focused on giving you a lot more options in general. It gives rulers personality traits that affect their rule, more power over their inheritance, and more ways to direct their subject nations.
This DLC also improves the Fetishist and Coptic religions by giving them their own mechanics. The former can gain benefits from making alliances and going to war. Coptic nations are tasked with preserving their faith through mechanics dealing with the five historical holy sites of the religion.
3 Rule Britannia
While only an 'Immersion Pack' rather than a fully-fledged expansion, Rule Britannia is a well-received mini-expansion to the game that focuses on the region of Britain. In addition to new mission trees that can help empower the British nations, this pack adds the Industrial Revolution and Anglicanism to the game which can alter gameplay quite a bit.
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For the non-Brits (but including the Brits) Rule Britannia introduces the concept of Innovation which rewards those who focus on research and technology. The new 'Knowledge Sharing' interaction also promotes this, allowing you to help their allies catch up, or be helped by your more technologically advanced allies.
2 Art of War
This DLC adds a lot of features that many will consider crucial to the combat element of Europa Universalis 4. It changes mechanics that deal with declaring war and offering peace deals which give the player a lot more options and having options is never a bad thing.
One significant addition is that of the Religious League Wars which occur in Europe once Protestantism has taken hold. Many will consider the gigantic, chaotic wars that can occur as a result to be some of the most fun the game has to offer.
1 El Dorado
El Dorado is a very important DLC if you wishe to play in the Americas, whether starting there or simply exploring the continents. It unlocks exploration missions which allow you to uncover the map piece by piece, by using explorers and improves the colonization mechanics greatly.
Additionally, El Dorado introduces the Mayan, Inti, and Nahuatl religions that each play differently and are crucial to playing in the South American regions. Since religion is such a significant part of the character of a nation in this game, this makes those nations far more attractive to play.
Possibly most importantly, El Dorado adds the Nation Designer which allows you to create your own custom nation. You can customize everything down to the name, location, color, ideas – all the way down to the stats of the starting ruler's heir.
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