Europa Universalis 4 pits emperors against revolutionaries in its next DLC

Europa Universalis 4 is getting another expansion, bringing the number up to daunting 13. I'm two expansions behind, but I'm only human, not some grand strategy machine. The technology just isn't there yet. The Emperor expansion promises to spice things up for the Holy Roman Empire, Papal State and other Catholic nations, and as always it will be accompanied by a chunky free patch.

It looks like there will be more to do if you're top dog, like getting new abilities as the Pope or dealing with Imperial Incidents as the Holy Roman Emperor. You'll be able to appoint cardinals and find new ways to convert people when you're in charge of the Vatican, while the Emperor will need to decide if they want to keep all the power for themselves or nurture a decentralised federation of nations.

While the Emperor and Pope are playing their games, the masses can get swept up in a revolutionary fervour. Revolution can be stamped out, or it can be embraced, complete with guillotines and the revolutionary guard. Regular rebellions, meanwhile, can be provoked so you can deal with them earlier and get them out of the way.

As Bohemia, you can embrace the Hussite faith and stand up to the Pope, while Catholic rulers can slow down religious reform through the Counter-Reformation. 20 new mission trees will also crop up for a bunch of different European nations.

Emperor seems a bit scattershot, which I suppose might be inevitable after six years of DLC. Most of the interesting stuff has already been done, leaving tweaks and enhancements rather than dramatic changes. It feels like it's ready to wind down. That said, Crusader Kings 2 got one of its best expansions, Holy Fury, right at the end, so I wouldn't count it out yet.

As for the free update, all players will get a redrawn map of west and central Europe, Crown Lands, new ideas and other tweaks. Both the expansion and update are due out this year.

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.