Total War: Rome 2—Empire Divided DLC announced, release date set

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Return to Rome later this month.

Last week, Creative Assembly discussed the direction of its historical Total War series. This week, the developer teased something new for Total War: Rome 2. And today, the turn-based strategy expert has unveiled Empire Divided as the new DLC heading to its 2013 stalwart. 

Set in 270 AD, Empire Divided visits the Roman Empire as it faces economic collapse and its "gravest crisis yet". With that, it's on you to restore the capital to its former glory (or, you know, run it into the ground) as you assume control of ten different playable factions across five cultures (each with its own cultural and faction-driven traits), negotiate new victory conditions, and handle new campaign features—not least plagues, bandits and cults. 

That last part sounds particularly interesting. Here's publisher Sega with the skinny: 

A cult building may be built for no cost, as its construction represents your empire permitting disciples to settle within your territory. This makes cult bonuses relatively easy to obtain, though cults spread foreign culture, bringing disorder into your provinces. In order to remove a cult building, a significant expenditure is required and a public order penalty is incurred required as this is considered persecution. Careful consideration of a cult’s benefits and disadvantages is required but, if used correctly, they can become a powerful tool.

Alongside Total War: 2's Empire Divided campaign pack, Creative Assembly will launch 'Power & Politics'—a complimentary update that overhauls Rome 2's existing politics system. Here, influence and political support can be gained from winning battles and completing missions. Sega notes that the Politics & Power update applies to Total War: Rome 2's base game and all of its DLC, bar Caesar and Gaul as it operates its own political system. 

More information on both the Empire Divided DLC and the Power & Politics update is provided via this Q&A. Both are due on November 30, 2017, and here's the expansion's Steam page.  

Joe Donnelly
Deputy Editor, PC Gaming Show