Crusader Kings 3’s By God Alone expansion has locked in its release date to late September, publisher Paradox Interactive announced today.
The first significant content drop of the year, following the two smaller DLCs that kicked off the Chapter 5 expansion pass, By God Alone focuses heavily on religious gameplay, not only introducing playable theocratic landholders but also greatly expanding the ways in which characters interact with their religion.
Crusader Kings 3: By Blood Alone Expansion Releases on September 30
Crusader Kings III’s By Blood Alone expansion emphasizes “the development of Christian leadership through the medieval era,” bringing aspects such as The Great Schism into the grand strategy game while improving heresies and introducing new systems.
Below, you’ll find a list of key features as shared by the publisher in an emailed press release.
- Playable Theocracies: Take control of landed realms headed by an archbishop or even the Pope himself. As the Papacy, new resources of power and wealth will be at your disposal.
- The Christian “Situation”: A new persistent Situation for Christian realms, allowing actions and decisions connected to the development and progress of the Faith.You can participate in Ecumenical Councils to decide on religious tenets and beliefs.
- Heresies: Religious rites that diverge too much from the standard Faith steal power and wealth from the Church and may be declared heretical, forcing you to either conform or rebel.
- The Great Schism: In the 867 game start, the Christian church will eventually reach a crossroads for the faith. This can result in the Great Schism, separating Western Catholicism from Eastern Orthodoxy.
- Monastic Holy Orders: Centers of both research and theological power, Monastic Holy Orders offer potent bonuses to those who host their headquarters. Chief among their offerings is spiritual fulfilment, for their prayers protect secular rulers from eternal damnation.
- Changes to Religious Tenets: Revisions to the tenet system in Crusader Kings III now center characters’ relationships to their faith and what is appropriate behavior within that faith. Follow heretical beliefs that push the boundary of what is accepted or have your personal preferences adopted and accepted through internal church politics.
- Spiritual Fulfillment system: Traits, actions and religious tenets work together to paint portraits of characters’ inner spirit and spiritual life. Sinful or virtuous actions are not merely a concern for stress, but can also affect relationships with God and concerns about the afterlife.
- Archdioceses: New clerical titles that have religious authority over a geographical region independent of the secular rulers’ lands.
- College of Cardinals: The Pope can appoint cardinals across Christendom. But, the struggle between secular and religious authority never ends - secular rulers can use their power to influence the appointment of Cardinals and the direction of the Church.
- Dynamic Holy Sites: Faiths can now dynamically change their holy sites as they grow and change over time.
- Cathedrals: Cathedrals can become the focal point for reverence of specific saints or other holy figures, leading to them becoming Holy Sites.
- Puppets: In order to interact with the political machinery of the church, secular rulers will be able to puppet clerical characters so they can act on their behalf.
- And more!
Crusader Kings III: By God Alone releases on September 30, 2026, when it arrives on PC. It will be available as part of the Chapter V expansion pass or individually, for the price of $19.99/£16.99/€19.99.
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