Crusader Kings 3 looks to shake up several core system but not without giving its map the attention it deserves. After all, it’s what players will spend a good chunk of their time examining.
Aside from receiving a significant makeover, the CK 3 map also features a few new territories. Here’s what you can expect in terms of scope, features and modes.
As Crusader Kings III’s Steam description puts it, its map “stretches from Iceland to India, from the Arctic Circle to Central Africa”.
Crusader Kings 3 Map
You’ll find lots of recognizable places but also new ones like Tibet, in its entirety, and sub-Saharan Africa extended up to the Nigerian coast.
China won’t be featured at release, but if you zoom all the way out, you’ll notice that the right side of the CK3 paper map is frayed.
While it’s possible for it to just be an artistic choice, it could also represent a foreshadowing of where post-launch DLC might take us.
When zoomed all the way out, you’ll see the Crusader Kings III map represented as an actual paper map on a table, small details like ships or monsters reminding of actual medieval maps.
Zooming further in, you’ll see different realms depicted, each in their own color. You’ll perform a good chunk of your politicking at this level, making the gorgeous new colors and font great additions.
The third level of zoom features each barony with its associated terrain types. While you cannot play as a Baron and they cannot break away from the counties they’re a part of, depicting them gives the Crusader Kings III map a more natural feel.
Crusader Kings III’s map also features more impassable terrain which influences army movement quite a bit. Some spots are more easily defended than others thanks to their geography.
The different terrain types influence not just combat but also the types of buildings that players can construct in each barony.
As for CK3 map modes, there are a total of 11 to choose from. Seven of them can be found in the lower right corner of the screen. To reach the remaining four, click the small button with a plus on it above the larger Realms mode icon.
Here are all the Crusader Kings III map modes available at launch:
- Realms - Shows realms and their current borders.
- Empire Titles - Shows the De Jure lands of historical empires
- Kingdom Titles - Shows the De Jure lands of historical kingdoms
- Duchy Titles - Shows the De Jure lands of historical duchies
- Houses - Shows the houses controlling each realm on the map
- Cultures - Shows the culture of each county on the map. Striped areas indicate a county that has a different culture than that of the liege at the very top of the hierarchy
- Faiths - Shows the faith of each county. Striped areas indicate counties with a different faith than that of the liege at the very top of the hierarchy. Clicking a faith shows holy sites
- Counties - Shows county titles on the map
- Terrain - Shows the terrain type of each barony on the map. D
- Development - Shows the development of each county on the map
- Government - Shows the government type of each independent ruler
The better looking Crusader Kings III map is just one of several improved elements that make the upcoming grand strategy RPG title look promising.
You can read about what else has changed in our Crusader Kings III preview and in the article covering its new player experience.
Crusader Kings III is due out on PC on September 1.
