The holy Swedish month of July is over and our workforce has been steadily trickling back into the office, resigned to the fact that sunlight is a luxury we won't be seeing for another 11 months. With that lovely thought in mind, let's return to our weekly dev diaries and talk about a new feature for our upcoming yet unrevealed expansion for Europa Universalis IV: Coptic Holy Sites.

Copts have had a rough time. Way back in EU's history they were simply represented as the Orthodox faith before getting their own religion within the Christian group, but even then they lacked their own flavour, destined to be left in the Horn of Africa and Armenia with hungry neighbours and their Patriarch being locked up and bullied in Mamluk-held Alexandria.

Well no longer! A feature in the upcoming DLC is a Holy Sites system unique for Coptic nations. Any nation which follows the Coptic faith will have access to a screen showing their Holy Sites. There are 5 in total, detailed with who is currently controlling them and the faith followed by the province. It is the Copts' holy mission to see these restored to Coptic control.

As shown above, Armenia (Who I released&played as from QQ) can open their Coptic menu and see the state of their Holy Sites. If a Holy Site is held by any Coptic nation and the province itself follows the One True Faith™ then all Coptic nations will be granted a blessing from the Patriarch. You are able to pick from the 5 available blessings but be sure that you or your Coptic friends hold onto your possessions tightly, as losing ownership of a Holy Site to a nation of another faith will lose you the blessing until it is returned to Coptic hands.

In 1444 the only Holy site in control of the Copts is Aksum, in the far north of Ethiopia. This will allow all existing Coptic nations to pick one blessing of their choice from the above list.

Legitimize Government: +0.5 Legitimacy
Encourage Wariors of the Faith: +10% manpower recovery
Send Monks to Establish Monasteries: +1.5% missionary strength
Promote Territorial Rights: -10% Core creation Cost
Will of the Martyrs: +5% discipline

Unlike other religious mechanics, the Coptic Holy Sites will collectively make all followers of that religion stronger. It makes no difference in the available Blessings if your nation or another Coptic nation holds the Holy Sites. Should the Copts fight back from their perilous position in 1444 and secure their Holy Sites, they will be that much stronger. Co-operate with other Coptic nations and share the Patriarch's blessings

Alongside the Holy sites and Patriarch Blessings, Copts will have a healthy dose of unique flavour events and missions to drive their liberation of the Holy Sites. Coptic Holy Sites will be a paid feature in the upcoming DLC, which will be released alongside the free 1.18 patch.

Next week I'll pass the reins back to Johan, as we return to see what changes have been going on in the Throne Room

 

[deserk]

Tell me we're getting some Armenian unit DLC. And also for Persia and the Arabs

 

[IHateThisCo]

Okay talking purely from a game perspective:

That Discipline is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy too powerful. It kinda works for the eastern religions because it's legitimately difficult to maintain, but a 5% discipline as Ethiopeia at game start just for existing? For all coptics? That's a bit excessive.

I do not doubt that the best strategies for countries around coptics will be to convert to Coptic. I seriously recommend you change it to at least 10% moral which would scale in to the late game less effectively.

Note that they have 10% core creation cost reduction which is already crazy strong, 10% manpower recovery. That means if Ethioepia takes one holy site they're already at Protestant levels of power, and we all know how OP protestant is if you look at any multiplayer game.

At start they can have either discipline or rcc. To get a second holy site, Ethiopia has to take Alexandria from Mamluks and then hold it against the Ottomans, or make their way into the middle east through Timurids/Persia. Neither will be easy or certain in MP. And any start outside east Africa, such as Armenia, is probably not a concern in MP.

As for someone taking Ottomans into Coptic, as some have already suggested, that could be a concern.

Edit: I missed the site in Makar ia. That is a bit easier conquest. I still don't see it making any of the traditionally Copic countries OP.

 

[hashinshin]

I expect literally 100% of multiplayer ottomans to swap to Coptic. 15% discipline (20% with an advisor) in the 1400s is beyond broken. Your average country can get 5% at best that early on. And then while Sunni is typically an early game religion that falls off, Coptic will only get stronger as you Ottoblob.

Game start you convert, take Armenia's center, that's 2 holy sites, there's your core creation cost and discipline. Go Admin ideas (since you can, you won't have to first idea military with that excessive of an advantage) and you have 15% discipline with janissaries, 68% core cost reduction.

 

[Suzaku]

I expect literally 100% of multiplayer ottomans to swap to Coptic. 15% discipline (20% with an advisor) in the 1400s is beyond broken. Your average country can get 5% at best that early on. And then while Sunni is typically an early game religion that falls off, Coptic will only get stronger as you Ottoblob.

Game start you convert, take Armenia's center, that's 2 holy sites, there's your core creation cost and discipline. Go Admin ideas (since you can, you won't have to first idea military with that excessive of an advantage) and you have 15% discipline with janissaries, 68% core cost reduction.

Or multiplayer will house rule Ottomans would have to remain muslim.

 

[Dakka]

I expect literally 100% of multiplayer ottomans to swap to Coptic. 15% discipline (20% with an advisor) in the 1400s is beyond broken. Your average country can get 5% at best that early on. And then while Sunni is typically an early game religion that falls off, Coptic will only get stronger as you Ottoblob.

Game start you convert, take Armenia's center, that's 2 holy sites, there's your core creation cost and discipline. Go Admin ideas (since you can, you won't have to first idea military with that excessive of an advantage) and you have 15% discipline with janissaries, 68% core cost reduction.

And then swap to Byzzies for those awesome missions and events, then form Rome
ROME SHALL RISE AGAIN!

 

[Riekopo]

I don't understand why this is limited to the Copts.

 

[hajutze]

The same reason only muslims can be pious.

 

[controlly]

Will you be able to change your blessing and if that is the case: how often?

 

[Sun_Wu]

Throne room feature being added to EU4 confirmed

 

[Martin_Mortyry]

Throne room feature being added to EU4 confirmed

The more regions you conquer the more various items appear in your throne room! Conquer Iraq and add Imassu to your collection! Conqeur Paris to get cheese on your table! Unlock more items with Throne Room DLCs!

Paradox pls add

 

[DDRussian]

Will this feature be available for modding onto other religions, to give them their own holy sites and blessings?

 

[funguide]

poor Orthodox. SO bland now.

 

[Wagonlitz]

The more regions you conquer the more various items appear in your throne room! Conquer Iraq and add Imassu to your collection! Conqeur Paris to get cheese on your table! Unlock more items with Throne Room DLCs!

Paradox pls add

And if you conquer Sardinia you get casu marzu...
And then you get a worldwide coalition trying to purge this abomination from the World! (Casu marzu is rotten cheese with maddicks in it...)

 

[Axe99]

Cheers for the DD DDRJake, and welcome back . The changes for the Copts sound interesting, and will encourage me to give them a run (I haven't played a Coptic nation in EU4 yet, nothing against them though). The only slight thought I have is that in a game where there's already a fair bit of snowballing, this mechanic is fairly snowball-friendly, and if a player is good enough to get to a situation where they've got all 5 sites (so they're already fairly capable and likely powerful) this'll make things even easier.

Great to have DDs again, looking forward to next week's

 

[Dakka]

Cheers for the DD DDRJake, and welcome back . The changes for the Copts sound interesting, and will encourage me to give them a run (I haven't played a Coptic nation in EU4 yet, nothing against them though). The only slight thought I have is that in a game where there's already a fair bit of snowballing, this mechanic is fairly snowball-friendly, and if a player is good enough to get to a situation where they've got all 5 sites (so they're already fairly capable and likely powerful) this'll make things even easier.

Great to have DDs again, looking forward to next week's

Ethiopia will be like a new Macedonia. Excited to build an empire with the new mechanics

 

[Shock360]

Yep, this DLC is definitely Crusader universalis

Victorian Crusader Universallis you mean. Don't forget about great powers

 

[Metallord]

Awesome

Also that visual representation off the holy sites should be available for All religions, cause it's easy to forget what provinces give those sweet extra missionaries or other triggered events when playing all over the world :d.


Obviously many religions don't need extra bonuses since they are already op, but those with less content could use this kind off love.

 

[omega20056]

The Armenian church is Miaphysite, but to lump it in with the Coptic church is wrong. The Armenians should be represented by a separate, entirely new faith.

 

[Metallord]

Ethiopia will be like a new Macedonia. Excited to build an empire with the new mechanics

Thehe Europe will finally meet Prestor John

 

[Helperman123]

It seens so lackluster compare other devs dairies that came out. Coptic getting improved, is hardly a relevant thing compare to other things that need improvings (Corruptions, Estates, Forts[Zone of control, the garrison modifiers and the cost of it], Shattered retreating and ideas groups.)