Essential DLC

[stevieji]

Which DLC are considered essential nowadays? I haven't bought any since Rule Britannia, which I think is almost 4 years ago. The essentials, as far as I recall, were always considered to be...

• Wealth of Nations
• Art of War
• Common Sense
• Rights of Man

My question was prompted by some recent guides to paying Austria, which talk explicitly about the 1.30 Emperor update, but don't specify whether they're using the DLC. I haven't played Austria very often, but I suspect a lot of the mechanics they were exploiting (if that's not too loaded a term) are only available with the DLC.

So, perhaps that's one DLC that's 'essential' if you want to play Austria, but maybe there are others I've missed in the last few years I've spent away from the game.

 

[grommile]

CS hasn't been essential for a while now; the province development buttons were folded into the base game. (National Focus is pretty nice, admittedly, but Res Publica is a cheaper way to get it.)

 

[Romanix90]

I stoped following the logic "which dlcs are essential"? I follow the logic "where do i plan to play"? As a player i want to have fun and i enjoy certain regions then others. Since i do like playing in Far East Asia i knew i would need MoH. In your case just ask yourself a q where do you plan to play? Which regions do you like?

 

[FantasticFwoosh]

Mandate of Heaven is pretty important in a wider scope, else the transitions of age is just a small UI element else for a couple of triggers. Prosperity, splendor age-bonuses, Golden Ages (especially with the ability to reset next patch) and importantly custom-implementations of institution triggers/custom ages and semi-independent vassal types (via shogunate and tributaries) are very important to modding (meritocracy and eastern flavor fair mention too) as well as overall generally important features to build upon.

 

[grommile]

Mandate of Heaven is pretty important in a wider scope

The game is perfectly sensibly playable in Europe, Africa, West Asia, and much of Central/South Asia without it.

East Asia (including Manchuria and Mongolia), on the other hand...

(I place zero value on Age abilities, since an awful lot of them look like "to them that hath shall be given".)

 

[Gort911]

The short answer is nothing is essential. Buy the DLC's you have interest in and effect the countries you like to play.

 

[Azkiol]

The game is perfectly sensibly playable in Europe, Africa, West Asia, and much of Central/South Asia without it.

East Asia (including Manchuria and Mongolia), on the other hand...

(I place zero value on Age abilities, since an awful lot of them look like "to them that hath shall be given".)

I just can't play the game without the Diplo macrobuilder anymore. Prosperity is pretty nice as well though.

 

[CMDR_HERNE]

I wouldn't rank dlc as essential I would rank them in how useful they are.

There was more to Common Sense than just developement. Subject interactions being one of them.
Cossacks for its diplomatic feedback and native policies. I couldn't live without that one.