As a devout Paradox cultist, I am thrilled each time there is a new release. Whether it is an entirely new game or just a new DLC, I know that I am going to lose hours of my life to it. The time that I put into these titles almost always promises to be worth it. Some of the most entertaining hours I have ever put into gaming have been in the likes of Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, Stellaris, and so on.

Imperator: Rome is something of an anomaly when it comes to this rule. Upon its initial release, there was not enough weight to its mechanics to pull me in. It felt more akin to a “map painter” strategy than to the legendary and beloved games that I had come to expect from the publisher. Instead of losing a few weeks to a campaign, I only dipped my toes in for a dozen or so hours before shelving it for revisiting in the future.

Fortunately, the 2.0 update and the accompanying Heirs of Alexander DLC are a hefty step in the right direction. Though it is still unlikely to be a go-to strategy title any time soon, these new additions make it a worthwhile investment of time if you are looking for something new to dabble in.

Imperator As It Was

Imperator: Rome caught my interest early on as a “historical until you hit play” strategy game under the Paradox Development Studio umbrella. A new setting that begins in the early Roman era was very appealing to me, and I never seem to get enough strong games in this period these days. Paradox being behind the wheel only made me that much more confident that it was going to excel like its peers.

Though its lofty ambitions were clear, its life began in a surprisingly underwhelming state. Stretched thin between being character-focused and empire-focused but lacking the depth of its sister titles in either arena, I struggled to find a strength that made it stand out enough to invest my limited time in even if there were plenty of parts that could have been excellent with some more time in the oven. Managing noble houses, conquering the ancient world, and even the simple satisfaction from being behind the rise of the Roman Empire held a good amount of sway but there just was not enough there to fill it out.

With the latest batches of content we are getting hit with a new round of mechanics to deepen the experience and make it more immersive for strategy gamers who have been hoping that it would shape up.

Legions and Levies

One of the big changes that came to Imperator: Rome with 2.0 is how militaries work. Instead of the permanent standing armies that defined the original system, there are persistent legions and recruitable levies. Both of these have pros and cons and you will need to master the use of both to expand across the world.

Legions are professional standing armies that pack a serious punch on the field of battle. Though they are expensive, they are reliable and can punch well above their weight in manpower when used correctly. They will be familiar to Imperator veterans as they resemble the armies of old in several ways and carry few surprises with them.

On the other hand, levies depart from the classic military system and are drafted during times of war and disbanded when peace returns. To this end, it is reminiscent of the Crusader Kings method, though with one important distinction that adds some serious weight; raising levies not only draws from your manpower to populate these armies, but it also has an impact on your economy. As farmers and artisans are pulled from their homes to serve in your armies, their fields and workshops fall into disuse. Levies will likely make up the bulk of your forces, but you pay for them with more than just maintenance costs, resulting in balancing the needs of the economy with those of the military as wars continue.

I have found these changes to breathe life into the uninspired military system from the beginning of development. It is a drastic change that alters the fundamentals but it is worth noting that the added depth of balancing where population is serving your nation is a great touch.

Advancing Through The Ages

The technology trees of Imperator: Rome were touched up by a significant extent in 2.0. If the new levy system was not enough to spice up conquests, a revamped invention system complete with several expansive trees might just do the trick. With enough branches to be overwhelming at first (just the way we like it), inventions cover nearly every aspect of managing and expanding an empire. Though you are spoiled with choice, they are focused on passive buffs, so although they will drastically alter the capabilities of your realm, it is important to note that they do not tend to change anything mechanically in a way that will shock you.

Spring boarding off of inventions, we have new traditions, our other tech tree-like set of bonuses. It has been expanded to offer both newer and wider specializations of your military which is an exciting development if tailoring your forces into something unique is your bag. Many major culture groups are represented here and as your empire expands, so will your access to these. You will be able to adapt the strengths of a variety of cultures into your ever-growing armies.

Alexander’s Legacy

Imperator: Rome’s newest DLC, Heirs of Alexander, carries several new additions alongside the 2.0 update. Similar to most content packs, it focuses on a specific region of the world and does not offer as much for general gameplay as the update does. However, if you have an interest in dabbling with the leftovers of Alexander’s empire, you have come to the right place.

Several nations, including such heavyweights as Macedon and Egypt, have been granted unique mission trees that stand out and make playing them an experience all their own. Alongside these are mutual Diadochi-specific trees that are shared by them that tie their destinies together in particularly interesting ways. No matter what title I am playing, Paradox mission trees always excite me, so seeing these implemented always gets a thumbs up from me.

The Greek region and Hellenic cultures as a whole have some content that trickles down to them as well. A handful of Greek artifacts have been added to increase the immersion of the region while Hellenist deities further develop and push religion to a more refined place. For those outside of the region, wonders have been implemented as powerful custom structures that can be constructed with a serious time and resource investment. I do wish that these wonders had more of an impact though, as I often found it a toss-up whether I wanted to pursue constructing them or if it just was not worth the effort.

The Bottom Line

Imperator: Rome continues to improve with each DLC and update that comes our way, though it is still not in a position to compete with the current greats that it is seated alongside in the Paradox Grand Strategy catalogue. The strongest standout here is the reformed military system which adds a lot to the previously shallow system. The touches surrounding levies make each individual in your army that much more important to your empire as a whole even if it does make an aggressive ruler like myself shed a tear from time to time. The inventions and traditions are weightier now which helps with the overall immersion as they involve a more hands-on approach than the mostly passive growth that we had seen previously.

Heirs of Alexander is more or less what you would expect from a content pack. It further develops the territories that were once held by the legendary Alexander and makes the role of playing one of the fragment nations more unique and interesting. If you plan on playing them, this is an excellent purchase, otherwise it is not going to change much for you as the one universal addition, wonders, does not even come close to redefining the experience.