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Hearts of Steel 4 DLC: Everything you need to know

Hearts of Steel 4 DLC: Everything you need to know


So, do you want to know about Hearts of Steel 4 DLC? The grand WW2 strategy game has been out for nearly six years now, and it’s backed by a Battalion DLC expansion, as it’s Paradox Interactive’s most popular strategy game.

It also shows no signs of slowing down, which means Hearts of Steel IV could follow its older brother Crusader Kings II in building a truly significant library of premium downloadable content. But not everything is worth buying right now, and you’ll need help deciding which expansion packs are worth prioritizing.

This is where we come in. Just like our EU4 DLC and CK3 DLC guides, we’ve put together an overview of each of Iron IV’s expansion packs, providing a top-level view of what’s in each pack and whether it’s worth getting right now or not. Ultimately, deciding which Hearts of Steel 4 DLC to buy comes down to personal preference and how long the pack has been available – the longer the add-on is around, the cheaper it will be when it goes on sale.

Hearts of Steel 4 DLC

Here’s a list of the best of Hearts of Steel 4 DLC:

  • together for victory
  • death or shame
  • wake up tiger
  • man’s gun
  • Pull resistance
  • Battle of the Bosphorus
  • no back

together for victory

Emphasize

  • Added new focus trees with alternate historical paths for Canada, Australia, New Zealand, British India and South Africa
  • A new vassal autonomous system
  • “Vanguard” battle plan
  • Technology sharing and leasing revolution
  • Land War Log

Is it worth it?

The first expansion for Hearts of Steel 4 — especially in retrospect — is a bit impressive. In these early days, the development team is still not 100% sure where to focus, suggesting that the first DLC pack offers a number of different nibbles, perhaps as a way to test the waters.

The alternate history option is very popular as we know it now, but the focus tree rework in this pack is underwhelming compared to the later overhauls. They’re also somewhat moot if you don’t want to play Dominion nations. Autonomous systems are nice if you’re playing as a subject, but not very important. Other microscopic features represent a similar level of “icing on the cake.”

This is probably one of the least important bags, but luckily it’s also one of the oldest, so for the completionists among you, it’s going to be pretty cheap to pick up during the sale.

death or shame

Emphasize

  • New focus trees with alternate historical content for Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia
  • device conversion
  • new music and art
  • New diplomacy and puppet interactions

Is it worth it?

If you’re interested in the Balkans and Southeastern Europe, another incredibly modest package is really worth it again. These redoes are more appealing, as they mark the development team really starting to lean towards the alternative historical possibilities that focus trees can offer.

The device conversion feature is great, like a micro function, because it helps get the most out of your device. New diplomatic options are less important. Puppet interaction works well with Together for Victory, so it is recommended to have both. Also, being the second oldest extension, this extension will be very cheap for completionists.

wake up tiger

Emphasize

  • Redesigned focus trees for Kuomintang, communism and other Chinese warlord characters
  • Japan and Germany get additional focus tree regions with alternate historical content
  • Chain of Command functionality, generals now have traits
  • new decision system
  • More micro-features, including clearing gear, troop adaptation, and more

Is it worth it?

This is an extension of the first answer which is a fairly positive “yes”. The German and Japanese alt-history options alone are worth the investment and can lead to some very interesting, lesser-known track games.Note that selecting no Following Germany’s historical role as a great rival could lead to some strange results.

If you’re interested in the troubles plaguing East Asia during this time, the Chinese faction’s overhaul is equally fascinating. You can then make some great enhancements to land warfare in the form of marshals and general traits. While it doesn’t capture the fine-grained order of the combat system in Hearts of Steel III, the layers added give you more strategic depth, especially when you’re fighting on multiple fronts and theaters.

The general characteristics allow for some Crusader King-style progression, where generals start out with some advantages and disadvantages, but can further specialize as they gain combat experience in different situations. Overall, this is one of the more powerful expansions in the wargame, and it’s worth arriving sooner rather than later.

man’s gun

Emphasize

  • A new ship designer that gives players fine-grained control over components and functions
  • Admiral Traits and Skills Consistent with Generals in Awake Tiger
  • US and UK focus tree overhaul
  • New trees in the Netherlands and Mexico
  • Mines, Naval Treaties, and Other Microfeatures

Is it worth it?

This is basically a “naval” expansion focused on overhauling how naval warfare works and how ships are built. A new ship designer gives players fine-grained control over ship design by spending naval experience, and the admiral gets the same makeover that the general got in previous expansions.

The new focus trees for the US and UK are interesting, but if you’re not interested in naval warfare during this period, this expansion can be a tough sell. Ship designers can be a bit fiddly and we don’t fully embrace it. One might be discounted, although quite a few Hearts of Steel 4 mods rely on its existence right now, so you might end up having to pick it up.

resistance movement

Emphasize

  • New focus trees for Portugal and France
  • The Spanish region has been completely redesigned for a more engaging civil war
  • New Scouting Unit
  • Brand new spy system with spies

Is it worth it?

This is another hard sell, as headline spy systems aren’t always a concern unless you real want to. Although it’s carefully designed to fit existing functionality, it can be ignored in many cases. On the other hand, at this point in Hearts of Steel 4’s life cycle, the development team really knows what it’s doing with the focus tree overhaul, so there’s some great content here.

France has a lot of different branches to follow whatever ideology they want, while Spain’s civil war scenario has been drastically overhauled, allowing for a quartet of conflicts if the fire is triggered correctly. Other than that, the rest of the features fall into the “must have” category. This expansion is more contextual than we expected from the main DLC pack.

Battle of the Bosphorus

Emphasize

  • New focus trees for Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria
  • new music
  • New 3D models and voice lines for Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria
  • just

Is it worth it?

Battle of the Bosphorus is a surprisingly honest DLC pack, as it doesn’t pretend to offer more than it needs. New focus trees for Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey breathe new life into the world, and the rest are mostly cosmetic additions related to the core themes – nothing more.

You don’t have to worry about missing out on any minor features, so if you don’t care about this part of Europe, it’s a very easy feature to skip. Otherwise, the usual focus tree overhauls will make these country-specific games more fun, though it must be noted that if all you’re looking for is narrative content, you can get just as much fun out of the mod.

no back

Emphasize

  • Huge new focus tree rework for the USSR
  • New focus tree options for Poland and the Baltic states
  • The new army officer corps system and the “spirit” of the army
  • Premium features work with free supply system overhaul
  • Railroad Cannon!
  • Tank Designers Working Like Ship Designers

Is it worth it?

This is without a doubt the game’s best expansion to date, and a great way to end the first five years of Hearts of Steel IV’s life and change from one game director to another. No Step Back ended up overhauling the Soviet focus tree, had no love since its launch, and was (at the time) one of the last major nations to do a dedicated reform.

It also vastly improves land combat and does a better job than Awakening the Tigers. Much of the work has been done with a free patch that overhauls the combat width and HOI4 supply system, but the premium features in the expansion add some fantastic extras that are well worth the investment. We can’t be 100% sure about tank designers, and for the same reason we have reservations about Man the Guns’ ship designers.

It works fine, but it adds complexity that an armored vehicle might need and slows down the whole process, which we don’t believe is good for the game. Still, it’s a small downside for an otherwise huge expansion. Since this is the latest model, it won’t be on sale for a while, but it’s well worth it even at full price.

Hearts of Steel 4 Minor DLC

It’s not just about big expansions – there are plenty of smaller cosmetic packs out there if that’s your thing. Most are self-explanatory, so we won’t go into the details, but here are some cool immersive content for WWII fans:

  • Allied Speech Music Pack
  • Allied Armor Pack
  • sabaton soundtrack
  • Sabaton Soundtrack Vol. 2
  • radio bag
  • Axis Armor Pack
  • Eastern Music Pack
  • Eastern Front Airplane Package

So far, here’s everything you need to know about the currently available Hearts of Steel IV DLC. If you’re looking for more Iron Hearts IV goodies then read the current Iron Hearts 4 metadata, we have some Iron Hearts 4 cheats to help you.

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Kirsten Bennett
Kirsten is a passionate writer who loves games, and one day he decided to combine the two. She is now professionally writing niche articles about Consoles and hardware .