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Written 12 days ago
Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 130:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆☆☆☆ (5/10)
Stop me if you've heard this before: a Paradox DLC being great in idea but lacking in execution. [i]Crusader Kings III: Legends of the Dead [/i]sounds like it should be one of the most flavorful additions to CK3. Epic myths, dynastic prestige, and era-defining plagues? Sign me up. But in practice, it's a bloated event pack masquerading as a major DLC. The two headline features—Legends and Epidemics—both underwhelm for opposite reasons: one is too gamey and abstract, the other is too random and spammy. Together, they bloat the game with micromanagement and popup fatigue, without delivering the narrative punch you’d expect.
The idea of creating a legendary dynasty—something mythic like King Arthur or Charlemagne—is great. But in practice, it’s a mini-game about spending money, bribing bards, and waiting for progress bars to fill. Legends don't feel epic: they feel transactional. Even if you finish one, the payoffs are just passive modifiers and court grandeur. Your kids don’t inherit anything meaningful. There’s no trait, no lasting title, no legacy—just a temporary story that vanishes with your ruler.
The other draw is epidemics. Diseases in CK3 were previously underwhelming. [i]Legends of the Dead [/i]makes them more impactful … both good and bad. Epidemics now sweep through the world with very little warning or agency. One moment your court is fine, the next, three random courtiers are dead and your heir’s coughing up blood. Awesome! I love having my kids die tragically! However, every outbreak triggers a deluge of events, where you choose between doing nothing, calling a physician, or picking a generic “treatment plan.” The outcome? Often RNG.
Sure, it’s more realistic than having 10+ kids all live to 80. And seeing a plague sweep through and kill off your rivals or nephews is narratively satisfying. But it’s also chaotic, disruptive, and not meaningfully interactive. It's great for pruning bloated dynasties. But not so great when the UI and systems buckle under the strain of constant spam.
🪦 [b]Pros: [/b]
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[*] Diseases are now dangerous and unpredictable. In base CK3, plagues were more of an afterthought. With Legends of the Dead, epidemics like Consumption or Bubonic Plague can genuinely wreck your court and regional stability. They feel like a big deal: characters die fast, events fire off rapidly, and entire branches of a dynasty can be wiped out within months. While frustrating, this adds the threat of true mortality back into a medieval setting—something CK3 needed.
[*] Dynastic pruning is realistic and sometimes cathartic. If you’ve ever had a bloated court or family tree, this DLC’s systems offer a weird relief. You’ll actually want a few of your kids to croak if your succession is a mess. Sickly courtiers dying also frees up court positions and simplifies heir management. This is especially useful in the late game, where CK3’s engine tends to lag under character bloat. So yes, it’s a weird pro—but a pro nonetheless.
[*] Map-based epidemic visuals are immersive. Seeing plague clouds roll across the map is surprisingly effective at conveying tension. Even if you don’t read every popup, those black storm icons make you feel like you’re watching death creep toward your lands. They also give you time to (sometimes) prepare—locking down travel or issuing court decrees. It’s one of the few atmospheric touches in the DLC that works immediately.
[*] Legend promotion has some RP value. While the legend system is shallow, it does allow for unique storytelling. Maybe you bribe bards, hold a commemorative ceremony, or pay to have your glorious deeds sung in foreign courts. It’s fun—for a while—to imagine your ruler curating their own mythology. And if you’re roleplaying a narcissist or a visionary, it fits thematically. The system at least opens doors for future mods or story events.
[*] Burial sites and mourning events add long-term flavor. One of the few emotional moments: being able to construct cemeteries and burials for beloved family, or holding a feast in their memory. It’s not mechanically impactful, but it’s flavorful. If CK3 is at its best when you’re emotionally invested in characters, this helps you feel the weight of death in a way other DLCs haven’t.
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🩹 [b]Cons: [/b]
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[*] Event spam is overwhelming and tiresome. This DLC has some of the worst popup overload in recent memory. Every time someone gets sick, dies, or asks you to promote your legend, you’re hit with another event. Worse, these events are often shallow, repetitive, or inconsequential. During a major epidemic, your screen becomes a constant barrage of meaningless decisions. If you value pacing, this is an absolute nightmare.
[*] Epidemic management is shallow and repetitive. The “call physician or not” choice is the backbone of every illness event, and it gets old fast. You never feel like you’re managing a true crisis. Even when you choose a “treatment plan,” it’s usually RNG that determines whether your heir recovers or dies. It’s surface-level interactivity masquerading as depth.
[*] Legends have no real legacy. Despite the name, your legend dies with you. There’s no “descended from a mythic hero” trait. Your heirs gain nothing—not even a token renown boost. It feels disjointed: you spend yeafs and gold building up your personal story… only to have it completely forgotten in one succession. If anything needed dynasty flavor, it was this. I wanted my children and my children's children to trace their lineage back to [i] me [/i] to support their claim. But in reality, the game acts like you were just another ruler.
[*] Legends are glorified timers with no drama. You pick a legend type, bribe some artists, charm some vassals, and wait. There’s no branching paths, no legend duels, no twist outcomes. You don’t forge a legacy; you budget for it. Even at high levels, your mythic hero status amounts to minor buffs. It's not even close to being on par with mechanics like Bloodlines from CK2, and that’s a major disappointment.
[*] UI for managing epidemics and legends is clunky. There's no elegant screen for tracking multiple plagues. You can’t easily see where outbreaks are centered or how close they are to your court. Likewise, the legend system has poor visibility: if you stop mid-progress, there’s no graceful way to resume, pivot, or cancel. It’s all janky and opaque, like a mod that was only halfway integrated.
