The next Crusader Kings 3 patch is a big one: not only does it update the grand strategy game for the arrival of The Fate of Iberia flavour pack, it also makes some pretty significant changes that will impact players regardless of whether they own the new DLC. One of these changes is the complete removal of the Visigothic culture.
In the latest dev diary, game director Maxence Voleau explains that the decision to remove Visigothic was made to bring Crusader Kings III back in line with actual history. “Visigothic was always a bit of a wonky culture, a holdover from CK2’s Charlemagne DLC that made mapping 9th century Iberia very inexact but which added some fun flavour to the region,” he explains.
Originally, he says, Crusader Kings II’s cultures were “mostly cosmetic,” and because they didn’t do anything to impact gameplay, there was room to “fudge” history a bit and keep the Visigothic culture around well past its historical dates, mainly because they “added some fun flavour to the region.”
That won’t work with the arrival of The Fate of Iberia, however. While the Visigothic kingdoms covered all of Hispania for hundreds of years, they were largely wiped out during the Umayyad conquest of Iberia in 711-718. By the time of Crusader Kings III’s earliest start date, 867, Visigothic just wasn’t a major factor in the region.
Furthermore, Voleau explains, the presence of Visigothic in Iberia made for “a very weird flow” once Crusader Kings III’s Royal Court DLC arrived. “You start, you have one set of traditions, then within a few decades an event shifts your culture and you almost certainly end up with a radically different set of traditions with no feasible way to do much about it.”
The next patch, which is free to all Crusader Kings III players, also makes some updates to the Iberian peninsula’s geography, introduces a new dissolution faction type, adds new options for clan contracts, and allows offshoot religions to keep their old heads of faith.
The Fate of Iberia launches May 31.