Record-expensive DLC for the popular grand strategy game is now available. HoI4 players complain about the price and lazy content

Fans of Hearts of Iron 4 got a new expansion, but it didn't really get them excited. At least it wasn't a total disaster this time.

Paradox Interactive remains a leader in the strategy market, but it cannot be denied that the past few years haven't been particularly successful for the Swedish company. It's not like there were no successes at all, but let's be real: we mostly heard about the company when they released games and DLCs that annoyed fans of Stellaris (more often), Crusader Kings (less often), and Hearts of Iron IV.

"The worst DLC" or "just" too expensive?

The good news is that Hearts of Iron 4: No Compromise, No Surrender hasn't yet dropped to "mostly negative" reviews on Steam. However, the bad news is that only 48% of the 302 reviews on Valve's platform are positive, which shows that fans of HoI 4 aren't too thrilled with the latest DLC. Especially since, as usual, some "positive" reviews aren't full of praise for the developer at all.

Such reception of the expansion is primarily due to the high price of the DLC, which costs more than the previous major add-ons for Hearts of Iron 4. For the well-rated Gotterdamerung, we will pay 24.99 bucks on Steam, while for NCNS $29.99.

Of course, a higher price wouldn't be an issue if it resulted from a richer content of the expansion. However, according to players, the new features in No Compromise, No Surrender don't justify such a price. Just take a look at one of the most popular posts on the HoI 4 subreddit. Even fans who are into this DLC are saying they'll skip it because the price is just too high (at least by the standards of this game; other Paradox titles have long introduced such a price increase).

Even setting aside the price, some people don't have a good opinion about the content itself. One veteran of the game even stated that NCNS is "without a shadow of a doubt, the worst expansion this game has ever received." Players aren't really happy about getting rid of the option to micromanage divisions and replacing it with automatic deployment. The devs have promised to look into this issue.

Some HoI 4 fans also point out that the new expansion is essentially an update of the older DLC Waking the Tiger. This is because it already featured expanded focus trees for Japan and China, which have been refreshed in No Compromise, No Surrender. New features for the Philippines have been added, and it's been 8 years since the release of WtT, which is now available for free. However, some players still believe that those who purchased the older expansion should at least receive a discount.

Nevertheless, there are also many opinions that the DLC itself is "nice," and players are mainly complaining about the price. In theory, it means we might not be dealing with another terrible DLC, which we've seen plenty of from Paradox over the past year. Not that it means much, since fans are still frustrated with it.

Until November 24, you can play Hearts of Iron IV on Steam as part of a free weekend. If you enjoy the game, you can buy it at a discount for $14.99 until December 4.

1. Hearts of Iron IV Review – The Art of War

Hearts of Iron IV

June 6, 2016

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