Paradox has announced the release date for the upcoming Imperator Rome 2.0 update. "Marius" is a major overhaul to the game's military systems and will also bring a reworked UI. It'll launch alongside a major new DLC pack based on Alexander the Great.
What's coming in the Imperator: Rome 2.0 Marius update?
The 2.0 "Marius" update will be completely free for all players. It will rework the way the military system in the game works and bring new features which will impact army management and war. A major new feature is the ability to draft levies from your provinces, which can help you in battles. These levies will vary in size based on the culture and population of whichever province they've been levied from.
In addition to levies, you'll also be able to assemble Legions to guard your empire. However, these Legions come at a high cost and could betray you for a disloyal general. Legions - as well as Mercenaries - will have detailed military histories and will earn penalties or commendations based on these histories. There are also a host of other features coming including Engineers to help with fording terrain, a reworked Invention system and UI, and new Diadochi war goals. All in all, it's looking like a pretty good time to be an Imperator: Rome fan. Here's Paradox's full feature list for the update:
- Levies: Draft levies from your provinces to fight your wars. Their size and composition is based on the cultures and population types in the province.
- Legions: Advance your military technology to create standing, professional military forces to guard your empire. But beware of their cost and tendency to follow disloyal generals.
- Military Histories: Legions and Mercenary units have histories that will list their accomplishments over time, earning honors or penalties based on their legacies.
- Engineers: Special cohort to help with sieges, river crossings and road building.
- Changes to Inventions and Military Traditions: Radically overhauled invention system - unlock new abilities alongside old inventions, and shape your civilization like never before.
- Diadochi War Goals: New large scale conquests available to Hellenistic kingdoms to better model the ambitions of Successor rulers.
- UI Overhaul: Completely reworked interface to make options and decisions more intuitive.
- And much more: New unit models for levy and legion units, new port construction options, changes to forts and deities
What is the Imperator: Rome Heirs of Alexander DLC all about?
Heirs of Alexander focuses on the chaos left in the wake of Alexander the Great's death. In order to prove yourself a worthy successor to Alexander, you must navigate intra-kingdom politics, relations with your allies, and battles with your enemies. Heirs of Alexander will add unique mission trees for five empires: Anatolia's Antigonid Empire, the Persian Seleucid Empire, Egypt's Ptolemaic Empire, and of course, Macedonia and Thrace. All Successor Kingdoms will have access to new Diadochi-themed mission objectives, too. Looks like there'll be plenty to do to secure Alexander's legacy for yourself.
As well as new missions and mission objectives, Heirs of Alexander is also bringing a new Wonder Designer. This tool will let you create and customize your own monuments, which will then add bonuses in your empire. Various new historical events based on Alexander the Great's life will be available to play through, and Paradox is also adding new deities, new treasures, and three extra music tracks. Lots for Greek history buffs to get stuck into.
The Imperator: Rome 2.0 Marius update will arrive on February 16th and will be free. Alongside that update, Paradox will launch Heirs of Alexander at a cost of $9.99.
Are you looking forward to the new Imperator: Rome content pack and free update? Let us know in the comments below!
