Paradox Interactive has announced Arms Against Tyranny, a brand new Hearts of Iron expansion headed to the grand strategy game this fall. It'll revolve around the Nordic countries of Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, and will allow you to examine and rewrite the histories of those countries using "clever diplomacy or fierce resistance".
In a post announcing the expansion, Paradox says the efforts of the Scandinavian nations during World War II are "often overlooked in favor of more active theaters". Arms Against Tyranny is intended to address this, introducing new focus trees and alternate history paths for Europe's northernmost countries. It's essentially doing for Scandinavia what By Blood Alone did for Italy, Ethiopia, and Switzerland.
Here's the trailer for Arms Against Tyranny; it doesn't reveal much, but it sets the scene nicely.
As well as playing as more detailed iterations of the above nations, you can also look forward to weapon manufacturer customization, allowing you to emphasize whatever area of weapons production you think would be most beneficial for the war effort. A new International Market system also allows you to become a trade powerhouse, remaining neutral while leveraging economic advantages.
It's not just the new DLC that's on its way to Hearts of Iron IV, though. Accompanying the paid expansion will be a "major free update" that will be available to all players, regardless of whether they buy Arms Against Tyranny or not. Paradox hasn't revealed what will be coming as part of that free update yet, but we'll likely get more info as we get closer to the expansion's fall release window.
Hearts of Iron IV: Arms Against Tyranny is due to arrive sometime later this year. You can check out an exhaustive developer diary, which reveals many of the expansion's more intricate and detailed mechanics, over on the game's official Steam page. Stay tuned for more Arms Against Tyranny news, including a potential release date, as and when we get it.
