Highlights
- Hearts of Iron 4 offers immersive gameplay with a focus on World War 2, exploring alternate histories for Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey.
- DLCs like Battle For The Bosporus and La Resistance add depth with new focus trees and espionage mechanics for strategic gameplay.
- Consider a DLC subscription for affordable access to all existing and future Hearts of Iron 4 content, offering a cost-effective way to enjoy the game's offerings.
Thanks to its dedicated fanbase and remarkably immersive gameplay, Hearts of Iron 4 remains one of the most celebrated grand strategy titles of all time. Unlike other grand strategy games, Hearts of Iron 4 focusing on World War 2 and how it may or may not happen in playthroughs can explore interesting theories and ideas on alternate histories. Moreover, fans of the game who want to get much deeper into their favorite nations and factions should consider getting Hearts of Iron 4’s best DLCs - especially when a lot of them introduce new concepts and game mechanics that can diversify one’s experience.
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However, with the game having a lot of Country Packs, DLCs, and even Expansions to offer, fans might be confused as to just which DLCs are worth getting and those they should probably skip. After all, some of Hearts of Iron 4’s best downloadable content offer game-changing mechanics that make the title all the more engaging to play.
9 Battle For The Bosporus (USD 9.99)
Country Pack Focusing On Minor Powers, Alternate Histories In Europe
Features | Country Pack that focuses on European powers near the Aegean and Black Sea: Bulgaria (and its conflict or alliance with Germany), Greece (and its choice between joining the Allies, get into Fascism, or restore the Empire), and Turkey (solve an internal crisis, protect the Balkans, or form new states). |
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Setbacks | Price point might be not worth the expenditure especially for fans who don’t play as Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. |
Named after the World War 1 engagement that occurred in the Black Sea, the Battle For The Bosporus DLC gives players of Hearts of Iron 4 the opportunity to focus on minor powers that existed in the Aegean and close to the Black Sea at the time. Focus Trees for Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey are the highlight of the Country Pack, all of which having events that let them play a more vital role in the defense of the strategic geography in Bosporus and Dardanelles.
In terms of more specific alternate history events, Bulgaria may now continue to form an alliance with Germany or begin resisting it for a freeer nation. Meanwhile, Greece can maintain their relationship with the Allies, become a Fascist state, or attempt to restore the glory of the Greek Empire. Meanwhile, Turkey can continue or resist reforms brought by Kemalism, become a Balkan protector, or form new states. However, despite these more in-depth additions to the nations, some fans may consider Battle For The Bosporus a bit pricey - especially if the aforementioned nations aren’t favored countries to play by said gamers.
8 Death Or Dishonor (Base Game, USD 9.99)
Focuses On Southeast Europe, Equipment Conversion, Tech Licensing, And UI Changes
Features | Southeast European countries get the spotlight (Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia), alongside new features such as Equipment Conversion, more Puppet Interactions and Diplomatic Interactions, Technology Licensing, and an updated UI. |
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Setbacks | Locking these features during its launch under a paywall seemed made gameplay inefficient for players, making this DLC’s integration within the base game a welcome change. Even then, the Focus Trees for the aforementioned countries don’t add as much new possibilities compared to other nations who received updates in other DLCs. |
The struggles of Southeast European nations (specifically Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia) become the focus of the Death Or Dishonor DLC, finally giving a spotlight to their relevant roles in World War 2. Aside from offering new alternate history options, more gameplay features have been added to the game: Diplomatic Interactions and Puppet Interactions add more geopolitical tension among nations, Equipment Conversion adds versatility to upgrades, while being able to License technology for others to use can highlight a focus on industrialization. Moreover, its changes to overall UI - interfaces, the overall map, air and radar controls, among others - were a welcome choice that eventually had the DLC included in the base game.
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However, from a gameplay standpoint, its new Focus Trees for the aforementioned nations are lacking in terms of competitive viability - especially by today’s standards where most other countries have received minor tweaks in their own Trees. Not to mention, Equipment Conversion and Licensing Technology don’t seem to have that big of an impact to overall gameplay to warrant its initial price point, cementing the need for its inclusion to the base game.
7 By Blood Alone (USD 19.99)
Potential In New Aircraft Designer, Expanded Peace Conference Options, New Focus Trees
Features | Focus Trees for Ethiopia, Italy, and Switzerland gave more alternate history opportunities. Peace Conference provides more tactical flair to geopolitics, while Aircraft Designer provides more pinpoint versatility to creating an air force. |
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Setbacks | Additional content felt underwhelming at the time: new Focus Trees and emphasis on Ethiopia, Italy, and Switzerland don’t give room to showcase the Aircraft Designer. The Peace Conference has become difficult to use on a practical setting. |
Players can appreciate more alternative historical paths in By Blood Alone, with their Hearts of Iron 4 gameplay enhanced by new Focus Trees that focus on a Government in Exile mechanic (Ethiopia), choosing one of many government types beyond Mussolini’s influence (Italy), or exploring the limits of neutrality (Switzerland). This is compounded by the addition of new Peace Conference options to diversify geopolitics, as well as an Aircraft Designer that lets players custom-tailor their own aircrafts according to their needs.
However, By Blood Alone also one of the most conflicting DLCs the game has released. During its launch, Focus Trees for the new nations seemed to be too far branching out to experience immediate benefits. The Aircraft Designer became a point of contention with its initial complexity, while the Peace Conference’s expanded options can hurt expansion efforts due to its more intricate requirements.
6 Waking The Tiger (Base Game, USD 19.99)
1st Full Expansion Elevates Asian Powers With New Decisions, Mechanics, And Interface Changes
Features | New Focus Trees for China, Germany, and Japan provide both more focused and alternate history paths, while many nations get more Decisions and Missions. New mechanics such as Stability and War Support, Chain of Command, and Interface modifications streamline many aspects of management in the core game. |
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Setbacks | Initial costing at the time (USD 20) can be off-putting for its country focuses. Generals having a more specific Skill Tree, a more technical Border Conflict mechanic, and Political Support Points make wars feel artificial. |
As the name implies, Waking The Tiger as a DLC switches things up for Hearts of Iron 4 gameplay as its first full-fledged expansion. Focus Trees enable specific nations become more dynamic, such as China becoming either a Republic or a Communist nation, Germany having the opportunity to eliminate Hitler, and Japan having options for Democracy and Communism. This came alongside new Missions and Decisions for nations, all of which affected by new Political Powers that add more flexibility to nations.
Combat gets a makeover through deeper mechanics. Generals with Command Power and Chain of Command provide more technical flair to warfare. Warfare flexibility is also enhanced with National Unity being replaced by Stability and War Support, Border Conflict emphasizing strategic unit placement, and Retreat mechanics (Withdraw, Force Retreat) offering options for accruing losses. The game’s interfaces get an overhaul, such as those for Production and Historical Templates.
5 Together For Victory (Base Game, USD 14.99)
1st Country Pack Giving Much-Needed Commonwealth Spotlight, Spearhead Tactic, Autonomy System
Features | Autonomy System and modifications to Lend-Lease add variability to relationships between countries, while Spearhead battleplan command adds more options to battles. Commonwealth nations now have Technology Sharing to boost their strength, while other countries will also enjoy other alternate histories (Dominions) and Focus Trees (Australia, British Raj/India, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa). |
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Setbacks | Nations like Canada or South Africa still needing a bit of assistance from other countries before being able to pick up the pace can make playthroughs have a repetitive premise. |
Initially released as the first Country Pack for Hearts of Iron 4, content in Together For Victory became too practical of an addition to the player’s toolkit that it’s become integrated with the base game. As the name implies, the DLC gave much-needed focus on the Commonwealth nations, where they can now enjoy faster growth with Great Britain’s aid or follow unique alternate historical paths. New events and Focus Trees for Australia, Canada, the British Raj, New Zealand, and South Africa also add more depth to these nations - especially with the game’s fresh release at the time.
Mechanics-wise, Together For Victory also added much-welcome elements to add more dynamic options for players of the earlier iterations of the game. The Spearhead command now enables armies to punch through enemy lines through strategic encirclement, while the new Autonomy System and modifications to Lend-Lease provide more engaging interpoliticking between nations. Commonwealth nations now enjoy Technology sharing options to catch up faster to other countries.
4 Man The Guns (USD 19.99)
Naval Mechanics, Fuel, Ship Designer Adds Dimensionality To Sea Combat
Features | Aside from alternate American and British histories, the DLC adds new naval-focused mechanics: Naval Treaties and Shipping Routes that expands map control, Naval Mines and Amphibious Landing Vehicles to expand war options, and a Ship Designer for custom-tailored warships. Fuel mechanic also completely changes the way supplies work for machines in the game. |
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Setbacks | Naval focus can be a turn off to grand strategy fans more interested in other elements of the game. |
Ships and the sea remain an integral part of warfare in both historical battles and strategy video games inspired from them, making Man The Guns a much-celebrated DLC for Hearts of Iron 4. In this update of the historical wargame, Man The Guns adds a renewed focus in naval warfare. Sea tiles are now considered as possible active terrain, with Naval Treaties affecting governance while Naval Mines and Amphibious Landing Vehicles potentially affecting direct combat.
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Shipping Routes and Fuel are game-changing elements introduced in Man The Guns. War machines across the army, air force, and navy now have Fuel requirements, all of which can be fulfilled with the right construction and maintenance of Supply Routes. The Ship Designer also allows players to tailor-fit their warships for specific needs, maximizing their presence at sea.
3 La Resistance (USD 11.99)
Spy Rings Add Tactical Depth To Aggression Options
Features | Espionage and Resistance mechanics add versatility to a player’s choice of aggression, be it creating a Spy Ring, intercepting Codes for buffs, and even installing puppet governments to dismantle enemies. |
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Setbacks | Spy actions can provide too many advantages on one side that does them successfully, while Compliance seems to make Puppet Regimes more optimal than traditional Annexation. |
Of the DLC packs celebrated in Hearts of Iron 4, La Resistance seems to add much-needed tactical depth to the historical grand strategy title. Instead of simply creating divisions and designing war machines, La Resistance allows players to use underhanded tactics to dismantle their enemies from the inside. The DLC focuses on major European powers with similar revolutionary events in history, all reflected in new events (French Monarchy restoration, Spanish Civil War), and National Focuses: France (Free France, Vichy Regime), Spain (Republican, Nationalist), and Portgual.
Mechanics-wise, La Resistance adds the much-welcome Espionage and Resistance mechanics. With the former, players can now create Intelligence Agencies or Spy Rings to conduct various activities in foreign countries. This also comes with options to gain advantages when cracking the code of enemy spies, and even form international clandestine collaborations. Likewise, players can begin and aid Resistances in enemy countries, undermining their governance by supplying rebels with resources.
2 No Step Back (USD 11.99)
Much-Awaited Soviet Focus Also Highlights Supply Systems, Railways, Designs
Features | Soviet Union gets a more immersive and much-needed revamp, alongside Focus Trees for Poland and the Baltic Straits. This also contains the Tank Designer, Railways, and adds Supply Systems. |
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Setbacks | Supply System can eventually devolve into logistics management, while Tank Designer doesn’t elevate the experience as promised at the time of its release. |
Iosif Stalin’s rule of the Soviet Union remains a popular choice for players of Hearts of Iron 4, and the No Step Back DLC finally gives the nation a much-needed spotlight. Aside from getting a revamped Focus Tree, the Soviet Union has a Paranoia System that reflects Stalin’s own unease in his regime. Failure to dismantle this Paranoia System can continuously pose disadvantages to the faction. Meanwhile, Poland also gets a much-needed revamp that now allows it to fully support either Germany or the USSR, as well as varied gameplay options.
The focus of No Step Back on the Soviet Union also came with a slate of gameplay additions. The most significant new feature in this DLC is the Supply System, essentially expanding Infrastructure and Railways into a full-fledged logistical mechanic. This time around, players are in charge of creating their own supply lines around locations that transport resources. Units in the area consume specific amounts of resources or suffer penalties, adding more realism to the game. The Technology tree is revamped here, with a dedicated Officer Corps tab to manage troops, as well as a new Tank Designer to tailor-fit components to a player’s needs.
1 DLC Subscription (USD 7.99)
Access All Of Hearts Of Iron 4 At An Affordable Rate
Features | Get access to all of Hearts of Iron 4 content that are released and will be released, including expansions and country packs as well as cosmetics such as unit packs and music packs. |
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Setbacks | The idea of a monthly subscription can seem to cost more, especially by the time players “meet” the cost of all content. |
Given the popular reception towards Hearts of Iron 4 and its offerings, it comes as no surprise that the grand strategy title is slated to offer more downloadable content through the next few months or years. This is evident with the Trial of Allegiant recent expansion that sees alternate historical paths for World War 2 focusing on South American countries. Thanks to the DLC Subscription, fans can access both present and future Hearts of Iron 4 content without having to buy them one at a time.
At first glance, the USD 7.99 monthly (or USD 14.99 for three months) can seem costly for a game like Hearts of Iron 4 that doesn’t have a lot of DLC to begin with. However, fans need to consider that all the DLCs for Hearts of Iron 4 would cost a total of USD 159.87. This means it would take 20 to 21 months’ worth of subscribing to Hearts of Iron 4 to match the total cost of buying all existing DLC content. From the perspective of a new player, subscribing for three months or even a month could be enough to gauge whether the rest of the game’s content are worth permanently buying or to remain accessible during a subscription.
Hearts of Iron 4
Paradox Development Studio's Hearts of Iron 4 is a grand strategy game set during the Second World War. Offering both single and multiplayer, a campaign allows players to lead a country through the conflict, starting in 1936 or 1939 and ending in 1949.
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Released
- June 6, 2016
- Developer(s)
- Paradox Development Studio
- Genre(s)
- Grand Strategy
