Hearts of Iron IV’s new DLC By Blood Alone brings the focus to the Mediterranean, with Italy, Ethiopia, and Switzerland all receiving substantial improvements and greater options as to how their campaigns could play out.
That’s not all, though. The DLC comes with some universal changes and quality-of-life tweaks that build upon previous versions. So, with a number of new features, overhauled mechanics, and updated focus trees for players to get stuck in with, fans will want to know the best that By Blood Alone has to offer. Fortunately, they needn’t look any further.
10 Embargo, Embargo, Embargo
A new feature of the DLC is the ability to implement a trade embargo on nations that have created sufficient world tension. This option can be found in the diplomacy screen and costs 50 political power to enact.
An embargoed country essentially is prevented from importing resources from that nation, as well as canceling any exports going there. It has the potential to be a consequential mechanic, starving rogue nations of resources to limit their industrial and military build-up. In any event, it adds a nice additional layer to early-game diplomacy.
9 Awarded For Distinguished Service
By Blood Alone takes the officer corps mechanic to another level, with each division now possessing its own officer who commands the division. The game tracks each division's combat history and displays their most accomplished battles and operations in an honors list.
Players will be able to assign medals to division officers for their service to the nation, giving the division a significant buff, and even promote stand-out commanders to the rank of general. The honors list allows players to follow the combat history of their most elite divisions and is a great addition for role-playing.
8 Ethiopian War Overhaul
Long held as a foregone conclusion that Ethiopia will fall in any given game (a war so easy, the tutorial uses it to teach new players the essentials of warfare), the new DLC attempts to add extra depth and challenge to the war in Africa.
Italy now faces a stronger Ethiopia, and while it remains likely that Italy will defeat them, players now have to apply a bit more thought and strategy to suppress the resistance and maintain compliance in Italy’s newest colony (their new Colonial Police force can help with this).
7 Defy History In Africa
Part of the added challenge of the war is that Ethiopia now has a focus tree of its own. It gives them a number of ways to deal with the fascist invasion, including negotiating with Italy and allying with their invaders, or continuing the war in exile within a host country.
Their focus tree also allows players to unify Africa under the African Union faction, either through conquest or by diplomatic means. It vastly expands the options for an Ethiopian playthrough, and turns the once-doomed country into a fun and even viable minor nation.
6 Switzerland - Neutral No More!
Ever the nation to be picked if players are looking to watch the world burn around them, Switzerland now has a whole lot more to do in its campaign. A brand-new focus tree allows players to more decisively side with the Allies, the Axis, Comintern, or to take a different direction entirely.
Choose which border to fortify, intervene in the population's political leanings, balance diplomatic neutrality, or simply Anschluss Austria before the Germans can. These are just a handful of the options that are available to the player in the new Swiss focus tree.
5 Balance The Power
A new mechanic introduced to Italy, Ethiopia, and Switzerland is a changing ‘Balance of Power’ bar. Similar to the Congress mechanic the U.S. has, it simulates the shifting power dynamics between two factions in the government – Mussolini and the Grand Council, for instance.
The bar is affected by events and national focuses, and political power can be spent to change the balance, granting the player some nice bonuses. Be careful though, as if either faction gains too much influence, they’ll incur some pretty hefty penalties – it's truly a balancing act.
4 A Different Italy Experience
Italy receives a total overhaul in By Blood Alone, including a new mission and events system. Missions are given by Mussolini (as long as he remains in power), such as capturing sections of Ethiopia, improving industry, and pacifying resistance, which gives rewards upon completion.
Combined with the new and more challenging Ethiopian war, it helps tie the country’s early game together and provide a more in-depth and involved experience in what would otherwise be a fairly dull march to war. Of course, Mussolini can always be removed from power – it's up to the player.
3 The Aircraft Designer Takes Flight
Players have been able to design tanks and ships for a while, and now, finally, they can construct their dream fighter plane or long-range bomber. Instead of researching varying upgrades of different planes, they research the parts (airframe, weaponry, engine) and put them all together in the plane designer.
The customization options are endless, allowing for a far greater element of strategy in the air. Prefer light, agile dogfighters? Or fighters with a longer range? Maybe anti-tank CAS is the way forward? There’s a design for every strategy.
2 Recreate The Treaty Of Versailles
By Blood Alone also treats fans to an overhauled peace conference mechanic, something that has seen little change since the 2016 release. Players can now make additional demands of the defeated nations, such as seizing their navy and demanding resources and factories from their soon-to-be puppets as reparations.
The peace options extend even further, with the victors able to declare de-militarized zones and even demolish military factories. The much more expansive system presents a variety of options for a variety of circumstances, and can serve to make late-game peace conferences far more interesting and involved.
1 Vini, Vidi, Vici
Players had long called for an overhauled Italian focus tree, with the original 2016 tree being relatively bare-bones and dwarfed by the size and strength of its peer’s national focuses. Finally, Italy has a focus tree worthy of its prominence.
The expansion is massive, easily five times the size of its predecessor, with many focus paths to explore and many playthroughs to be had. Restore the Kingdom of Italy, take the historical path, or recreate the might of the Mediterranean Roman Empire. Thanks to By Blood Alone, the possibilities for Italy have never been so endless.
Hearts of Iron IV: By Blood Alone is available now on PC.