So, a new expansion dropped for Hearts of Iron 4, and honestly, the reaction from the community has been pretty lukewarm. It’s not bad, thankfully – definitely not as rough as some past releases, but it didn’t exactly blow anyone away either.
Paradox Interactive is still a major player in strategy games, but they’ve faced some challenges recently. While they’ve had some wins, they’ve mostly been in the news due to frustrating releases and downloadable content for games like Stellaris, Crusader Kings, and Hearts of Iron IV.
“The worst DLC” or “just” too expensive?
While the Hearts of Iron 4: No Compromise, No Surrender DLC hasn’t received overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam, it’s not being widely praised either. Only 48% of the 302 reviews are positive, indicating that many fans are disappointed with the new content. It’s also worth noting that some of those ‘positive’ reviews don’t actually offer strong praise for the developers.
The main reason players aren’t thrilled with the new expansion is its price. It costs more than previous large add-ons for Hearts of Iron 4. Specifically, the well-received Gotterdamerung costs $24.99 on Steam, while the new NCNS expansion costs $29.99.
Players aren’t concerned about a higher price for the new expansion if it offered significant new content. However, many feel that the features in No Compromise, No Surrender don’t warrant the cost. A popular post on the Hearts of Iron 4 subreddit shows even dedicated fans are choosing to skip this DLC, finding the price too high – especially considering the typical pricing for Paradox games, which have seen similar increases recently.
Beyond the cost, many players dislike the expansion’s content. One long-time player called it “the worst expansion this game has ever had.” A major complaint is the removal of detailed division control, which has been replaced with an automated system. The developers have acknowledged these concerns and said they’re investigating.
As a Hearts of Iron 4 player, I’ve noticed a lot of discussion about the new expansion. It seems like a lot of what it offers – like the expanded focus trees for Japan and China – were already part of the Waking the Tiger DLC. They’ve definitely been updated and improved, and the new content for the Philippines is great! Since Waking the Tiger is now free, and it’s been eight years since it came out, a lot of us who bought it originally feel like we should at least get a bit of a discount on the new one. It just feels like a big update to something we already paid for.
Despite the complaints, many players actually think the downloadable content is good, but they feel it’s too expensive. This suggests it might not be a truly awful addition – something Paradox has released a few times recently – though fans are still disappointed overall.
From now until November 24th, you can try out Hearts of Iron IV for free on Steam. If you like it, the game is on sale for $14.99 until December 4th.
- Hearts of Iron IV Review – The Art of War
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2025-11-21 16:02