Hello everyone, and welcome to another EU4 dev diary! My name is David Horler (SaintDaveUK), the art lead at Paradox Tinto, and today we will talk about two different topics; the artwork behind King of Kings, and also the new achievements of the 1.36 update.

Loading Screen

As our first piece of art, along with the patch we are adding the loading screen of Shah Ismail I of Persia (14871524), founder of the Safavid dynasty. One of Persias most impactful rulers (and thats saying something), he was a warrior at heart and is usually depicted engaging in activities such as fighting and hunting. Ismails reign is celebrated for his religious zeal, military prowess, and political cunning. His military victories and his patronage of the arts solidified his legacy, making him a significant figure in Iranian history. His fiery red hair, unusual for a Persian, is attested in contemporary accounts and betrays his complex and oft-debated ethnic heritage as a child of the culturally diverse city of Ardabil. In this loading screen, a youthful Ismail heroically leads the Qizilbash cavalry charge against the Uzbeks at the battle of Merv.

UI Art

As always, our artists have created a staggering amount of work, with around 300 brand new 2D assets including 83 new mission Icons, 20 government reforms, and 3 new government Mechanics to support the content that has been added to King of Kings and the 1.36 patch. Take a look at some of our favourite examples: [expand type=details]Mission Trees


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Unit Models

Coming up with unit models for King of Kings has been a challenging task, as all the major countries in the region have already enjoyed one (or more) unit packs. As such we have largely fallen back on the minor countries to spice up your conquests in the DLC.
Early Georgians are well represented with lamellar armour and conical helmets. Later, the chainmail continues to make an appearance, even with the advent of musket and pistol shot. For the later periods, we drew inspiration from Ossetian costumes and Georgian cossacks, the most notable elements being the traditional jacket (chocka) with cartridge bags (gazyr).
The Armenians, also from the Caucasus, have a progression that is not so different. For this project, we were working with our Ukrainian friends in N-iX Game Studio, so as with the Georgian troops they had some unique insights into the aesthetics of Black Sea cultures.
The Kingdom of Tlemcen is provided with unique North African uniforms. The Tier 1 is a Tuareg warrior complete with his iconic shield. The following tiers display Tuareg swords, and other items inspired by the cultural clothing that evoke North African people. Tier 3 is inspired by Algerian janissaries, while the final tier is based on Algerians in French colonial service.
Israel is a rare formable, but with the unique Jewish history in the region, we thought it was a good opportunity to provide them with unit models. The ahistoricity of this tag in the context of the EU4 timeline lends itself a little to fantasy, which allowed us to have a little bit of fun with the designs, but we also were mindful of the complex situation surrounding Israel and Judaism so respect was always at the forefront of our minds. The very earliest tiers are inspired by ancient Ammonite warriors, as we wanted to achieve a look that is uniquely Israelite without much inspiration from other medieval cultures, but also the Turkic Khazars, who converted to Judaism and may have sheltered Israelite refugees. The chained crossbelt of the Tier 3 is a nod to the Jewish people of Yemen, who became renowned as both great silversmiths and mercenaries.
Syria has been promoted from releasable to a starting vassal under the Mamluks, and as such we have created for them a set of units. Finding things which make them distinct from both the Turkish and Egyptian units was an interesting task for our research team, but we think we found a really compelling and unique look for them.
The Pontic Greeks of Trebizond developed a unique aesthetic, detached from their European brethren and forced to meld with their Anatolian neighbours who were growing in power. The iconic polearm, as well as the Byzantine-inspired lamellar armour with the leather belts, shows the stronger Greek connection of the early years. Later we see a heavy brigandine melded with pileas hat, an undercurrent of Greek civilization that ran from the ancient era to that of revolutionary France.
A Crusader outpost in the outremer, Cyprus adopts an intriguing mixture of their Frankish lords and their largely Greek populace. The headscarf of Tier 1 protects the helmet from burning in the intense heat of the Eastern Mediterranean. Later we see further indications of East vs West; the final tier is inspired by Greek infantry who fought in British service during the Napoleonic wars.
The Karamanid units will be used for all Turkish minors (we have solved a bug that some of you noticed in the streams where these were showing up for the Ottomans as well). For these we wanted to evoke a uniquely Turkish vibe without relying on the Janissaries or other Ottoman-specific troops from the era. As always, let us know what you think of the units, and if there are any unique models for countries you would love to see in the next DLC, let us know in the comments!

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Achievements

Now it's time for me, Pintu, to introduce you to the Achievements implemented in 1.36. But before I start with that, I want to talk a little bit about the previous iterations of achievements and what we changed in our approach to the achievements in 1.36. With 1.35 and Domination focusing on Great Powers around the world we decided to make challenging achievements for nations starting in a strong position and connecting them with other regions touched in Domination. This meant that one too many achievements turned out with a focus on conquest and less on utilizing Mission Trees and newly added content. With the achievements of King of Kings, we are trying to flesh these points out and have fewer outright conquest-reliant achievements, while still giving expansion some presence. With that being said, lets get into the list of achievements!
King of Kings Complete the Persian Mission Tree. An old classic of Achievement types makes a return! This achievement will be completable with any of the branching religious paths and as any Nation forming Persia, regardless of which Legacy Missions they have access to.
Restore the Pentarchy Starting as Byzantium, own Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. While starting in a Union of Churches, Byzantium might want to restyle this so-called Union into something that fits their own ideas more. Make the necessary changes to restore the Pentarchy.
Mets Hayk Starting as Karabakh, own, core, and convert to Coptic the borders of Great Armenia. Greater Armenia was once a state controlling land from the Caspian to the Mediterranean Sea. Recreating that ancient kingdom will not be an easy task and will put you at odds with strong powers in the area.
Desert Power Starting as an Arabian Tribe, have the Oasis privilege enacted, and more than 1000 development in the Arabian Region The people of the desert are hardy and strong and with the right development, who knows what they can achieve? I was also told you can expand across two franchises if you really dont like sand.
Breadbasket of the World Starting as the Mamluks, export grain to every continent. The fertile land of the Nile was already known as the breadbasket of the Mediterranean Sea. But why settle for that? It's time to feed the world!
The Last Crusade Starting as Byzantium, control Venice, and make sure that the country doesn't exist. Surviving as Byzantium is not an easy task. But to ensure your survival lasts its also necessary to settle old grudges. And who knows, maybe you will be able to fill a museum in the process?
A truly good maaa-tch Starting as either Aq Qoyunlu or Qara Qoyunlu, have a royal marriage and an alliance with Ramazan. Black Sheep? White Sheep? Make sure that your choice will not have any negative ram-ifications!
Legacy of Saint George As Georgia, have Genoa, Aragon, England, and Trier as vassals, while controlling Wales. As its a time-honored tradition for this game, you will have to make your way into England for at least one achievement per patch. While there are a few (lot) more countries with a connection to Saint George or the Saint Georges Cross, we decided to not go overboard too much with the required countries.
ZoroAustrians Starting as Austria, convert to Zoroastrianism, and complete the Persian Zoroastrian missions. This seemed like a natural fit between the Dynasty of the Habsburgs and this Religion. I would also like to mention that we updated to older achievements. The David the Builder achievement received a rework, now being accessible via a (re-)formed Georgia. We made this change since Imereti was removed from the starting setup of the map and Georgia now owns the previous Imereti provinces directly. Furthermore, Mehmets Ambition is now updated in line with the reworked Restore the Roman Empire Decision, requiring 425 Provinces in the highlighted provinces. And this concludes this week's Dev Diary and also the second to last Dev Diary for 1.36 and the King of Kings Immersion Pack. Next week Dargeths will talk about the Patch Notes for the 1.36 Update. Which of achievement is your favorite? Let us know in the comments or join our Discord: https://discord.gg/europauniversalisofficial *Edit: Before you leave! Enjoy this FatherLorris comic hot off the presses. 1.36 UI is something many of us are looking forward to ;)