Crusader Kings II: Monks & Mystics (PC) Review

Who knew being a king could be so boring at times? After the wars were done, the diplomacy handled, and the economy on the rise, there would often be little to do but just sit around and wait. Sure, things could happen from time to time, but plenty of days would pass in which nothing was happening at all. Needless to say, that could be a problem. So how to address this problem? Allow for cults of course! From the start, the player is presented with a choice to join one of several secret sects. Things like monastic orders, assassins, or outright devil worship! It's surprisingly simple and a decent way to break up the mundane events of day-to-day life.

Each secret society opens up a wide variety of options, all opening up new avenues. Simple things like going on long pilgrimages or funding expeditions, and bigger things such as creating horoscopes, murder, and even summoning foul things into the world. Each option is remarkably straightforward but offers a great way to break up the tediousness that afflicts daily life in Crusader Kings II. Each cult has its own members and power, and by completing various tasks, the player can rise in both the standing of the cult and progress through its ranks. Even those who start as a lowly newcomer can rise up through the ranks to become a grandmaster!

Thanks to the variety involved and the many potential outcomes, the cult systems help to alleviate the boredom a lot. Additionally, Councillors now have new 'passive' modes in which they can do things that will help the realm without needing active assignment, which reduces the need to micromanage them. It's great for when raising an army is unimportant and it's more useful to have some upkeep costs reduced.

Beyond that, there really isn't much that's new or exciting. The expansion adds in societies, a new mode for councillors, and a few minor tweaks, but it isn't some overwhelming or impressive thing. It's actually a bit sad when compared to, say, the last Age of Empires II expansion, which introduced a whole new terrain type among other things. While the new additions take the edge off of the boredom, there's still lots of empty hours to fill in Crusader Kings II