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This DLC showcases the lightning-fast ascension of Persia from a humble kingdom to one of the largest empires history has ever known. Initially, as Cyrus the Great, you’ll have to overthrow powerful neighbors, like Media, your former liege, Ancient Babylon and its mighty cities, or Lydia, ruled by Croesus, a man rich beyond dreams. But that’s not all, as Athens and Sparta are vying for supremacy over the Hellenes world, and soon the Aechemenid Empire and the western nations will be on a collision course. There is little chance of the peace holding between these three. If you prefer to play as the underdog, a certain modest city in Italy might perhaps be a surprising contender. Or perhaps the young city of Carthage, its new empire still far from assured. Opportunities abound! Regional decisions Each nation will get a new set of tools to further its goals, namely regional decisions. And because sometimes you might want to perform a certain action in a certain location, we are providing you with the opportunity to federate some barbarians, form up a new colony, force march an army or even prospect for natural resources! But that’s not all, because in addition to the 15 decisions every nation can use, Persia, Athens and Sparta have a few decisions unique to them, adding to the historical accuracy of the game. Intervening in Hellenes affairs, declaring the Olympic Games or recruiting mercenary hoplites, to name but a few, will all be possible actions. Impediments and Boons The new campaign starts two centuries before the Empires campaign. To keep the experience focused on the important nations of the time,while at the same time adding replayability to all games (including the base game), we have added numerous peripheral regional impediments and boons. These are special natu