Dlc tier list?

[ArchFlameAx7]

I wanna pick the game up but what dlcs are recommended and why

[TheOrangeBox]

KInda all the DLC adds something new to the game, this is a snapshot:
Heroes of the Aegean - adds Ancient Greece's greatest leaders and warriors.
Pharaohs of the Nile - adds Kingdom as Ahmose and the Bronze Age Collapse
Wonders and Dynasties - the meatiest DLC, see store page
The Sacred and The Profane - adds Religion dissent mechanics 'what ifs',
Behind the Throne - machinations of the royal court with new mechanics, rivalries, and Grand Vizier.
The base game alone is also a great purchase.

[Siontific]

First, and I absolutely cannot stress this enough: the base game is solid. You could buy the base game and never pick up any DLC and it's still one of the greatest games ever made. Mohawk has done a phenomenal job of making and shipping a complete package, and the vast majority of updates and free content additions over the years have enhanced the base game without the need for any DLC.

That said, some brief thoughts on the DLC in order of my take on each:

1) Wonders and Dynasties probably has the most content overall, lots of goodies in there in terms of diversifying the replayability of the game so perhaps not the highest priority for a new player but possibly the best DLC so far for what it brings to the game.

2) Sacred & Profane is an event pack that adds in some bonus mechanics around religion. Not really a necessary pickup but I like the way it fleshes out the game more.

3) Heroes of the Aegean gets you the Hittites as a playable faction and a bunch of Greek themed scenarios if you enjoy campaigns. This one is usually cheap and worth it for the nation.

3)Pharaohs of the Nile gets you Kush as a playable faction and a bunch of Egyptian themed scenarios. Worth it for the nation. The people who design the scenarios in OW do a really awesome job though so Worth checking out.

4) Behind the Throne has a lot of interesting events and mechanics that get added onto the game around court intrigue. This one will be hit or miss as it introduces new challenges for the player to navigate. I suspect if you dive right into the game you won't notice or care what this pack adds if you pick it up right away and it does add a handful of neat things. But if you've been playing for two years and suddenly "stress" is a thing, you might be more inclined to be bothered by some of these introductions.

Then, finally separate from any list:

Wrath of Gods was just announced and will be released in March. This DLC Introduces the nation of Aksum, and comes with a mythological based scenario that flexes the calamities mechanic. Calamities are natural disasters that will also find their way into the regular game, and will provide challenges and opportunities for the player to navigate.

Personally, I'm highly anticipating Wrath; worth it for the nation alone, as Aksum is one nation I've wanted to see for a long time. I'm also very much looking forward to Calamities. As an experienced player, I'm excited by the shakeup and potential challenges that calamities will bring.

I buy all of the DLC regardless in order to support the developers and show my appreciation for the attention and care they give to the game between releases as they are always adding in free content.

On steam you can always disable the ones you don't like, and game has lots of settings to customize your game.

[IceMatrix]

Originally posted by ArchFlameAx7:

I wanna pick the game up but what dlcs are recommended and why

I honestly like all the DLC. Adds so much to the game. None of the DLC's are poorly made. I am not unhappy with any of them. Buy the whole package deal you won't regret it.

[Twelvefield]

I also like all of the DLC's, but I strongly agree that the best game comes from the base game with no DLC's. It's the most balanced that way. The DLC's tend to unbalance things, like putting an extra motor or two on a Chris Craft mahogany speedboat. You use the DLC when you want to shake things up some. The DLC's are very well crafted, no doubt. If you can get the package on sale, certainly do that, but you'll likely be cherry-picking the features you want to fine-tune your game.

[Dale Kent]

Just a quick comment about dlc unbalancing.

We strive to keep the default leader of each nation as balanced with the other default leaders as possible. There is even an option to only use default leaders for players and AI's.

The other dynasties in each nation are there to give different experiences, ranging from the pretty easy (Hannibal, Khufu) to the really hard (Akhenaten).