EU4 has a lot of DLC. Like, a lot. Over a decade of expansions, immersion packs, and content packs have piled up, and if you’re new to the game, figuring out what’s worth buying is genuinely overwhelming. The good news is that you don’t need everything. Here’s my ranking of the EU4 DLC, from essential to skippable.

The Essentials

These are the DLCs that add core mechanics you’ll interact with in every single campaign. If you’re only buying a few, start here.

Art of War is the single most important DLC in the game. It adds the ability to transfer occupation of provinces to allies, which is essential for coordinated wars. It also adds the League War, which is a major late-game event, and a bunch of quality-of-life features like army templates and the ability to drill armies. If you buy one DLC, make it this one.

Common Sense is the other essential. It adds development — the ability to spend monarch points to increase a province’s development. This is a core mechanic that affects everything from your economy to your force limit. Playing without it feels like playing a different, worse game.

Rights of Man adds great power mechanics, which are important in the late game. It also adds ruler traits, which add flavor and depth to your monarchs. The ability to abdicate and disinherit rulers is a huge quality-of-life feature.

The Strong Additions

These DLCs add significant mechanics that enhance the game, but they’re not as universally essential as the top three.

Mandate of Heaven is essential if you want to play in Asia. It adds the Mandate of Heaven system for China, the Age mechanics (which are actually global), and the ability to use the “Unify China” CB. The Age mechanics alone make this worth it — they add objectives and bonuses that change how you play each era.

Cradle of Civilization adds army professionalism, which is a global mechanic that affects all nations. It also adds the ability to drill armies and a bunch of Middle Eastern flavor. The army professionalism system is a nice addition, but it’s not game-changing.

Dharma is essential if you want to play in India. It adds the government reform system (which is actually global), trade companies, and a bunch of Indian content. The government reforms are a major addition that affects every nation.

Emperor is a big one. It reworks the Holy Roman Empire, adds the Council of Trent, and adds a bunch of European content. If you play in Europe, this is essential. If you play elsewhere, it’s less important.

The Good But Situational

These DLCs are good, but they’re only worth buying if you play the regions or mechanics they focus on.

Golden Century is for Iberia and colonization. It adds the ability to create trade companies in the New World, which is nice for colonial nations. If you play Spain, Portugal, or a colonial nation, this is worth it. Otherwise, skip it.

Rule Britannia is for Britain and naval play. It adds the ability to promote cultures, which is a nice mechanic, and a bunch of British content. If you play Britain, it’s worth it. Otherwise, skip it.

Mare Nostrum is for the Mediterranean and naval play. It adds naval missions, espionage improvements, and a bunch of Mediterranean content. If you play a naval nation, it’s worth it. Otherwise, skip it.

Leviathan is controversial. It adds monuments, which are powerful but can be unbalanced, and a bunch of Asian content. The monuments are actually a lot of fun, but the DLC had a rough launch and some players still avoid it. If you want monuments, it’s worth it. Otherwise, skip it.

The Skips

These DLCs are either too niche or too weak to recommend.

Conquest of Paradise is for native American nations. It adds a few mechanics for playing as natives, but it’s pretty thin. Unless you specifically want to play as a native nation, skip it.

Wealth of Nations is for trade. It adds trade companies and a few trade mechanics, but most of its content has been absorbed into other DLCs over the years. Skip it.

Res Publica is for republics. It adds a few republic-specific mechanics, but it’s very thin. Skip it.

The Content Packs

The content packs (like the various unit packs and music packs) are purely cosmetic. They add new unit models, music, and flavor events. They’re nice to have if you want more flavor, but they don’t add any mechanics. Buy them only if you have money to spare.

The Bottom Line

If you’re on a budget, buy Art of War, Common Sense, and Rights of Man. That’s the core trio that makes EU4 feel complete. If you can afford more, add Emperor and Dharma for the government reforms and European content. Everything else is situational.

And remember: EU4 DLC goes on sale constantly. Wait for a Steam sale and you can pick up the essentials for a fraction of the full price. There’s no rush — the game is still great with just the core DLC.