What features have been replaced with paid-for DLC features

europa-universalis-iv

A number of Steam reviews for EU4 express sentiments like the following:

Fun for a while, then once you realise they announce DLCs and remove content that was already in the game/charge for content that should've been in the game from the get-go or in a free DLC, then you realise how far you've fallen.

My interpretation of this is that DLC has been released that includes "replacements" for features simultaneously removed from the vanilla game (or earlier DLC) but I can't find a list of specific examples of this.

What features have been removed and replaced with equivalent (or considered equivalent) features requiring paid-for DLC?

I appreciate that there's likely some subjectivity in determining that a given feature is a "replacement" for another but given the frequency with which this comes up in recent reviews I'm assuming there are some clear examples of this.

Best Answer

Underneath the review you quoted, I found a review that said the following:

The breaking point for me was when developing your provinces, an integral part of base gameplay, was reworked and put behind a paywall wih the DLC "Common Sense." With the AI retaining the ability to develop its provinces normally, only the player's country remains a medieval backwater, unless you pay for the privilege.

Based on the other reviews I'm reading, it looks like this is the most egregious case of "removing content from the base game," or at least, the only one people have mentioned explicitly. However, based on the top negative review and then double-checking the actual DLC list, there are 46 DLC packs that value well over $100, which is a bit absurd. I believe this is one of the main issues people have, as seen in the review you've quoted:

charge for content that should've been in the game from the get-go or in a free DLC

Thus, while there has definitely been at least one case of base game content being removed and relisted as DLC, it looks like the more pressing issue is just how much DLC Paradox has put out for this game that don't really add anything (unless it was something integral that used to be there).

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