Crusader Kings 2 is one of the best, deepest strategy games out there and even well over four years after its original release date, the game is still getting new DLC. The latest, recently announced, is Crusader Kings 2: Monks & Mystics, which further fleshes out the religious side of the game with new mechanics and events focused on monasticism and religious movements. It sounds like pretty cool stuff and a worthy successor to the most recent Reaper’s Due DLC.

Crusader Kings 2: Monks & Mystics Amps Up Personal Religion

It’s actually somewhat surprising, in retrospect, that Crusader Kings 2 hadn’t fleshed out monks and monastic orders very much before. After all, monks were such a key part of religious life in the Middle Ages and often were a powerful political force in their own right. Monks & Mystics aims to model that power, as well as the strength of the various esoteric and sometimes heretical movements that arose in Christian Europe in the Middle Ages.

Here’s the official feature list for Monks & Mystics, via Paradox:

• Monastic Orders: With lay offices available to non-clerical characters, monastic orders will increase your character’s piety - but they have expectations.
• Cults: Gnostic heresies may flourish and its is rumored that the worship of Satan continues in the darkened fringes of the world
• Climb the Ranks: Characters work their way up the ladder of Societies, unlocking new abilities and triggering new event chains
• Hunt for Heretics: Send your chaplain out to find secret societies that undermine the holy church and your realm. But what if the hunter is guilty himself?
• Other New Councilor Actions: Your councilors have a fourth action that will make them more powerful and integral to sound rulership
• And much more: Assassins, archaeological expeditions, holy relics, great treasures and more

Lately, Crusader Kings 2 has alternated between feature-heavy DLCs that add major new mechanics, like Reaper’s Due and Conclave, and smaller ones that add event chains and more character development and personal decisions. Monks & Mystics seems like the latter; there are some big and fun new features, but they’re not changing the fundamental nature of the game. The biggest change for a lot of players will likely be those extra councilor actions, which could be a big strategic shift.

But Monks & Mystics will add a ton of new flavor to playing rulers in Christian Europe, and make the game even more lively and unique than it already is. Monks! Gnosticism! Cults! It’s a great addition for dedicated Crusader Kings 2 players. Paradox hasn’t announced a release date yet, but expect more news in a few weeks.