Crusader Kings 3 update aims to fix 17%-rated DLC labeled "baked slop" by fans

I've rarely seen a DLC received as poorly as Crusader Kings 3's Coronations. The update should have allowed us opportunity to impress vassals and other rulers with spectacular coronation ceremonies and undertake oaths to swear fealty to a particular playstyle. In reality, it launched in a worse state than Cyberpunk 2077, and fans tore it to pieces. Coming in with a 17% positive on Steam and an 'overwhelmingly negative' rating, developer Paradox has released a patch to fix the worst problems, but will it be enough to placate the fans who feel robbed of their hard-earned cash?

The Crusader Kings 3 Coronations DLC was a catastrophic failure, to the point where Paradox had to issue an official apology, where one poor developer was sent to the wolves to explain that the studio had been focused on the upcoming All Under Heaven expansion and had neglected to properly QA test Coronations as a result.

I have to wonder if Coronations had been tested at all, as fundamental mechanics were broken, including the oaths which automatically failed whether you met the criteria or not. It was a bad look for what we'd still call one of the best strategy games around.

Fans made their thoughts known in the Steam reviews, with one player going as far as to label the DLC "baked slop" and demanding a refund. Paradox has not heeded their suggestion, but is instead trying to mend the goodwill by fixing the main issues in a timely manner.

There are 51 bugfixes in total in this patch - don't worry, I won't list them all - including changes to at least four oaths. There are fixes to ensure the AI handles oaths "a tad better," and edits to ensure historical accuracy. It hardly inspires confidence, but the only way to know if Coronations is even playable is by installing update 1.17.1 and seeing for yourself.

Crusader Kings 3 update 1.17.1 will release on Steam on Wednesday September 17. You can read the full patch notes here.

If that's not enough to get you to jump back in (fair enough, really), then why not check out some of the best grand strategy games that haven't just received botched DLC. It's never a bad time to check out the best gaming monitors, either.

Will you take the risk on the Coronations DLC in light of these fixes? Let us know in our community Discord server, where staff and readers discuss the latest gaming news.