Kingdoms Expansion
Comprised of four new campaigns – the Discovery of the Americas, 13th Century Britain and Ireland, the Third and Fourth Crusade and the Teutonic Campaign in the high middle ages – Kingdoms takes your Medieval II experience further with enhanced graphics, gameplay and a vast array of other new content including over 150 new units, new mission types and 13 new playable factions.
- Discovery of the Americas Campaign: Taking place in the early 16th Century, this campaign chronicles the early European colonisation of America. Play as the British, French or Spanish as you explore and conquer a wild land filled with violent natives or play as the Apache and mount a warpath against the foreign colonisers.
- Britannia Campaign: In 1258, the British Isles are in Turmoil. The Kingdom of England is encroached on all sides by those it is supposed to preside over – the Welsh, the Irish and the fierce Scots seem inevitable to cast off the chains of English rule. The Kingdom of Norway too seem poised to take England for their own and to make matters worse dissent within the kingdom itself with Barons threatening to unite and wage a full scale rebellion. Choose a faction and either defend the English throne or seize it for yourself.
- Crusades Campaign: Beginning in 1174, a few years before the Third Crusade and continuing through to the Fourth Crusade, this campaign allows you to control the Kingdom of Jerusalem and Principality of Antioch as they battle to increase the presence of Christendom in the Middle East. The player can also choose to fight on behalf of the Saladin of Egypt and the Turks as they attempt to drive the crusaders out. The Byzantine Empire is also a playable faction as they attempt to regain the glory of the Middle East in the name of Emperor Manuel Komnenos.
- Teutonic Campaign: Starting in 1250, the Teutonic Campaign centres on the conflict between Christianity – advocated by the Teutonic Order, and Eastern European Paganism – represented by Lithuania. The conflict stretches far beyond these two factions however, threatening to engulf factions such as the western Kingdom of Denmark, the Holy Roman Empire, the Novgorod Republic and the Kingdom of Poland, all of whom see opportunity for victory, conquest, peace or mere survival reflected in the Teutonic Order’s bloody campaign.
The expansion contains 6 new multiplayer battle scenarios and 20 new custom battle maps. It also sees the introduction of Hero units with special abilities, 9 new Agents (although some are revamped and renamed from the original game) and new technology trees influenced by Religion and Prestige.