Dynasties come and dynasties go, but China is eternal. An unbroken chain stretches through the millennia, and now this mantle lies on your shoulders. Rest secure in the Forbidden City, husbanding your power for the storms you know are coming. Your neighbors will kowtow and bring tribute to your palace. Does anyone dare challenge you, the heir to the Mandate of Heaven?

One of the centerpieces of Mandate of Heaven is managing the Celestial Empire, similar to how the Holy Roman Empire has been handled in Europa Universalis IV. Increase the power of your mandate by commanding tribute, then use your mandate to reform the imperial system, strengthening your grip on the Middle Kingdom and the continent as a whole. Embrace the meritocracy of China’s civil service to pass decrees that meet your empire’s immediate needs. Can you hold off challengers to your claim?

Mandate of Heaven will arrive on April 6, 2017 for Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs for $19.99 via digital distributors worldwide.

To give players a first glimpse of Mandate of Heaven, Paradox will begin showcasing new features from the new expansion in a live stream on their Twitch channel on Tuesday, March 14, 2017. The first stream will take place at 14:00 CET (6:00 a.m. PDT).

Mandate of Heaven’s features include:

• Ages and Golden Eras: Earn perks in four historical ages for meeting specific goals, building up to declaring your nation’s single Golden Era - 50 years of prosperity and power.
• Meritocracy: The Chinese emperor can hire good advisors more cheaply, keeping the empire functional no matter who rules.
• Tributaries: Some Asian nations can demand that weaker powers pay an annual tribute, whether in gold, manpower or monarch points.
• Manchu Banners: Manchu provinces can provide cheap and effective Banner armies drawn from the traditional tribe system.
• Japanese Shogunate: Compel the loyalty of your daimyos with new interactions that require them to submit to your authority, contribute to your power or even commit seppuku
• Diplomatic Macrobuilder: Common diplomatic actions are now easily available from the macrobuilder interface.
• New Events and Decisions: Most of these new systems are connected to new event series or decisions, enhancing your historical immersion.

Mandate of Heaven will also ship alongside new Content Packs fitting the theme of the expansion, with new unit designs for many of the East Asian powers and other updated army models.