Big ol’ kingdom manager Crusader Kings 3 has put out another development update and it’s a chunky one. This month, Paradox Interactive developers take a really deep dive on all of the Lifestyles—like classes, but for your management self, not combat self. There are five different Lifestyles that your ruler can specialize in, all with different perk trees and focuses that let you decide how you’ll keep an iron grip on your land and lords and all.
Paradox have talked about Lifestyles before but today’s video is a deep dive on each. Some more obviously map to RPG classes you’ll be familiar with but others take some explaining. A few are carried over from Crusader Kings 2. Your monarch modus operandis will be: Learning, Stewardship, Diplomacy, Martial, and Intrigue. In the update video below you can listen to Paradox’s developers highlight some fun perks and their intended uses.
The Intrigue lifestyle seems closest to how I play other RPGs with a focus on charisma, sneaking, and with a possible twist of Black Widow-ery. Paradox say that the Seducer perk tree for Intrigue has a “Mortal Adoration” perk that makes lovers you’ve seduced less likely to participate in assassination plots against you. They may go so far as to “get in the way” of an attempt on your life. “Not every love story has a happy ending,” they say. You could also go with the Torturer or Schemer perk trees for Intrigue instead.
The Learning Lifestyle lets you pursue being a Theologian (among other things) which can have effects like lowering your “Tyranny” rating. The Whole Of Body perk tree for Learning includes a perk that gives you a warning a year before your ruler is about to die of natural causes. Know thyself, aye?
There’s plenty more to hear about in the update video. Paradox describe each of the Lifestyles and several perks from each pretty exhaustively. If you’d rather read about them, Paradox are also going over each Lifestyle in their written developer diaries this month over on their website.
Crusader Kings 3 is planned for release this year but doesn’t yet have a date chosen. You can wishlist it on Steam.