Compared to vanilla CK2 it's a drastic improvement. Paradox has stated the ruler designer will be released in a free update, and I'm sure we can expect plenty of DLC in the years to come. With some of the playable governments being eliminated I can only guess what paradox is planning.

The learning curve is less steep for new players than CK2 and gamers new to this experience will be able to dive in much more easily. As a returning player with a couple hours logged in CK2 I had a little trouble adjusting and had to forget some muscle memory actions.

The religion system is vastly improved and much more fun to play with. The ability to stay part of a parent religion while wildly deviating from old teachings and forming your own branch was a cool idea.

Dynasty perks seem to replace bloodlines (at least for now). As your dynasty grows so does your reknown which allows those who enjoy the long game to plan far ahead and engineer their future rulers.

Technology has changed significantly. Instead of clicking the gear to spend techpoints your entire culture group now makes advancements. This can be problematic if say you are playing a Saxon king in greek territory and want to build another holding early on.

Governments took a bit of getting used to. I already had one scenario where i became converted to feudalism (no easy feat) then acquired tribal lands and couldn't figure out how to convert them as well. At the time of this writing I'm still trying to figure that one out.


A few of the things I wasn't so thrilled about:
- Missing many governments/expanded functions. As expected.
- No ruler designer at launch.
- A few things I used to do nearly every game are now a little more elusive. (IE Rushing Feudalism and Primogeniture takes more time due to cultural research.)

What other game allows you to rule with an iron fist as a hideous primitive naturalist inbred dwarf? Not many.

EDIT: Updated initial review after playing 40 hours.