Imperator: Rome – The Pompey patch adds some new changes

I reviewed Imperator: Rome back in April. Let’s just say that I felt quite underwhelmed. I noted that Paradox’s latest grand strategy game “wore the trappings of Marcus Aurelius,” but, the more you played, the more you’d realize that it’s more “akin to Commodus” instead. Still, Paradox remains hard at work in improving player experience. The previous Demetrius patch improved Imperator: Rome’s optimization and speed. Now, the Pompey patch which updates Imperator: Rome to version 1.1, adds more distinction to the nations that you choose to play.

Imperator: Rome – Pompey Patch

Imperator: Rome’s Pompey patch, or version 1.1 of the game, has a slew of new features and tweaks as you can see in the video above. It’s named after Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great), who ruled alongside Julius Caesar and Marcus Licinius Crassus as part of Rome’s First Triumvirate. Pompey was known for his acumen in naval combat as well as his campaign against the Cilician pirates of the Mediterranean.

The Pompey patch for Imperator: Rome actually makes some notable changes that are quite befitting of its namesake. You know he was a consul of Rome, right? Let Caesar remind you…

Anyway, these changes include:

• Roman co-consuls and Carthaginian co-suffetes – Nations such as Rome and Carthage can have two rulers at any given time. Your co-consul or co-suffete will add their stat bonuses to areas where you might be lacking in. Monarchies, meanwhile, can have your ruler’s consort help boost the capabilities of your nation.
• Naval combat rework and new units – Instead of only having one naval unit throughout the entire game, you now have several to choose from. Naval units may also traverse the great rivers of the world such as the Nile or Ganges.
• Piracy rework – Pirates operate from their own safe havens in a particular area. You can clear them out to temporarily reduce pirate activity, and you can also hire these swashbucklers as mercenaries.
• Stability has also undergone a major change. Rather than the old “-3/+3” system, it’s now based on a “100-point” system. You’ll need to kill a lot of pigs, err, sacrifice a lot to the gods. This would allow for a gradual increase in stability as opposed to a flat increase.
• Heritages are new effects based on your nation. They have particularly positive effects and also a drawback.

I’ve only been playing for an hour and I’m liking the changes so far. Unfortunately, I do think Imperator: Rome will still need a lot of work to entice me into delving deeper and spending countless hours as I had done for other Paradox titles.

There will definitely be more changes, updates, and content in the future given Paradox’s commitment to the product. In any case, you can find the full Pompey patch notes here.

Are you enjoying the latest changes to Imperator: Rome due to the Pompey patch? Let us know. Also, if you’re only checking the game now, do take a look at our guides on interesting nations and things to do before you unpause.