Hearts of Iron IV: Death or Dishonor

In order to diversify players’ experience, the developers added extensive National Focus trees for each of the new countries along with new world events. Apart from branches leading to alliances with an ideological option, the National Focus trees now allow the players to, for example, reinstate the Austro-Hungary Empire.

Hearts of Honor IV: Death or Dishonor also delivers some general content, featuring e.g. the option to license military technology. When facing tank, airplane, or other military gear deficit, country leaders can ask other governments for help in the form of military equipment licensing. The consent of a foreign government depends on both the international relations and the age of the project, of which plans the players are willing to borrow – it is very unlikely to obtain the blueprints of a recently developed advanced vehicle, for instance.

Another interesting feature is the Equipment Conversion option, where players can upgrade their arsenal by converting either older, or captured, units. The diplomatic aspect of the game has been expanded by awarding the fascist countries new subject levels, like the Reichskommissariat, which hold the occupied nations in an iron grip and allow players to use those countries’ gear, industry and natural resources.

Technical aspects

Along with the new mechanics, the Death or Dishonor expansion includes new elements of the audiovisual content, such as new leader portrait, 2D gear graphics, 3D vehicle models, soldier dialogues, and three new pieces of soundtrack composed by Andreas Waldetoft.