The most recent major expansion before the 2026 Theater Packs, focused on the Pacific theater: it overhauls Japan, splits Nationalist China from Communist China, and adds the Philippines, plus takes naval warfare to a new level with aircraft carriers.
Nations and Content
Japan gets an overhauled focus tree with the north-south tension far more developed. Nationalist China and Communist China get separate and much deeper content than before, when they shared most of the tree. The Philippines becomes a playable nation in its own right.
New Mechanics
It expands the faction system with more internal management options, adds new military doctrines aimed at the Pacific theater, and substantially improves naval mechanics around aircraft carriers and their embarked aviation — naval warfare in the Pacific stops feeling like an afterthought to European surface combat.
Is It Worth Buying?
If you're interested in Japan or China, it's a straightforward buy. But even playing in Europe, the carrier and naval aviation improvements show up in any game with a strong naval component — it's one of the expansions where country content and system mechanics go most hand in hand.