With mere days until the release of Rise of the Samurai - the next downloadable content for Shogun 2, Creative Assembly has released the notes for the free Shogun 2 patch set to be released concurrently to the DLC on September 27th.

Top of the table in the patch update is the introduction of a new "Castles pack" for Shogun 2. The three newly designed castles appear on the Shogun 2 campaign map and come in flavours of:

  • One standard sized castle of a new configuration
  • One standard sized castle on a cliff top with limited approaches
  • One top-tier castle, considerably larger than any other castle in Shogun 2

Each castle appears across five maps, resulting in fifteen new siege battle-map variants.

Other changes set for the patch include eleven new battle maps, a backbone for future "Free XP weekends" and of course, the usual perennial bug fixes! Wise warriors will be sure to check out the full patch notes for those all important details.

"Free XP weekends - We’re now planning a series of weekend events in which individual unit types, Avatars, specific clans and more can gain experience and veterancy at increased rates, and drop-rates for legendary items and retainers can be increased."

In related news, CA's Craig Laycock continues his "warmongery" with Part III of his Campaign Diary for Rise of the Samurai. Be sure to also check out Total War Center's recent interview with Creative Assembly, and let the good times roll in!