Roguelike Universalis
Every advance you research becomes a roguelite upgrade draft. Build a run, not just a country.
In vanilla EU5, researching an advance quietly hands you its bonus. Roguelike Universalis rips that up: each advance instead opens an upgrade selection — three random rewards, and you pick one. Chase power, gamble on cursed breakthroughs, steer toward a synergy build… but the stronger you grow, the more the world turns against you.
Research an advance → a card-draft popup appears → choose 1 of 3 random buffs or unlocks. Every choice shapes your run. It works for every nation, every game, start to finish.
Rarity Tiers
Every roll is Common, Rare (2× power), or Legendary (5× power). Entering a new age always grants a guaranteed Legendary draft.
Cursed Rolls — high risk, high reward
Rare and Legendary draws can turn cursed: the upgrade is even stronger, but taking any option also brands your realm with a lasting drawback. Push your luck, or walk away.
Reroll & Banish
Don’t like your three offers? Spend a token to Reroll for a fresh draw, or Banish an upgrade to remove it from your pool forever and redraw. Tokens are earned by winning great battles — so aggression fuels better choices.
Synergy Sets
Every upgrade is tagged Military, Naval, Economic, or Administrative. Collect 4, 8, and 12 of a theme to unlock escalating set bonuses. Commit to a build and be rewarded for it.
Escalating Threat
Power has a price. The more upgrades you take, the higher your Notoriety climbs — worsening your reputation and inviting antagonism. A true roguelite arc: the game fights back as you snowball.
Status Window
A one-click action-bar button opens your run dashboard: reroll tokens, notoriety, and synergy progress at a glance.
- Draft one of three upgrades every time you research an advance
- Gamble on cursed Legendary rolls for outsized power
- Bank tokens from battles, then Reroll or Banish to sculpt your offers
- Build toward Military / Naval / Economic / Administrative synergy sets
- Manage rising Notoriety as you grow stronger
- Check your status any time from the action bar
Everything is toggleable in the in-game Community Mod Menu:
- Roll sources — research, new ages, battle tokens
- Rerolls & Banishing
- Cursed rolls
- Synergy sets
- Escalating threat
Turn systems on or off to tune the experience to your taste.
- Requires the Community Mod Framework (load it above this mod).
- Built for EU5 1.3.x.
- Replaces common/advances — may conflict with other mods that edit advances.
- Works in single-player and applies to AI nations too.
Feedback and balance suggestions welcome — leave a comment!
Inspired by https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3755014833
Required items:
Click the title to search on this site.
Community Mod Framework - 1.3 Pavia — Steam Workshop
