Quote Originally Posted by Matrim View Post
XL is definitely worth a shot. It doesn't change a great deal of game dynamics, except adding enough factions and changing certain unit specs to give a new game play every time.
I would say it goes further than that. XL fixes the imbalance between trade and farming income so that the player can't just rack up a million florins with ease, and it additionally gives the AI a bit more strength and staying power. Furthermore, the AI will now actually try to build navies, though certain factions still tend to do better with it than others. However, the seas are no longer just an open highway for invasion anymore, especially once/if the Almos/Spanish come out victorious in Iberia.