Patches
"Ponies at the Ready" Patches are various updates to computer programs, which include both Hearts of Iron IV and Equestria at War. Patches are free for any owners of the base version of Hearts of Iron IV and do not require the purchase of any additional DLC. It is recommended to play on the most up-to-date version of both that are compatible.
For detailed list of changes in each version, click on the relevant link in the box on the right. They were sourced primarily from the official Discord server, and supplemented with information from Steam Workshop or ModDB pages where applicable. Release dates listed may differ by a day depending on your timezone. Checksums were copied from relevant changelogs and typically only match when played with the HoI4 patch that was current at the time.
Playing an older version
Within certain constraints, it is possible to play an older version of the mod on a compatible version of HoI IV. To obtain a non-current version of EaW, visit the download section on ModDB, download the desired version, and follow the installation instructions. Note that selection of patches older than 1.7.0.1 is limited to only 11 different versions.
You also need to downgrade Hearts of Iron IV version to one that is compatible with your EaW version of choice. Steam provides this functionality through their beta versions functionality. For instructions on how to roll back the game to an older version (including how to unlock access to versions older than 1.5.4, if desired), consult this forum post. The selection of available versions is limited, however. They, along with matching EaW versions, are listed in the table below.
Historically, it was possible to own HoI4 on Microsoft Store. Support for it was dropped in March of 2024. Replacement Steam keys were provided to owners until September of 2024. If you are someone who bought the game on Microsoft Store and didn't claim a replacement Steam key, then you are on your own. We don't know whether there is any way to play on older patches, and we don't have the means to check it anyway. You might be permanently locked to version 1.13.7.
The table below is current as of 25th of October 2025.
| HoI4 Version | Date of release | Recommended EaW version | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.16.10 | 25 Sep 2025 | 2.4.1.1 - 2.4.1.2 | Current version. |
| 1.16.9 | 16 Jun 2025 | 2.4.0.4 - 2.4.1 | |
| 1.16.8 | 22 May 2025 | 2.4.0.4 | |
| 1.16.7 | 20 May 2025 | 2.4.0.4 | |
| 1.16.6 | 15 May 2025 | 2.4.0.4 | |
| 1.16.5 | 28 Apr 2025 | 2.4.0.3 | |
| 1.16.4 | 28 Mar 2025 | 14.4.4 - 2.4.0.2 | Version 2.3.1.6 should also work, but see below for explanation. Version 14.4.4 should also be playable with 1.16.3, and possibly even 1.16.2, but you will run into issues with anything older than that. |
| 1.16.3 | 27 Mar 2025 | 2.3.1.6 | Despite warnings of incompatibility in the launcher, changes in versions 1.16.X were relatively small and the mod should function regardless. Certain small features introduced in Graveyard of Empires, such as new phases of the urban combat, may be missing. |
| 1.16.2 | 20 Mar 2025 | 2.3.1.6 | See above. |
| 1.16.1 | 12 Mar 2025 | 2.3.1.6 | See above |
| 1.16 | 04 Mar 2025 | 2.3.1.6 | See above |
| 1.15.4 | 21 Jan 2025 | 2.3.1.6 | The patch on which version 2.3.1.6 was originally released and with which it is 100% compatible. |
| 1.15.3 | 12 Dec 2024 | 2.3.1.3 - 2.3.1.5 | |
| 1.14.10 | 16 Oct 2024 | 2.2.2.8 - 2.3.0.1 | |
| 1.14.5 | 23 Apr 2024 | 2.2.2.5 | |
| 1.14.3 | 21 Mar 2024 | 2.2.2.3 - 2.2.2.4 | |
| 1.13.7 | 12 Dec 2023 | 2.2.1 - 2.2.2 | |
| 1.12.14 | 23 May 2023 | 2.0.1 - 2.2.0.1 | |
| 1.11.13 | 23 Aug 2022 | 1.9.1.6 - 2.0.0.5 | |
| 1.10.8 | 05 Aug 2021 | 1.9.1.1 - 1.9.1.5 | |
| 1.10.5 | 15 Apr 2021 | 1.8.3.1 - 1.9.1 | 1.8.3 not recommended |
| 1.9.3 | 04 Jun 2020 | Caesarreich 1.0 - 1.8.2.1 | Version 1.9.3 of HoI4 is labeled as 1.9.X on the list of available beta versions on Steam. |
| 1.8.2 | 07 Feb 2020 | 1.7.0.1 - 1.7.4.2 | |
| 1.7.1 | 26 Jun 2019 | 1.4.2.1, 1.5.1, 1.6.2.2 | |
| 1.6.2 | 03 Apr 2019 | 1.4.19, 1.4.0.3 | |
| 1.5.4 | 27 Jun 2018 | 1.1.2.1, 1.2.2.1, 1.3.4 | |
| 1.5.3 | 19 Apr 2018 | ||
| 1.4.2 | 21 Aug 2017 | 0.4.1, 0.5.3, 0.6.3 | Version 0.4.1 is the oldest available on ModDB and is labeled simply as "Equestria at War" in the list of downloadable files. |
| 1.3.3 | 23 Feb 2017 | Not compatible | |
| 1.2.1 | 23 Sep 2016 | Not compatible | |
| 1.1 | 30 Jun 2016 | Not compatible | |
| 1.0 | 06 Jun 2016 | Not compatible |
Checksums
Due to its nature, Equestria at War is a checksum-changing mod, and you can only play in multiplayer with people who have it installed as well. The launcher will always show the checksum of the unmodified HoI4, while your actual checksum with mods is listed in the main menu.
The location of the 4-character checksum for the unmodified Hearts of Iron IV (click to enlarge)
The location of the 4-character checksum for Hearts of Iron IV with the mods enabled, if any (click to enlarge)
Most changelogs include expected checksums at the time of the patch's release. DLC ownership does not affect the checksum, but it is affected by HoI4 patches. It may not always be possible to find a combination of both HoI4 and EaW to match the checksum listed in the changelog if the former has been updated since.
Timeline
- 31 July 2017 – version 0.1 of EaW releases on Steam Workshop. Disappointingly, it turns out that total conversion mods didn't work on the platform at the time. The workshop page is maintained for advertising purposes, with the actual mod being distributed through Google Drive links for manual installation. Those old links no longer work.
- 17 September 2017 – version 0.4.1 releases on ModDB. For some time afterwards, most minor patches were uploaded by overwriting previous patches. New files were usually created when either EaW released a new major patch, or a compatibility patch for a major HoI4 patch was released. Google Drive still remained the primary source.
- 1 April 2018 – version 1.0 releases, almost four months after the previous patch. From then on, any new patch gets its own separate changelog. Prior to that, only major patches got separate changelogs, with changes from minor patches being included by editing the changelog of the respective major patch. This was also originally intended to be the first version actually available on Steam Workshop, but certain circumstances delayed that by a few days.
- 12 April 2018 – with the release of version 1.0.3, EaW finally works through subscribing on Steam Workshop, becoming the new primary source. This is also likely the final version that was available for download from Google Drive.
- 7 August 2019 – with the release of version 1.5.1, EaW moves to a new Workshop Page. It was done to allow any senior developer to upload new patches to Steam Workshop, instead of it being possible only by the founder. The old page remains accessible in case you wish to read old changelogs or comments, but is otherwise obsolete.
- 15 November 2019 – version 1.7.0.1 releases, which is the last regular patch to overwrite a previous patch on ModDB. From then on, almost every new patch is uploaded as a separate file, giving you freedom to choose any version you prefer. Only some minor hotfixes (often without a separate version number) still overwrite previous patches.