This update features reduced MP Costs and minor changes including adjusted game balancing, typo fixes, map fixes, and additional experience point chests to further reduce the need for 'grinding.' The only leveling that you may need to still do is to learn skills.
Related to this, Empire 2 is well underway and will feature much smoother and better balanced gameplay, and will even have a separate 'Easy Mode' for those who don't want ANY random battles (or at least very few).
Empire 2 will be set thirty years following the events of the first and while original characters will be featured, you won't need to have played the first game to enjoy the second. The story and characters will be more developed and I'm really excited to be turning Empire into a series!