What is a good beginners strategy to learn the mechanics of Europa Universalis IV?
I own the base game for Europa Universalis IV for about 1.5 years now, but I still haven't done much more than the tutorial because it's my first Grand Strategy I ever played and I'm lost in all the different options.
I have read the beginner guide from the Wiki and played the tutorial, but I find that neither really explain what the important stuff is that I should focus on, especially at first. I have no idea how to start my empire or how to keep it afloat. I get lost in the 3 dozen different maps, the dozens of buildings and units I can build and the multitude of countries I can start with. Even when starting as a suggested beginner nation like Castille or Ottomans, I get overwhelmed by the options.
What is a good strategy to start the game with? Assume that I'm playing one of the suggested beginner nations, so either Castille or Ottomans.
Best Answer
My answer is inspired by Wiz's reply on the forums (he's the project lead of EU4): http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/first-time-playing-eu-iv-best-tips-wanted.881038/page-2#post-19918079
While playing you should pay attention to the following things:
- Get some big allies that are in a position to defend you. Do this ASAP.
- If you're losing a war, try to get out of it quickly instead of waiting until your army is gone and your land is ravaged.
- Rival people who rival you or who you want to conquer.
- Don't let stability stay below 0.
- Don't let war exhaustion stay above 5.
- Don't let disasters trigger.
- Don't fall behind on mil tech.
The next thing is to learn what game mechanics allow you to achieve these goals. Diplomacy for alliances, combat mechanics, army composition and fort placement for winning wars, earning money through trade and production in order to hire powerful advisers to keep high income of monarch points to purchase stability and techs, unrest mechanics to prevent disasters etc.
This way after several wins and loses you'll have a good understanding how things are working.
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How do you get good at Europa Universalis 4?
15 Pro Tips For Europa Universalis 4Is Europa Universalis 4 beginner friendly?
Europa Universalis 4 is decidedly not a very beginner-friendly game. There are multitudes of things to be aware of, keep track of, and be afraid of when it comes to running a nation smoothly and efficiently.How long does it take to learn Europa Universalis 4?
A normal game might be over after 100 hours. In this game, the community is still considering a player with just 500 hours as a beginner to the game. There are many who have played this game for thousands of hours. So expect to enjoy this game for a long time.Which ideas are the best EU4?
Europa Universalis 4: Top Idea Groups- 11 Quantity Ideas. If you find that you run out of manpower in every war you fight, this idea group could be the perfect fit for you. ...
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- 7 Quality Ideas. ...
- 6 Exploration Ideas. ...
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Europa Universalis IV: Tutorial For Complete Beginners with MordredViking #1 - The Basics
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