Beginner Tips For Grand Strategy Newcomers

Key Takeaways

• The in-game tutorial is beautifully designed and teaches players the base mechanics of Crusader Kings 3, making it easier for newcomers to get started.
• Focusing on building up a small realm instead of expanding outward can lead to a strong economy, a powerful army, and the ability to unlock cultural innovations. This strategy allows beginners to grasp the basics before expanding their territory.
• Building positive relationships with key characters, such as the Realm Priest and the Spymaster, is important for gaining tax and levies, as well as avoiding betrayal. Prioritizing the Sway scheme with important characters can help beginners navigate the political landscape.

For the uninitiated, certain grand strategy games can feel daunting to wrap one’s head around. Crusader Kings 3 is one of the top dogs of the genre, as players are tasked with leading their medieval dynasty to fame and glory. Surviving the first few opening years, however, isn’t always as straightforward as it seems.

Fortunately, understanding the base mechanics behind the game won’t take newcomers very long. Following these simple beginner tips for Crusader Kings 3, which also often apply to grand strategy games in general, will make the player’s first run through the Middle Ages a breeze. With a little practice, sprawling games of this nature won’t feel nearly as intimidating.

Updated December 9, 2024, by Joe Grantham: As Crusader Kings 3 is expanded on with new and exciting DLC packs, which are accompanied by free updates, the game gets more and more popular, drawing in new players with varying experience levels.

As new mechanics and features are added, though, the game also continues to get more and more complicated, which may leave some beginner CK3 players feeling overwhelmed. These beginner tips for Crusader Kings 3 should help players get to grips with the basics and find success with their medieval rulers.

1 Complete The Tutorial

CK3 Is Complicated, But The Tutorial Is Beautifully Designed

• Learn the basics by following a guided tour on how to unify Ireland as Petty King Murchad of Munster.

While some games can be learned on the fly, a grand strategy game as complex as Crusader Kings 3 requires more. Thankfully, the in-game tutorial is fantastic, as it sees players take on the role of Petty King Murchad of Munster and takes them on a step-by-step journey to uniting Ireland, although still with a degree of freedom.

The tutorial teaches players how the UI works, even highlighting which buttons to click to carry out actions such as proposing a marriage or raising an army. A similar system exists for times when players run into new features that are either more niche and not present in every playthrough, or ones that are introduced in DLC or free updates. These mini-tutorials can be identified by a question mark inside a purple diamond, and players should always try to make use of them.

2 Make The Game Easier By Altering The Game Rules

While Learning, Turn The Difficulty & Plagues Down & Alter Other Rules

• Difficulty, Conquerors, Black Death, Plague Frequency, Realm Stability, Random Harm.

One of the best CK3 tips for beginners is to alter the Game Rules to make the learning process easier. Game Rules can only be altered before starting a new playthrough and will only affect that campaign. Without making certain elements easier, beginners will be facing the same challenges and harsh realities of medieval life that experienced players have had many years to learn.

For example, there are ways to stop plagues from spreading in CK3, but even with the best preparation, a player’s character and their family can be wiped out, which is frustrating when learning the basics. The main rule to lower is Difficulty, but others to look out for include Random Harm, Plagues, Minor Diseases, and Conquerors. Players can instead increase the Realm Stability if they plan on playing as a kingdom or empire, as this will make their vassals less likely to rebel.

3 Pause The Game To Take Actions

Characters Can Die, & Events Can Change If The Game Is Left Running

• There is no penalty for pausing the game.
• Press Spacebar to pause and control the game speed with 1-5 and X or Z.

One of the things beginner players should get used to in CK3 is hitting the pause button as often as possible. As a simulation game, when the game is running, anything can happen, and all manner of developments might ruin even the best-laid-out plans. For example, players might be trying to arrange a marriage for their ruler, but if the game is not paused, a perfect spouse could be taken before a proposal can be sent.

Therefore, whenever players need to take action or make a decision, they should pause the game or at least opt for the slowest speed setting. There’s also just a lot for new players to take in, and to avoid being overwhelmed by events and notifications popping up, players will find it less stressful on pause with as much time as they need.

4 Respond To The UI Notifications At The Top

These Tell Players What Needs To Be Done

• Red is important.
• Green is rewards or opportunities.
• Purple is tutorials or decisions.

When players start playing Crusader Kings 3, it can be difficult to know where to start or what to do at any moment. While players can follow these steps when starting a CK3 playthrough, at other times they will need to learn to respond to the UI. At the top of the screen, players will often see an array of colored diamonds. The red ones are urgent and can include not being married, a councilor’s spot not being filled, and so on. Clicking on them will take players to the relevant menu.

Green notifications are always positive and are often active rewards such as being able to acquire a new Perk or Dynasty Legacy. At other times, they can let players know they are eligible to begin something such as having enough gold and meeting the other requirements to host a hunt. Purple notifications, on the other hand, can be helpful mini-tutorials if they have a question mark. Otherwise, they are decisions that can be taken but don’t have to be. Lastly, the Current Situation button, made up of many colors, opens up a drop-down menu of many problems and opportunities, and players should frequently address these.

5 Play Tall At First

Fostering A Small But Powerful Realm Is Easier Than Managing An Empire

• Learn the game’s mechanics with a small realm first, without having to worry about tonnes of vassals and land.
• Playing tall is a solid strategy. A small realm can become immensely rich and powerful thanks to stability and concentrated investment.

Although conquering vast swathes of land is hard, the subsequent management of a large empire is arguably even more taxing. For example, players will have more vassals to contend with, and their resources must be divvied up. This is one of the reasons why it is suggested that beginners “play tall,” a strategy that focuses on building up the existing castles, cities, and temples of a small realm, rather than expanding outwards.

Despite having small borders, players will end up with a great economy and a full army of advanced men-at-arms. They should also be able to unlock a considerable number of innovations, progressing their culture through the ages. From this position, players can go on to win more land. By this point, they will have gotten to grips with the basics.

6 Sway The Right People

It’s Important That Certain Characters Have A Positive Opinion

• The Realm Priest should be swayed so that they provide more taxes and levies.
• Powerful and disgruntled vassals should also be swayed, lest they ferment rebellion.

The Sway Personal Scheme is one of the most important actions in the game, as players can choose an individual and, over a few in-game years, improve relations with them. The opinions that other characters have of the player’s ruler matter dearly, but beginner CK3 players might not know who to sway first.

One of the most important characters to sway is the Realm Priest, as if they have a positive opinion of their ruler, they will provide tax and levies, with a higher opinion providing more of both. The Spymaster is also important to sway, as they are in a position of power and could use their spy network and high Intrigue skill to betray a ruler they don’t like. Disgruntled vassals should also be prioritized when it comes to using the Sway scheme, especially if they represent a threat.

7 Learn To Manage Your Council

Effective Council Members Make The Realm Run Smoother

• Powerful vassals who aren’t on the council suffer a huge loss in opinion.
• At the same time, players would ideally have councilors with a high stat for their position.

One of the best CK3 tips and one of the easiest to implement, is to learn the basics of managing the council. Four positions in the council can be changed, these being the Chancellor, Steward, Martial, and Spymaster, but players also can choose the actions of their Realm Priest even if they cannot appoint them.

There are two factors to consider when appointing members of the council, and depending on the situation, the priority can change. The first is the character’s aptitude; for example, a Steward with a high Stewardship skill will help secure more taxes, and players may even appoint lowborn prodigies for this reason. However, the second factor is that powerful vassals expect a seat on the council, and often, players must consider these first, particularly if opinions are running low. Additionally, for those playing as vassals, it is a good idea to get appointed to their liege’s council, as the position provides unique bonuses.

8 Learn To Manage Stress

The Build Up Of Stress Can Result In Dire Consequences & Even Death

• Stress is gained when things go wrong, and when players go against their character’s personality.
• Stress can be lost through various means such as hunting, feasting, and indulging in a character’s whims.

Stress is an incredibly important mechanic and learning how to manage stress in CK3 is vital for new players. Certain actions that players take or unfortunate circumstances, such as the death of a loved one, will incur stress for a ruler, and over time, this bottled-up stress can cause mental breakdowns.

There are three levels of mental breakdown that get progressively worse, with coping mechanisms being acquired first, followed by much more adverse effects such as death. To avoid this, players should try to make decisions that align with their character’s personality traits, as they will gain less stress or even lose some for doing what comes naturally. To actively lower stress, players can hunt and take the recreation intent for any activity.

9 Give Your Heirs The Best Education

A Good Education Means Lifestyle Perks & Traits Will Be Unlocked Faster

• A 4-star education Trait means 40% increased Lifestyle experience, meaning heirs will become OP.
• A tutor with better stats will produce superior results.

Education is extremely important in Crusader Kings 3 as the higher tier education traits allow characters to progress faster through their chosen lifestyle and, for example, unlock the best learning perks faster. Therefore, players will want to assign guardians for their heirs who have a high stat in the chosen field of education. Ideally, this would be the player’s character if they are a suitable guardian, as then the player would not only have more control over their heir’s education but also their personality traits.

The Royal Courts DLC also allows players to appoint Court Tutors, one of the best Court Positions, to enhance education outcomes. Additionally, players with the Wards & Wardens DLC can also have their ruler attend university to either counteract the results of a bad education or to further it and perhaps unlock the new fifth-tier education level that can only be achieved this way. However, it does cost a lot of gold to attend university.

10 Make Use Of Activities

Improve Opinions, Gain Prestige, & Lose Stress

• Activities are great for roleplay, but also for gaining crucial resources or even making friends.
• Activities include Hunting, Feasts, Tours, Pilgrimages, Tournaments, Funerals & more.

Activities are a familiar mechanic in games developed by Paradox Interactive. There are many activities available in Crusader Kings 3, especially for those who own the Tours & Tournaments DLC. For example, don’t be afraid to call a hunt now and then to gain a nice chunk of Prestige. Hold feasts to potentially improve relations with vassals (and maybe even learn a secret or two), and set off on specific Grand Tours for gold, dread, or fame.

It’s worth noting that most activities have a chance of turning out bad. Nevertheless, the benefits can still outweigh the risks if the player is low on Prestige to declare war or their vassals begin to grumble. Hunts and feasts or other activities are also great ways to reduce Stress if a character is near their breaking point. Certain characters such as those with the Gregarious Trait will often lose even more Stress. Lastly, Activities are fun and full of flavor beyond being useful.

11 Attend Other Characters’ Activities For Free Rewards

Gain The Benefits Of Activities Without Having To Pay Large Sums Of Gold

• Activities cost gold to host but are free to attend.

While most activities provide rewards such as stress loss or prestige, they can be incredibly expensive to host. Therefore, make sure to accept the invitations of vassals, lieges, and foreign rulers to hunts, feasts, and any other activities such as tournaments for those that own one of the best DLCs for CK3, Tours & Tournaments.

Players can then travel to the activity, hopefully in safety, and while they won’t have as much control over events, they should get plenty of random events pop up and benefit all for free. Players will level up their Traveler Trait and also have opportunities to befriend, seduce or even murder fellow guests for roleplay reasons or to advance their cause.

12 Make Use Of & Understand Mercenaries

Paid Forces Can Make The Difference In A War

• Mercenaries will spawn in the player’s capital, so be careful if an enemy army is close when hiring.
• Mercenaries come with high quality men-at-arms and good commanders.

Mercenaries can be hired by rulers on a 3-year contract for a set amount of upfront gold. These forces will spawn at the player’s capital and can come in extremely clutch in certain battles or sieges and can subsequently turn the tides of war in Crusader Kings 3.

However, seeing as the same upfront cost has to be paid at the end of the 3 years if players wish to keep these hired swords on, players might find their army dwindling in prolonged wars and could even be given false confidence. Players also will not get any of their money back even if a war ends early, meaning that using mercenaries in extremely short wars is inefficient.

13 Only Hold Court With Ample Gold And Prestige

Court Events Will Often Require Gold Or Prestige For Some Of The Best Decisions

• Some court events often have terrible outcomes unless players have the gold or prestige to opt out of them.
• There is no option to do nothing in a court event. Something must be chosen.

For players that own the Royal Court DLC and have a character who rules a kingdom-level realm or higher, they will have the chance to hold court every five years if they wish. While taking this decision will cost a small amount of upfront prestige, players should be aware that they could end up spending much more.

Every time court is held, the player will be presented with three petitions and then get to decide on how to respond. While the outcome can often be positive, players should be ready to fork out gold and lose prestige to better the realm or deal with unforeseen circumstances. For this reason, it is good to have plenty of prestige and gold before holding court. Players can check out more tips for the Royal Court DLC here.

14 Save Large Funds Of Gold

Gold Can Be Used To Bribe Vassals Or Pay For Troops Upon Succession

• The first few years of a new reign are often rough, but gold helps.

One of the most important aspects of realm management in Crusader Kings 3 is the economy. Amassing a large stockpile of gold is essential for ensuring successful military conquests as well as preventing internal rebellions. With enough gold in one’s pocket, it’s possible to stave off even large disasters, such as untimely deaths.

Gold can be used to bribe vassals, increasing their opinion of the player’s character a fair amount. Happier vassals mean less factionalism and revolt. Large gold reserves make it possible to recruit more regiments of Men-at-Arms, which are top-quality soldiers. Finally, a large number of mercenaries can be hired if one’s pockets are deep enough.

15 Develop The Economy

Buildings That Provide Gold Are More Efficient If Developed Early

• Invest in economic buildings and upgrades for long term success.
• These include Farms & Fields, Manor Houses, and Trandeports.

How does one go about stockpiling gold? An efficient and stable economy is the surest path to success. When the player saves up a little money, invest it by constructing new buildings inside one’s counties. Focus on building projects that increase tax revenue to build up some income.

Characters with a Stewardship Lifestyle can acquire various perks that improve the economy of their realm. Vassals, particularly religious ones, are more efficient in handing over their taxes to a popular ruler. If playing as a Catholic ruler, be pious and ask the Pope for gold whenever possible. Lastly, prioritize Innovations that improve the economy to maximize profits.

16 Generate Plenty Of Prestige & Piety

Prestige & Piety Are The Two Main Resources

• Major decisions often require players to expend huge sums of prestige or piety.
• They can be exchanged for other resources and contribute to how liked rulers are.

Alongside gold, Prestige is another useful currency in the game that players can’t ignore. Prestige is used for a variety of actions and decisions. Always having enough of it in reserve is recommended to stave off unforeseen negative events. Winning wars and creating new titles are two of the simplest ways of gaining Prestige, along with successful hunts and other activities such as Grand Tours.

Piety also comes in handy, particularly for Catholic rulers. Characters with virtuous traits will have an easier time generating Piety on a passive basis. For Catholic rulers, this results in a friendlier relationship with the Pope. Rulers can spend Piety through interactions with the Pope to gain claims, gifts of gold, and even marriage annulments.

17 Be Loved (Or Feared)

There Are Two Ways To Prevent Vassals From Rebelling

• A well loved ruler will face no rebellions and will find themselves supported in any course they take.
• Alternatively, Dread is a mechanic that makes other characters think twice before going against their liege.

A vassal’s opinion of their liege plays a huge role in Crusader Kings 3. As an independent ruler, never have too many powerful vassals with negative opinions of the player’s character. Preventing revolts in the first place is much more efficient than having to violently suppress civil wars every few years.

Be as popular with one’s vassals as possible. Betroth and/or marry children to spouses with positive congenital traits. Furthermore, ensure that children are given guardians that may bestow on them excellent personality traits. Fear is also a plausible route. If a character amasses enough Dread, vassals and courtiers will be too petrified to act against their liege.

18 Develop The Military

Men At Arms Are Much More Effective Than Levies

• Men-at-arms cost gold to recruit and will take a few months to form.
• Players will want an array of troop types, such as archers, cavalry, and pikemen, as all counter and are countered.

Whether playing as a good or evil character, maintaining a well-run military is constant. Typically, the bulk of a player’s territorial acquisitions will come through conquest. When starting as a lowly count, the military needs to be developed sooner rather than later.

Furthermore, a large and effective army makes AI rulers think twice about invading lands inside the player’s realm. Ensure the maximum number of Knights are being employed at all times. When recruiting Men-at-Arms, add variety to the composition of the regiments for more versatility on the battlefield. Be sure to possess a nice collection of infantry, cavalry, archers, and siege engines.

19 Acquire Siege Weapons

Sieges Are The Best Way To Win Wars, But They Take Ages Without Siege Weapons

• Even just a few Onagers or Mangonels will vastly increase the speed of a siege.
• Also assign a commander with the Military Engineer Trait for faster sieges.

If players are planning on conquering land, one of the first things they will want to do in CK3, is to acquire some siege weapons, such as Onagers or Mangonels in the early game. This is because sieges are the most important aspect of wars, and claiming the land at stake or seizing the enemy’s capital are the fastest ways to win. In fact, if players are able to capture the opposing ruler in a siege, the war will be instantly won.

However, sieges take a long time, and sometimes, the fortification levels mean that men alone cannot take the holding. This is where siege weapons come in handy, as they vastly reduce the time taken and can help against castles with larger walls. Siege weapons are recruited in the men-at-arms menu, and ideally, players will have two regiments of them so that they can split their army in two, each with their own siege weapons, to lay siege to two counties at once.

20 Pay Attention To The Terrain

Certain Terrain Is Better Or Worse To Fight On

• Mountains and hills are easier to defend, while forests are dangerous to defend due to ambushes.
• Certain men-at-arms and cultures fight better or worse depending on the terrain.

Compared to Crusader Kings 2, fighting battles in CK3 requires a bit more finesse and planning. Thus, it’s important to remember that winning a battle isn’t strictly a numbers game. Possessing numerical superiority helps, but it won’t always win the day on its own.

As such, players must pay attention to the terrain. Fans should never place their armies at a geographic disadvantage, especially when the forces are evenly matched. For instance, never cross a river to meet the enemy in battle. If a particular type of terrain favors defense, such as mountains, then stay put. Spend some time studying the lay of the land. Oftentimes, the player’s attention to detail will be rewarded!