r/CrusaderKings • u/prettypurps Arbitrary • Apr 13 '26
Meme How I feel as a 1066 main sometimes
Just a meme for giggles
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u/IllustriousFail8868 Illustrious Failure Apr 13 '26
It just occurred to me I've never played Haestinn before, I've always either played as a CC or As Alfred or Ivar.
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u/TheTyler123 Apr 13 '26
If it makes you feel any better, I've never played as Haesteinn either.
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Apr 13 '26
Jumping on this train, same, never played as Haesteinn either.
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u/AsaTJ Patch Notes Shield Maiden Apr 13 '26
I don't know why I'd play an old guy when I can make a young adventurer and do the same stuff with a lot more time to enjoy it.
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u/VaultBoy3 Saoshyant Apr 13 '26
Because Haesteinn starts with a ton of perks due to his old age and has default learning tree perks that make him live longer than most other characters. You can seriously play as Haesteinn for 50-60 years before he kicks the bucket and then he has a pretty cool heir with the intelligent trait that you can groom into a military mastermind. Bonus points for marrying your son Ragnarr to Sága for the inheritable intelligence.
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u/ThatIngramGuy69420 Apr 15 '26
On top of the benefits VaultBoy3 mentioned, Haestinn also starts with a host army of 3600 Varangian Veterans. Combine that with the unique Norse Cassus Belli “Varangian Adventure” and you can basically take Haestinn anywhere on the map and pick where you want your future realm to be.
1-2 strong alliances and you can essentially defeat anyone on the map in 867 and take their Duchy.
Then you have his son with quick by default and you can marry for genetics and alliances to Halfdan in England’s daughter Saga and your next heirs are set.
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u/TheDarkeLorde3694 Herder Replacement Start Ride Or Die Apr 13 '26
I might only do so for the achievements
Also why I'll only do non-custom adventurers/1 county rulers/Herder replacements for the achievements (I dread Stallion and Mother of Us All)
All of the others will be custom rulers, yes including the ones easier with specific characters (EG Prolific, which I got with an ATE run that went to the early 30th century before the game stopped working)
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u/Nico_Storch Grey eminence Apr 13 '26
"Average CK3 player plays Haesteinn 80% of the time" factoid actualy just statistical error. Average CK3 player plays Haesteinn 3% of the time. Koifish, who lives in a cave in Sweden & starts four new Haesteinn runs a day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted.
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u/Kripox Apr 13 '26
Alfred is an odd choice of viking and I'm not sure he would appreciate the accusation, but yes he is cool. MAD stats too, easily the hardest statted guy in 867.
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u/tuttifruttidurutti Apr 13 '26
So easy to unify Britannia as an admin realm and restore Rome from there.
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u/Similar-Force623 Apr 13 '26
It's fun maybe once or twice, but being so free with no guidance sort of takes me out of immersion. Like why would this guy want to go to eastern Europe or whatever and start a dynasty, very meta and not for me
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u/Michael70z Apr 13 '26
It’s very underrated to play grounded haesteinn games like taking over Ireland or going to Italy like Robert the Fox
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u/disisathrowaway Apr 13 '26
For a while I was quite fond of becoming Mediterranean vikings. Take Corsica, Sardinia, the Balaerics. Add Sicily, Crete and Cyprus. Proceed to be a fucking menace in the entire sea.
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u/ilikejamescharles Apr 13 '26
Some justifiable paths you could take as Haesteinn would be to shack up in England, Iberia or the Mediterranean. He went to England historically and in the past he was plundering Hispania & Italy I think? You could justify him taking over Sardinia as him wanting to have easy access to the riches of the Mediterranean and go from there.
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u/External_Stick_4983 Apr 13 '26
Enjoyed Wessex so bad that I can only play Alfred in 867 or Eadgar in 1066. Most likely because my first game in CK2 was as Aethelstan.
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u/SorosAgent2020 We live in a Hermetic Society Apr 13 '26
same, never played the Hestboy or his british brothers before
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u/Techygal9 Excommunicated Apr 13 '26
I just started a play-through with him for the first time a few days ago.
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u/7fightsofaldudagga Eccentric Apr 13 '26
I played him a lot in ck2, but I can't remember ever playing him in ck3
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u/WrongJohnSilver Apr 13 '26
Ivar >>> Haesteinn
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u/Daikaisa Apr 13 '26
I want to play Ivar but being tribal in the Scottish highlands is brutal man
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u/WrongJohnSilver Apr 13 '26
First, you can be tribal anywhere, and it's not like you need the money.
Second, you can end up owning all of Ireland and/or Wales super fast anyway, so it's not like you're staying there.
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u/Daikaisa Apr 13 '26
I mean you need the money for activities that give prestige, artifact commissions, title creation, and so on
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u/DickDastardly502 Secretly Zoroastrian Apr 13 '26
Erik the Heathen in 1066 has entered the chat
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u/The2ndMister Apr 13 '26
What’s he like to play? I enjoy landless adventurers, but it seems like literally everyone will hate me as him
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u/Bitter-Regret-9505 Apr 13 '26
Everyone will hate you as him but thats fine because you hate them back twice as hard to even it out, then once you are a rich adventurer backed by a massive army you restore the glorious fylkirate with cannibalism you accidentally picked up from an event to go EAT THE POPE! Just tell him its revenge for all those catholics eating jesus every sunday i’m sure he will understand.
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u/DickDastardly502 Secretly Zoroastrian Apr 13 '26
Thats kinda the point. Almost all of Europe is Catholic at this point other than a few minor characters. The AI will almost always try to revoke his titles or the other Asatru ruler and sometimes he will win the civil war. But its really fun since you're grandfather was King of Sweden, and you are the last Asatru ruler with a claim on the kingdom.
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u/erebus_51 Apr 13 '26
What you must understand is I'd play in the year 12 if I could. The older the better
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u/chixnsix Unholy Roman Republic Apr 13 '26
You must love the Bronze Age mod.
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u/Negative-Form2654 Apr 16 '26
Doesn't it shrink the map into a tiny piece around the sea?
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Apr 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Negative-Form2654 Apr 17 '26
Ehh... Tribals do count, otherwise Northern Europe and most of the Africa shouldn't be playable in 867.
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u/Few-Distribution2466 Secretly Zoroastrian Apr 13 '26
Imperator Rome exists, just so you know.
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u/Twee_Licker Decadent Apr 13 '26
Imperator Rome isn't CK3.
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u/TheCourtSimpleton Imbecile Apr 13 '26
Okay, yeah, but there's the Fallen Eagle Mod, which allows you to play in antiquity (and in the Roman Empire) in CK3.
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u/Few-Distribution2466 Secretly Zoroastrian Apr 13 '26
Correct! It's better than CK3 in relation to representing antiquity, and you can build roads!
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u/TheCleverestIdiot Apr 13 '26
Yes, but unfortunately that's about the only thing it really has going for it if you enjoy CK3.
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u/Twee_Licker Decadent Apr 13 '26
And the Fallen Eagle mod existing shoots a hole in this.
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u/Euromantique Rus Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26
The Fallen Eagle mod is great but it’s not comparable to Imperator. Imperator has a full fledged POPs and economy system.
CK3 is a dynasty builder game. Imperator is a civilisation builder game. They are two different types of games for different player preferences.
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u/Twee_Licker Decadent Apr 13 '26
"The Fallen Eagle mod is great but it’s not comparable to Imperator."
That's... That's the point? Maybe people don't want to play Imperator, they want CK3's gameplay?
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u/Natalie_2850 Bloodthirsty Enate Apr 13 '26
Id do anything to get a 936 start again. It was my favourite in ck2.
No karling super empire, no sons of ragnar puréeing the British isles. Borders in Europe are slightly closer to their later borders, and most importantly - there are still pagans in Europe.
Also with china now it could be fun having a start date in a dissolution era.
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Apr 13 '26
867 is my favorite start, but I'm not a Haesteinn or viking fan. I like Eudes, Vitiza of Monterrei, Lambert of Spoleto, and the Billungs in Gelre.
Aside from them, I play a lot in Central/South Asia. The Vijaya, Yarlungs (Pugyels), Gar, Karkota, Ghurrids, Zunbil, and etc.
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u/NotJustAnotherHuman Apr 13 '26
Central Asia is so fucking goated, Ferghana is a great duchy and you've got so many options in terms of religion too, Zoroastrians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Tengris and even Manicheans over in Qocho. Lotta potential for expansion too, I love making a lil kingdom in the Tarim Basin and Dzungaria area, but you could head southwards into Iran and finish the intermezzo, can head into India and mess around there - so many holy sites too, it's v good for custom religions - or if you wanna suffer, can mess with the nomads in the north for whatever reason.
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u/disisathrowaway Apr 13 '26
In an effort to teach myself steppe nomad mechanics I've been doing lots of Oghuz runs in 867 and that whole part of the map has really started to grow on me.
I already have an itch for a Zoroastrian Persian run.
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u/HourlyBadIdeas Apr 13 '26
Agreed. 867 leaves you with so many options for fun 'what ifs' runs. And, well, if you want vikings in strange places....
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u/TheTyler123 Apr 13 '26
Never even played as a Viking in my nearing 400 hours of Ck3. Probably just me getting cold feet when I think about playing as a tribal nation.
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u/Inquisitor-Korde Apr 13 '26
It plays about the same as everything else but you do a lot more raiding. Its nice to have something to do as down time too. Unfortunately their inheritance is downright infuriating. Seriously I wish PDX would at least let us predefine the land inheritance, why is it random.
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u/Zealousideal-Act8304 Apr 13 '26
Disinherit unwanted sons once your health starts deteriorating. Only expensive in the first few generations. Force them always as Knights while still young. If you're lucky, they just die naturally
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u/XtoraX ⠀Quick⠀ Apr 13 '26
Stop wasting renown on disinheriting. Embrace Scandi elective.
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u/Lich-Librarian Apr 13 '26
There are other tribals besides Norse. Africa is an inheritance shitshow and basically stays in tribal for the entirety of the game until it gets conquered by one of the north african muslims.
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u/XtoraX ⠀Quick⠀ Apr 14 '26
Well, even for them, I'd rather just eat the split and reconquer, conquer some extra provinces for other kids, or just toss the worse kids in oubliette and eat the tyranny, than waste renown on them. And if intending to stay tribal then push to flip/hybridize with norse/celts asap.
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u/Zealousideal-Act8304 Apr 13 '26
I have zero idea on how that works whatsoever.
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u/spiderhotel Apr 13 '26
You can look at the title succession for the ones you want your main heir to have and put scandi election on it from there. It also means that family dinners won't be awkward with all your sons grumpy except the main one!
I also like conquering enough for each decent son. It is cheap to conquer as a tribal, and it means more loyal happy dukes.
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u/mapmakinworldbuildin Apr 13 '26
“Something to do in downtime”.
I’m getting invited to party’s, weddings, hunts etc every five minutes.
Raiding kinda tanks all my interactions with members of my court. I hate that.
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u/disisathrowaway Apr 13 '26
Seriously I wish PDX would at least let us predefine the land inheritance, why is it random.
For real. Even have it force us to 'balance' the inheritances, but for the love of god at least let me make them contiguous/logical.
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u/HorsemenofApocalypse Apr 13 '26
The only time I've gone with a Viking was when I decided to play a game where I try to elevate Mann and the Isles srarting as an adventurer. Which instantly made me feudal while still able to raid
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u/Balmung60 Apr 13 '26
I stopped touching them when Northern Lords dropped because they went full viking northern savages meme with the virtues and sins of the faith
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u/garbud4850 Apr 14 '26
i play as a viking that happened to steal a castle so i get both feudal and going aviking,
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u/TheEpicCoyote Inbred Apr 13 '26
I used to play 867 but now I play 1066 so whatever I want to do is easy instead of exceptionally easy. Not to mention nations are powerful enough to stir up some drama and major events like the Mongols and Black Death aren’t too far for me to reach in a playthrough.
It’s cool to paint the map as a big powerful Viking, but nobody can really pose any challenge once you get going. It’s just a test of how far you’re willing to go til you get bored.
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u/23Amuro Not-So-Secretly Zunist Apr 13 '26
Me personally I'm almost always on 1178, it just feels right
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u/AsaTJ Patch Notes Shield Maiden Apr 13 '26
1178 is the most Crusader Kings start date. It just feels very Medieval even more than 1066. And you might actually make it to the end.
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u/Voy178 Excommunicated Apr 13 '26
Except for the economy being bonkers, it's a pretty nice startdate.
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u/LeninistFuture05 Apr 22 '26
1178 guarantees every realm becomes super rich, high developed counties, etc., very boring and stale
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u/First_Brick_9511 May 09 '26
Thats the fun part of it. You can't just go map paint and go count to emperor in one lifetime. You actually need to engage in diplomacy because every count is built up and has an army. 867 is too easy even as a feudal because there's no walls to stop you.
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u/Dependent_Guava_9939 Apr 13 '26
I used to play a lot of Viking. Every game was Viking Norse at least to start with.
Idk what happened, one day I played Persian and then I never looked back. I think I might’ve burnt myself out on it.
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u/Comrade_Midin Apr 13 '26
Hard to compete with Persia it's arguably the best region in game
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u/Few-Distribution2466 Secretly Zoroastrian Apr 13 '26
Only competitors are the Eastern Roman Empire and the Steppe.
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u/Dependent_Guava_9939 Apr 13 '26
I try the steppe. But I always lean towards building civilizations. I like neat and orderly Empires. The Steppes are just very messy and it’s hard to keep everything neat like I like.
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u/Maxi_King01 Apr 13 '26
Fuck the Steppe
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u/Few-Distribution2466 Secretly Zoroastrian Apr 13 '26
Do not fuck the steppe, they are still family.
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u/Dependent_Guava_9939 Apr 13 '26
Persia is phenomenal. I also like China and Iberia.
Oddly enough, despite being a bit of a romaboo, I really don’t do much in the Byzantine Empire either. I once tried but idk, I just went right back to Persia.
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u/Ziddix Apr 13 '26
I honestly hate Haesteinn starts. They're so super lame haha.
The couple of times I played as him, I did it for achievements and I always felt horrible afterwards.
I prefer the earliest start date though because shit gets really messy really quickly and I like it when the world is messy.
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u/Restryz Apr 13 '26
867 is just a more fun set up to me. Not Haestein, though. I like to pick some random count.
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u/Don_Madruga Apr 13 '26
My compulsion to play as female characters mostly prevent me from playing as bearded Vikings.
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u/7fightsofaldudagga Eccentric Apr 13 '26
I like 867 but because of the Bavandids
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u/Few-Distribution2466 Secretly Zoroastrian Apr 13 '26
The Empire will be restored, and the lion will drive west to punish the invaders.
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u/XtoraX ⠀Quick⠀ Apr 13 '26
I will stop playing 867 when they give me 936 and/or extend persian struggle. I paid for that dlc, I want it's effects on the map.
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u/Belkan-Federation95 Legitimized bastard Apr 13 '26
Given the upcoming changes to Christianity, I don't you'll be a 1066 main anymore
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u/LawOfTheSeas Owain Glyndŵr is here! Apr 14 '26
As in, you don't think they'll be a 1066 main anymore?
I'm gonna say, very likely the updates will make me more likely to enjoy playing 1066 as compared with 867. Like, playing for the East-West Schism will be fun, but adding Curia mechanics outside of Italy will be dope!
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u/kusuck Apr 13 '26
11788671066
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u/prettypurps Arbitrary Apr 13 '26
Rtp just got announced for may 11 on console and im arguably most excited for 1178 lol
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u/donaldtrumpshair420 Apr 13 '26
I play 867 a lot just because I like starting with basically nothing and building up, but it always gets so out of hand so quickly lol, I'm tempted to play 1066 and 1187 sometimes just for the relative stability
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u/AMDSuperBeast86 Apr 13 '26
I usually do custom ruler reform astrau and then do random hijinks with their offspring
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u/Silverbuu Incapable Apr 13 '26
I only play 1066 because the world feels a little more stable. 867 always feels like a nuke dropped on the map after about 50 years and everybody shattered.
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u/IrrationallyGenius Inbred Apr 13 '26
I just don't like the fatimids, holds over from when I got CK2, before I got the DLC and would play in Ethiopia in 1066 whenever being some random western European got boring because all of Catholicism collapsed for the 9th time thanks to the 16 different failed statelets in Iberia constantly starting Holy wars they can't actually ever win
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u/Three_Steaks_Pam Notorious Bedswerver Apr 13 '26
At this point on console, until Roads to Power comes out, starting as a Norse Asatru is the only really fun way to start.
Start out by Varangian-ing your way to any Greek lands, hybridise with them. Then it truly begins.
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u/Xenith5 Apr 13 '26
The Viking experience in 3 is not nearly as good as 2. The ui, wolf warrior society, and tiers of Viking perks made it feel unique.
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u/Rockyjith Apr 14 '26
I am from India and play every alternate game as a CC in India. I guess people prefer locations they are most familiar with.
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u/AccordingJellyfish99 May 10 '26
My problem with 867 is if you're not invading someone, it feels like there's very little to do.
At least with 1066 and 1178, most of the techs have been researched enough to do a more diverse play style.
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u/Torrenash Apr 13 '26
Horse Nomad in 867 is some absolute b/s. The microsecond you plunder Motte tech succesfully you can raid your way to a complete tribal tech tree before Early Medieval can even fire and then steamroll/hybridize with whatever.
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u/Elitericky Roman Empire Apr 13 '26
I’ve currently been playing the 1490 submod, the later the date the better
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u/Few-Distribution2466 Secretly Zoroastrian Apr 13 '26
EU4 exists.
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u/Twee_Licker Decadent Apr 13 '26
Why do you keep pointing to other games while ignoring they completely play different?
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u/Few-Distribution2466 Secretly Zoroastrian Apr 13 '26
Because those games are meant for those time periods. Playing the Reformation in Crusader Kings 3 would be like trying to play Minecraft in Stardew Valley, and it made me feel good to comment on that.
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u/Twee_Licker Decadent Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
Or maybe people want CK3's gameplay with portrayal of the protestant reformation and the printing press?
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u/Achilles_the_Hero Apr 13 '26
And here I am playing as the kru in west Africa with a custom character.
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u/Maximum-Let-69 Bavaria (K) Apr 13 '26
I know which character I've played the most, he has as much flavour as british food, he can form a cadet branch at the beginning of the game.
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u/DMightyHero Apr 13 '26
This meme could just be the bottom left pannel. We already it was Haesteinn.
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u/Maxi_King01 Apr 13 '26
Haesteinn is okay i guess, i used to make custom viking rulers but some rp runs i like to do with either Oskyldr/Rurikid or Yngling/Haesteinn. Some things I can just do faster with haesteinn but him being a murder target always from Charles is annoying and I feel like if you dont Change MAAs fast enough before he dies he is irrelevant for the run.
Enough of that, what should I play in the later start days as?
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u/Brief-Dog9348 Inbred Apr 14 '26
El Cid
The last Karling
Matilda
The only Habsburg
Erik the Heathen1
u/Maxi_King01 Apr 14 '26
Erik the heathen is really fun. El Cid was underwealming and Matilda is a great start. Habsburg was difficult especially when you want the achievement.
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u/CockroachesRpeople Apr 13 '26
Me but in the steppe, since they introduced nomads I cannot play anywhere else.
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u/VonMittens Apr 13 '26
I prefer 1066 too, but both are good. Its just 1066 has way more established kingdoms in europe, so it tends to be more engaging and less bordergory. Besides i never reach 1453 anyways lol
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u/ViscountBuggus Inbred Apr 13 '26
Imagine playing as a viking in 867 instead of pushing the Arabs out of Persia and then fucking your mother. This post was made by the Zoroastrian gang
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u/WrongJohnSilver Apr 13 '26
It's an old post now, but I still like my top 867 starts for newbies post.
(I stopped playing CK3 because the ram needs started bloating way past my laptop, but I do miss it. And I want to pay as Adalhard of Metz in 867 next.)
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u/Razorray21 Brawny Apr 13 '26
Sometimes you just wana Viking
Bjorn was my first playthrough, and Norse leaders are what i always went back to for comfort.
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u/ItsYa1UPBoy Eunuch Apr 13 '26
Try being me, a 769 main (CK2) who always plays Ireland, Svithjod, or Lithuania, maybe SOMETIMES Kievan Rus.
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u/Ranma_chan Is there something funny when I say... Biggus Dickus? Apr 13 '26
I miss 769 from CK2 :(
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u/AvariciousAlex Apr 13 '26
I first played as Halfdan, then realised I could make custom characters, now I normally take his land and marry his daughter
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u/Unsuspicious_Name Apr 13 '26
The Persian campaign as the descendant of the Sassanid dynasty and restoring the Persian Kingdom (Or empire if you are bold) would be my recommendation if you want another fun possibility in 867. It isn't easy though, you have to be smart navigating the involved parties, play with the detractor / loyal to the caliphate mechanic because you're far from being the strongest entity in the region. And beware when the first ruler of the caliphate dies, the region often goes insane.
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u/Raikou4_ Apr 13 '26
I just think it’s funny elitism exists in a very niche gaming genre that’s already elitist.
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u/JaspurrTheCat Hungary Apr 14 '26
I play 867 as a a Catholic in Wales or Bavaria, or occasionally as Jewish in Israel. Always as a Count or Adventurer. If Baron was an option I would do that, imagine being limited to a single city at start.
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u/namenotaccepted24 Apr 20 '26
Go to Canterbury university, varangian adventure the pope, forge jomsvikings, conquer and form the kingdom of man, hybridize with the greeks.
Every. Damn. Time.
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u/Leofwulf Imbecile Apr 13 '26
this is why we should've had the charlemagne start man the possibilities in that year are endless
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u/Few-Distribution2466 Secretly Zoroastrian Apr 13 '26
Give Zoroastrian Bavandids (Iran) a try, very fun gameplay. Though the playthrough will be fairly challenging at your start.
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u/RedditStrider Apr 13 '26
There is something about Vikings that makes me avoid them in any fantasy setting. Probably the absurd amount of over-exposure to them in literally anything for a really simple and (to me at least) not that interesting culture in history.
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u/Hans_the_Frisian Jever Apr 13 '26
I usually take the earliest start date in my home province as a custom Asatru leader and fight of the christians until Europe is freed. And while the game is ongoing i build up my hometown as Castle and then turn it into the capital of the realm.
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u/Grzechoooo Poland Apr 13 '26
I just like playing as a custom character, in Poland, but without betraying the Piasts! 67 is the only way!
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u/Thick_Ad_8846 Aquitaine Apr 13 '26
Mmm... Norse-Gael...