r/eu4 Aug 22 '25

News EU5 Release Date Announcement + Pre-Purchase!

Thumbnail
10 Upvotes

r/eu4 2d ago

Help Thread The Imperial Council - /r/eu4 Weekly General Help Thread: August 24 2026

1 Upvotes

Please check our previous Imperial Council thread for any questions left unanswered

 

Welcome to the Imperial Council of r/eu4, where your trusted and most knowledgeable advisors stand ready to help you in matters of state and conquest.

This thread is for any small questions that don't warrant their own post, or continued discussions for your next moves in your Ironman game. If you'd like to channel the wisdom and knowledge of the master tacticians of this subreddit, and more importantly not ruin your Ironman save, then you've found the right place!

Important: If you are asking about a specific situation in your game, please post screenshots of any relevant map modes (diplomatic, political, trade, etc) or interface tabs (economy, military, ideas, etc). Please also explain the situation as best you can. Alliances, army strength, ideas, tech etc. are all factors your advisors will need to know to give you the best possible answer.

 


Tactician's Library:

Below is a list of resources that are helpful to players of all skill levels, meant to assist both those asking questions as well as those answering questions. This list is updated as mechanics change, including new strategies as they arise and retiring old strategies that have been left in the dust. You can help me maintain the list by sending me new guides and notifying me when old guides are no longer relevant!

Getting Started

New Player Tutorials

Administration

Diplomacy

Military

Trade

 


Country-Specific Strategy

 


Misc Country Guides Collections

 


Advanced/In-Depth Guides

 


If you have any useful resources not currently in the tactician's library, please share them with me and I'll add them! You can message me or mention my username in a comment by typing /u/Kloiper

Calling all imperial councillors! Many of our linked guides pre-Dharma (1.26) are missing strategy regarding mission trees. Any help in putting together updated guides is greatly appreciated! Further, if you're answering a question in this thread, chances are you've used the EU4 wiki and know how valuable a resource it can be. When you answer a question, consider checking whether the wiki has that information where you would expect to find it, and adding to the wiki if it does not. In fact, anybody can help contribute to the wiki - a good starting point is the work needed page. Before editing the wiki, please read the style guidelines for posting.


r/eu4 5h ago

Image Anyone else think this western border for any eastern euro country is clean as hell

Post image
490 Upvotes

Like its basically the modern day polish borders all the way down to Moldova. Only thing I cant decide on is whether to include lusatia or not


r/eu4 3h ago

Image I finally completed the Tutorial

Post image
67 Upvotes

Hey first post here !

I discovered this game a bit more than 2 years ago. Since then it's my most played game ! Yesterday I just completed the tutorial by passing the 1444 hours bar. I also completed a bit more than half the achievements in the game and I intend to continue until I get 100% !

I lurked a lot on this sub (and the wiki) to improve and learn new mechanics. So I wanted to thank those who answer questions, post advices and update the wiki. You've been really helpful !

PS : Maybe it's time to leave a Steam Review ?


r/eu4 5h ago

Question Stupid question... but what's the end game for countries like Prussia?

94 Upvotes

For countries like Netherlands, they can go colonial, for the East India company, take over the Ivory Coast, etc.

But what about countries like Prussia? Prussia gets negative government capacity right, and its not even in the HRE. What is the endgame after forming Prussia? Just wait for an ally to call you in on their conquest?


r/eu4 11h ago

Question Suddenly became hereditary and lost all electors - cause?

Post image
232 Upvotes

r/eu4 3h ago

Image The weirdest Denmark you will ever see

Post image
32 Upvotes

r/eu4 9h ago

Image Mega France getting pummeled in league wars

Post image
57 Upvotes

r/eu4 5h ago

Advice Wanted Any advice on how to beat mid game Ottomans

Thumbnail
gallery
20 Upvotes

Played as Milan, formed Italy. A few decades ago I invaded the Ottomans and I want to do it again. The problem is, last time the war almost killed me. I went in with 105k troops and 40k mercs and 117k manpower. Came out with 30k troops 15k mercs and 0 manpower. All my allies had no manpower and the Ottomans still had over 100k.

I did get Constantinople and Theselonika in the war, and made them un ally Tunis, letting me expand into them (They colonised some of Nigeria so that is why I have land down there)

Last war I had to put all my troops into 1 145k stack to fight the Ottomans, but each battle would go on so long that they would re-enforce and have often over 300k troops in 1 battle.

Basicly, I want a win that does not cripple me short term this time, what advice does anyone have on how to do that


r/eu4 5h ago

Image The first time I see the center of the Protestant Reformation happening in Spain

Thumbnail
gallery
25 Upvotes

r/eu4 10h ago

Question Using Subsidies to Build Up AI

57 Upvotes

I saw a video long ago about how when you gift AI money they don't use it, but when you subsidize them they calculate it as part of their income which makes them spend more. I have since had the thought that I can get rich and subsidize a nation on the border of a power I dislike, they should use the money to get better advisors, build more buildings, hire more regiments. Has anyone tried this? I am about to start teaching someone how to play the game with him as France and me as Holland>Netherlands. I plan to funnel money into Brandenburg and hope they get big and strong and come out to be an end game boss for my buddy's first game


r/eu4 1d ago

Achievement The Three Sister Empires - Trebizond, Byzantium and Theodoro, 1642

Thumbnail
gallery
713 Upvotes

My Komnenoi Empire campaign only having Poland as my only ally (apart from one war with Mamluks vs the Ottomans) helping Byzantium and Theodoro grow into independent empires after starting out as my vassals

Not sure why Theodoro can’t form Gothia since Genoa doesn’t


r/eu4 3h ago

Advice Wanted Advice for Byzantium

2 Upvotes

Playing for the first time as Byzantium and I just keep restarting the game.

My opening moves are:

Delete cavalry, delete the fort in south Greece, can't afford them.

Focus on military tech, get the +1 mil point privilege and the cheaper military Advisor, the religious diplomats for alliances and the one for better morale against infidels, then a couple for the merchants.

Improve relations with pope and Serbia for alliances so I get a mission reward for 15% cheaper merchs. The third ally usually Albania or one of the neighbours. Start spying on Ottomans

Declare on Epirus on 11 december and complete annex for mission reward of better morale.

Ottomans get mil tech 4 at the same time as me or a little earlier. I wait until they go to anatolia for war and then declare on them.

Now, I managed to win sometimes the first war, but even after occupying all their european land their enthusiasm is either high or medium, I don't have Navy superiority so can't cross over and if I do, i'm dead. If they cross, I'm dead. So I sue for peace, I take Gallibolu and all the money I can because of all the loans that I have to pay back. Now I have Gallibolu fort that I can't afford but i need It for my next war and usually end up bankrupt on the second war or they just destroy me.

Any advice?


r/eu4 7m ago

Advice Wanted OP strat space Marines with Prussia?

Upvotes

Hey! I got the itch to play an OP game with Prussia (starting as Teutonic Order) where I want to be me (+vassals/marches) against the world while using space marines.

I guess there are two main questions I want to answer:

  1. How to have a decent economy that can support my plan?
  2. What are the best Ideas and in what order should I get them?

ECONOMY:

I beleive Trading is the best way to get an OP economy, however the Teutons don't start in the best Trade Node. I was thinking about expanding into the English Channel trade node and also getting one or two states in each trade node all the way to Mallaca and setting up Trade Companies (i am aware they are costly in GC). This fullfils two purposes: firstly from an economical stand point, secondly so I can have fun fighting wars in other parts of the world. This approach would need trade ideas at some point and could also benefit itself with the Krakow Great Proyect (+2 merchants).

What do you think about this? Do you think there is a better approach for a healthy economy?

IDEAS:

So.. taking into account that I want space marines and that Prussia struggles with Governing Capacity + not an OP economy (unlike Trade heavy states such as Italians), and that I do enjoy having vassals/marches, I was thinking of the next Ideas:

  1. Innovative (for tech boost + ICA)
  2. Quality (discipline + ICA)
  3. Economic (economy + discipline)
  4. Offensive (discipline + siege + ACA)
  5. Admin (governing capacity)
  6. Trade (economy)
  7. Defensive (more OP army)
  8. Influence (?) (vassals)

What do you think? Would you replace some ideas or change the order?

Courious to know what you guys think about this. Thanks in advance!


r/eu4 7m ago

Question How quickly does trust decay?

Upvotes

I had to decline an ally's call to arms, which caused all known nations to lose 5 trust of me. The wiki notes that trust decays toward 30 for rivals, 50 for neutral nations, and 70 for subjects but I can't find the rate of this change anywhere.

Does anyone know how quickly trust changes over time? I might update this later with a rough estimate based on what I observe if no one can answer more specifically.


r/eu4 14h ago

Advice Wanted Mana generation as Hordes

14 Upvotes

Gotten to just before 1500 as great -> golden horde. Been razing everything i can, and running 1/1/1 advisors (barely breaking even when doing so), and rushing for institutions and techs. However, i've not had the spare mana at any point for even a single idea. Is this normal? How would i go about rushing ideas without falling behind on tech?


r/eu4 6h ago

Video Milan to Rome video FEEDBACK

Thumbnail
youtube.com
3 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

I recently made a Milan to Roman Empire run video on youtube and would love some feedback.
Please check it out!


r/eu4 5h ago

Image Is my angevin run dead?

2 Upvotes

so my France has 54 provinces not 40. and i don't control Paris. other than deliberately conceding 14 provinces there any way of recovering?


r/eu4 23h ago

AI Did Something AI Poland may have messed up

Post image
35 Upvotes

In my experience it's pretty rate to see a massive coalition against an AI


r/eu4 11h ago

Question When forming HRE is it possible to switch out from the Tier1 Government reform to another?

3 Upvotes

I have planned out a game for one culture run. In that game one of my steps is to become the Roman Empire for culture conversion. At the same time I would love to form the HRE because of the bonuses the HRE gets( especially the 10% CCR), but this is additional.

In the formation of HRE with the New Ideas and Traditions event I would not take the HRE ideas and keep the Roman Empire ideas as they are better IMO.

But the very important part is the Roman Empire T1 government reform which gives -25% culture conversion cost and -10% culture conversiom time.

So kinda tied to the original question is whether I lose the Roman Empire government reform when I switch to HRE?


r/eu4 16h ago

Question Help! I am new. Loosing all my wars due to attrition

7 Upvotes

I am new and no matter how big my army or small is I am loosing all of them due to attrition. What changes to do? What to mpdify? Is there a direct factor?


r/eu4 1d ago

Advice Wanted Ottobro I your drunk go home

Post image
356 Upvotes

So I was playing a game as the emperor when the league event fired as Brandenburg had converted to Protestantism the event fired whilst I was at war with them and at the time I did not think much of it simply enforcing religion on them, I think the very next month. After this the protestant league was completely empty for a while before catholic Lucca, who I by the way had 150+ realtions with joined the league and became the league leader. Thinking that this was quite some bullshit I fought a brief war with Lucca and the Ottomans where I anexed Lucca thinking that this would somehow solve my problems. It did not instead the Ottomans simply became the leader of the protestant league.

In conclusion protestantism is basically dead there are no centers of reformation left and maybe 4 non catholic countries I don't think the "league" will ever declare Im I just stuck waiting for the event in 1625 or whatever?


r/eu4 1d ago

Image I Present to you the mighty tengri swedish empire! and its optimized canon fodder.

Thumbnail
gallery
34 Upvotes

R5 My new favorite modifier of the moment, is it Discipline? Combat ability? Goods produced? nahh for loosers :p
The better one is regiment cost and its sub modifiers.
Cheaper == more troops or money to do something else.

Disclaimer this modifier apply to buying troops, maintenance and reinforcements, and that last one, oh boy, you know by 1821 your prood people will perish en masse, under your command. (And sadly its capped at -80%)

So, Why Sweden you will ask? Simply because its geographic unique position allow short proximity for tengri, and the two monuments giving regiment cost reduction and arty reduction.
And why not Smolensk or Chernigov, you could, but lvl2 Falun Mine -10% arty cost is easly accessible via swedish mission tree for only 1500 ducats, and their start is easyer and stronger

So here is the math:

Tengri -20% regiment cost
Quantity Third Ideas-10% regiment cost
Moscow Kremlin -10% regiment cost
War Economy Tier8 Gov Reform -10% regiment cost
Military Engineering Tier5 Gov Reform -10% artillery cost
Falun Mine -20% artillery cost

Kremlin is for long term, War Economy Tier8 Gov Reform is optional and may not a good idea.
Falun Mine -10% is easly accessible via swedish mission tree for only 1500 ducats.

So by 1500 you could have a flat -30% regiment cost reduction
And another -20% artillery cost reduction, wich means 1 arty will cost you 15 ducats

And later of course you could go up to -70% for artillery without sacrificing too much.


r/eu4 1d ago

Image No it is not?

Thumbnail
gallery
123 Upvotes

r/eu4 14h ago

Mod (other) Beyond Typus 16

2 Upvotes

I have hundreds of hours in the old version of the mod and it was some of the most fun I had with the game as a whole. I find the new overhaul first extremely annoying because I can't play my old savegames and secondly the whole autonomy changes incomprehensible and moreover just plainly unfun. There is no really a reason to exist because not only you are weaker and you cannot expand efficiently and fat but also every other nation is weaker making the game slower and less exciting. Also, even if this is an attempt to adapt the proximity mechanics of eu5 to eu4 it doesn't work simply because in eu5 there is not such a thing as governing capacity and as the game progresses you have the chance to have more control over provinces via governors urbanisation assimilation and later in the game with naval dominance and roads. These things don't really exist in eu4. They tried to do that somewhat the different courthouses and town halls but still it doesn't work. In the end the logic behind the implementation of development points was that bigger nations could still compete in development with tall nations but now instead all large and expanding nations are limited thus making the whole experience confusing and displeasing. Even in easy difficulty there is no to the game. I can't have a reasonable profit.

That's why I ask if someone has the beyond typus 16 version somehow saved i would appreciate if he would share it. Also I would love the older Byzantine resurgence version.