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• Eu4 How To Give Land To Allies 2
• Eu4 How To Give Land To Allies Online
• Eu4 How To Give Land To Allies In Peace Deal

I also discovered that the new patch now has -1000 'recently broke promise to give land' modifier, which feels a bit heavy-handed. #eu4 This would have been an easy war, if Ottomans and Venice fought each other longer.

It’s almost hard to believe that Europa Universalis IV is over five years old. Its fifteen expansions total over $200 at full price if you’re just looking at the add-ons that alter gameplay, and not the milieu of minor, cosmetic DLC. Whether you’re new to the series and you want to know what’s what, or you're a vet looking to top up your collection and want to know what’s most worth the money, we’ve put together this handy guide to help you.

We also have DLC guides for Crusader Kings II, Stellaris & Hearts of Iron IV, if you're interested.

Keep in mind that these are all non-sale prices, and most older Paradox expansions are discounted anywhere from 25% to 75% off during special sales, such as during holidays or when a new DLC is released. Typically, the longer something has been out, the more it will be discounted. This list is in chronological order, so you can probably get the stuff at the top for a couple bucks if you wait for the right moment.

CONQUEST OF PARADISE (2014) - $14.99

Highlights:

• Adds the ability to generate a Random New World, replacing the Americas with something totally different every time you play with the option selected, to put some real discovery back into the age of discovery.
• Tons of new mechanics for North American natives, allowing you to play as a migratory plains tribe and form a federation of your neighbors to oppose the stronger Europeans upon their arrival.

Is it worth it?

You can skip this one entirely if you want to play strictly with the historical New World continents and don’t care about North American tribes (specifically in what is now the US and Canada - Central America was addressed in its own expansion). The new mechanics listed on Steam for colonial nations are actually part of the free patch, so you don’t need to buy the DLC to access them. If you are interested in North American tribes, it definitely takes them from being barely represented in the game to feeling like full-fledged nations. Random New World is a fun novelty, especially the first few times, but I don’t find myself ever using it these days.

WEALTH OF NATIONS (2014) - $9.99

Highlights:

• Light ships can be turned into Privateers and sent on missions to sabotage a rival’s profits in an area where you don’t have the ability to compete for trade profits yourself. Basically, it’s a way to ensure that if you can’t have the money, nobody can.
• Adds the ability to create Trade Companies, a special type of tributary that will take over your colonial provinces and increase their trade value. This feature is also unlocked if you purchase 2018's Dharma expansion (see below).
• Improvements to overland (as opposed to sea) trade.
• Adds the ability to build the Panama, Suez, and Kiel canals in the late game for a ridiculous sum of money.
• Reformed (Calvinist) Christians get new Fervor mechanics that allow them to get really worked up and provide bonuses to their nation.
• Hindu nations may now pick a patron deity, and get a bunch of new events.
• Nations can now transfer trade power as part of a deal or peace treaty.
• You can now stipulate in a peace treaty that the defeated country must allow you military access to their lands and/or access to their ports for a period of time.
• Improvements to the Merchant Republic government type.

Is it worth it?

This is the “trade expansion”, and since for my money, trade is one of the more intriguing and well-designed systems in EU4, I’d hesitate to pass this one up. Adding on the fact that it’s cheaper than Conquest of Paradise, which added fewer meaningful mechanics, and the fact that you can get it for next to nothing on every Steam sale involving EU4, this one is easy to recommend. It will be least valuable to players who prefer landlocked, non-colonial, land warfare-focused powers in Central and Eastern Europe.

RES PUBLICA (2014) - $4.99

Highlights:

• New, unique mechanics for Merchant Republics, Elective Monarchies (particularly Poland-Lithuania in the 1444 start), and the Dutch Republic government type that’s exclusive to the Netherlands.
• Republican Dictatorship adds a middle ground between republics and monarchies.
• Tons of new events for the Dutch. Merchant republics, elective monarchies, and republican dictatorships.
• National Focus allows you to decide which area of progress (Military, Diplomatic, or Administrative) at a given time, pulling points from the other two to bolster it. This feature was later also unlocked for owners of Common Sense (see below), even if they didn’t own Res Publica, due to how it tied in with that expansion’s mechanics.

Is it worth it?

As EU4’s cheapest gameplay DLC (even cheaper on sale), it’s hard to say no to that question. National Focus is a feature I use in almost every game of EU4, though you can also unlock that by owning Common Sense. In light of that, it’s possible to skip this one if you plan to pick up Common Sense instead and you only ever want to play non-elective monarchies, as it doesn’t really add anything for government types outside the ones listed above. The new events are well-written and interesting, and particularly essential if you’re going to play the Netherlands. The difference for them in terms of options and flavor with this DLC on versus off is night and day.

ART OF WAR (2014) - $19.99 (Free Till March 4th!)

Highlights:

• Currently available to play for free until March 4th.
• Unique mechanics for the religious partitioning of the Holy Roman Empire during the Protestant Reformation, culminating in the Religious League War (analogous to the historical 30 Years War, though it might last a different amount of time in your game) that tends to pull in all of Europe for a giant, amazing slugfest in the mid-game.
• A dynamic Revolution Target is chosen at the dawn of the Napoleonic era (usually mid-late 1700s depending on how events play out) that gets a bunch of bonuses, including the ability to found client states, and becomes the “final boss” of the campaign. This is often France, but it’s possible for the event to spawn in another large nation.
• Adds the ability to instruct a fort garrison to sortie out and attack the besiegers.
• Adds the ability to give orders to allied, AI-controlled armies.
• Adds a bunch of new CBs (reasons to go to war) and peace deal options such as making someone pay you monthly reparations for a period of time.
• Set up army templates so you can build an entire army with one click.
• New events.
• New vassal type called a March that doesn’t pay you taxes and can’t be annexed, but provide strong military benefits.

Is it worth it?

Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!

Until very recently, Art of War was almost indisputably EU4’s most essential expansion, and it probably still is. If you asked me off the top of my head which expansion to buy if you could only buy one, I’d definitely say Art of War. The Religious League Wars and Revolution Target mechanics add major, recurring events that I look forward to interacting with every playthrough. Features like being able to give my AI allies orders and demand war reparations are essential features I would have a very hard time living without. This one is a winner, through and through. If there’s anyone it’s least useful for, it would have to be nations that never go to war and are nowhere near/have no plans to interact with Europe.

EL DORADO (2015) - $14.99

Highlights:

• Adds the Nation Designer, which allows you to paint your own, customized nation onto the map. You select its culture, religion, name, flag, stats, and starting provinces down to a very fine level of detail.
• Tons of new events and mechanics for Central and South American empires of the Nahuatl (Aztec), Maya, and Inti (Incan) religion groups.
• Improved New World exploration mechanics for colonial powers, including being able to tell your explorers and conquistadors to just explore automatically without having to click on every undiscovered province yourself.
• New mission to send trade fleets to hunt pirates. This was later made available to owners of Mare Nostrum (see below), even if they don’t already own El Dorado.
• Colonizing nations who own a New World province with gold mines can now use treasure fleets to take advantage of that wealth… but they are vulnerable to pirates when doing so.
• A new mechanic based on the historical Treaty of Tordesillas that allows the Pope to divide the new world up between Catholic colonizing powers and make them stay on their own side of the line.

Is it worth it?

It’s almost an automatic yes based on the Nation Designer alone, which is a ton of fun to mess around with (though I find myself using it less and less these days). If you prefer a strictly historical experience, this expansion does for Central and South America what Conquest of Paradise did for North America, making the nations there feel fully playable rather than just being in the game as a placeholder. The new automatic exploration options are also something I’d have a hard time playing without at this point. This one would be of least value to someone not interested in the nation designer, who never plays in Central or South America, and doesn’t intend on playing exploring/colonizing nations.

COMMON SENSE (2015) - $14.99

Highlights:

• You can now spend monarch power to develop a province, investing in the infrastructure to increase its tax base, trade good value, and/or military potential. The number of building slots in a province is now based on development.
• New mechanics and events for Theocracies.
• Constitutional Monarchy, Constitutional Republic, and the unique-to-England English Monarchy get a new Parliament system, where seats in Parliament can be given to specific provinces. It is possible to bring an issue before Parliament to gain a bonus for your nation, but you will have to convince enough seats to pass it by doing favors that cost you resources and benefit that, specific province.
• Protestant (Lutheran) Christian nations can now customize their national church (ie: Church of England) by picking from three out of a variety of bonuses to fit their “version” of Protestantism.
• Governments now have ranks (Duchy, Kingdom, Empire), with each successive rank being harder to achieve but granting larger bonuses. Some nations start as a Kingdom or an Empire already in 1444, further differentiating the start positions to account for historical realities.
• Added Karma mechanic for Buddhist nations, where maintaining the center is beneficial. Being too peaceful or too warlike is bad.
• Added Free Cities to the Holy Roman Empire, giving large benefits to city-states that never expand beyond one province.
• Added new ways for overlords and suzerains to interact with subjects.
• New events for Protestants, Buddhists, Theocracies, Constitutional Monarchies, Constitutional Republics, the English Monarchy, and the Papal States
• Players who don’t already own Res Publica get access to the National Focus mechanics (see above).

Is it worth it?

This expansion has come under significant criticism for introducing a feature as fundamental and borderline essential as provincial development and putting it behind a paywall. I don’t necessarily disagree - it’s difficult to even play properly in the current version of the game without it. But that being said, it’s hard to call this anything but a fantastic expansion - even if we imagined development was a free feature and just looked over the rest of the list. The Buddhist mechanics aren’t the greatest thing ever, but Parliaments are quite interesting, and Protestants and Theocracies are much more fun and fleshed out with this expansion. Whether you feel Paradox is twisting your arm withholding the development mechanics or not, this one absolutely has to go near the top of the “Essential” list.

THE COSSACKS (2015) - $19.99

Highlights:

• New diplomatic features let the player set attitudes toward the AI, the way AI do toward the player and other AI, making humans no longer the only countries not connected to that system.
• Adds the ability to mark foreign territory as part of your eventual plans for conquest, so your AI allies won’t take it by mistake and other countries that want those same provinces will know not to be friends with you.
• Doing nice things for the AI, like answering a call to arms in a war they started, earns you Favors that can be spent to increase trust, or encourage them to join your wars in the future.
• Adds a Trust system, where AI countries that have been your allies for a very long time are less likely to break that alliance for stupid reasons. On the flip side, countries you’ve betrayed in the past are less likely to ally with you again.
• New mechanics for the Tengri (steppe shamanism) faith that allows it to pick a syncretic faith, so you can sorta convert to Islam but still keep doing your Khan thing.
• Steppe Hordes get a new Horde Unity mechanic to replace Legitimacy, and can raze provinces to gain monarch power at the cost of really just making a mess of the place.
• New spy actions and ways to interact with natives as a colonizing nation.
• Adds the ability to threaten a weaker country, forcing them to give up a province or else you’ll declare war.

Is it worth it?

As of Dharma, the estates mechanic formerly part of this DLC has now been made free for everyone, although you still need this DLC for the unique Cossacks & Dhimmi estates. To compensate, owners of this DLC instead get access to the 'Sich Rada' Government reform which enables the following Government interactions: 'Receive Fleeing Serfs', 'Organize Raiding Parties' and Raise Cossack Host.

This is definitely the 'diplomacy expansion', and the utility it adds in that department for all nations is significant. I can’t think of anyone it would be useless for, but it will be of most value to those who like playing as steppe hordes and Eastern Europeans,

MARE NOSTRUM (2016) - $14.99

Highlights:

• North African nations of Berber culture can send corsairs to raid the Mediterranean coast for slaves.
• Fleets can now be assigned to a region during war and given automated missions, including Hunt Enemy Fleets, Evade Enemy Fleets, Blockade Ports, and Intercept Transports.
• Now possible to offer an Unconditional Surrender if you know you are losing a war and don’t want to waste more manpower, forcing the attacker to end the war and present demands immediately.
• Having a spy stationed in a country during wartime now gives tangible benefits, like making sieges progress faster.
• Unlocks the Hunt Pirates naval mission if you don’t already own El Dorado (see above).
• Now able to rent out your own troops as Condottieri (mercenaries) to other nations in exchange for gold.
• Diplomats can now be sent on Counterespionage missions to a country you suspect is spying on you to foil their attempts.
• New Trade City government type that can be created by the leader of a Trade League for a subject that only has one province.

Is it worth it?

This is the first of the newer batch of expansions since Art of War that I’d feel comfortable saying you could skip if money is tight. The best feature is probably the new automated naval orders, which are a life-saver when trying to manage multiple fleets with different roles. Even so, I don’t find fleets require as much micromanagement from me as armies in most conflicts, so I could conceivably play with that feature off and not have it ruin my day. All the extra spy stuff is pretty reasonable to live without as well. This is definitely one you can prioritize lower, and will be of least value to those who prefer landlocked nations and don’t really make use of the espionage mechanics - which is a perfectly reasonable and viable playstyle. It’s arguably of most value to Merchant Republics, as hiring out your soldiers for profit is a cool nod to history and can be a fun way to see some action when you have no desire to go to war yourself.

RIGHTS OF MAN (2016) - $19.99

Highlights:

• Adds tons of new mechanics for Coptic Christians and Fetishist (African traditional religions) nations.
• Adds Consorts, your ruler’s spouse, as a named character with stats in the government view, and a bunch of related events.
• Consorts can now take over the nation as a regent if the heir is too young when the ruler dies.
• Rulers, Heirs, Consorts, and military commanders now get character traits over time, positive and negative, that affect their stats.
• New mechanics giving better control over subject AI army behavior during war.
• New mechanics and events for Revolutionary (Napoleonic) Republics.
• Lots of new mechanics and events as well as a new, unique government type for the Ottoman Empire.
• New unique government type and events for Prussia.
• Certain nations will now be marked as Great Powers based on their size and technological sophistication. Great Powers gain new diplomatic interactions to influence non-Great Power nations.

Is it worth it?

I could certainly live without ruler traits. It wouldn’t make the game more of a pain to play. But I certainly wouldn’t want to. They add so much depth and flavor to the human side of EU4 - the personal drama and small details that help that painted map come alive and become a place in your mind’s eye. For that reason alone, this is one of my favorite expansions. Beyond that, most of the goodies are situational stuff for Coptic Christians, Fetishists, the Ottomans, and Prussia. This expansion will be of the least value to players not interested in any of those nations. The Great Power mechanics can open up some interesting, new play styles and a goal for smaller nations to strive for, but I probably ignore them roughly as often as I factor them into my plans.

MANDATE OF HEAVEN (2017) (Review) - $19.99

Highlights:

• Adds Ages to the game with different rules and objectives to model thematic eras from the game’s time period: Age of Discovery, Age of Reformation, Age of Absolutism, and Age of Revolutions.
• New mechanics and events for the Chinese Empire as part of a massive overhaul to East Asia in general, bringing it up to par with Europe in terms of flavor and polish.
• New Tributary subject type that has to give you resources, but isn’t obligated to join you in wars.
• New mechanics for the Confucian religion focusing on Meritocracy, and allowing Confucians to “harmonize” other religions rather than converting their followers.
• New mechanics for the Shogunate and Daimyos to better model the Warring States period in Japan.
• New mechanics for the Shinto religion that allow Japanese rulers to choose between isolationism and greater contact with the outside world.
• Manchu nations can now raise an army type called Banners, which cost gold to replenish but do not deplete the nation’s manpower.
• Adds the Diplomatic Macrobuilder, a new interface that makes a variety of diplomatic actions easier to manage, and allows you to automate certain actions that you could not previously.

Is it worth it?

Being that it’s so new, I’ve only played a fraction of the time with Mandate of Heaven that I have with the other expansions on this list. That being said, I think I can say definitively that it’s absolutely essential if you plan to play in or anywhere near East Asia - particularly Japan, China, or Manchuria. It really does make the region feel like a second sphere as fleshed-out, diverse, and fun as Europe, which is a huge accomplishment. The Diplomatic Macrobuilder is great, but I don’t yet feel like I couldn’t live without it. That opinion may change as I grow more accustomed to it, though. I’m still playing around with Ages, and I’m not absolutely wowed by them, but I love that they give you objectives that reward you for playing differently than you might otherwise. Obviously, this expansion will be of least value to players who don’t enjoy playing in or around East Asia.

THIRD ROME (2017) (Review) - $9.99

Highlights:

• New Russian government types that unlock abilities based on your monarch's skills.
• Expanded and reworked Orthodox Christianity with Icons that can give you bonuses similar to a patron deity.
• Can designate a province as a Metropolitan, allowing you to increase the authority of the Orthodox patriarch.
• Russian cultures can now hire Streltsy regiments, which gain a bonus to fire damage but increase your stability cost the more you relay on them.
• Siberian Frontiers allow for quick, inexpensive colonization of land provinces with a direct route to the capital.
• A bunch of new events for East Slavic and Orthodox countries.
• As of Dharma, owning this DLC will now also grant you unique mission trees for Russia, Muscovy, Novgorod & the principalities.

Is it worth it?

The focus of immersion packs, of which Third Rome is the first dedicated example in EUIV, is to add a bunch of new mechanics and flavor for a specific group of nations while not affecting the rest of the world in any major ways. So more than any other expansions, your mileage on this one depends entirely on how much you enjoy playing East Slavic and/or Orthodox Christian nations. You'll have a ton more small things to do when playing that region, though only a couple have any major impact. My favorite of the lot is Siberian Frontiers, which allow a strong Russian nation to fill in their historical borders without having to spend an idea group or two on acquiring colonists.

CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION (2017) (Review) - $19.99

Highlights:

• New unique governments for the Mamluks, feudal theocracies, and Turkic/Arabic tribal federations.
• Islamic Schools give unique benefits on top of those of the base religion, and different schools can be on better or worse terms with one another to create natural alliances or conflicts between nations that follow the same branch of Islam.
• Trade Policies allow merchants to spread religion, boost diplomacy, or engage in espionage in their trade node.
• Army Professionalism builds up over time while drilling your armies, eventually unlocking abilities like building supply depots or recruiting generals for less monarch power.
• Exploiting Development allows you to pillage your own lands for short-term gains.
• New government buttons for Muslim Iqtas giving you a modest bonus that can be swapped out every 20 years.
• Turkish countries can now hire Janissary units from non-Muslim provinces.
• Lots of new events for Muslims, many revolving around the unstable Timurid dynasty in 1444.

Is it worth it?

Cradle of Civilization makes the Islamic world feel as rich, detailed, and diverse as Western Christendom, opening up areas like Persia and Anatolia for all kinds of new political situations. It's unambiguously essential if you like playing Muslim countries or anywhere in the vicinity of the Levant, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, or Persia. The whole set-up with the ailing Timurids, their opportunistic neighbours, and their potential successor states is brilliant and can go so many different, interesting ways now.

Both the Mamluks and the Ottomans get enough new toys to play with that they'd feel naked without it. And for everyone else, Army Professionalism adds a new dimension to military dominance. It will be of least use to players who don't like playing Muslim nations or anywhere in the vicinity of the Middle East.

RULE BRITANNIA (2018) (Review) - $9.99

Highlights:

• Gives the British Isles some love with new provinces and factions in Ireland and Scotland.
• British Isles nations can now convert to the 'Anglican' form of Protestantism, which decreases development costs and increases Innovativeness gain.
• Innovativeness is a new mechanic that awards bonuses for being the first to unlock techs & via events.
• Coal is a new resource that appears late-game, which mainly boosts production. Possibly an attempt to avoid making Victoria 3.
• More bespoke missions for 'British' nations (to go with free mission system overhaul).
• Nations can now set a 'Naval Doctrine' for their navy, giving powerful bonuses in specific areas.

Is it worth it?

The Immersion Packs are rarely 'essential', but it really comes down to how much you like playing games as England or Scotland. With this pack and the free patch, playing a minor Irish nation is also more viable than it used to be, but if you're not an anglophile there's less here for you. Naval Doctrines are cool, but not essential (and useless to non-naval powers). Innovativeness is a nice boost if you can keep ahead of the tech game, but the new Institution mechanics make that quite hard. Coal is... well, coal. We're not sure what to make of that one.

The best case for this pack are the missions - the free patch completely overhauled the mission system for the better, but the non-DLC missions for England, Scotland and Irish minors are a bit bland, so you'll want the DLC missions instead. We'd comfortably say though that if you're ever considering going back to the British Isles, you'll want this pack.

DHARMA (2018) (Review) - $19.99

Eu4 How To Give Land To Allies 2

Highlights:

• Focuses on the Indian sub-continent with new regions, playable nations, as well as plenty of unique mission trees and mechanics for a range of playable nations in the area.
• Centres of Trade now have levels, and you can invest in them to make them more powerful.
• Land can be bought for trade companies in Africa and Asia, and Trade Companies can be invested in for added bonuses.
• A new government reform system allows you to tailor and modify your government as you unlock more options.
• Colonists can now be used to improve development in colonial provinces instead of colonising new territory.
• Estates in general are now free (although unique estates are still DLC locked), and owning this DLC also unlocks Trade Companies from Wealth of Nations (see above)
• You can set autonomous rebel suppression to an area, and each province will get a reduction in unrest.

Is it worth it?

Despite the focus on the Indian sub-continent, many of the changes can have an impact on nations across the globe. Government Reforms especially can be an interesting mechanic when playing in North America, and the improvements to centres of trade & trade companies will add more dynamicism to expanding trading and colonial empires in Europe. The quality of life improvement to colonists & rebel suppression are especially hard to pass on.

The meat-and-potato of this pack lies in India, however, so if you're not interested in that area of the world you'll be paying a lot of money for not a lot of new stuff. As time passes and the discount on this pack gets greater in each successive sale, it will become more and more a decent purchase choice.

GOLDEN CENTURY (2018) (Review) - $9.99

Highlights:

• You can form a (historically questionable) Pirate Republic if you're a country in a specific region, like the Caribbean.
• You can expel minorities from your homeland, sending them to the new world to be someone else's problem.
• If you have a large enough Navy you can construct a special 'Flagship' naval unit.
• Lots of flavour and unique mission trees for various peninsular nations, such as Castille and Granada.
• You can now use Naval Barrages for 50 MIL power, which work basically like Artillery Barrages.

Is it worth it?

The $10 expansions have become highly situational in recent years - if you like the idea of trying to be a pirate nation and/or spend a lot of time in the Spanish peninsular, then this is a great expansion. Otherwise you could probably wait until it's on sale. Owners of Rule Britannia and Dharma get extra content from this expansion as well, so there's some extra value for money if you're a DLC completionist.

The Breakdown

We've sorted the expansions into two, ranked lists: Essential for Everybody, and Situational (depending on what nation you’re playing), as I think they’re all worth owning eventually - it’s just a matter of what order you prioritize them. If you have to make a tough choice, I’d acquire all of the “Essential” ones in order first, then grab the “Situational” ones that apply to the countries and features you’re most interested in checking out.

ESSENTIAL:

1. Art of War
2. Common Sense
3. Rights of Man
4. The Cossacks
5. Mandate of Heaven

SITUATIONAL:

1. Cradle of Civilization
2. Dharma
3. El Dorado
4. Rule Britannia
5. Wealth of Nations
6. Third Rome

What are your thoughts on EU4's DLC? What would your 'must buy' list look like? Let us know in the comments!

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From some long forgotten vault your diplomat has discovered a document of true and verified authenticity. It proves beyond any doubt that you are the rightful owner of that fantastically valuable province right across the border. But how to claim your birthright? Those villains won't listen to reason, won't give it back, so it’s time to prepare for war!

Paradox's Europa Universalis IVis a game with many facets that you as the player need to try and master. It can be a bit daunting, and not everything in the game presents itself in an obvious manner. This guide comprises of top tips on how to prepare for a war. We will do future guides on actually fighting wars, economic tips & tricks and anything else that we feel may need exploring.

The advice and information presented here is correct as of the 1.28.2 Patch and the Golden Century expansion, which released on Dec 18th, 2018.

The pre-war checklist

• The Plan - Check geography, enemy disposition, key war goals.
• Armies - Increase army maintenance & assign generals.
• Politics - Check the status of your allies and the enemies.
• Finance - Build a war chest for army maintenance and replacing troops
• Enemies - Check military technology parity, relative manpower and army size

The Plan

Never consider going to war in EU4 without first coming to an understanding of what you intend to achieve through the engagement. Build a plan and determine if what you want is possible before you even start warming up your armies on the launchpad.

Sometimes provinces will look extra tasty for just a little military adventurism until you notice that pesky fort which will hold you off for 10 years and allow reinforcements to fall on you like rain or you overextend and your army starves in the field without reinforcements, dying to an inferior force.

• Switch the map to the Simple Terrain mode and review the target’s territory. This mode gives a clearer indicator of terrain on each province; River boundaries between provinces are defined, blue for a river crossing, black for none. Plan to attack vulnerable forts in flat land where you’ll suffer low attrition and no terrain malus if the enemy attempts to relieve the siege.
• Switch the map to the Supply map mode and identify places to avoid. Desert or mountainous provinces have low supply limits and an additional supply malus for arid or wintery conditions. If an army's' reinforcement rate is higher than the attrition rate any losses will immediately reinforce back up to maximum. Consequently your army will appear undamaged and it is not obvious you are taking attrition-based losses, although you will see your manpower quickly drain. Try to advance via high high supply limit provinces, like farmlands and grassland. Coastal provinces also have a 50% bonus to supply. At the same time, realize the enemy has the same intention and an easier time on the defense dealing with attrition. If you can force him to march through low supply areas to attack the army you have sieging his fort, his morale and manpower may be depleted in the process. Every bit helps.
• Identify key battlegrounds: Check for choke-points in mountain passes or along sea crossings. You may be able to use them to box the enemy in, forcing them to attack you in disadvantageous terrain. A special note on horde nations: they receive a 25% bonus to the shock phase when fighting in flat land (grassland, steppe, desert), so avoid fighting them there. They receive 25% malus on difficult terrain.
• Choose the right war goal and find a good route to the enemy capital. When attacking into enemy territory these the two most important provinces to take. Capturing both will drive up war score and enemy war exhaustion, although you must take any forts near to the war goal in order for you to be able to claim the territory in a peace deal.

Armies

The fist on the end of your military arm are your armies, with which you should pummel your enemy aggressively. Power and speed are important aspects, but maneuver can be the decisive difference.

• Your army should be as close to your Force Limit as manpower and finances allow. Ideally, you will be at maximum Force Limit and fully reinforced with manpower to spare. Recruiting new troops just before a war will drain your manpower by 1k per new regiment, and you'll need that later. Individual armies should have at least 2 cavalry, as they provide vital flanking bonuses in battle. In the first 100 years try to recruit more as cavalry do excellent damage in the shock phase. However, too much cavalry (over 50% for western nations) and you will suffer an 'Insufficient Support' penalty.
• Armies should also have at least 1 artillery to aid in sieges. You typically won't have this till around 1492 unless you're lucky/smart with technology. As time progresses artillery does more damage in battle, so in the later game aim for a 1:1 ratio of cannon to front line troops.
• The Army Maintenance slider should be set to 100% and all army morale bars have filled completely. It will automatically jump to 100% upon declaration of war, however if your peacetime maintenance is very low (typically to save money) it may take months for your armies to regain full morale.
• Your own manpower needs to be sufficient for the war: An evenly matched war requires as close to 100% as possible, although 50% should be enough for fighting a weaker nation. Potential foes will keep track of your manpower and dropping too low can cause an AI nation to attack you because they perceive it as weakness. Plan for failure as well as success; don't commit so much manpower on the move that your borders at home invite someone else to jump on you while you're distracted by the war. Be willing to bail out if need be.
• Armies should have generals attached with good combat skills where possible. Favor a general with the best shock skill in the first 100 years, as most of the casualties are inflicted in the shock phase, especially with cavalry heavy armies. Later, favor generals with the best fire skill as the fire phase becomes more lethal. Maneuver and Siege are also useful but situational - you can consider swapping in a good siege general only when needed. Also note a higher maneuver skill than the enemy will negate any river crossing penalties.

Politics

War may be politics by other means, but keeping an eye on your relationship with nearby countries and others which may be more influential is how you keep your friends close and your enemies closer. A friendly helping hand when you're taking on someone with superior numbers, superior technology, or superior position can make all the difference.

• Generate a spy network before going to war with your enemy - you will need to assign a diplomat permanently to work on this. This can provide up to +20% siege ability and -10% aggressive expansion impact with that nation. Aggressive Expansion determines how much they’ll hate you and how likely they are to form a post war coalition once you've beaten them.
• Make sure you have claims on the provinces you wish to capture, as you cannot raise claims during a war. They will reduce the core creation cost, province war score cost and local autonomy by -10% when you take it. Note that you can only lay claim on provinces that directly border your own, with the exception being coastal provinces that share the same sea zone.
• Check the political situation of your enemy: Is your target already at war and/or are his allies? Check the political tab and try to time your attack when your target is already at war. Review the current war but be careful not to leave it too late and allow peace to break out while you’re still preparing. Right click on the flag of your target (and his allies) from the province view and click the gold star. This will mark them as countries of interest and you will receive a popup to inform you that they are in a war.
• Check the political situation of your own allies: are your allies ready to support you? Generally, your allies will be more willing to support if:
• They have been at peace for a while (they have a high manpower and no debts).
• You have been allied for 10+ years (you gradually gain favours with your allies and can call them into war when you have 10 or more).
• They border your target or his allies.

• Consider if your allies can get to you and/or your enemy. If they cannot, will you be able to convince the nations in-between to allow access?

Finance

Maybe adding a little jingle to your pocket is why you're going to war in the first place. The wealth of nations is often the driver of militaristic interaction. Having more people under your iron heel is nice and all, but the tax revenue they provide and the trade they give you access to typically justifies the price in blood and treasure to challenge another for their allegiance.

• Collect a war chest. Save enough money to pay for your army upkeep and to replace lost armies. Remember, you pay for reinforcements with money as well as manpower which can increase your army upkeep considerably. You may also have to resort to mercenaries, in which case you require even deeper pockets. We recommend a couple hundred ducats, but 100 at a minimum should be okay for the average war. Remember you can Raise War Taxes during a war to give you a reduction on Land & Naval Maintenance.
• Plan for the length of the war. Consider hiring mercenaries to take you beyond your force limit. This is very expensive, however a decisive first battle (overwhelming the enemy with numbers and causing a stack wipe) can dramatically shorten a war. A longer war can easily prove to be more costly than the short term expense of recruiting above your force limit. Hiring mercenaries as a cash-rich and manpower-low nation is a good idea for mid-war as well. Concentrate on hiring infantry, since they take the bulk of the losses in combat (and therefore manpower drain). Recruiting artillery and cavalry normally is a more effective use of your manpower & ducats.
• Take on loans if necessary. War reparations and future income from captured high development provinces can more than make up for any interest on loans.
• Check how trade might be affected. If the enemy is likely to gain naval superiority, your trade income could be considerably affected as your light ships are driven from the seas. Consequently you may have less income during a war than you expected. Even if you are successful at sea, your trade fleets may be re-purposed as blockader and be unable to add to your trade power.

The Enemy

No matter how, when, or why you've decided to go to war, the enemy always gets a vote and how things turn out. Whoever you've decided to pick on, make sure that you check them out thoroughly or else you may be deciding to throw hands with an opponent who will provide an unpleasant experience.

• Review the target's military technology, which you can find it in by clicking on any of their provinces. It appears in the province overview or from the nation overview in the ledger. Each level gives particular bonuses and you can review your own bonuses and bonuses to come by hovering over the military tech in the technology tab. All other factors being equal, if your opponent is one level above you things will be problematic, two levels will be very hard and three will be all but impossible.
• Check the target's ideas. While checking the enemy's military technology you can also check their ideas from the diplomatic tab, hovering over the lightbulb will list their current ideas. The more military ideas the more bonuses they will receive during the war. Some of these many be fairly inconsequential but be careful of Offensive, Defensive, Plutocratic and Quality. These provide bonuses to army morale (how long they’ll fight for) or discipline (how much damage they do in combat). These bonuses can tip the balance in a war.
• Review the targets army status in the ledger. Check the enemy’s manpower, force limit and army size in the military tab of the ledger. If they outnumber you by more than 50% you may want to reconsider the war. A nation with low manpower is an excellent target for attack, they will be forced to replace losses with mercenaries (or not at all) and negative events can fire at 0 manpower. Their war exhaustion and national unrest will already be high which will cause them to sue for peace quicker.
• Check for revolts. Scan their country for provinces currently occupied by rebels, particularly forts. Even in the fog of war it can give you some indication of the state of your target, you can even spot provinces under siege by the siege animation active on the province. If your target is troubled by rebels you may want to bring your timetable for war forward to take advantage and before the rebels are crushed.

Aftermath

Once you've won or lost, succeeded or failed, come back with your shield or on it, now you have to win the peace.

• If you've won the war, but generated enough aggressive expansion so that your neighbors declare a coalition of the willing and decide to go to war with you in your weakened state, you're in for a bad time of it. If you've won the war but don't have enough monarch points to core the provinces you've taking control of, you very well may be setting yourself up for shattering civil wars or long-term economic dysfunction.
• If you've lost the war, any or all of the above could also happen but you need to deal with the repercussions of your enemy's counterclaims, which often involve taking your most prosperous provinces or breaking access to extremely useful trade routes. Not to mention the crippling costs of rebuilding your manpower and your armies among the detritus.

War in EU4 requires a steady hand, a clear eye, and sometimes nerves of steel.

Are you ready? You should be. All that's left to do is to open up that menu and click the button. There's a lot more that could be set on actually fighting wars and strategies for different parts of the world, but the above advice should be generally applicable in all circumstances. Just remember - don't be greedy.

If you have any further comments or advice to give, feel free to post in the comment below!

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