Summary
- Establishing strong allies through marriage can massively cut down wartime, preventing years-long conflicts and increasing chances of winning.
- Training commanders improves army quality over quantity, leading to an army that can effectively defeat most opposition.
- Kidnapping the enemy ruler can often result in an instant victory, rendering the enemy helpless and unable to continue the war.
War in Crusader Kings 3 can be a task that takes much more time than it needs to, with some wars lasting decades. This is not ideal for any ruler, most likely plummeting their kingdom into debt and causing their army to decrease in numbers over time.
Crusader Kings 3: 7 Tips For Gaining Land Without War
In Crusader Kings 3, war is only one way to gain territory. Players should also consider the following options.
Players can speed up the process of winning a war in Crusader Kings 3 by using methods that may not seem obvious, such as utilizing attributes that steer away from purely martial-based actions. Then again, there are strategic options that are more by the book, using soldiers in different ways to demolish the enemy, even sometimes using barely any soldiers at all.
7 Having A Strong Ally Network
Set Up Powerful Alliances Via Marriage or Diplomacy
Fighting a war in Crusader Kings 3 with no allies is a rookie move that leaves players in danger of being overwhelmed and helpless. Even if the player's enemy is relatively weak, there is always the possibility that they will form new alliances on the fly, creating a giant unforeseen mismatch.
Establishing strong allies through marriage means players can be prepared for this unfortunate but likely event, while also massively cutting down the overall wartime. If players don't have any allies, the war could drag on for years with the chances of winning always decreasing.
6 Train Commanders
Assign Your Marshal to Train and Find Champions
A key tip to know when preparing an army in Crusader Kings 3 is to remember that it's quality over quantity when it comes to soldiers. Players can instruct their marshals to train commanders, which in turn improves the quality of the army as a whole. This makes for an army that may not be huge in numbers but one that can wipe aside most opposition.
As for how this can help players win wars quickly, having a strong army naturally makes winning wars easier and quickens the speed of sieges, especially when paired with a character that has strong martial attributes and perks.
5 Kidnapping The Enemy
Risky Scheme Suited for Intrigue Players
If players want to win wars quickly without having to fight many battles, they can choose to go down the Intrigue lifestyle perk tree until they eventually gain the ability to kidnap people. This ability is extremely useful in multiple circumstances, such as if players are in debt and need quick funds through ransom, or if they want to instantly win a war.
By kidnapping the direct enemy ruler in a war, players can most of the time get an instant victory, as the enemy is rendered helpless in that situation. For bigger and stronger opponents, it may take more than just a kidnapping to win the war. However, for equal or weaker opponents, kidnapping will usually result in an instant win.
4 Picking Realistic Targets
Don't Wage a War You Can't Win
Making sure to pick smart targets is vital to avoiding long and drawn-out wars. Players sometimes punch above their weight and pick enemies that are stronger but who are already at war, with the hopes that they can steal some land under the enemy's noses.
Crusader Kings 3: 13 Rarest Formable Empires
The following empires are exceptionally hard to form in Crusader Kings 3.
While this is a valid idea for a war strategy, most of the time it will lead to the enemy focusing their soldiers upon the player, or the enemy eventually being left with the player as their only war. The most sensible option is to attack smaller states or countries that will be easier and quicker to defeat and build up a realm that way as opposed to attempting to take a chunk out of a large opponent.
3 Murdering The Enemy
Oh, Boy, Here I Go Killing Again
Having a character with good Intrigue attributes can definitely come in handy for winning wars quickly, with murder being an option that tremendously increases the players' war score. The higher the Intrigue attribute, the easier it is to successfully murder another ruler, so boosting the intrigue stat is a very good idea.
By murdering the opposing ruler, players can sometimes win the war instantly, although most of the time it leaves the enemy in disarray, especially if they have a young heir or a weaker heir. Additionally, it can lead to succession problems for the enemy, where the realm gets divided among heirs. This can make the target land much weaker and easier to crush.
2 Maximize Your Strengths
Beef Up Men-At-Arms to Even the Odds
This is a simple but true strategy that players should take into account when going to war in Crusader Kings 3. If players have a Viking army that excels in attacking from the coasts, players should utilize this, making sure to attack coasts as much as possible.
Knowing the terrain or strengths of an army can significantly speed up a war, as it may be better to wait for the enemy to attack before attacking them, simply to have a better location or a better circumstance that increases the chances of the player defeating the enemy. This will prevent multiple battles and a long, drawn-out war, as players can defeat the majority of the enemy in one sweep.
1 Attacking The Capital
Go Straight for the Jugular
A strategy that is probably the most foolproof when attempting to win a war as quickly as possible is immediately sending troops to attack the enemy's capital. Most of the time, the enemy's family or the enemy ruler is located in the capital. This means that if the player attacks the capital successfully, the family members or the ruler will be captured by the player's army.
This can significantly increase the war score, sometimes instantly leading to a victory, or making it so the player only requires one or two successful sieges to seal the win, depending on the enemy's size and strength. When against small to medium-sized enemies, attacking the capital in Crusader Kings 3 almost guarantees an instant victory.
Crusader Kings 3 is available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Crusader Kings 3: Best Personality Traits
In Crusader Kings 3, personality traits play a huge role in how a character operates. These examples are some of the best.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- September 1, 2020
- ESRB
- T for Teens: Drug Reference, Language, Mild Violence, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Paradox Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Paradox Interactive
WHERE TO PLAY
Your legacy awaits. Choose your noble house and lead your dynasty to greatness in a Middle Ages epic that spans generations. War is but one of many tools to establish your reign, as real strategy requires expert diplomatic skill, mastery of your realm, and true cunning. Crusader Kings III continues the popular series made by Paradox Development Studio, featuring the widely acclaimed marriage of immersive grand strategy and deep, dramatic medieval roleplaying.
Take command of your house and expand your dynasty through a meticulously researched Middle Ages. Begin in 867 or 1066 and claim lands, titles, and vassals to secure a realm worthy of your royal blood. Your death is only a footnote as your lineage continues with new playable heirs, either planned… or not.
Discover a sprawling simulated world teeming with peasants and knights, courtiers, spies, knaves and jesters, and secret love affairs. An extensive cast of historical characters can be romanced, betrayed, executed, or subtly influenced.
Explore a vast medieval map stretching from the snowswept Nordic lands to the Horn of Africa, and the British Isles in the west to the exotic riches of Burma in the east. Claim, conquer, and rule thousands of unique counties, duchies, kingdoms, and empires.
- Engine
- Clausewitz Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Crusader Kings
- Platform(s)
- PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Grand Strategy
- How Long To Beat
- 70 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- File Size Xbox Series
- 11 GB (November 2023)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
