Crusader Kings 3, perhaps the most extensive of all the current titles in the franchise, has made its way to consoles, something that once seemed unlikely for any grand strategy release. Fans of these games can finally manage their own kingdoms in the comfort of their PS5s and Xbox Series X/S, allowing them to embark on the Crusader Kings trademark brand of political intrigue and warfare that other grand strategy games haven’t been able to emulate.
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However, given the vast nature of Crusader Kings 3, being able to manage all of its systems with a controller can become overwhelming pretty quick for newcomers. Thankfully, newcomers and PC savants can rely on a few handy tricks to ensure their CK3 console experience is just as comprehensive and exciting as on PC.
Get Through The Tutorial
When a newcomer looks into the CK3 tutorial for the PC, things get overwhelming pretty quickly. After all, it’s not only long, but it’s dense and packed with terminologies and concepts that sometimes only matter in specific moments. This is generally the same with the Console Edition, and this is especially more important to learn due to the nature of the platforms involved.
Whereas the PC version becomes more or less intuitive through right clicks and hovering, the Console Edition has a plethora of buttons that have different effects, courtesy of controllers. It’s especially imperative to study the tutorial in this context, especially if players want to find quicker ways to navigate menus. Things only get complex from here, so knowing the extreme basics can become a fundamental component of mastering the game.
Trust The Tooltips
In the PC version, hovering the mouse over something long enough will reveal a tooltip, giving players a quick run-through of how a certain mechanic works. This is especially helpful in the Console Edition, as the game tries to condense content made for the PC to become compatible with smaller platforms. Thankfully, holding L3 does toggle tooltips on and off, and it’s imperative to keep these activated until players get a hang of the game.
Through tooltips, players get continuously reminded of what certain things do for as long as they spend time hovering on them. This can get annoying at first, especially when doing repetitive tasks. However, tooltips can become a lifesaver especially when they remind players of obscure game mechanics they can take advantage of, such as scheming and the like.
Start With A Game Plan
Similar to other titles like Civilization, CK3 being a 4X game means players don’t necessarily have to rule the world to “win.” At its core, players simply need to have their family survive long enough through the years so they get to the mid-1400s as a relevant family recognized in the annals of history.
As such, before players officially start the game, they need to come up with some sort of plan. This could be an objective as simple as ruling the world to somewhat of a short-term goal like dominating their surrounding areas during a campaign's opening hours. Knowing this before starting the game allows players to create smart strategies and decisions early on.
Pick A Character Carefully
True to the rather expansive nature of CK3, players can become almost any ruler of any region in whichever timeframe they choose, as long as it’s within 867 to 1066 AD of course. When players choose “Play as any ruler” from the screen, it will allow them to set up the difficulty and pick the starting region – and therefore leader – from the screen.
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At its core, the game allows players to pick any ruler based on their preferred geography, be it kings for vast empires or even nobles for smaller areas. Players who are getting into the game for the first time might want to start small with rulers controlling a generally-isolated area with a decent court of advisers. Areas known for being at war at the time aren’t recommended, so no Italy, Rome, or England. Moreover, players could try to avoid rulers that already have children and already have Duchies, that way players can start from the bottom.
Understand The Ruling Titles
The world of CK3 works with the De Jure law. Latin for “legally part of,” areas in the game are held “by right” of their ruler, and it’s challenging this “right” that allows areas to be contested – settled through war or negotiation. In order of size, the ruling titles and their areas are Counties ruled by a County, Duchies ruled by a Duke, Kingdoms ruled by a King, and Empires ruled by an Emperor. These titles can change from place to place, but their scope generally remains the same.
It helps players to understand that larger areas mean more places to manage and more sub-rulers to micromanage and avoid being schemed against. Smaller areas mean having lesser influence, but also being more capable of outsmarting larger-level rulers.
War Is Not Always The Answer
While Civilization does highlight war as a last resort when two civilizations aren’t aligned with their diplomatic goals, this is certainly also a route that makes sense for the more aggressive player and conqueror in Crusader Kings 3. However, with the way the game sets up relationships between families and regions, being too aggressive can be a recipe for disaster in the game.
For instance, frequent warring with other rulers will give the player’s ruler and region a reputation for being aggressive, earning them certain stats that can buff or debuff them in specific areas. Not to mention, such a negative reputation on the onset leaves rulers vulnerable to uprisings from more generally-pacifist (yet equally manipulative) vassals.
Consequences Happen To Everyone
Unlike other 4X games that make their more complex mechanics more apparent to players than AI factions, CK3 has immensely complex mechanics that affect both players and their AI counterparts. This makes sense, considering the nature of the game that lets AI be just as merciless towards players.
However, what’s perhaps interesting is how the game allows players to direct their court members to do actions that affect their territories by virtue of their allegiance. If changes in religions and political stances can alter the way citizens and fellow rulers perceive the player, the same thing can happen when these are done by vassals. So just imagine if a particularly pesky or scheming vassal was suddenly directed to have a religious affiliation directly opposed by their citizens. This can allow the player to subvert their influence and insert a more amicable vassal into the narrative.
Truth Is Relative
One of the most important aspects of CK3 that sets it apart from other games is its scheming system, allowing players and AI to create webs of active schemes through lies and secrets that can shatter one’s perception of these rulers. One common way to use scheming that players need to remember is through the creation of “fake” rights and claims to territories that aren’t technically theirs to begin with.
That’s right – the “legal right” system of the game was made to be exploited in this regard, allowing players to assert their right to territories they’re interested in if they play it smart enough to forge a claim to that land. In fact, forging a claim and enforcing it can make other rulers perceptive of a warring player, even if this claim is based on a forged technicality rather than an actual birthright.
Set Up Marriages
Contrary to today’s love-based marriage, marriages in medieval times were often political moves in themselves, which means players need to consider how marrying off their rulers and their heirs can affect the status of power in the kingdom or territory they hold. This is a subtle way of subverting rule over an annoying vassal or inserting oneself within the inner narrative of a more powerful ruling party.
Even spouse choice matters, as their congenital or inheritable traits count when setting up an heir to success, as well as how their existing alliances and skill set can benefit the player’s character. Moreover, marrying off members of one’s court can become an advantage, as this can attract high-stat NPCs for the player’s use.
Numbers Matter For Advisors
The game offers two separate groups that matter when a player sets up their rule: their Court, which denotes their territorial associations (e.g., relatives, vassals, and knights), and the Council, which advises players on their various decisions. It’s the Council that is the most important, as their positions denote specializations, all of which have skills assigned to them. At its core, Chancellors handle diplomacy, Stewards handle taxes, Marshals handle the military, and Spymasters handle schemes.
Almost any character can become any of these roles, with their sensibilities playing into their roles. For instance, priests who become Spymasters may utilize their religious affiliations to get secrets. At its core, players still need reliable stats and traits to ensure the competence of their advisers. In this regard, skills below 8 usually get subpar results, while skills above 15 usually give the best outcomes.
Crusader Kings 3 Console Edition has been released on March 30, 2022 for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
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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
