In Crusader Kings 3, there are two main divisions in every realm. First, there are all the counties and holdings that vassals control. Second, there's the ruler's personal domain that they administer directly.
Every player should try to create and maintain as big of a personal domain as their ruler can handle. While vassals only provide a fraction of the taxes and levies their domains provide (along with a fraction of a fraction of their vassals' income), rulers get all the income their personal domains generate. That makes them a big source of income even when players carve out vast empires in Crusader Kings 3, so it's important to raise the domain limit as high as possible.
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What Can Raise the Domain Limit?
A Count with no other bonuses or penalties has a domain limit of 2. If a Count controls more than 2 holdings (including holdings in the same County), the extra holdings will provide no tax or levy income and all its buildings will be disabled. Vassals will also get an Opinion penalty for each holding the ruler has over the limit. Holdings are also disabled when a ruler owns the wrong sort of holding, such as a feudal ruler who controls a tribe, or a ruler who follows a Theocratic Faith and holds a temple.
Ways to Boost the Domain Limit
- A King starts with a domain limit of 3, and an Emperor gets 4.
- For every 6 points of Stewardship the ruler has, they can control one extra holding. This includes all bonuses, such as Traits and the Spouse bonus from their council job. The game always rounds down, so the bonus is +1 domain limit at 6, +2 at 12, and so on.
- An entrenched regent adds part of their Stewardship to the ruler's domain limit.
- The Culture Innovations Gavelkind and Court Officials add +1 domain limit each.
- The Divided Attention perk in the Stewardship lifestyle adds +2 to the domain limit.
- The Pacifism and Dharmic Pacifism Tenets each add +1 domain limit. However, no Faith can have both of these Tenets.
- The Crown of Justinian Artifact grants +1 domain limit, but players must have the "Royal Court" expansion to find it.
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Tips for Maintaining a Large Domain
Something almost more important than a high domain limit is maintaining a large domain that won't vanish between generations. Here are a few tips that can help players keep as much land as possible in spite of partition succession laws. Crusader Kings 3 is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
- When the game decides how to divide a ruler's domain upon their death, it takes into account how many titles the ruler's eligible children have. If every son of a king has two duchies already, then the ruler's two domain duchies will stay with the player heir.
- Players are free to grant and revoke baron-level titles without any consequences. A few counties with several castle holdings are much easier to control than several counties with one castle holding each, and players can grant and remove barons as needed to keep the domain within the current player ruler's capabilities.
- A religion with the Lay Clergy Doctrine (which includes most Islamic Faiths) is even better at concentrating holdings within a few counties since feudal or clan rulers can add temples to their personal domains without any penalties. However, temples tend to be less valuable than castles in terms of defenses and levies.
- Kings and emperors can only hold 2 duchy titles without an Opinion penalty from their vassals (not including any Head of Religion titles). However, rulers can control as many counties as their domain limit allows without an Opinion penalty. Just make sure the duchy titles for those counties don't exist or someone will be very angry that the ruler controls land they think they should have.
- Player rulers can revoke duchies and counties from vassals, and if they have a valid claim to their titles this doesn't count as tyranny. Players can get these claims through their Head of Religion, by spending Renown to claim a dynasty member's title, by buying a claim after getting the Sanctioned Loopholes perk in the Learning lifestyle, and by using the Realm Priest's "Fabricate Claim on County" job.
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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
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.