Madness reached - Sun Tzu Reborn - Thoughts/observations/Mini-guide

[qqmagnuz]

I just did a PRC run where I went for their achievements (which I got) but I also wanted to get the Sun Tzu level 9 field Marshall. The game was going well and I had at the end of it conquered all of China + Comintern, still my field marhsall was only level 7. The way I set it up was to have 5 armies of 30 divisions led by one Field Marshall. Still, I wasn't even close considering getting to level 8 and 9 is exponentially more costly in EXP.

So how the hell is the best way to grind that level 9 field marshall in the newest patch 1.5.4?

 

[Duke_Dave]

I just did a PRC run where I went for their achievements (which I got) but I also wanted to get the Sun Tzu level 9 field Marshall. The game was going well and I had at the end of it conquered all of China + Comintern, still my field marhsall was only level 7. The way I set it up was to have 5 armies of 30 divisions led by one Field Marshall. Still, I wasn't even close considering getting to level 8 and 9 is exponentially more costly in EXP.

So how the hell is the best way to grind that level 9 field marshall in the newest patch 1.5.4?

you need that skill that makes him able to lead 7 armies, I did with national china, fighting and winning against Japan, Soviet Union, Allies and finally Axis.
Endgame was around 1970, total something like 150-200 million deaths world wide.

 

[qqmagnuz]

you need that skill that makes him able to lead 7 armies, I did with national china, fighting and winning against Japan, Soviet Union, Allies and finally Axis.
Endgame was around 1970, total something like 150-200 million deaths world wide.

So it's not an achievement, it's a grind.

 

[Duke_Dave]

So it's not an achievement, it's a grind.

I am a huge PDX fan boy and I like doing hard achievements but this DLC had some of the lamest ones. When it came out SunTzu couldn't be done because you needed a level 10 field marshall when the max level is 9. You needed 3 WC with China. Seriously no fun conquering the world with Red China (so that the achievment can later be made much easier), than do the same with national china and than with a warlord.

 

[qqmagnuz]

I am a huge PDX fan boy and I like doing hard achievements but this DLC had some of the lamest ones. When it came out SunTzu couldn't be done because you needed a level 10 field marshall when the max level is 9. You needed 3 WC with China. Seriously no fun conquering the world with Red China (so that the achievment can later be made much easier), than do the same with national china and than with a warlord.

I agree 100 % - usually the achievements are (mostly) challenging but also fun - not tedious like this one. EU4 generally has better achievements though. For Red China you just need to conquer China's starting provinces luckily.

 

[Duke_Dave]

I agree 100 % - usually the achievements are (mostly) challenging but also fun - not tedious like this one. EU4 generally has better achievements though. For Red China you just need to conquer China's starting provinces luckily.

Now! When I did it it was still World conquest.
While I like doing EU4 achievements some are quite tricky and a lot can only be done within the framework of their patch version.
I followed the HoI4 team tweeting about ideas for future achievements, while things like conquer the territories in Karelia and Mumansk with Finland look like a nice challenge, stuff like reconquer all the former Spanish empire wouldn't be challenging because it would just be a grind trying to defeat the Allies before inevitably having to defeat the Axis because they will take territories you will need for your achievement.
I was thinking about making a post analyzing different achievement classes and evaluating them.

 

[qqmagnuz]

Now! When I did it it was still World conquest.
While I like doing EU4 achievements some are quite tricky and a lot can only be done within the framework of their patch version.
I followed the HoI4 team tweeting about ideas for future achievements, while things like conquer the territories in Karelia and Mumansk with Finland look like a nice challenge, stuff like reconquer all the former Spanish empire wouldn't be challenging because it would just be a grind trying to defeat the Allies before inevitably having to defeat the Axis because they will take territories you will need for your achievement.
I was thinking about making a post analyzing different achievement classes and evaluating them.

You should do that! I guess HOI4 isn't as catered to achievements as EU4 since there is really no workaround for the factions and total war in HOI4.

 

[semper augustus]

I am a huge PDX fan boy and I like doing hard achievements but this DLC had some of the lamest ones. When it came out SunTzu couldn't be done because you needed a level 10 field marshall when the max level is 9. You needed 3 WC with China. Seriously no fun conquering the world with Red China (so that the achievment can later be made much easier), than do the same with national china and than with a warlord.

I just got Sun Tzu in January 1945. I had my best general as a general and then promoted him to field marshal at 9. I took the soviet Union pretty early and then slaughtered 10 million Germans (I split Soviet Union with germany. All I did was have my uber general have my most elite soldiers and generally command where I was going to do the most encirclements. It wasnt nearly as grindy as I thought it was pretty entertaining fighting Germany. I was also careful not to slaughter Germany too effectively because the allies got Italy very early (Greece got it) so Austria and Provence have been a bloodbath all game. I lost 4 million chinese and made some really horrific mistakes like not realizing most of my tech tree required scrolling down to see so I was stuck exporting all of my iron forever.

 

[Telenil]

I just got Sun Tzu in January 1945. I had my best general as a general and then promoted him to field marshal at 9. I took the soviet Union pretty early and then slaughtered 10 million Germans (I split Soviet Union with germany. All I did was have my uber general have my most elite soldiers and generally command where I was going to do the most encirclements. It wasnt nearly as grindy as I thought it was pretty entertaining fighting Germany.

This. I got the achievement reasonnably quickly by having a general leading 24 tank divisiond and have him destroyed encircled divisions all around the world.