I had to learn these tips through trials and errors, as I have never seen one with details. But we sophisticated tribal don't want to just mindlessly keep clicking pillaging button when we get a large realm to burn, don't we? There are optimal preparations and correct orders to maximize reward and minimize time and cost. So here we go.
1. Get a Chinese Scholar-Bureaucrat if you can
2. Build tribal holdings when there are fewer empty holding slots.
3. Prioritize holdings with MORE buildings because you can't pillage the last holding.
4. If there are barony titles are held by vassals, they will be usurped when the capital holding is destroyed.
5. Don't revoke imprisoned vassals before free vassals' titles are system usurped.
6. Switch capital holding to maximize piety bonus.
I think that covers most of basic situations and give solid understanding for any other variations.
1. Get a Chinese Scholar-Bureaucrat if you can
Speed up building tribal holdings and earth hillforts while saving gold and prestige. Self explanatory. We tribals are just as much builders as we are destroyers.
2. Build tribal holdings when there are fewer empty holding slots.
You need an empty holding slot to build a tribal holding. But the prestige cost doubles if there are two empty slots, and tripled with 3 in a county.
Example; County has a castle, a temple, and a city with two or less buildings, and an empty holding slot. Build a tribal holding before pillaging other holdings, or else you will pay more to build it as pillaging can destroy holdings and thus create more empty holding slots.
Example 2; County has a castle and a temple with two or less buildings, and no empty holding slot. Only pillage one holding, build a tribal holding, then proceed with the rest.
Example; County has a castle, a temple, and a city with two or less buildings, and an empty holding slot. Build a tribal holding before pillaging other holdings, or else you will pay more to build it as pillaging can destroy holdings and thus create more empty holding slots.
Example 2; County has a castle and a temple with two or less buildings, and no empty holding slot. Only pillage one holding, build a tribal holding, then proceed with the rest.
3. Prioritize holdings with MORE buildings because you can't pillage the last holding.
Example; County has a castle with 2 buildings and a temple with 3 buildings. Pillage the temple first. It will stay until it can be pillaged again 6 months later. then pillage the castle, which will be destroyed. The county will be done with just one more pillaging on the temple after the tribal holding is built.
If you pillage the castle first, the temple becomes the only holding and can't be pillaged until a (tribal) holding is built first, and it will take 6 months longer to destroy the temple holding.
If you pillage the castle first, the temple becomes the only holding and can't be pillaged until a (tribal) holding is built first, and it will take 6 months longer to destroy the temple holding.
4. If there are barony titles are held by vassals, they will be usurped when the capital holding is destroyed.
Example: County has three holdings, capital castle, a temple, and a city in the order (most common).
- If the temple is held by a vassal, don't waste prestige to revoke. When the capital castle is destroyed, the temple will become the capital and its title is automatically usurped.
- If the temple is not held by a vassal, either because you got the county through a holy war or an invasion, and the capital has two or less buildings, then first raise a local vassal on the temple for 25 piety. When the capital castle is pillaged to be destroyed, them temple title is usurped for free and you got the 25 piety for nothing.
- If the temple is held by a vassal, don't waste prestige to revoke. When the capital castle is destroyed, the temple will become the capital and its title is automatically usurped.
- If the temple is not held by a vassal, either because you got the county through a holy war or an invasion, and the capital has two or less buildings, then first raise a local vassal on the temple for 25 piety. When the capital castle is pillaged to be destroyed, them temple title is usurped for free and you got the 25 piety for nothing.
5. Don't revoke imprisoned vassals before free vassals' titles are system usurped.
Example: County has a capital castle on your demesne, a temple with a free priest, and a city with an imprisoned mayor.
Do not revoke the imprisoned mayor's title first. If you do, then the system will make the city as the county's new capital when the castle is destroyed. Then you will have harder time with the priest as he is not imprisoned.
Instead, first pillage the castle to destroyed. Since neither the temple nor the city is your demesne, the system will usurp the next holding first, which usually is the temple. Now the temple title is usurped, you can revoke the city title from the already imprisoned mayor.
You may wonder, why would the priest be free but the mayor is imprisoned? That's because your predecessor was an imprisoning tyrant. This may be a bit out of scope. But I will make a simple example.
An old Christian ruler imprisoned and executed all his castle vassals (dukes, counts, barons) and their heirs to personally inherit all the titles. Then he favor invited a Muslim, made him a count, imprisoned him, and transferred his priest vassals to the Muslim count.
When a priest is executed or runs away, a new priest is automatically created for the title under theocracy government, with his liege's religion and culture, which is Islam in this case. That changes the temple's government to Iqta.
When the new Muslim priest is executed or escapes imprisonment, the temple title is now inherited by his liege according to Iqta government's inheritance law. When the count has inherited all the temple titles, you can execute the count to inherit all the temple titles yourself.
The old tyrant still has no way to inherit city titles and has no prestige to revoke them. So he just imprisoned all the mayors before executing their lieges. Then he commits suicide with all the negative piety.
Now his son got all the castle and temple titles, but only imprisoned mayors instead of city titles. It would be smart for him to create new vassals on all of his temples for piety before destroying them. That's how a new tribal ruler can end up with free priests but imprisoned mayors.
Do not revoke the imprisoned mayor's title first. If you do, then the system will make the city as the county's new capital when the castle is destroyed. Then you will have harder time with the priest as he is not imprisoned.
Instead, first pillage the castle to destroyed. Since neither the temple nor the city is your demesne, the system will usurp the next holding first, which usually is the temple. Now the temple title is usurped, you can revoke the city title from the already imprisoned mayor.
You may wonder, why would the priest be free but the mayor is imprisoned? That's because your predecessor was an imprisoning tyrant. This may be a bit out of scope. But I will make a simple example.
An old Christian ruler imprisoned and executed all his castle vassals (dukes, counts, barons) and their heirs to personally inherit all the titles. Then he favor invited a Muslim, made him a count, imprisoned him, and transferred his priest vassals to the Muslim count.
When a priest is executed or runs away, a new priest is automatically created for the title under theocracy government, with his liege's religion and culture, which is Islam in this case. That changes the temple's government to Iqta.
When the new Muslim priest is executed or escapes imprisonment, the temple title is now inherited by his liege according to Iqta government's inheritance law. When the count has inherited all the temple titles, you can execute the count to inherit all the temple titles yourself.
The old tyrant still has no way to inherit city titles and has no prestige to revoke them. So he just imprisoned all the mayors before executing their lieges. Then he commits suicide with all the negative piety.
Now his son got all the castle and temple titles, but only imprisoned mayors instead of city titles. It would be smart for him to create new vassals on all of his temples for piety before destroying them. That's how a new tribal ruler can end up with free priests but imprisoned mayors.
6. Switch capital holding to maximize piety bonus.
Example: County has castle capital, a temple, and, a city all with 2 or fewer buildings. The city title is held by an imprisoned mayor.
First, collect 25 piety by creating a vassal on temple. Then pillage the castle to destroy, so that the temple becomes the capital and the system will usurp the temple title for you.
Only then revoke the imprisoned mayor's city title for 25 prestige and make the city as the county's capital. Since the temple is a barony again, raise a vassal to collect 25 piety again. Then pillage the city capital to destroy it. The temple becomes the capital and its title is usurped again. Just wait until your tribal holding is completed and pillage it to finish.
Variation: Same example, except that the temple has more than 3 buildings (very common). In this case, before raising a local vassal, make sure to pillage the temple first. It won't be destroyed and still serve the purpose. If you don't, it will take 6 months longer to finish it. (read way above)
First, collect 25 piety by creating a vassal on temple. Then pillage the castle to destroy, so that the temple becomes the capital and the system will usurp the temple title for you.
Only then revoke the imprisoned mayor's city title for 25 prestige and make the city as the county's capital. Since the temple is a barony again, raise a vassal to collect 25 piety again. Then pillage the city capital to destroy it. The temple becomes the capital and its title is usurped again. Just wait until your tribal holding is completed and pillage it to finish.
Variation: Same example, except that the temple has more than 3 buildings (very common). In this case, before raising a local vassal, make sure to pillage the temple first. It won't be destroyed and still serve the purpose. If you don't, it will take 6 months longer to finish it. (read way above)
I think that covers most of basic situations and give solid understanding for any other variations.
Last edited: