Colonization 101
This is my attempt at making a thorough guide for colonization. It is based on Divine Wind, but most of the guide applies to several previous versions of the game. Most of the guide is based on playing a European country establishing overseas colonies, but it will also cover various other scenarios, such as Russians colonizing Siberia and non-Christians going at it.
Some players do not consider colonizing lucrative, and to some extent they are right. It costs a lot of resources and if not done properly can be a real money sink without much to show for it. If done right however, it can take a small country to a world power without ever going to war. Besides, who ever needed any excuse to expand but the opportunity to paint a continent in the colours of your country?
To colonize you must first discover an empty province. This mostly happens in one of two ways: 1) You select the Quest for the New World national idea, recruit an explorer, assign him to a fleet and sail out into the unknown until you discover land or 2) You let other countries explore the New World and then wait for their discoveries to spread to you. The second option is cheaper, but it also means that you have to settle for the scraps that the first wave colonizers have left behind.
Once you have discovered an empty province you send out a colonist to colonize it. If he succeeds you will now have a small colony. It will slowly grow into a city but you can speed it along by sending more colonists.
To get any significant amount of colonists, you need to either be Christian or have the Colonial Ventures national idea. You will also need gold to fund the colony, both to establish it in the first place and to sustain it until it grows to a city. Also, you need to have an unblockaded core province within you maximum colonial range. This will increase gradually with naval technology and the Quest for the New World national idea gives a 50% increase, making it even more valuable.
This is my attempt at making a thorough guide for colonization. It is based on Divine Wind, but most of the guide applies to several previous versions of the game. Most of the guide is based on playing a European country establishing overseas colonies, but it will also cover various other scenarios, such as Russians colonizing Siberia and non-Christians going at it.
Some players do not consider colonizing lucrative, and to some extent they are right. It costs a lot of resources and if not done properly can be a real money sink without much to show for it. If done right however, it can take a small country to a world power without ever going to war. Besides, who ever needed any excuse to expand but the opportunity to paint a continent in the colours of your country?
To colonize you must first discover an empty province. This mostly happens in one of two ways: 1) You select the Quest for the New World national idea, recruit an explorer, assign him to a fleet and sail out into the unknown until you discover land or 2) You let other countries explore the New World and then wait for their discoveries to spread to you. The second option is cheaper, but it also means that you have to settle for the scraps that the first wave colonizers have left behind.
Once you have discovered an empty province you send out a colonist to colonize it. If he succeeds you will now have a small colony. It will slowly grow into a city but you can speed it along by sending more colonists.
To get any significant amount of colonists, you need to either be Christian or have the Colonial Ventures national idea. You will also need gold to fund the colony, both to establish it in the first place and to sustain it until it grows to a city. Also, you need to have an unblockaded core province within you maximum colonial range. This will increase gradually with naval technology and the Quest for the New World national idea gives a 50% increase, making it even more valuable.
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