Help with Austria(HRE) in 1.30.3!

[Timrocks101]

Hello everyone in 1.30.0 Austria was broken in HRE. I am playing them in 1.30.3 and they seem the same as before the update honestly. I can tell there is more IA but its still less where it means anything. Am I just special? Someone please give a good guide for Austria in 1.30.3 please.

 

[Snake_Squeezins]

Short guide to HRE in 1.30.3:

1) Wait until at least 1.30.4 to play in the HRE.

2) If there is any additional confusion, refer to Step 1.

 

[Methuen of Melnibone]

I've just finished an Austria game - most fun I've had yet in EU4 - there's lots to do besides blob, and plenty of scope to make gains without having to rush off to colonise the Ivory Coast.

Key things I'd say to play as Austria -

Play on Iron Man. Makes the politics much more tense & enjoyable.

For me - don't centralise into the HRE nation - the Imperial mission tree is rubbish, and the big-grey-blob isn't a fun game - you can play as literally any other nation if you just want a giant nation with a big army. Removing the politics of the HRE removes most of the fun.

Via the below, you'll end up with the Imperial vassal swarm (if you revoke) and can have a great time beating on France / the Ottomans / Spain / Hulk-Denmark.

I had the lot by 1587, which left plenty of time for fun elsewhere in the game.

Diplomatic -
Get Hungary / Bohemia as PUs - use the mission tree / marriages to achieve this if you don't get them at the start.
Using marriages & so on, PU Milan
Don't let the Italians leave via the Shadow kingdom
Take diplomatic ideas - this will make managing the empire much easier, as you'll eventually have 6 diplomats to send on 'Improve Relations' missions
Keep your relations & marriage up with Burgundy & make sure to take all of it if the Succession event goes your way
Keep the Pope in the Empire
Later on, be sure to integrate Hungary ahead of using the Revoke reform, if you go that route

Military -
When it emerges, PU Bavaria
Take Quality ideas - better generals, more tradition
I took Aristocratic ideas also - extra combat bonuses, and another diplomat
Smash up Poland (use the mission tree) to prevent the Commonwealth dominating your eastern border
Use your huge army to grind down the Ottomans & release the Balkan nations into the Empire
When the Reformation kicks off, use your huge (Austria + Hungary + Bohemia + Bavaria) army to nuke all of the centres of reformation
Force Religion on non-Catholic princes during the reformation - especially electors
Expand the Empire CB on bordering countries (Italy is key really)
Build semi-historic fortresses in the Low Countries to keep the French out (the Barrier) - also good for your tradition

Imperial Authority -
Keeping down Reformed & Protestant areas maintains a nice .10 - .20 tick all the way through the Reformation
Lots of PUs / alliances around the Empire reduces wars, which keeps up the IA tick (peace increases it)
Make sure to release princes from your Burgundian lands / Italian lands
Use the 'Demand Unlawful Territory' to keep up the numbers of OPM princes. Try not to cause heretic princes to be released this way.

 

[Timrocks101]

I've just finished an Austria game - most fun I've had yet in EU4 - there's lots to do besides blob, and plenty of scope to make gains without having to rush off to colonise the Ivory Coast.

Key things I'd say to play as Austria -

Play on Iron Man. Makes the politics much more tense & enjoyable.

For me - don't centralise into the HRE nation - the Imperial mission tree is rubbish, and the big-grey-blob isn't a fun game - you can play as literally any other nation if you just want a giant nation with a big army. Removing the politics of the HRE removes most of the fun.

Via the below, you'll end up with the Imperial vassal swarm (if you revoke) and can have a great time beating on France / the Ottomans / Spain / Hulk-Denmark.

I had the lot by 1587, which left plenty of time for fun elsewhere in the game.

Diplomatic -
Get Hungary / Bohemia as PUs - use the mission tree / marriages to achieve this if you don't get them at the start.
Using marriages & so on, PU Milan
Don't let the Italians leave via the Shadow kingdom
Take diplomatic ideas - this will make managing the empire much easier, as you'll eventually have 6 diplomats to send on 'Improve Relations' missions
Keep your relations & marriage up with Burgundy & make sure to take all of it if the Succession event goes your way
Keep the Pope in the Empire
Later on, be sure to integrate Hungary ahead of using the Revoke reform, if you go that route

Military -
When it emerges, PU Bavaria
Take Quality ideas - better generals, more tradition
I took Aristocratic ideas also - extra combat bonuses, and another diplomat
Smash up Poland (use the mission tree) to prevent the Commonwealth dominating your eastern border
Use your huge army to grind down the Ottomans & release the Balkan nations into the Empire
When the Reformation kicks off, use your huge (Austria + Hungary + Bohemia + Bavaria) army to nuke all of the centres of reformation
Force Religion on non-Catholic princes during the reformation - especially electors
Expand the Empire CB on bordering countries (Italy is key really)
Build semi-historic fortresses in the Low Countries to keep the French out (the Barrier) - also good for your tradition

Imperial Authority -
Keeping down Reformed & Protestant areas maintains a nice .10 - .20 tick all the way through the Reformation
Lots of PUs / alliances around the Empire reduces wars, which keeps up the IA tick (peace increases it)
Make sure to release princes from your Burgundian lands / Italian lands
Use the 'Demand Unlawful Territory' to keep up the numbers of OPM princes. Try not to cause heretic princes to be released this way.

I appreciate your mini essay seriously. I did do all of that except how do you make the Italians not leave? Just go to war with each one so they stay?

 

[Dlin369]

How do you take out the centers of reformation? Is it just a manual justification and then war?

 

[holyvigil]

I appreciate your mini essay seriously. I did do all of that except how do you make the Italians not leave? Just go to war with each one so they stay?

Declare war. Get war reps. Repeat.

 

[Methuen of Melnibone]

I appreciate your mini essay seriously. I did do all of that except how do you make the Italians not leave? Just go to war with each one so they stay?

No problem - I learned from posts on here too !

I did it peacefully -

It's about relations - keep the up above 150+ until you're able to rein them in (needs the event to fire offering you the 'official' choice to rein them in or not)

It's much easier if you've allied a couple of them (up to you) - royal marriages are good as you may inherit one or two also.

Make sure you've had the relations up, opted to reign them in when the choice fires, and have clicked the 'rein in Italy' policy button before 1490

It's a bit micro doing it this way, but saves you the aggro of being at war with everyone for the entire early game.

How do you take out the centers of reformation? Is it just a manual justification and then war?

Basically - invade, win the war, make sure that the reformation centre is in their capital (force them to cede/ release provinces if it's not a OPM), select force religion in treaties.This kills the reformation dead. Always fun to force-convert a bunch of OPMs at once if you can in a single war - really makes a difference.

I had five or six to take out, and did all but one this way - the last was in France - I took the province from them & converted it with a missionary.

 

[Timrocks101]

No problem - I learned from posts on here too !

I did it peacefully -

It's about relations - keep the up above 150+ until you're able to rein them in (needs the event to fire offering you the 'official' choice to rein them in or not)

It's much easier if you've allied a couple of them (up to you) - royal marriages are good as you may inherit one or two also.

Make sure you've had the relations up, opted to reign them in when the choice fires, and have clicked the 'rein in Italy' policy button before 1490

It's a bit micro doing it this way, but saves you the aggro of being at war with everyone for the entire early game.




Basically - invade, win the war, make sure that the reformation centre is in their capital (force them to cede/ release provinces if it's not a OPM), select force religion in treaties.This kills the reformation dead. Always fun to force-convert a bunch of OPMs at once if you can in a single war - really makes a difference.

I had five or six to take out, and did all but one this way - the last was in France - I took the province from them & converted it with a missionary.

Thanks man. If you have relations above 150 it reigns them in??

 

[Methuen of Melnibone]

Thanks man. If you have relations above 150 it reigns them in??

Not automatically - but you need to be at or above that to rein them in - if you go into the policies tab you'll see the option, when both criteria are satisfied (you've reined in the Italian states it tells you to get), and you've officially chosen to do so via the imperial incident that fires automatically, you can accept the policy & it's done with.

 

[Gaijin de Moscu]

I appreciate your mini essay seriously. I did do all of that except how do you make the Italians not leave? Just go to war with each one so they stay?

I just improved relations, allied them all, pressed the mission button, broke the alliances. They stayed in HRE.