Never played Austria before, i have merely murdered it like dozens upon dozens of time as countries outside the HRE. But either way i wanna give it a go, what should i do? I intend to do the formable state.
How do i centralize the HRE within a reasonable amount of time?
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The big thing to look out for that doesn't revolve around an early explosion into Italy is the Reformation. You need to be actively busting centers of reformation any way you can to limit the spread of Protestant/Reformed by Enforcing Religion on OPMs or states with the CoR in their capital, or take and convert the province ASAP if they're not.
Also, ensure no non-HRE nation holds any land in the HRE. These are your Burgundies, your Polands, and your Denmarks.
Finally, when attacking large neighbours like Poland or France for those Imperial provinces, prioritize breaking up their land into minors over taking it for yourself. Minors who feel threatened (by, say, a looming France with cores) and have good relations with the Emperor will often seek to join the Empire, giving you an instant injection of Imperial Authority.
Other than that, follow your mission tree for the most part. It will grant you a sizeable power base to do all these shennanigans from. As you get some electors in unions, though, it's worth noting that if you integrate them, the Electorship will need to be granted to someone else. If you inherit it, you will also inherit the electorate. So unless you REALLY need that extra Dev from Bohemia, it's better to let it happen naturally than forcing the issue.
I've also assumed you mean 1650-1750 for "Reasonable Time", BTW - in time for Imperialism and Absolutism to kick in for the expansion into wider Europe. Not like, 1550 or whatever.
Also, ensure no non-HRE nation holds any land in the HRE. These are your Burgundies, your Polands, and your Denmarks.
Finally, when attacking large neighbours like Poland or France for those Imperial provinces, prioritize breaking up their land into minors over taking it for yourself. Minors who feel threatened (by, say, a looming France with cores) and have good relations with the Emperor will often seek to join the Empire, giving you an instant injection of Imperial Authority.
Other than that, follow your mission tree for the most part. It will grant you a sizeable power base to do all these shennanigans from. As you get some electors in unions, though, it's worth noting that if you integrate them, the Electorship will need to be granted to someone else. If you inherit it, you will also inherit the electorate. So unless you REALLY need that extra Dev from Bohemia, it's better to let it happen naturally than forcing the issue.
I've also assumed you mean 1650-1750 for "Reasonable Time", BTW - in time for Imperialism and Absolutism to kick in for the expansion into wider Europe. Not like, 1550 or whatever.
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They changed the force convert operation's order recently, so you can even get rid of a CoR which didn't spawn in your target's capital, you just have to make sure that they end up with that province as their new capital, and the Enforce Religion peace option will convert it. Used to be that first it converted the nation then moved the capital to the new location, nowadays it's moving the capital first and then applies the forced conversion. This makes it easier to deal with non-capital CoRs, even if you can't/won't take any provinces yourself (who needs the extra AE), for example you can ally a neighbouring tag and promise them land to force a capital change in the target, making them eat the AE.
Outside of that @Nostalgium summed up pretty well what you can do, I would just add that try using the Imperial Ban CB multiple times to balkanize big targets (Poland, Lithuania, France), and then use the Expand Empire CB to force those nations in that didn't join on their own. Simply releasing them might not be enough, because if you don't retract your free guarantee on them they might feel secure enough that they don't join.
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For the force conversions I would recommend completing the diplomacy tradition. The reduced impact on diplomacy events makes you loose way less stability when declaring no cb wars.
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There should be no reason to do no CB wars, just use alliance chains properly. You can call in allies of allies by making an ally a co-belligerent. In addition I often do not target the CoR owner directly but attack an ally first - that works best for OPMs. You can check the war score cost of a country by looking at the province war score cost. Once that is above 50 this trick will not work.
Regardless of how you do it, attack the OPM once the center pops up immediately (barrage and assault are your friend here) and you might get them before they convert even one additional province. Once you have force converted the OPM finish the main war as quickly as possible if you used an alliance chain. Also be aware that you need to keep electors from converting at any price as this might trigger the Evangelical League. The league will prevent you from pushing through further reforms.
Finally, you can edit the message settings to get information whether countries convert, but mostly watch the religious map like a hawk.
Edit: grammar
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Other think you can use is the CB on non-members bordering the Empire to force them to join the Empire.
Unlocked on the 3 Reform "Absolute Reichsstabilität"
Its give you a large portion of Imperial Authority.
So one strat is to use "Imperial Ban" to destroy country into smalls ones (like France / poland / Burgundy) and after use CB from "Absolute Reichsstabilität" and free IA.
You can use it on some italian land not already in the HRE and on the Balkan.
Unlocked on the 3 Reform "Absolute Reichsstabilität"
Its give you a large portion of Imperial Authority.
So one strat is to use "Imperial Ban" to destroy country into smalls ones (like France / poland / Burgundy) and after use CB from "Absolute Reichsstabilität" and free IA.
You can use it on some italian land not already in the HRE and on the Balkan.
I totally agree.
You can get a lot of points early on by reining in the Italians, getting Burgundy, etc.
There is a lot of luck involved. If there isn't a lot of internal HRE wars, that helps as well. Keep a lot of HRE members. Remember what you are scored on:
1. You get a score for each STATE in HRE (not lands but actually independent states)
2. You get score for having all 12 Free Cities
3. You get score for no wars
You lose score for the following:
1. Lands owned by non-HRE members.
2. Lands with different religion than you
3. Not having enough Free Cities
4. Not having enough Electors
You also get +10 boosts for adding the Pope, Reining in Italy, and your leader dying.
You could go through several leaders in short succession but that may cause Stability hits and make it harder to win elections.
Key will be Reformation. It is coming. If it spawns in Capitals close to you or ones that you can get easy CBs on, you are golden. You are screwed if it spawns in non-capital regions because you cannot enforce religion and get rid of Reformation Spawn.
Getting your PU over Burgundy and Milan helps a lot as well. (You should always get PU over Bohemia and Hungary as Austria, those are given).
Even if religion thing doesn't work out, focus on winning religious war and it is still very possible to centralize HRE. One thing to remember if you are going for AEIOU Achievement is the different territories you need in India/Colonial regions. Kind of an odd requirement for Austria but it is there.
Get the 5 happy electors mission using the +25 opinion clergy privliege
Pu bohemia
Wait for Milan to die, pu them
Declare war on venice with return milanese core cb
Attack rest of Italian states via fabricate or co belligerent
Reign in italy
Reset until pu on Hungary, or attack them and get the gold mine for yourself
When reformation hits, reset until it spawns in opms, revoke free cities, no cb or co belig
Repeat for reformed
Don't pass imperial reforms that gives religious peace until Catholic is dominant
Id like to add on top of all the good advice that Europe goes up to the Oural to the east and Syria to the south so you can balkanise poland, lithuania, russia, anatolia, gorgian land and a good chunck of the hordes. The smaller they are the better. With the right idea set, you can force religion and into hre in one war to speed up those last reforms.
Also, when you are up to making all nations your vassal make sure that everyone accept, some bigger nation might require you to improve relation or wait until you get 60-70 authority.
Also, when you are up to making all nations your vassal make sure that everyone accept, some bigger nation might require you to improve relation or wait until you get 60-70 authority.
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Apart from what other wrote take the Historical Center of Prague. It starts on level 2 and gives a flat 0,1 per month so grab it as fast as you can and upgrade it to level 3 so it gives 0.15. It is a huge buff early game.
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So basically follow mission tree, add smaller states to HRE and curb protestantism.
And hope for a lot of luck. I had a perfect AEIOU run going as Austria one time and I didn't realize when you do the last reform to actually form the HRE, your Mission Tree changes and you cannot do AEIOU anymore. I hit the button and messed it up.
To do AEIOU, I really think you need to inherit Burgundy (it helps a lot).
On that topic, is it detrimental to Ally with Burgundy? Sometimes I need to ally to secure Royal Wedding. Will that impact inheritance. I was just playing an Austria game and Brunswick got the inheritance, I am wondering what factors I can use to make sure I get Burgundy. Any advice?
Ai burgundy can choose france, strongest marriage or emperor, or independence. If you send the marriage proposal as Austria your chance of getting inheritance very high
I mean, does it hurt to be allied with Burgundy as well as married? I was told to Marry but not Ally. I was wondering why.
BTW, the PU of Burgundy option in the HRE is bullcrap because if you pursue it, you get a massive coalition against you. I also noticed that as France doing the Burgundy PU as well.
That kind of breaks the game @Paradox. Why have PU CBs if they kill your country to pursue them?
You watched the reman vid right?
Because burgundian inheritance used to fire more during war, since Emperor got reworked
Only france gets ae as only france declares war, as it happens passively there is no ae
You're taking like 400 dev in one war bro, better than before where you could force pu bohemia, hungary, and milan as Austria without facing a coalition except Venice
As Austria in a game that I just played, I was given the HRE option to pursue PU with Burgundy. I accepted it. Now my AE will get the world against me if I claim it.
Not really. Why have that as an option in the game if it is a fake option?
It is literally like a trap. Oh... pick this option and enter war. Oh, but we forgot to tell you that a major coalition will form against you if you win the war. Kind of bullshit don't you think?
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It's not a fake option, just a high-risk one. The higher the risk, the higher the reward and all.
Fast expansion carries the downside of angering your neighbors. PUs are fast expansion, thus they get the high AE, they are not magical "I win" button.
Countries do not join coalitions against countries they have positive relations with or have a truce.. Hence, by increasing relations with countries that will be problematic in a coalition, and by establishing truces with others, you can make the coalition manageable, or even avoid it altogether. Does it require skill, strategy and some luck? Sure.
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No it isn't, it is literally a game over scenario. It is basically like the LJN games that James Rolfe whines about as the Angry Video Game Nerd. A beginner's trap. Why have an option that leads to an unbeatable coalition against you and a game over? That is bad NES game bull.
I had very little AE and high likeability so don't give me that. I have played the game enough to know that the PU Burgundy mechanic is literally broken. You should not give me a mechanic in the game if it is broken.
Also, I really don't care about instant development. Their are countries like Muscovy and Ottomans that can seize tons and tons of development with very little AE and become unstoppable force. Austria taking Burgundy is a little OP but not near as OP as Muscovy, Ottos, or even England taking France in 100-year war.
They need to fix this mechanic or just kill the option in the next update.
It also doesn't help that the AEIOU achievement mission tree literally requires you to own the Benelux (and later parts of India) so getting Burgundy is almost required to complete AEIOU.
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Just because YOU can't manage it, does not mean it cannot be done. Like the WC in mid 1500s - it can be done, but can you do it?
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