As I know, rates of attrition were reduced some time long ago, before I even knew about game. So now they are not so impressive to let enemy just disappear in Russian endless lands.
Muscovy/Russia idea groups (after Third Rome)
- Thread starter CrazyZombie
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Attrition is more of a subtle effect now than outright killing whole enemy stacks - but it does rack up enemy war exhaustion and manpower deficit rather quickly. Any enemy that cannot afford to run a full-time merc-only army will bleed hard, given time.
Problem is that enemies, able to reach Russian territory through Russian army, usually either take quantity, or simply swim in gold. So anyway can afford to leave monthly 1k soldiers dead in Russian snows.
One of reasons, I EXTREMELY want to be on the similar tech level with enemies, or even on superior one. Every component of superiority of my troops, except numbers, becomes pretty valuable in such conditions.
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That's true, they were severely reduced (30% per month used to be possible, you could win the early war vs Muscovy as Novgorod by just hiding your army and scorching the earth everywhere). But as Olterin said, attrition is still useful and it's especially good if you have a large country with severe winters or climate modifiers (arid, tropical etc.) and well placed forts with a lot of defensiveness. The AI sometimes doesn't know what to do, if you are a big country it might split up its armies in such an extreme way that you can defeat them and they don't have a chance to reinforce each other. Sometimes they are just running around aimlessly.
But that's also a matter of playstyle. My point was just that Muscovy can make use of strategies like these, just like some other countries (for example the ones in West Africa, etc.), while a lot of other countries can't (HRE minors for example have no space to fight a war of attrition).
If you just want to have a better army and crush the enemy, I'd recommend taking Offensive instead. Actually Defensive is also good for that purpose because of the +15% morale and +1 army tradition (better generals), but I think Offensive is overall the better choice in that case. You can't go wrong with Offensive.
Well, as I understood, best way to achieve military superiority anyway would be combination of offensive+defensive+quality.
P.S. And attririon reduce feels like a pretty odd decision of devs. Completely breaking a pretty roleplay style of warfare.
I'd agree with Religious, since you are mostly surrounded with the Sunnis, and the Orthodox land that Lithuania owns is mostly garbage, anyway.
Defensive is also good for Muscovy-Russia because of focused early bonuses, with upkeep reduction helping quite a lot too.
However, for the 3rd idea, i'd say go for Administrative, because the -core creation cost is godlike. Even if you don't need the rest of ideas from Administrative, then just unlock the first 2 ideas and skip the rest.
Don't go Exploration, it is worthless this early, now that Russia has Siberian Frontier unique idea. Only pick it later if you want to colonise overseas after you have finished settling the Siberian lands.
Also don't go Quantity, as you'd get nice bonuses for manpower once you form Russia itself (both from its unique government, as well as from ideas).
Defensive is also good for Muscovy-Russia because of focused early bonuses, with upkeep reduction helping quite a lot too.
However, for the 3rd idea, i'd say go for Administrative, because the -core creation cost is godlike. Even if you don't need the rest of ideas from Administrative, then just unlock the first 2 ideas and skip the rest.
Don't go Exploration, it is worthless this early, now that Russia has Siberian Frontier unique idea. Only pick it later if you want to colonise overseas after you have finished settling the Siberian lands.
Also don't go Quantity, as you'd get nice bonuses for manpower once you form Russia itself (both from its unique government, as well as from ideas).
I say:
1)offansive or if roleplaying quantity
2)Religius(in this timeperiod you should start conquering hordes)
3)trade or exploration if you colonized siberia so you can go west coast of america(ofcourse you can just ignore it and pick admin ideas to conquer entire china and make it your trade company
1)offansive or if roleplaying quantity
2)Religius(in this timeperiod you should start conquering hordes)
3)trade or exploration if you colonized siberia so you can go west coast of america(ofcourse you can just ignore it and pick admin ideas to conquer entire china and make it your trade company
Asia will also be conquered very early
Russia is very easy to play and becomes extremely powerful very early. Colonial nations in Americas will give 2 or even 3 merchants. To control this trade routes.
actually it has a mediacore stratAsia will also be conquered very early
Russia is very easy to play and becomes extremely powerful very early. Colonial nations in Americas will give 2 or even 3 merchants. To control this trade routes.
plc can allways backstab you together with denmark and your diplomacy slots filled with vassals making it difficult to have allies to defend aganist that alliance. since denmark prefers to fill rivallary slot aganist player mostly this making this stuff a common thing I know myself that its one of more difficult regions in game other than many (japan as example much more easier start for me than russia )Asia will also be conquered very early
Russia is very easy to play and becomes extremely powerful very early. Colonial nations in Americas will give 2 or even 3 merchants. To control this trade routes.
You get enough merchants from trade companies, I did the Frozen Assets achievement just a few weeks ago (as Novgorod control 90% of the White sea while it is the highest valued trade node) and I had enough merchants to push all my indian trade into the white sea
actually it has a mediacore strat
If the PLC goes to war with you, you've already won
Even if the war does not result in a major victory (which is should unless he brings allies) the war exhaustion will lead to a Lithsplosion
Maybe I'm doing something completely wrong, but Poland and Lithuania are not the states, I'd like to fight alone. At least, in early game, when I can't recover from casualties after a couple of battles.
If I am allied with someone, not liking Poland much, or just use war with someone to own profit, that is already different story.
You have even numbers with the PLC, your forts, Russian winter, your god-general and being the defender tilts the war in your favor
Lithuania is prone to being really dumb, smash their stacks 3 or 4 times and they have enough war exhaustion for rebels
Tried to follow advice of Religious-Defensive-etc.
After Ivan III the Great, Russia was getting only monarch retards with 1-2 of every "skill", so in 1600s I found myself 2-3 tech behind European neighbors and even superior numbers stopped to help me.
After Ivan III the Great, Russia was getting only monarch retards with 1-2 of every "skill", so in 1600s I found myself 2-3 tech behind European neighbors and even superior numbers stopped to help me.
You can disinherit your heirs to avoid them actually getting on the throne. That comes with a hefty prestige cost, but as long as you are winning wars and converting provinces you will have more than enough prestige.
The AIs couldn't handle dealing with very high attrition and the devs couldn't fix it without making a bunch of other things way worse. So they capped it. We might get it back some day if they can work it out but I wouldn't hold your breath.
My first ever EUIV game was as Muscovy and I found one-on-oneing the PLC in the early game basically impossible. It's a kind of warfare that takes time to learn to do well. My advice is to warn them off from attacking you with strong allies, build up your power base in Persia (aim to grab the sweetest trade goods), and strike when they're weak or distracted with something else.
Edit: Also, if you're not doing this already, when you're fighting hordes try to fight your battles in forests or other rough terrain as much as possible. You'll find you waste a lot less manpower.
My suggestion for idea groups:
-Religious
-Defensive
-Influence
-Admin
-Whatever you want
Reasoning:
1. You are one of the only orthodox nations in the world and you have a LOT of land to conquer + convert. Holy war is amazing, 75% AE on all lands and no diplo penalty is not to be underestimated.
2. Defensive adds ~+20% morale, together with high prestige you will destroy the hordes. Killing isn't really important, you just need to win battles and siege early. Best combat early idea group by far.
3. -20% AE, coupled with -25% from holy war, -10% from Russian ideas and potential -10% from icon means you will probably never see a coalition. I like vassalizing the steppes, livonian order and release finland at least (feed them to be annexed later). Influence + Religious also gives super cheap culture conversion if that's your thing
4. Admin is kind of obvious. Russia grows larger.
5. Offensive, Quality, Quantity, Economic, Humanist, Trade would be my potential choices for fifth++ idea groups.
-Religious
-Defensive
-Influence
-Admin
-Whatever you want
Reasoning:
1. You are one of the only orthodox nations in the world and you have a LOT of land to conquer + convert. Holy war is amazing, 75% AE on all lands and no diplo penalty is not to be underestimated.
2. Defensive adds ~+20% morale, together with high prestige you will destroy the hordes. Killing isn't really important, you just need to win battles and siege early. Best combat early idea group by far.
3. -20% AE, coupled with -25% from holy war, -10% from Russian ideas and potential -10% from icon means you will probably never see a coalition. I like vassalizing the steppes, livonian order and release finland at least (feed them to be annexed later). Influence + Religious also gives super cheap culture conversion if that's your thing
4. Admin is kind of obvious. Russia grows larger.
5. Offensive, Quality, Quantity, Economic, Humanist, Trade would be my potential choices for fifth++ idea groups.
Why are so many people suggesting mil ideas on a major nation?
It's not like you are some OPM without any military bonuses in their national ideas?
You don't pick military ideas early unless you really need them. If you can survive without them (which Russia can) Admin and Dip ideas are always better
The first 4 on a major should almost always be Admin, Religious or Humanist, Diplo and Influence (unless you are a colonizer in which case you pick Exploration, never Expansion though)
It's not like you are some OPM without any military bonuses in their national ideas?
You don't pick military ideas early unless you really need them. If you can survive without them (which Russia can) Admin and Dip ideas are always better
The first 4 on a major should almost always be Admin, Religious or Humanist, Diplo and Influence (unless you are a colonizer in which case you pick Exploration, never Expansion though)
Because in the first post the OP says that he's having difficulty winning wars, keeping his manpower up etc. He's not an experienced EUIV player (sounds from his sig that HOI is his home game) and while he probably could still win just by practicing micro and tech management for thirty hours, right now early defensive ideas really might help with the specific difficulties he's having.
(Also not everyone plays infinite blob mode. I know I'll have way more fun taking Aristocratic and Espionage for my totally needless +93% winged hussar combat ability.)
Once you tag switch to Russia in the early 1500s you don't really need quantity. You get 50% force limit bonus through Russian NI, along with a man power boost as a Tradition, plus what patriarchal authority does to provinces that are orthodox. For military ideas you are better off picking groups like offensive and defensive.
Yep, I already saw that. Now trick is only to keep myself on the level with other majors, if to speak about tech.
When gap reaches 2 - numbers will disappear pretty fast. I already said - that was pretty unlucky game, if to talk about monarchs.