Prussia of the Balkans [achievement]

[ChainsawBlue 36]

Hey all,

As you may know this achievement is as follows:

I just finished a Bulgaria run as communist, where I managed to get Romania and Yugoslavia in my faction and annexed them in the focus tree, but left Greece too late so I had to declare numerous wars on the Allies to occupy Greece, the Axis to occupy Albania, Istria, Zava and Northern Transylvania and finally the Comintern to occupy Bessarabia and Bucovina.

As you can imagine, by around 1943 this was becoming untenable due to sheer weight of arms being thrown against me, especially after the Axis Capitulated and I was left fending off merciless attacks by the Allies. Even though I controlled all the territories, I couldn't breach the Istanbul strait due to naval penalty in my attacks and the Allies throwing 30 fresh division on the crossing.

Has anyone been able to get this achievement? If so, how did you go about doing it? I'm thinking communist Bulgaria is the most effective but I need to optimise it more.

 

[brantodb01]

tbh, playing Bulgaria and Turkey they both feel too weak until it's too late so for now I'm not gonna bother with achievements until they do some balancing.

Balkan federation does seem the best way but I think it's too hard to unify in a timely manner (even when I cheated for max spies)

 

[shepherd352]

The Wiki makes it seem easy to get Balkan countries to 60% Communist but, I'm only getting one propaganda campaign and one undermine campaign. They boost Communism but then it loses ground. I haven't been using spies but to get any value, I would need to create the agency as soon as possible and gain an illusive gentleman, to sustain a boost on ideology - all for only one country at a time. It doesn't seem possible to get it in place before war breaks out, let alone Hungary and then Russia taking part of Romania. Any suggestions?

 

[b_raven]

Just did the achievement. You don't need to flip them communist, much easier is stage a coup, then you have an option to join war, and invite them to faction. Had all of Balkans + Turkey even before USSR demanded Bessarabia.

 

[Konfusioon]

I just did it as well. The way I went about it was to B-line for Balkan Federation focus. With a little optimization you can get there with little or no downtime between focuses (I recall there was one or more focuses where you had to destroy/befriend one or the other internal party).

I didn't focus on industry or military. Instead I focused on Spy agency to get the extra spy. Once I got done with Balkan Federation focus I had four spies (2 from Agency, 1 from staff and 1 from focus).

From there I focused on flipping Greece and Romania (with a combination of Spies boosting and PP). I didn't focus on Yugoslavia as he was already in my faction (though I flipped Yugo just in case later on, I've heard they might refuse integration if they are not communist). I let Italy eat Albania.

I also signed a non-aggression pact with Italy so he would not attack Greece or Yugoslavia. In my game it worked.

By that time I had all the necessary states with two notable obstacles. On the Axis side - Italy did not give me Albania (you can demand it via focus) and Hungary ate a part of Romania. On the Comintern side Soviet Union ate a part of Romania.

From that point onward I waited until Germany declares war on Soviets (you can use this time to build up military and integrate other nations). When the time is right (ie Germany had lost a fair amount of equiptment) I attacked Hungary for my cores. The non aggression pact with Italy will not block you from doing this. Germany can not withstand a war with Soviets, you and allies (if you are not strong enough you can just hold your ground and wait for others to grind the axis down, just focus on narrowing your land border with axis by capitulating Hungary).

When the axis fell I took the provinces I needed.

During the war with axis I disbanded my faction and joined the allies (UK might need a relationship boost). Immediatelly after axis defeat I declared war on both Soviet Union and Turkey. This way Turkey joins Comintern (I suggest declaring wars as soon as possible because in my game UK kicked me from allies soon after the war with Axis ended - being in allies is important to sidestep French/UK guarantee on Turkey). In this war the allies did most of the heavy lifting. Eventually Turkey capitulated and I got the achievement.

 

[shepherd352]

Just did the achievement. You don't need to flip them communist, much easier is stage a coup, then you have an option to join war, and invite them to faction. Had all of Balkans + Turkey even before USSR demanded Bessarabia.

I'm a bit weak on spies. I presume you boost ideology and then stage a coup. How much did you boost ideology before you initiate the coup? Is "join" a guaranteed option if you initiate a coup through spies (as it doesn't seem to be an option on coups initiated through decisions)? If you join, are you at war with the other side - do you have cross-border movement freedom?

Edit. You need to have a 70% strength spy network and 20% in favor of your ideology and then 180 days and 6,000 Infantry Equipment to initiate a coup. It seems likely that the preparation will add at least 30 days to each coup, so that is about 210 days per coup. If you coup in Albania, Greece and Romania, that's 630 days, 18,000 Infantry equipment and an invasion of Turkey, completed before mid 1940. I'm impressed that you could do it but the solution seems to have no leeway for any mistake. A captured spy or one bad decision must kill success.

 

[b_raven]

I'm a bit weak on spies. I presume you boost ideology and then stage a coup. How much did you boost ideology before you initiate the coup? Is "join" a guaranteed option if you initiate a coup through spies (as it doesn't seem to be an option on coups initiated through decisions)? If you join, are you at war with the other side - do you have cross-border movement freedom?

Edit. You need to have a 70% strength spy network and 20% in favor of your ideology and then 180 days and 6,000 Infantry Equipment to initiate a coup. It seems likely that the preparation will add at least 30 days to each coup, so that is about 210 days per coup. If you coup in Albania, Greece and Romania, that's 630 days, 18,000 Infantry equipment and an invasion of Turkey, completed before mid 1940. I'm impressed that you could do it but the solution seems to have no leeway for any mistake. A captured spy or one bad decision must kill success.

Yes, join option is guaranteed. I didn't couped romania and albania. Romania joins your factrion as you coup Greece, as they seem Greece as a threat. Acquired Albania through focus. So, only Turkey and Greece. 12000 inf equipment each, if U don't have spy with needed trait or nationality + 180 days. Also, you boost their ideology through mission, so boosting through spies is not necessary. I tried to flip them peacefully, but its too unreliable. Good luck

 

[shepherd352]

Yes, join option is guaranteed.

I set up a coup (in Greece) but there is no join option. I'm looking at the diplomacy options when the rebels start the coup. "Send Volunteers" is grey, as I have less than 30 divisions, and "Expeditionary Force" is grey. How do you join a coup? (Edit I found it. Its a decision, which appears when the coup is launched)

Romania didn't join my faction in my test game. They were about 45% communist but did not want to risk being dragged into the war. Any ideas on the triggers for this or is it just RNG? Adding a coup for Romania adds another 180 days (plus the war). The coup faction did join my faction, soon after the fighting started.

Although my test game was running too late (Hungary and Russia had already taken pieces of Romania), I found that Greece will still join the Allies (I was a few days off Bury Grudges) and Italy will not release Albania at 90% opinion, 8% diplomatic influence (I should have started that earlier) and with Albania occupied by the Allies. I'm not sure if Allied occupation is a block but it wasn't a benefit.

It seems you "defeated" Turkey through a coup and that still counted?

 

[b_raven]

I set up a coup (in Greece) but there is no join option. I'm looking at the diplomacy options when the rebels start the coup. "Send Volunteers" is grey, as I have less than 30 divisions, and "Expeditionary Force" is grey. How do you join a coup? (Edit I found it. Its a decision, which appears when the coup is launched)

Romania didn't join my faction in my test game. They were about 45% communist but did not want to risk being dragged into the war. Any ideas on the triggers for this or is it just RNG? Adding a coup for Romania adds another 180 days (plus the war). The coup faction did join my faction, soon after the fighting started.

Although my test game was running too late (Hungary and Russia had already taken pieces of Romania), I found that Greece will still join the Allies (I was a few days off Bury Grudges) and Italy will not release Albania at 90% opinion, 8% diplomatic influence (I should have started that earlier) and with Albania occupied by the Allies. I'm not sure if Allied occupation is a block but it wasn't a benefit.

It seems you "defeated" Turkey through a coup and that still counted?

Option located is where Political Actions like 'improve workers conditions' is. Its there 100% of times, 'cause I did many reruns before finding optimal strat. As for Romania, its also 100%, you need the right timing. Try diplomatic pressure with spies also. As for Turkey, i needed to annex them and release, so britain and germany would not guarantee them, but it is not neccessasy, if you can manage 3-front war

 

[shepherd352]

I had another try today, but was too slow to coup Greece (I think it needs to happen by end 38). When the revolt started, Romania was willing to join (but the timing was tight).

The bit I'm unsure of is Italy giving up Albania. I had Italy at 90% relations and 100% influence and it still rejected (multiple times but I don't know where the seed is). Was there anything you did to manage Italy?

This approach is interesting but very complex. You need to keep a perfect sequence of focuses, while going communist, building a spy agency, using spies to influence and prepare coups, build up a stockpile of infantry equipment (for the coups)and balance internal factions (which is necessary for some focuses). One mistake and different countries start taking bits away!

 

[pdstanbridge]

I'm running through this the hard way, not for an achievement as I don't play Ironman. So its' quite late for me, being 1943. Greece is in Allies, Romania is axis, but I have Yugoslavia and working towards Turkey. Out of interest, if you flip their ideology do they join your faction even if they're in another?

 

[b_raven]

I had another try today, but was too slow to coup Greece (I think it needs to happen by end 38). When the revolt started, Romania was willing to join (but the timing was tight).

The bit I'm unsure of is Italy giving up Albania. I had Italy at 90% relations and 100% influence and it still rejected (multiple times but I don't know where the seed is). Was there anything you did to manage Italy?

This approach is interesting but very complex. You need to keep a perfect sequence of focuses, while going communist, building a spy agency, using spies to influence and prepare coups, build up a stockpile of infantry equipment (for the coups)and balance internal factions (which is necessary for some focuses). One mistake and different countries start taking bits away!

Unfortunately, Italy giving land is RNG. But you only need to occupy land, not own. So when you deal with Turkey, you just attack axis for that last bit of land.
Yes, the strategy is timing-dependable, but more or less predictable. Also, keep in mind, that U need Turkey to be in faction not to annex them again immediately after capitulation. Release Turkey, fabricate claim (decision that gives you wargoal not working, bug). When claim finished, just attack axis, then immediately Turkey. They'll join axis.

 

[Aestholus]

I did it with fate of the balkans but it took a while .....

Got Turkey,Greece,Yugoslavia,Romania and Italy into my faction and puppeted all of them by decisions excluding Italy and killed Hungary before it could join Axis.
( I created a lot of 1 unit cavalry divisions so they recognised my military strength xD)

After that I killed the Sov together with Germany and waited till Italy released Albania and the missing parts of Yugoslavia as collaboration Governments.
Since they were in my faction I could take them over from Italy per decision.
After that I annexed all my puppets released Turkey as free nation and capitulated it.....

 

[HZCYD]

I did it in a communist run as well. Following this thread. https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/bulgaria-is-insane.1437926/

Tricky part for me is timing. Get fastest flip to communist and get Yugo into faction, down till you can influence Greece and Romania (leave Turkey alone). Need to carefully use the four parties, some events gives you essential 5% or 10% up, but also need to keep stability at 30%, use wisely the 35 day focus.

Apart from decisions it also need two spies to boost ideology which needs to build some CF. But do put every Mil to max out inf weapon for the effect of the second decision option. Solve the four party thing should give you enough PP.

The earliest run I got Greece and Romania flip is around early 1940. Other runs I couldn't get it before mid 1940 which is probably a bit late since it still need at least 140 days to be able to integrate them. It's actually fine with Romania and Yugo to concede territories as Bessarabia might be (?) not essential, and you gonna kinda have to fight Axis for Albania anyways.

After you integrated Greece and Romania, the rest is some war and you are already very very powerful. Defend for a while against Germany and Hungary, I was pushed back to Croatia and lost almost all Romania before the line is stable and they start ramming casualty. After line is stable (I pushed a bit back to eat Italy, easy after break through), eat Hungary if easy. Otherwise justify (the decision doesn't work, gives a war goal for Turkey on... Turkey), and naval invade Turkey. Job done.

 

[shepherd352]

I completed this, largely using the approach described by b_raven above (but not as well). I completed Reunification of the Balkans by April 1940 - avoiding any claims by Hungary and Russia. I couldn't get Italy to give up Albania before the allies occupied it and, after that they conceded territory but Albania didn't get passed over. End result was getting it from the peace conference. After that I just attacked Turkey. The UK had guaranteed it, resulting in another world war but nothing got in my way of capitulating it by April 1943.

 

[Psyclops]

Thx Paradox....
This achievement has a small bug...

Preperation:
- I did the United Balkan Federation. (Greece, Romania, Turkey, Yugoslavia)
- Defeated Axis together with help of Allies.
- Defeated Comintern with help of Allies.
- Got all the needed cores.

Released Turkey as independent nation and declared on them, capitulated them and the achievement did not fire....
Being the Donkey i am did same again still no achievement.

As Japan was still around fighting the world i declared on them and released Turkey again.
This time they joined Japan faction and after capitulating them this time the achievement fired......

 

[Kazakk]

Declare war on Romania, beat both them and Yugo before ww2 starts, then declare on Greece and beat them. Then beat the Axis to get Albania and beat Turkey.