So the Muscovy thread got me thinking: If France is #1, who is #2? And who is #3?

[Ultrix Prime]

Well, it is called "Rise of the Ottomans" and I think the game still is.

In human hands, the Ottos will be #1 every time, imo, and they don't need to fight any wars in Europe other than subjugating Byzantium and taking Constantinople to do it.

Driving trade into Constantinople from the Middle East and Asia simply gives the Ottos so much money that it would require France, Austria, etc to be human players for the Ottos to be at risk of not being #1.

 

[zlamaj]

With the extra provinces, Ottomans has to be number 1. They just need to take Anatolia, and not get dragged into wars with the Europeans early. If they focus on the east, their forcelimit and manpower before 1600 is scary. In my runs as the AI ottomans they failed everytime they hit a snag grabbing their cores in Anatolia. Egyptians usually jump on them when they smell blood and can be gg most of these cases.

 

[Kh3lben]

I honestly don't understand what we are ranking here.Countries with consistently high score in the hands of the AI ? Hardest to fight against as a player? Easier to play as? Cause the lists you people have posted change dramatically depending on the question with the golden exception of France being #1 no matter what.

As for the people ranking the Ottos #1.What are u smoking? They are strong.....just avoid Europe.Golfclap.....Japan #1....just avoid Europeans right?

 

[Pornek]

1. France
2. England
3. Ottomans
4. Austria
5. Burgundy (absurd this isn't topping more people's lists)
6. Castile
7. Poland
8. Muscovy
9. Denmark
10. Ming

+1
Might swap England and France.

 

[Emiliana]

Since we can all just assume France is #1 in the world, who does everyone think is #2, #3, #4, and #5? If played by humans to a competent degree which countries are likely the five strongest countries in EU4?

Well... It would be simpler, if like Victoria 2, EU4 started with a "Power Rank" system.

At the end of this game time period, Great Britain is labeled as first, Russia second, France 3rd, Prussia 4th in the Victoria series at least. it picks up right after this one ends, basically.

 

[petertel123]

Am I the only one who is consistently seeing austria as worldpower #1 after 200 years?

 

[Pornek]

Am I the only one who is consistently seeing austria as worldpower #1 after 200 years?

Its about humans though.

 

[Olligarchy]

My own personal experience, barring any Player intervention or dickery:
1. France
2. Ottomans
3. Muscovy
4. Castille
5. Austria
6. Poland-Lithuania (assuming Poland forms Commonwealth which it seems to do with latest patch)
6. Denmark/Sweden or whichever Scandinavian nation emerges on top of the pile.
7. Portugal/Great Britain depending on if France intervenes in Englands first war against Scotland.

 

[DanubianCossak]

In SP Russia is hands down the most powerful country on the planet. Nothing can match its size, and nothing is stopping you from picking good military ideas.

 

[wickermoon]

In SP it's hard to say. I would favour a Brandenburg-Prussia over Russia anytime in SP (as a player). Nothing can stop you as Prussia. Not even Russia - especially not Russia - in my opinion. And while the beginning might be a bit slower than Russia's, for example, its late game is a conquerfest.

In MP there are too many scaredy-cats that would immediately destroy you as either Brandenburg or Russia, if you can believe the forums. Also, I've never played mp and couldn't tell anyway.

 

[DicRoNero]

#2 is Austria if they are lucky with Burgundian inheritance. Netherlands is probably the richest place in Europe, and Austria gets it for free. Mind-boggling mechanics!

 

[No idea]

1. France
2. Spain (I said Spain, not Castille. That means Castille+Aragon with all its european holdings. If you grab Portugal, which is an accepted culture an easy to take, then you become as strong as a player controlled France)
3. Ottomans
4. Austria (if it forms the HRE into a single state it becomes n. 1)
5. UK?

 

[G_Morgan]

Obviously Ulm. When you see that name on the map you get -150% AE.

 

[stnk]

Based on my current game (lucky on, I ignored Europe entirely), my list is a bit different from OP

1) Austria
2) Russia
3) Spain
4) Ottomans
5) GB or Burgundy
6) GB or Burgundy
7) Poland
8) Portugal
9) France (what's left from it anyway )
10) Tunis

I think if Burgundy event doesn't fire and France has bad allies from start then they are doomed in this patch.

 

[JellyRev]

I always like to think of it as if in MP 5V5 happened 3 bans to each team who would be banned. Like in LOL.

France
Ottomans
Mucsovy
Castile
Poland
Austria

In sp
England and france are a toss up. depends on skill
Ottomans
Muscovy
Castile
Austria
Poland

 

[Stormhound]

You are number six.

(Sorry, but someone had to...)

 

[Agoria]

Ottomans
France
Castile
Austria
Muscovy

Ottomans can exand very easily and have some cheap bonusses.

France and its manpower, rich provinces, army bonusses

Castile is high because it's really easy to finish the Reconquista and to take Portugal (too easy since Portugal beat them several times in defensive wars IRL) and if you do, you can be the first to colonize pretty much everywhere and become much more powerful than other european blobs.
With Aragon under your power, you'll have a feet in the very rich and easy-to-take Italian provinces...

Austria especially when you inherit Burgundy.

I dunno who's strongest in this patch since Spain got buffed a bit, bit the richest countries in the world go

1. Portugal
2. Great Britain
3. France
4. Ottomans

Its just freaking ridiculous how much money Portugal makes from trade now.

About Portugal, PI should give them some good army bonus (like "english leaders" giving shock point, army tradition, or discipline) and a bit less trade bonusses.
They are there to simulate the XVI century when they can be considered as the richest country.
This could be simulated by making Indian trade way more interesting for western powers than colonizing (just as it was IRL) instead of stupid bonusses.
It's also obvious that they need some naval bonus too as nobody was able to keep up in the XVI century (replacing a trade idea, since naval impacts trade anyway).

 

[TheMeInTeam]

#2 is Austria if they are lucky with Burgundian inheritance. Netherlands is probably the richest place in Europe, and Austria gets it for free. Mind-boggling mechanics!

Any European major in SP can vassal electors and snipe HRE, getting that land instead. This includes England and France of course, and in some of the luckier playthroughs even Ottomans can do it.

 

[DicRoNero]

Any European major in SP can vassal electors and snipe HRE, getting that land instead. This includes England and France of course, and in some of the luckier playthroughs even Ottomans can do it.

Wait, it's given to whoever is the current Emperor?! Wow, I didn't know that.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Wait, it's given to whoever is the current Emperor?! Wow, I didn't know that.

USUALLY, it's a rather complicated event chain. If the emperor is too small he won't get it.

The most asinine and amusing scenario is for France to wind up with the entire thing, which is possible and not all that difficult to set up.

I don't see how people can rate nations like Muscovy over HYW England or France taking emperor and getting the inheritance. It's not even close; at that point controlling multiple end nodes won't take long at all.