What Eastern European, Baltic, or Balkan country is the most developed in EU?

[Jeremy Wong]

I'm interested in starting up an EUIV game with the new DLC, but I'm torn as to who I should play. I've never really played an Eastern European, Baltic, or Balkan country before, and I've always wanted to.

Which country in that region is most developed? Has the most interesting events? Has the coolest special abilities?

 

[oblio-]

Basically none of them do. Few have missions or events. This is from the smaller countries.

From the bigger guys, Poland or Muscovy, but you probably don't mean those.

Hungary maybe? But the start is a bit special, long regency, you have to work around that.

 

[Krajzen]

Poland and Muscovy have hella lot of unique events, like 40 - 60 of them each - I counted countries with the most unique events once and these two were high.

Lithuania has like 20 of them.


Poland/Lithuania => Commonwealth and Muscovy/Russian minor => Russia offer very distinctive gameplay. Russia is about colonising Siberia and dealing with European and Asian countries at once; Commonwealth is about extremely tolerant multinational country with extremely powerful cavalry.

Also: Commonwealth has its own unique government type, Elective Monarchy. As Commonwealth you can be Catholic, Protestant or Reformed country, while Russia is one of few Orthodox countries in the world and has Patriarchal mechanic.


These countries are the most developed as they are the biggest here, but there are many cool nations here:

- Bohemia
- Livonian Order -> Courland
- Ruthenia (well, first you would have to release it from Lithuania)

- Now every single nation in Balkans except Transylvania has its own unique ideas. Croatia - trade power, Bosnia - tolerance, Serbia - strong cavalry army, Wallachia - strong infantry army, Moldova, Montenegro, Bulgaria (releasable), aaand there is Albania for absolute hardcores.


Personally I don't recommend Hungary as I had very frustrating experiences with it, and I am not alone here

 

[FloatingOrb]

If you have the DLC Byzantium is a lot of fun. Not sure how doable it is in 1.8 though.
If you aren't very good I would suggest Muscovy over Poland/lithuania. Worse comes to worse you can just turtle and colonize the siberea, then move into asia. Really hard to fail as Russia.
Novgorod is actually a lot easier in 1.8. With very little gameness you can take on and defeat AI muscovy now, mostly because vassal armies are now brain dead. Novgorod is a really fun nation, and is my go to eastern nation. In fact, I never actually got past 1550 with muscovy, hehe.

 

[DukeDayve]

Hungary is a lot of fun. You have to deal with being eastern tech while bordering western nations, an extremely long regency at the start and all your neighbours are way more powerful than you. Many times when I've played as Hungary I've been steamrolled and partitioned by Austria, Bohemia, Poland, Ottomans and any combination of the above, forced to release territory, then had lots of fun taking it back when I had the opportunity.

It's frustrating sometimes though.

 

[Kombatdoctr]

Poland and Muscovy are the only countries in Eastern Europe worth playing IMO, they're both very fun to play, have good national ideas, and many unique events, Hungary pretty much only exists to get eaten by Austria or Turkey and the rest of them suffer a similar fate except Poland/Russia is the one eating them instead.