Which nation would be good to start as?

[Nitte Cera]

I plan on buying EU4 and all of it's major Expansions (Except Cradle of Civilization) once it's on sale and I want to know what nation would be good to start as, I watched a lot of content and I don't want to play as Castile, England, the Ottomans or France, I am thinking on playing one of the Daimyos in Japan (Or the Shogun), Holland, Muscovy, Portugal, or an HRE elector.
Suggestions? (I want to play something that is a bit more challenging than Castile or France)

 

[Shinkuro Yukinari]

Ryukyu, Byzantium, Ulm, Dithmarschen, Karabakh, Albania, Norway, Aztec

 

[Nitte Cera]

Ryukyu, Byzantium, Ulm, Dithmarschen, Karabakh, Albania, Norway, Aztec

Something a little less challenging...

I am looking for a fun experience that will teach me on how to colonize and or war

 

[Blust]

Muscovy is nice to start and see differents parts of the christian game such as vassal, PU, colonization, expansion, etc.

 

[Nitte Cera]

Muscovy is nice to start and see differents parts of the christian game such as vassal, PU, colonization, expansion, etc.

Should I try to blob or just do whatever I want? (Taking Trade ideas and colonizing North America xd)

 

[Shinkuro Yukinari]

Well, Ryukyu can teach you about that, but if you are feeling lazy, try Portugal or Mali, if you are feeling hipsterish

 

[Nitte Cera]

Well, Ryukyu can teach you about that, but if you are feeling lazy, try Portugal or Mali, if you are feeling hipsterish

I don't think I would have much patience for a Ryuuku game as my first game.

 

[darth254]

I don't know if I'd recommend Muscovy. It's not a super hard start by any means and any semi-experienced player can do well and it can be fun to expand with, but the problem is there issome strong opposition. Juggling Denmark-Sweden-Norway and Poland-Lithuania can be iffy. also, Ottomans grabbing Crimea can be tough for a new player to handle, considering how aggressive the Ottomans are and the avalanche of mercs they can send your way.

if you insist on going Muscovy, maybe see if you can ally Poland early for a safer start. if you aren't able to ally them and then they happen to ally Denmark and both rival you....watch out.

 

[Nitte Cera]

I don't know if I'd recommend Muscovy. It's not a super hard start by any means and any semi-experienced player can do well and it can be fun to expand with, but the problem is there issome strong opposition. Juggling Denmark-Sweden-Norway and Poland-Lithuania can be iffy. also, Ottomans grabbing Crimea can be tough for a new player to handle, considering how aggressive the Ottomans are and the avalanche of mercs they can send your way.

if you insist on going Muscovy, maybe see if you can ally Poland early for a safer start. if you aren't able to ally them and then they happen to ally Denmark and both rival you....watch out.

Shouldn't I be able to Ally the Ottomans for deterrence if something like that happens?

So if not Muscovy, what nation should I pick? I really want to mess with trade and colonization if I am not playing Muscovy or an HRE elector

 

[L1ve]

Uesugi will be a good choice if you want to play in Japan (colonization included). It's easy to overcome other daimyos by both force limit and your income, but still funny experience. Bohemia is nice for around HRE playing. As medium power all ways are open for you. As Muscovy you can struggle early (before forming Russia). Third Rome patch made them a bit harder to manage for beginner player.

For me you should go (if you still don't want to try smth easier):
1. Bohemia
2. Uesugi
3. Muscovy

 

[IIWBIIMars]

Something a little less challenging...

I am looking for a fun experience that will teach me on how to colonize and or war

I suggest you play Portugal.

Portugal is a colonizing and trading power house in competent hands and can teach you well in both these subjects.

It´s challenging militarily because Portugal itself has a small manpower base, but it is shielded from european threats by Castille/Spain so you can pick your wars at your own pace, for example against the North Africans or countries in areas you colonize into.

Only make sure to cancel your alliance with England ASAP, you do not want to fight against France in the early game.

Trust me. ;-)

 

[DarthDanMan]

I would reccomend Portugal myself. It was my first "real" game after crashing and burning before that as the Timurids and England. Just stay allied to Castille and you should be Golden.

 

[Markusmiless]

I would say the Mamluks?
If mostly because of that you have a few semi-decent ways to increase your legitimacy, have a couple vassals, are in a decent starting position.
I guess the one weaker part is that you could have to face the Ottomans soon enough which can spell disaster for a newer player?

If you just want to learn the base mechanics I'd say Ming. They are already in a strong position so you won't have to worry about getting attacked at all?
If you want a bit more challenge than that I'd suggest Burgundy, Lithuania or Ethiopia? All have strong neighbors but start in a semi-safe position all things considered.

 

[Nitte Cera]

I think I'll play as a Daimyo in Japan, form Japan, colonize California, the Philippines and Indonesia and try to control Trade in Eastern Asia/West America

 

[TheDungen]

I plan on buying EU4 and all of it's major Expansions (Except Cradle of Civilization) once it's on sale and I want to know what nation would be good to start as, I watched a lot of content and I don't want to play as Castile, England, the Ottomans or France, I am thinking on playing one of the Daimyos in Japan (Or the Shogun), Holland, Muscovy, Portugal, or an HRE elector.
Suggestions? (I want to play something that is a bit more challenging than Castile or France)

I'd recommend Ethiopia their first king is really good which opens up a lot of options. Also being outside of Europe means things are a lot easier on you.
Holland are strong too but if you want to play in that area I would recommend Brabant they have one province more but are aside from that in the same situation as holland, also if you want to form the neatherlands you will need all Brabants provinces. I have also heard good things about Cologne to Neatherlands but I haven't been able to do that well myself, the fact that their fort is of one end of their land and their lands aren't connected always ends up screwing me over, but they do qualify as a HRE elector. Though the easiest HRE elector is by far Brandenburg, just stay alive long enough to start getting your traditions down and your soldiers become nigh invincible.
Portugal is essentially spain squared you can essentially ignore all of Europe and just focus beyond.

 

[darth254]

Shouldn't I be able to Ally the Ottomans for deterrence if something like that happens?

So if not Muscovy, what nation should I pick? I really want to mess with trade and colonization if I am not playing Muscovy or an HRE elector

you can try to ally them, I mean it's possible. don't be surprised if their expansion starts picking up speed as they'll feel enabled when you aren't a deterrent to them when you're their ally. if you ally with Poland, whose expansion is generally quite small compared to the Ottomans, you should probably have an easier time later in the game as you shouldn't be dealing with a super blob Ottomans.

also a gamey alternative would be to become a tributary of Ming (presuming you have the DLC). you'll be able to gobble up their tributaries, and they'll intimidate anyone from attacking you. keep in mind that you don't have to become a tributary to Ming, they're not aggressive like the Ottomans but rather defensive. they generally will only fight you if 1) you go after their tributaries or 2) if you border them and you're quite weaker than them, and they don't wanna lose mandate.

 

[IrishGirl]

Here's some thoughts based upon your post and the nations I've played:

1. Daimyos: I've played as Nanbu (northern Japan, blue) which has benefit of a defensible position. It was one of the first ten countries I played and it was a fun game. You can quickly grow in two directions (Ando and the Ainu are easy to defeat). Uesugi usually becomes your first significant opponent. I've never played Uesugi but they do seem to grow fast. They are surrounded on all sides and might be a better choice for a later game. Another good choice for a Daimyo is the Shimazu who also have a clearly defensible position. (Edit: Also, check the idea groups on the Daimyos. All are good but some are really good.)

2. Other Asian nations: Another of my early games that was fun was Ayutthaya, a nation on the Thailand peninsula. There are some smaller nations surrounding you and you can take exploration as one of your early ideas and grow out that way. It was a bit more challenging than the Nanbu start but that have just been my random experience.

3. Holland is fun. Lots of boats, exploration and if you form the Netherlands you get to paint the map orange! I didn't find it awful hard but a nice challenge.

4. For a first game, Muscovy is a great choice. You will learn how to manage vassals, you will learn combat in a "safe" environment, you learn diplomacy. You have special units. Muscovy is one of the easier starts in the game - much easier in my opinion than Castile - so you can learn the mechanics and grow without worrying about getting destroyed by rival.

Some other general advice: Pick a nation you really want to play. Otherwise, you're likely to play for a few hours and quit. Don't give up if something really bad happens (you lose a big war, you get attacked while you're crippled). You'll be amazed what you can accomplish with a little diplomacy and a defensive war. Whichever country you choose, set a goal to play at least 100 years in (I used to have a horrible habit of restarting and I missed out on a lot of fun of the game).

Good luck!

 

[Nitte Cera]

Here's some thoughts based upon your post and the nations I've played:

1. Daimyos: I've played as Nanbu (northern Japan, blue) which has benefit of a defensible position. It was one of the first ten countries I played and it was a fun game. You can quickly grow in two directions (Ando and the Ainu are easy to defeat). Uesugi usually becomes your first significant opponent. I've never played Uesugi but they do seem to grow fast. They are surrounded on all sides and might be a better choice for a later game. Another good choice for a Daimyo is the Shimazu who also have a clearly defensible position. (Edit: Also, check the idea groups on the Daimyos. All are good but some are really good.)

2. Other Asian nations: Another of my early games that was fun was Ayutthaya, a nation on the Thailand peninsula. There are some smaller nations surrounding you and you can take exploration as one of your early ideas and grow out that way. It was a bit more challenging than the Nanbu start but that have just been my random experience.

3. Holland is fun. Lots of boats, exploration and if you form the Netherlands you get to paint the map orange! I didn't find it awful hard but a nice challenge.

4. For a first game, Muscovy is a great choice. You will learn how to manage vassals, you will learn combat in a "safe" environment, you learn diplomacy. You have special units. Muscovy is one of the easier starts in the game - much easier in my opinion than Castile - so you can learn the mechanics and grow without worrying about getting destroyed by rival.

Some other general advice: Pick a nation you really want to play. Otherwise, you're likely to play for a few hours and quit. Don't give up if something really bad happens (you lose a big war, you get attacked while you're crippled). You'll be amazed what you can accomplish with a little diplomacy and a defensive war. Whichever country you choose, set a goal to play at least 100 years in (I used to have a horrible habit of restarting and I missed out on a lot of fun of the game).

Good luck!

(Wow, thanks for the advice, I am so surprised by this awesome community )
So how worried should I be about National Ideas when picking a nation? (I know what the storng national ideas are (Prussian, French, Italy, Dutch, Ottoman etc) but I don't know if picking let's say a nation with German ideas is awful or not)

 

[ThatRabidPotato]

I would say France, because that was specifically my first nation, but if you don't want them...

Holland is always my favorite. Rek Burgundy in the first war and take Antwerp, be sure to keep France sweet for the first 100 years at minimum, and you should have smooth sailing.

Poland is another really easy and fun one. Just wait to attack anyone until you have the Lithuanian PU. Doesn't normally take very long but on some occasions it does.

Brandenburg>Prussia is easier than it looks. Just remember to not ever directly take any land in the HRE if you can help it, vassalize instead. I'd vassalize Pomerania in your first war, use them to get a claim on Danzig, and take that.

 

[ThatRabidPotato]

(Wow, thanks for the advice, I am so surprised by this awesome community )
So how worried should I be about National Ideas when picking a nation? (I know what the storng national ideas are (Prussian, French, Italy, Dutch, Ottoman etc) but I don't know if picking let's say a nation with German ideas is awful or not)

Strong national ideas are a huge buff to a good player, but you will only rarely find any set that's truly bad. The worst set of ideas I can think of off the top of my head is Genoa's. Really bad ideas like that are a challenge for good players to win in spite of. German ideas are decent, but most nations with specific ideas in that area have even better ones.

As a general rule the thing to do with NIs is to look for idea sets and policies that you can pick that can stack with your national ideas. For example taking Quality as Prussia for massive infantry combat ability, Aristocratic as Poland for massive cavalry combat ability, Defensive as France for more morale, Diplomacy as Austria to have a gigantic web of alliances and friends. etc.