World conquest question

[Simoleum]

Hello! I got almost 2000 hours in EUIV but still haven't really tried a world conquest. Always seemed really hard too. Therefore I will ask people here, because I want to attempt my first WC, what is the best nation to do it with now? I got all expansions, etc. Is it Ming, or a Christian power house, or Ottos?

 

[PhoenixG]

imo ottoman is the easiest. Start in europe and close to TC land. Easy to snowbal hard with a good start to cover the late game better western units.

Ming is also decent, since pretty much Asia is already in your control. The only downside is you need to juggle with your mandate and keep it up.

If you want to use christian countries, use HRE is a good choice. Although unlike a normal blobbing campaign your start will be slow, but you'll have vassal swarm in the end.

 

[SKOTy]

My first WC was done with Ottomans, they have amazing starting position and missions, solid powerbase and with multiple directions they can expand you'll never stumble into coalitions. Plus you can expand into trade company land pretty easily and in the current patch that's one of the most important things to do.

On the other hand Ming has much more bigger powerbase, but is held back by the mandate, tributaries and lack of core creation reduction in their national ideas.

Hordes offer much faster WC than Ottomans (especially after they nerfed Millets) or Ming but their early game is harder to pull of.

My other WCs were done with Yeren (probably most entertaining one, was done in 1.14 a.k.a. hordes patch), Ryukyu (only one which didn't ended up one tagging the World, wouldn't recommend as 1st one), coptic HRE emperor Qara Qyonlu (70% coring cost reduction, pretty funny), Brandenburg into Prussia and Norway (true one tag without colonial nations).

Once you decide on what nation to play feel free to PM me for advice

 

[PhoenixG]

On the other hand Ming has much more bigger powerbase, but is held back by the mandate, tributaries and lack of core creation reduction in their national ideas.

They lack it in ideas, they make it up with the empire of china system. With it you also can get 20% RCC

 

[Kapi96]

Ottomans are one of, if not the, easiest countries for a WC. Great army, ideas and starting position make it easy to expand in multiple directions and just keep getting bigger and stronger until it gets to the point where you've basically won and only need to go through the tedium of conquering everything.

HRE is easier, since you'll have a tonne of vassals to fight wars for you and core land for you. But getting in to a position where you can revoke takes a bit of doing.

 

[GurenGaaze]

Keep in mind that with the next update things will change. Ottoman have been nerfed (early game), as well as Ming. each mandate reform is 70 cost instead of 50.
Also, the update is big enough that I would suggest waiting for it before starting a WC. But I guess you could always revert back your version if you do play

 

[TheMeInTeam]

They lack it in ideas, they make it up with the empire of china system. With it you also can get 20% RCC

Ming can form Yuan with a transitional formation like Shan. It's a little annoying, but any cost of doing so is massively offset by starting with triple anybody else's starting development or so and the fact that Yuan gets both -25% RCC and 5% admin efficiency along with other useful ideas. Most nations have too much hassle to form it (requires emperor of China), but Ming is already emperor of China.

This setup gets 70% core cost reduction, and with a switch in religion (probably Hindu though it's a pain) can core any OE amount in one go w/o rebels if progress is at 0%. It also skips one of what is typically only 4-6 major powers lategame that take more than 2 wars to remove, because you start as one. Hordes are still faster by my estimation, but this might actually be easier than Ottomans. Maybe.

Ottomans are easier for 1 faith though.

 

[ElGranCapitan]

If you have a clue how the HRE works that is by far the easiest world conquest, it isn't as straight forward as "conquer stuff" but it really allows you to become incredibly powerful

If you don't believe me, here is a ~10k dev Austria in ~1610 (Poland and Lithuania are just PUd and still shown separately)

 

[GurenGaaze]

Ming can form Yuan with a transitional formation like Shan. It's a little annoying, but any cost of doing so is massively offset by starting with triple anybody else's starting development or so and the fact that Yuan gets both -25% RCC and 5% admin efficiency along with other useful ideas. Most nations have too much hassle to form it (requires emperor of China), but Ming is already emperor of China.

This setup gets 70% core cost reduction, and with a switch in religion (probably Hindu though it's a pain) can core any OE amount in one go w/o rebels if progress is at 0%. It also skips one of what is typically only 4-6 major powers lategame that take more than 2 wars to remove, because you start as one. Hordes are still faster by my estimation, but this might actually be easier than Ottomans. Maybe.

Ottomans are easier for 1 faith though.

You can also do the Mughals, which isn't nearly as much/points to do, and almost as good as Yuan.
Just conquer the provinces needed, take a european land. and switch capital to it. culture switch to qbeck(?) and add all chinese land to trade companies. with this you also gain permament claim on all of India.

 

[HeyIAmInfinity]

From what I've played you can WC with any country if you can become strong enough by 1600 if you are a slow conqueror or 1700-1750 if you are a fast one.
By strong enough I mean having a good income with a large army.

For the easier i would take the Ottomans and rush to India. Switching to coptic is an option if you want PUs, but using sunni with the dhimmi tech cost reduction works as well.

 

[Simoleum]

From what I've played you can WC with any country if you can become strong enough by 1600 if you are a slow conqueror or 1700-1750 if you are a fast one.
By strong enough I mean having a good income with a large army.

For the easier i would take the Ottomans and rush to India. Switching to coptic is an option if you want PUs, but using sunni with the dhimmi tech cost reduction works as well.

Does Orthodox function as good as switching to Coptic for Ottomans?

 

[Robert de Bruce]

Orthodox is a bit different than Coptic, but overall it works as good as Coptic.

 

[HeyIAmInfinity]

@Simen113
I don't have a lot of experience with Orthodox and the new mechanics from the last patch that overhaul it.
The bonus are pretty powerful but it lacks the CCR from Coptic, with ottomans is a good idea though as half your land is already Orthodox.

For switching it will work the same as for Coptic, just remove a dhimmi owned province when they are disloyal and it will spawn religious rebels from that religion.

Another idea is Hindu for ottomans when you reach India as it also grants a 10% CCR but its ruler bound, meaning that on death it will reset, could be useful if you want some of the others bonuses.

 

[PhoenixG]

Also a reminder, if you swap to a non-muslim religion. You'll lose the ottoman goverment, it means you'll bound to have worse ruler.

 

[Badesumofu]

France into Italy is a decent way to do it, I think. Play whatever kind of France game you like with a mild focus on expanding towards Italy so you tag-switch at some point in the final two ages. Make sure to build up TC economy so that you can unstate things without worrying about making them back into states again. You can replace the unmade states with stuff you've integrated from vassals/PUs if you like, integrations give you state cores but don't make the land into states. I would advise to tag-switch to Italy for the ideas and then immediately tag-switch back to France for the OP age ability and French version of the Revolution disaster which gives you Napoleon with stats of 6-5-6 (though he sometimes comes to power quite old). Keep Italy tag if you'd rather avoid the occupation of Rome than get +20 fire damage for 100 years. France also gets some nice tag events all the way through.

Anyway, you now have 50 RCC, Revolutionary government (either Rev Empire or Rev Republic are great) 60 - 70 admin efficiency depending on age/tech and can easily one-tag from any decent base in 1710. You could combine this fairly simple approach which gives you a strong start, one of the best early game idea sets in the early game and one of the best late-game idea sets in the late game with HRE shenanigans for Hofgericht and/or go Coptic for even more RCC.


But really there are two or three things you need to WC: coring throughput, money for mercs, a way to deal with unrest.

Any combination of 25 RCC from NIs and 25 from Admin ideas will give you more than enough throughput assuming you get and keep max absolutism. Make sure you also have Influence ideas for subject integration and Diplo for reduced WS costs.

Money comes from zero-LA Trade Companies. Conquer India at your earliest convenience. Exploration ideas can help or you can just tentacle over depending on your starting position. You can be making 300-400 ducats per month from Tariffs by the mid game as well. Worth it in my opinion. You can take them from colonizers or be a colonizer. Bonus points for PUing the colonizers.

Unrest is going to be a thing. You can't just raise autonomy anymore after 1610 because it will trash your Absolutism. Humanism will negate a lot of problems (and with French ideas will give you permanent +3/+3 to heathens and heretics trivially) but you will still get unrest in the late game with constant conquering and constant ~100 (or higher) OE. I actually hit the policy for -5 years of separatism and -1 national unrest (Humanist-Offensive I think) in my late game in my recent 1-tag. I had a 6 admin ruler towards the end (Napoleon's grandson, Louis Bonaparte) and realised I had a surplus of admin points even while staying at permanent 100 OE. Towards the end rebels will still pop frequently and it's just a case of stomping them, you should have armies all over the world anyway at that point. If needed you can always drop a 40/0/40 merc stack in.

Which reminds me, you really want that money. Merc Cannons become very worthwhile towards the end, especially once you get Napoleonic Warfare and want to put 40 stacks of Cannons on level 8 forts.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

^ Rev government can do Italy, Mughals (awkward due to gov't switch), or Manchu as basically anybody and pick up the RCC. France, Spain, Ottomans (don't need to switch), anybody strong at the start can do Italy.

 

[Badesumofu]

^ Rev government can do Italy, Mughals (awkward due to gov't switch), or Manchu as basically anybody and pick up the RCC. France, Spain, Ottomans (don't need to switch), anybody strong at the start can do Italy.

Am aware. I was outlining the specific approach I took in a recent game. Italy is a very convenient tag-switch for a European start.

As to the Revolution disaster, France gets a disaster called French Revolution and is excluded from the generic Revolution. I find the French version slightly easier (and more flavourful) to navigate. For example you don't need negative stab to get the French Revolution to start. You can start it ticking just by having negative prestige (disinherit helps here) or 10 inflation, 10 WE, or having 50 loans. Once the disaster starts you can very quickly and painlessly get through it and into a Revolutionary Empire with a 6/5/6 ruler. None of these are really a big deal, but a guaranteed 6 admin ruler is nice and you get your Estates back (minus the Nobility).

There are quite a number of advantages to the FRA tag that are distinct and independent from the French idea set which is one of the strongest in the first to Ages but clearly inferior to any RCC idea set in the latter two eras. But these are minor details, reall.

I also find it personally pleasing to combine being France with having Italian NIs and the Bonaparte dynasty. I was especially pleased that final Monarch was Louis XIV Bonaparte. I didn't even plan for that or rename that heir when he was born.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

Napoleon is certainly nice, but on average I prefer rev republics to rev empires. Estates help out monarchy a bit, but they have a pretty hard time guaranteeing 7 to 9 point averages in ADM/DIP (1-2 re-election average), I've spent more of a recent run with a 6 ADM ruler post-rev than I have with 4 or 5, and that 4 point floor for ADM ruler is fantastic at this point.

Bothering to keep pushing 150 out of estates will help make up that differential (just over .6 monarch points/month), but then you're still missing out on the factions.

 

[Badesumofu]

Yeah, it's pretty close either way. At that point you can chain-disinherit almost without a second thought but the greatest risk is if you get an old Napoleon and a bad consort or even worse you somehow end up with a (Regency Council). Your point about the admin floor with a Republic is a good one as well. I've been thinking more about the total MP generation, but at that point it's really more important to maintain a solid income of ADM. A 4 ADM ruler should be enough to ensure you can maintain a constant 100+ OE.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

DIP is nice too for annexing vassals. With vassal integration act you're getting 1.4 DIP per development (actually a bit less, looking at in-game totals), worse than ADM for territorial cores but good enough to make use of a secondary point type + offload OE.

It's MIL I don't care about too much in the end game, since I'm finding with +3 siege era bonus that I sit on 100% OE regardless of whether I'm using it for artillery barrage. However extra MIL can be used to push more RT, effectively transferring MIL into a bit more ADM/DIP. You can, in effect, nearly always re-elect unless a ruler is very old.

Disinherit can get you the 7-9 point average in ADM/DIP from ruler, though it is harder to concentrate that into ADM (which is more efficient this late). Having a ton of prestige available from not disinheriting does also open up possibilities like just straight up vassaling Japan that has territory off its islands and buying down LD, or making a 500 development client state and flooring its LD quickly.

It's good that AI won't cancel cores in progress now. I gave a Chinese client state 15 unrest worth of overextension, set it to scutage, paid off its loans, and after 20 years or so it actually managed to get cores done. Always make sure to use great power influence on these things since it gives them monarch points.

The ability to pull subjects this size and manage them easily makes me downgrade the value of PUs after early game...very few meaningful PUs get near/over 500 in development. In the end game, you're fighting these nations.