The Tours & Tournaments expansion pack for Crusader Kings 3, along with the Lance free update, is arguably the best addition the game has seen thus far. With revamped activities and a new travel mechanic, roleplay has never been better in CK3.
The highlights of Tours & Tournaments are the various types of grand tours that players can take around their realms, along with the enthralling tournaments they can host or participate in. To get the most out of this new DLC, players will want to choose starting rulers who have the wealth and resources to host all these grand activities. Alternatively, they may wish to play as characters who have the prowess to compete with the best in tournaments and bring down the greatest beasts in hunts.
7 Duke Vratislav II Of Bohemia
Duke Vratislav II of Bohemia is an all-around great starting ruler in 1066 with the Tours & Tournaments DLC for a number of reasons. First and foremost the Duchy of Bohemia, which can become a kingdom, is relatively stable, meaning the player can stay out of wars and focus on activities.
Duke Vratislav's lands are also great for building up the finances to pay for all the expensive activities that players will be eager to try out. While his relatively high Stewardship skill also helps with finances, his even higher Martial skill and Prowess means that he can also partake in grand tournaments himself with some hope of success.
6 High Chieftain Bayajidda "The Slayer Of The Snake" Of Kano
While Crusader Kings 3 can teach players plenty about real history, many holes have to be filled in for the 867 start date, especially in regions where historical records are lacking. In these cases, characters are often made up, but a few are instead based on legendary figures who may or may not have really existed.
High Chieftain Bayajidda of Kano, known as "The Slayer of the Snake" is one of these legendary heroes, and few characters could be better suited to taking down the epic beasts that Africa has to offer in the revamped hunt activities.
5 Doux Dragos Of Raska
The free Lance update for Crusader Kings 3 added a number of new mines across the medieval world, but the area around Serbia benefited the most. Now Doux Dragos of Raska starts off with two mines in his lands in 1066, along with a few more just beyond his borders, which can be taken by conquest.
Other than giving a number of new benefits, having access to all these mines means that Doux Dragos and his successors can make plenty of money to finance all the grand weddings, tours, and tournaments the player desires.
4 William The Conqueror
If players are able to successfully defeat Harold Godwinson and conquer England as Duke William of Normandy, then there is arguably no better ruler to try out the new tour feature as they look to consolidate their newfound power.
An intimidation tour, in particular, would be especially fitting for William the Conqueror to undertake and players will enjoy planning out each stop so that they can lay out the laws of the land to each of their new vassals.
3 Chieftain Haraldr "Tanglehair" Of Vestfold
One of the best rulers to try out the new Tours & Tournaments features in the 867 start date is Chieftain Haraldr "Tanglehair" of Vestfold, who would go on to unify Norway. If players don't have their eyes on conquest, then they can instead use Haraldr's high Martial skill and Prowess to compete in duels and wrestling matches at tournaments.
As he is Norse and worships the old gods, he can also take part in the revamped grand blots and other festivals. Traveling across the seas is also more exhilarating now with all the dangers they pose.
2 King Sancho II Of Castille
There are two main reasons why King Sancho II of Castille is a great starting ruler to try out with Tours & Tournaments in 1066. First of all, he has a high Martial stat and an even better Prowess, which means he can enjoy success in both hunts and tournaments himself.
However, his friend Rodrigo de Vivar, the famous El Cid, is an even better knight and can represent King Sancho at tournaments. El Cid is also the perfect knight to take advantage of the new Knight Accolade mechanic, which allows the most famous knights to be given titles and unique bonuses that level up over time. If players want, they could even give him a county of his own, and then switch to playing as him and roleplay as El Cid in Crusader Kings 3​​​​​.
1 Create Your Own Overpowered Tournament Knight
One of the best ways to enjoy the new grand tournaments and revamped hunts in Crusader Kings 3 is to create your own ruler and bump up their Martial and Prowess skills to make them one of the best knights in the game.
Having the Herculean trait can also help with this, as well as a good Martial education so that players can progress through the Gallant perk tree, unlocking perks that will help out in tournaments along the way. Players do not need to rule anything more than one county and can wait for other rulers to host hunts and tournaments, which they can attend. By winning tournaments, players will win huge sums of gold on top of other prizes and will of course earn themselves a healthy hand of prestige too.
Crusader Kings 3 is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.