As a grand strategy game, Crusader Kings 3 is by no means easy, and with lots happening on the screen, tons of buttons to press, and disgruntled vassals threatening war, it's easy to make mistakes. However, if beginners are aware of the most common mistakes in CK3, they can avoid these pitfalls altogether and avoid that dreaded Game Over screen.

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Thankfully, when players do make silly mistakes, they can just brush them off and pretend it's part of the story, as after all, real medieval rulers made plenty of mistakes.

1 Not Properly Looking At A Spouse Before Arranging A Marriage

An Incompatible Spouse Can Overshadow An Alluring Alliance

With the introduction of the Legitimacy mechanic, players will want to avoid the outdated method of marrying a commoner for their amazing Congenital Traits, as they will likely receive a reduction in Legitimacy, and any offspring will also suffer. Therefore, alliances are the most important aspect to look for in marriages.

However, as good as alliances are, it's important to avoid a few pitfalls when choosing a spouse, either for one's own character or their heir. For example, marrying an infertile spouse is not a good idea in a game where having no heir results in a game over. Even a Chaste spouse or one with an incompatible sexuality can be a bad idea, as these characters are less likely to produce offspring. Bad Congenital Traits should also be avoided and plenty of other factors too. Either way, always take a look at the character in question.

2 Appointing A Spymaster Who Doesn't Like You

They Can Use Their Position To Do Your Character Harm

Managing the council in CK3 is an important part of the game and this often involves a difficult balancing act as ideally, players would appoint highly skilled councilors who will perform better, but they will also need to appease powerful vassals with places on the council. When it comes to the Spymaster, however, there is another consideration, as these characters are in a unique and potentially dangerous position of trust.

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For example, if there is ever a plot to do the player's character harm, and their spymaster joins the plot or even starts it, then the success chance goes through the roof as they have easy access to their liege. As characters will only join plots if they have a highly negative opinion of the target, players want to avoid appointing a spymaster who hates their character. It's also a good idea to avoid spymasters with Traits such as Vengeful. All of this is also true for the Court Physician, who could "accidentally" err in their operations of a liege they have no love for.

3 Don't Send An Army Into Battle Without A Commander

The Forces Will Be At A Severe Disadvantage

Most of the time, commanders will be automatically appointed to armies, with the best commander selected by default, although players may wish to appoint their own ruler. However, this is not always the case and sometimes an army that previously had a commander will unexpectedly lose their leader.

For this reason, it is extremely important to not accidentally send an army into battle without a commander. Without a leader, even a large force with the best Men-at-Arms can find themselves outmatched as they will not be able to generate an advantage through Battle Rolls. The same goes for sieges, and in this case, players will want to manually appoint a leader with the Military Engineer Trait to speed up sieges.

4 Not Saving Money For A Succession

A New Ruler Is Weak At The Start Of Their Reign & Gold Is Required To Assure Safety

For several reasons, a new ruler is extremely weak at the start of their reign and their vassals will likely have negative opinions of them. As disgruntled vassals can quickly lead to civil war, it is important to be ready for the passing of the crown at all times. The most important mistake to avoid is spending all the money before the death of the ruler, as gold can be used to bribe vassals or purchase mercenaries.

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While death can occur at any time in Crusader Kings 3, an older ruler who has the Infirm Trait, for example, or who is ill is naturally more susceptible to death. In some cases when the player's character is dying slowly, they will receive a notification at the top of the screen informing them that death is imminent.

5 Don't Let The Enemy Siege Your Capital

The Ruler, Their Spouse, & Their Heirs Can Be Captured

Unless the ruler is leading an army, they will reside in their capital when not traveling for activities. The same is true in most cases of the ruler's spouse and heir. Therefore, if the enemy is ever allowed to freely siege the capital in war, there is a chance that any one of these characters can be taken hostage.

If the player's ruler is taken prisoner during a war that they initiated or are the target of, then the war score will instantly jump to 100 and the war will be lost. If one of the heirs is captured then the war score will change by 50, 25, or 10, depending on their order in the line of succession. Any other characters captured, while not contributing to the war score, will cost the player plenty of gold to ransom, which can be just as crippling. Therefore, don't leave the capital open, and if a siege is already underway, sometimes simply moving an army closer will cause them to retreat.

Crusader Kings 3

Platform(s)

PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC

Released

September 1, 2020

Developer(s)

Paradox Interactive

Genre(s)

RPG , Grand Strategy