Europa Universalis 4’s Lions Of The North DLC brings the focus to Scandinavia with a number of exciting new features surrounding the Nordic and Baltic nations. Boasting new and expanded mission trees, new government reforms and estate privileges, and unique units that can be recruited in certain provinces, fans have a lot of content to get stuck into.
With the Kalmar Union remaining in place between Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, Europa Universalis 4 players have a bunch of new options to shape the political and religious landscape in the north to their advantage. Here’s how they can gain the upper hand, and take that one step closer to unifying all of Scandinavia under one flag.
9 Denmark - Deal With Gotland
The island of Gotland, once a territory belonging to Denmark, is an independent minor nation in Lions Of The North, and while it’s unlikely to achieve much success during the course of the campaign, it could develop into a pirate republic and become a thorn in the Nordic countries' sides.
Denmark players should set their sights on Gotland as soon as possible, especially as Denmark has a mission associated with retaking the former territory. If not, they may find that this small nation has allied itself with Lithuania or another significant power, dragging the player into an unnecessary and potentially damaging war.
8 Denmark – Subdue The Swedish Nobility
A notoriously rebellious nation to have as a junior partner, Denmark players will have to keep a close eye on Sweden’s liberty desire to ensure its loyalty. Using admin/diplo/military points to develop provinces (tax, production, or manpower) can be an easy and relatively cost-effective way of lowering Sweden’s yearning for independence.
Once their liberty desire is eventually low enough, players can complete ‘The Crown Of Sweden’ mission, and decide the role of Sweden in the Kalmar Union. It’s recommended to choose the extra 100 admin points, as choosing to disregard the nobility will make Sweden much more likely to revolt and cause a whole host of problems.
7 Denmark – Keep Norway In Line
Similar to their neighbor, once Norway’s liberty desire is low enough, players will be able to complete ‘The Crown Of Norway’ mission. Just like the Swedish mission, this decides their role in the Kalmar Union.
Unlike their rebellious cousins, Norway is more loyal to their overlord Denmark, meaning it’s much more viable for players to degrade Norway to a Danish province rather than maintain the status quo. Be cautious with this approach, however, as it’ll make Norway difficult to manage, but the rewards are often worth it for more experienced players.
6 Sweden & Norway – Gather Allies Before Declaring Independence
With both Sweden and Norway beginning the game as subjects of Denmark, both nations will need to declare a war of independence to break free from their overlords. While they can fight and win this war on their own, having powerful allies makes it a great deal easier.
Players should send diplomats to improve relations with Denmark’s key rivals, and as soon as relations are high enough, ask these nations to support their independence. If they accept, these mighty rivals will be able to lend much-needed assistance in the form of armies and ships in the struggle for independence.
5 Sweden – Conquer Your Neighbour
Once breaking free from Denmark, Sweden can gain a bunch of claims on Norwegian territory through their mission tree, and gain a unique Casus Belli against Denmark to claim the Norwegian crown for themselves.
The resulting war would pit Sweden against both nations, but if they win, allows the Swedish to replace Denmark as the senior partner of Norway, further cementing their hold over Scandinavia and diminishing Denmark’s influence. Alternatively, players could simply conquer Norway the old-fashioned way – the choice is theirs.
4 Sweden – Expand Eastwards
For further expansion, Sweden players should look eastwards, where a couple of weak opponents make for easy targets. Novgorod is usually weakened from warring with Muscovy, so players should prioritize conquering them, especially before they are entirely annexed by their stronger opponent.
The Livonian Order is also a good target for expansion, although players should make sure the Livonians don’t have any strong allies before committing to war. In either case, if the entire nation can’t be taken in one single war, it's better to prioritize the border provinces, to prevent Muscovy or Lithuania from taking pieces of valuable territory for themselves.
3 Norway – Create A Colonial Empire
After completing the mission ‘The Fleet Of Norway’, players are granted an Explorer with 100 tradition and discover the Greenland and North Atlantic regions. This can happen relatively early in the game, so it’s advised to send the Explorer out as soon as possible to get a head start on exploring and colonizing the Americas.
Once several colonial nations have been formed in North America, Norway players can turn their attention to other parts of the world, like Africa, and grow their nation into a colonial superpower if they so desire.
2 Norway – Invade Scotland
Scotland is a useful path of expansion for Norway players, as they receive claims for its territory. The ‘A Strategic Marriage’ event will eventually occur, in which players can opt to become more friendly with Scotland, but it’s advisable to choose the other option and remain at odds with each other, with Norway biding its time until an opportune moment to strike presents itself.
Norway players should be careful about crossing France, however, as they often guarantee or are allied with Scotland. A way around this is by breaking the alliance between the two, which allows Norway to sweep in and conquer Scotland largely unopposed.
1 Scandinavia – Dominate Trade In The Baltic
Regardless of which Nordic country is being played, several provinces are crucial to holding control over the Baltic Sea trade node. These provinces are Rival (owned by the Livonian Order) and Danzig, Konigsberg, and Memel (the Teutonic Order), all of which are centers of trade and estuaries.
Players should make sure to conquer these provinces quickly before other nations get to them, like Poland, which often annexes these territories early on in the campaign. If all goes well, with these provinces under their belt, the player’s nation will soon become the dominant trade power in the Baltic Sea.
Europa Universalis 4: Lions Of The North is available now on Windows, macOS, and Linux.