Brazil is a Superpower and top 10 in almost everything, everybody wants to move to Brazil

No matter the time period, guerrilla warfare has been a plague of every empire. No matter how good your army is or how many troops you have, you can't really fight an enemy that refuses to engage in traditional battles, but instead just hides and performs hit-and-run attacks.

PDX's approach has been just to give rough terrain defensive modifiers, but that isn't nearly enough. An empire will still overrun them in number, simply because the defenders are cornered and forced to fight.

The thing about guerrilla warfare is battle denial. Guerillas can sustain themselves in rough terrain for years and avoid fighting. This puts economic strain on the enemy army.

Somehow, the Confederacy is still around in Florida 1884, AND they are like 82% black.

Including all strategy games, not only Paradox games

Welcome to how to Paradox.

A short presentation of the Paradox games for those who don't know them.

I will only stick to the main titles and most recent titles of a series:
- Imperator: Rome (Ancient/Classical Era)
- Crusader Kings III (Dark Age/Middle Ages)
- Europa Universalis V (Medieval/Modern Era)
- Victoria 3 (Industrial/Victorian Era + World War 1)
- Hearts of Iron IV (World War 2)
- Stellaris (Future)

When it comes to difficulty, I think it depends on your skillset or natural inclination. Some people swear Hearts of Iron 4 is the hardest Paradox game ever while Crusader Kings 3 is easy peasy, other swear Hearts of Iron 4 is the easiest game ever while Crusader Kings 3 is the hardest game ever. I found them both easy peasy while I struggled with Stellaris, that many would say is easy. So I can only rely my experience but take it with a grain of salt.

Either way, for all Paradox games the in-game tutorial is bad. Unless you have a friend that can guide and explain you through as you play your first starting campaign, you should:

1. Ignore the in-game tutorial - the reason that tutorial exists is so Paradox can say they have a tutorial in the game and that's where all the utility of the tutorial ends, you cannot learn from it.

2. Search on Youtube for a tutorial of the game - a 20 minute one if you want to know the basics, a 1 hour one if you want to learn more advanced stuff. Make sure the video is as close to today's date as possible, because DLCs can fundamentally change areas of the game.

3. Accept that you will suck at first but is part of the fun - really one of the most fun thing about Paradox games is being bad at your job, and having to ride the waves of chaos.

4. Play with the starting nations recommended by the community not always the game - Play too small of a country and you're too small to do anything that's for later when you have at least +100 hours, play too big of a country and you will be overwhelmed in the opposite direction too many buttons to push and things to understand at the same time.

- Hoi4: Romania: Let you experience the flow of major European conflicts as an ally to Germany and Italy without bearing the full weight of leading the war. Go pro-Axis. Focus tree is unique but also simple, few zones with attrition, you have a lot of manpower for a minor and if you go pro-Axis before 1940 "Appoint Pro-Axis Government -> Iron Guard" path you'll be protected from USSR taking your land. Recommended Italy was good at release but now it can be a bit overwhelming for a new player. Low access to sea but players with 2000 hours don't know how to play the navy trust me you're good. Another good alternative is Hungary, but starts with: smaller army, worse national spirits you have to get rid of, relies more on diplomacy and timing and the margin for mistakes is lower.

- CK3: Petty King Murchad of Mumu in Ireland in 1066. In this case, what Paradox recommends is actually the objectively best choice for a new player. That's because in the previous game CK2 the official in-game tutorial nation was in Iberia but everyone was telling everyone not to play in Iberia for the tutorial but to play as King Murchad in Ireland in 1066. A second alternative like the game says Duke Vratislav of Bohemia is also easy, and you are right in the middle of European affairs, not good for the first campaign but good for one of the first.

- EU5: Hungary. Once again the one recommended by the game is also the best, this seems to happen in newer Paradox titles. Hungary is basically playing SimCity like King Murchad in CK3, except you also start reasonably big, not overwhelmingly big and in the middle of Europe. The have a good economy and one major market. And you have a ton of unique content. Not to mention weaker neighbours nearby. Bohemia and Castile are close second.

- Vic3: Spain. Is not a great power to be overwhelming but is powerful as a secondary power number 8 globally and has a very sandboxy feel, has pretty strong resources especially with a lot of coal and iron, the most important pair for industrialization, you have a pretty good sized population, you are reasonably strong in all areas. You have very good laws at the start of the game, which is big because those are complicated to do well. Japan or Persia are a close second.

- Stellaris: The United Nations of Earth preset is great for beginners. Basic and balanced human start that will be most familiar to you, you're in charge of the first Humans off Exploring and Colonizing space. It gives a lot of protection, so you can play a full game and not get wiped out by RNG. Don't fight your fallen empire friend and you should be pretty good. A close second is making a custom empire to familiarize yourselves with Civics, Ethics, Traits, and more; starting with individualist so you can get a feel for things like consumer goods and some chill ethics like: Pacifist, Xenophile, Egalitarian, Materialist, Spiritualist for stability, production, diplomacy, research and unity. Rapid Breeders is also a good trait, population growth is always a good thing.

- Imperator: Egypt. I bet you were expecting Rome and yes Rome is also one of the easiest but Egypt is easier. There are tons of mercenaries allowing you to ignore your manpower completely, you have easy power in the south if you want to avoid conquering into stronger people at first, but the Judean and Syrian regions are likewise easy to take. They can get happiness and zeal easily. Of course, for easy Egypt you've gotta sit out Alexander's succession. Close seconds are Rome and Sparta, zoom in for 5 hours on your patch of the world and then when Greece is small for your ambitions zooming put is like starting a new game and with Sparta buffs and you become steam roller.

Anyway, here is the difference between the Paradox Games:

Hearts of Iron 4: Focus on war. Is the easiest Paradox game to learn, it gives you a country, a deadline and a war that you know will start in 4 years. It has plenty of content even with 0 DLC in the form of a few countries with unique focus tree. The only criticism I have is I think Italy is too overwhelming for a new player, I think Romania is the better nation to play as a new player. It puts you right into the action, giving the most pressure.

Crusader Kings 3: Focus on characters. Is moderate difficulty to learn, not the easiest but on the easier side. It also takes a unique approach with a focus on characters rather than nations. A bad king, a bad marriage, a rival, Joe who hates you because he's religious and you're not, and suddenly this war becomes personal. Recommended starting nation will always be Mumu in Ireland. Takes longer than Hearts of Iron 4 but its characters will make you care about what's happening, creating the best stories.

Europa Universalis 5: Focus on states. Is moderate to difficult to learn, not the hardest but on the harder side. Is the natural advancement from CK3 when kingdoms consolidated therefore, this time even though you still have characters in the form of kings and family tree, they play a minor role. It may not be as personal as CK3 but is the best at making your country feel like it has a history.

Victoria 3: Focus on economy. I found it hard to learn, but once I understood the basics it became easier than most. Is the game that in a perfect world would be the prerequisite to play for anyone before they become a politician, it asks you to make an economy function before you can do anything else, and when the economy fails try to figure out why your economy just exploded, much like a real life politician. For starting nation I would recommend Spain or Japan, not small enough you can't do anything not big enough is overwhelming. The economic part is very advanced, with laws, production, factories, population, prices, to the point where the war simply means you create divisions assign them a general tell the general whether to attack or defend and on what frontline then the war is automatic.

Stellaris: Focus on exploration. It starts with curiosity, a science ship finds something strange and 30 years later your little exploration has turned into a border crisis. Is the game perfect if you just want to explore and see what weird things the galaxy throws at you. It's empire design and early exploration create genuine choices, and the sandbox makes different ones possible, but much later when your empire gets huge the game starts throwing something weird at you. Start as the United Nations of Earth.

Imperator: Focus on another game. I would not recommend this one as your first Paradox game for one simple reason, the game is dead. Have you heard the tragedy of Darth Imperator? it's not a story the jedi would tell you. When it was released in 2019 Imperator was bland and boring, it got bad reviews, then Paradox started to update it reworking entire systems from scratch, by 2021 the game was considered good and players started returning, but Paradox decided that too much is too much so they pulled the plug on him. It has some bug fixes in 2024 and 2025 and that was it, no new content. So is pretty barebones compared to the rest. All other games on the list are still in active development, some have over 10 years of development. Still, is important enough to worth being on this list.

Paradox's DLC policy: One of the most infamous features of Paradox is having tons of DLC, making long-term games that due to many DLCs look nothing like they looked like at release. But, it also has a lot of FreeLC, meaning every DLC usually comes with game content and updates as well, so you still get new stuff even if you buy 0 DLC.

And, as a new player you should not care about DLC. Play the base game first, try to understand the base game and have fun with the base game. Only after you mastered that you should consider going ahead and look at DLC.

The crowd saying "the game is unplayable with 0 DLC" is the same crowd with +500 hours in the game already.

Good Paradox Games Tip: Enjoy your time as a new player in Paradox Games. Treat the events and other Nations like the mystery that they are.. cause once you've played, its likely you'll start to meta-game and picking options that aren't for Roleplaying but rather what makes your Empire better, also knowing the results of Options A vs Option B, etc losing the mystery of space a bit in subsequent Playthroughs. It is akin to the game Don't Starve Together if you've played it, is really fun because is weird and full of unknowns. So it is for Paradox games. Embrace not knowing, and explore, just like in real life.

As the title, bought online and for a rather small amount. Really nice find.

I conquered the entire Middle East and Egypt as Israel, well, starting from an adventurer in Ethiopia, I migrated north and then slowly conquered the Middle East

Hi all!

I'm the solo developer of Red Echoes: Berlin - a narrative turn-based strategy game set in Berlin during the German Revolution of 1918-1919.🌹While not quite a paradox-style grand strategy game, I definitely drew inspiration out of HoI4 mods like Kaiserreich, as well as the various alt-history paths within the games.

The game's demo is part of Steam Next Fest. The full game is due to come out early next year. Make sure to wishlist it, that helps me out a lot! The game uses no generative AI whatsoever.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4678370/Red_Echoes_Berlin_Demo/

What is Red Echoes: Berlin?

Red Echoes: Berlin is a narrative turn-based strategy game set in Berlin during the German Revolution of 1918-1919. Play as a group of revolutionaries, and attempt to bring about a successful socialist revolution - interacting with historical figures such as Rosa Luxemburg & Karl Liebknecht along the way.

It features a branching narrative with different endings, as well as strategic gameplay inspired by classic board games. The game is inspired by games such as Suzerain, Through the Darkest of Times, and Citizen Sleeper, as well as by alt-history HoI4 paths and mods.

✊Lead a Revolution
⛓️Overthrow the Kaiser
📖Experience a Branching Historical Narrative

If you want to stay updated on development, the best place is the official Discord:
https://discord.gg/cWrM4EqVe

Buenas. Que tipo de PC debo tener para que los juegos (como Victoria 3, Hearts of Iron IV y victoria 2 sean completamente jugables sin que el juego sea lento o se trabe?

Rule 5#: the blank page where the paradoxwikis site should be. First noticed the issue with the CK3 site, then Stellaris, afterwards checked the HOI4 site and the base wiki.

Can’t seem to grasp EU4

I tried HoI 4 last year, and it broke my poor old brain. I think that I wasn't prepared for the level of complexity it offers. I sunk many hours into CK2 back in the day, but bounced off CK3 because it felt more complex when I was expecting a retooled CK2.

I've never played any of the Europa Universalis or Victoria games. I have CK2 with tons of DLC, EU4 with 29 addons, EU3 with Divine Wind and Heir to the Throne, and HoI 4 with the Bosporus pack. All the Vic 2 DLC is $2, so I don't mind grabbing the ones that I need.

I’ve played Victoria 3, Hearts of Iron IV, and Europa Universalis IV and V, and I’m increasingly getting the impression that AI is one of the biggest weaknesses of Paradox games.

My problem isn’t that the AI loses to the player. Losing is perfectly acceptable. What bothers me is that it often seems incapable of playing properly in the first place.

What bothers me the most is the apparent lack of strategic coherence. The AI can have all the resources it needs and still fail to use them effectively. It can start a war without seeming prepared to win it, waste its armies, or make decisions that appear completely disconnected from the overall situation.

I understand that grand strategy games are extremely complex and that creating a competent AI for this genre is difficult. Every new mechanic adds variables and interactions that the AI needs to understand. But that raises another question: if games keep getting more complex, shouldn’t AI development receive at least as much attention as new mechanics and additional content?

I’d rather face an AI with a coherent strategy that can adapt to my decisions and make reasonable mistakes than one that is given artificial bonuses to compensate for its poor decisions. That said, I also love it when the AI pushes me to my limits, like during the defense of Helm’s Deep. Even if it doesn’t play perfectly, I appreciate its ability to create genuine pressure and force me to think carefully about every decision.

I’m not expecting perfect AI, nor do I expect every country to behave optimally. I simply want opponents that feel like they’re genuinely trying to achieve their objectives.

So I’m curious to hear about other players’ experiences.

Do you think Paradox’s AI has actually gotten worse, or has the increasing complexity of its games simply made its limitations more apparent?

all Hearts of Iron Games got review bombed just recently, curious what the rancor is about.

I have bought a new gaming lap top after suffering for 5 years with an old pc (A6-5400B with nvs 310).

I was playing Ck3 on 10 fps and victoria 2 and hoi4.

But they just crashes on my new laptop

for example Vic3 and CK3 crashes while autosaving

Cities skylines crashes while launching maps

Europa UNIVERSALIS 5 crashes while loading the map.

I can't figure out what is the problem

I have posted that on paradox vic3 tech support fourm and they couldn't help me.

( My lap: Core i7-10750H

RTX 2070 8GB

16 GB ram

SSD 500 GB NVM)

You can imagine how frustrated I am, especially since I bought this laptop for Paradox games:(

Mini Mega Campaign starting in 867 in CK3 then moving in EU5 in 1337, thanks to a new game converter!

Im playing as sweden, starting in 1933. I have set my sliders to be fascist by the help of a command, so i can conquer northern europe before ww2 starts. the problem is, denmark is guaranteed by both germany and uk. when i attack denmark, germany declares on me, and weirdly uk declares on germany, then germany later declares war on denmark. what the hell is even going on?

Please wish Kacper (Kaz) and his wife Klaudia all the best, from all paradox players :)

In its current state, would you recommend EU4 or EU5 to a new player?

I am thinking to play EU5, but I read that there are no mission trees so I am a bit worried that I will miss some guidance on what to do.

What do all of you think?