Summary
Players who want to start theirCrusader Kings 3journey from “scratch” could opt for aTribalGovernment to experience the feeling of growing one’s dynasty from the bare essentials. With Tribes known to start with limited holdings and methods of expansion, players are expected to expand their lands through raids. At the same time, they build enough power and influence to reform into either a Clan or a Feudal Government. However, doing so isn’t necessarily a walk in the park, especially if players begin in areas with other Tribes as competitors or other developing nations as rivals.
Despite Tribes being known for having limited technologies and innovations, players can transform their Tribal Government into a powerhouse if they know what they’re doing. In fact, a Tribe can be one of the most powerful factions in the game should players invest in overpowering enemies through sheer numbers and geographical advantages. However, for players embarking on this journey for the first time, how exactly can they secure victory as a Tribal Leader inCrusader Kings 3?
Create A Tribal Ruler Who Can Keep On Fighting For Expansion
Procedure
Prioritize Traits that allow Tribal Leaders to maximize their capacity to acquire Prestige and Gold, as well as to wage war consistently and reap more benefits
Effect
Tribal Leaders can capitalize on the lack of innovations and policies with faster and more efficient conquests
Considering how opting for a Tribal Government won’t give players access to policies and innovations other governments would have, players canadjust theirCrusader Kings 3playstyleby ensuring their Tribal Leader is also war-oriented. When done correctly, Tribal Leaders should have bonuses for conducting wars and reaping benefits more consistently, making expansion much easier and more convenient.
Much of these benefits are found in the Martial Lifestyle, where Tribal Leaders are recommended to get Traits that reduce costs of Casus Belli and facilitate faster raids (Strategist: Bellum Justum, Living off the Land), as well as boosting both the capacity and efficiency of Knights (Kingsguard, Stalwart Leader). Resources-wise, Tribal Leaders are recommended to possess Stewardship-Avaricious Traits that boost wartime Monthly Income (War Profiteer), cheaper Men-at-Arms maintenance per Dread (Fearful Troops), and the ability to Extort Subjects (This is MY Domain).
Prioritize Securing More Domain, Champions Out Of Marriages, Children
When selecting spouses for both the ruler and the heir, choose a wife with war-oriented Inheritable Traits or council-buffing Traits or husbands that can become Champions
Maintaining an aggressive family can ensure a Tribe that can consistently raid and pillage across generations
Beinga game set in the Middle Ages, gameplay inCrusader Kings 3has a lot to do with securing the player’s survival through a powerful bloodline. Whereas Clans and Feudal societies may prefer ties established through titles and domains, players controlling Tribes should focus on building a family that can produce actionable results. A Tribal Ruler’s spouse is highly recommended to have a leveled congenital trait that can be inherited by children, usually within the Slow/Bright Group (Quick, Intelligent, Genius). Likewise, a spouse with high Stewardship can become Domain-oriented in the Council, allowing the Tribe to secure more Gold and a larger army with a higher Domain count.
The same principle applies to choosing spouses for children, with sons focusing on finding a wife with ideal inheritable traits. Meanwhile, daughters are ideally married off to husbands with high Prowess so they can be reintegrated into the army as Champions. Likewise, it wouldn’t hurt for a daughter to marry a Military Engineer, so players can develop their siege defenses without bypassing upgrade restrictions.
Consistently Earn Gold Through Raids And Ransoms
Attack other Holdings to gain its stored Loot as well as Gold and Prestige. There’s also the option to hold hostage relevant characters in these territories
On top of getting Loot, asking for Ransom or inviting high-Prowess captives to become Champions is an easy way to get access to powerful troops
Due to Tribal Governments not necessarily having a legal system, theirCrusader Kings 3gameplayreflects them not having to cling to policies to wage warfare. With the right Traits, Tribal Leaders can create Casus Belli at lower costs, but they may freely attack other Holdings without being at war through Raids. If successful, Raids can lead to Gold and Prestige, as well as potential captives to be Ransomed. Despite a Holding technically being Raidable once every five years, this is a long enough time for a Tribe to make a profit off these locations.
To maximize this option, players should ideally attempt to find rich Holdings currently at war so the -50% Taxes, +50% Construction Time, and -10% Development Growth debuffs from Raids can cripple them further. Players are also encouraged to check for enemy rulers with many children whose capitals are in vulnerable rivers and coasts. This way, the Raid can focus on capturing these family members to be Ransomed for a lot of Gold.
Champions At The Vanguard Can Facilitate Faster Gold, Prestige Acquisition
Focus on acquiring methods of buffing both the number and overall abilities of Champions, be it through Legacies, Perks, and Buildings
Champions form the core of a Tribe’s army, especially since their Prowess can compensate for the faction’s lack of active tech developments
As withother factions inCrusader Kings 3gameplay, Tribes still have armies to fight their wars with. However, instead of Knights serving as special units in a Tribe’s armed forces, they have Champions instead. Similar to Knights, Champions rely on their Prowess, as 1 Prowess provides 100 Damage and 10 Toughness to the aforementioned unit. While players have the option to invite Champions through Prestige, players can simply opt to save resources and just invite high-Prowess Champions of Counties and other territories they have acquired.
Upgrades-wise, players are advised to secure as many buffs as possible to improve their Champions’ performance. On top of specific Traits and Dynasties, War Camps across owned Counties can add more Champions and boost Champion efficiency. And since these bonuses stack, Tribes could see themselves toting around 20 Champions at double the effectiveness, making wars much easier to win.
Choosing The Right Men-At-Arms Can Make Outnumbering Foes More Rewarding
Tribes have access to unique Traditional Men-at-Arms that boast more bonuses compared to Regular Men-at-Arms
Choosing the appropriate Men-at-Arms for specific regions can maximize the Tribe’s lack of technologies, allowing them to make more bang for their buck on the numbers
As with most otherarmies inCrusader Kings 3playthroughs, Men-at-Arms are also an important component of any Tribe’s army. Considering the government type’s preference for overwhelming numbers, players can ideally counter more improved enemies should they opt for Traditional Men-at-Arms with specific boosts. Hiring Men-at-Arms can be especially convenient for starting Tribal Leaders, as they cost Prestige instead of the traditional Gold.
Considering the relative lack of technological improvements on the part of a Tribe’s base military, Tribal armies need to combine efficiency with numbers. In the case of a Norse Tribe, ideal Men-at-Arms would include Bondi, Huscarls, and Vigmen as upgraded swordsmen, spearmen, and archers, respectively.
Dominate Counties Fast To Build Towards Duchy, Kingdom Conquests
Becoming Fame: Established paves the way for Conquer County Casus Belli, where doing this consistently can build towards Conquer Duchy (via Illustrious) and even Invade Kingdom (via Exalted Among Men)
Due to other factions having the advantage of better policies and technologies, dominating through numbers is one of the surefire ways a Tribal Government can expand
Aside from Prestige, Fame is one of the most important resources accessed by Tribes in aCrusader Kings 3playthrough. Having enough Fame increases how many Taxes and Levies a Tribal Leader’s Vassal provides them,with Conquest Casus Belli heavily reliant on a player’s Fame levelto fulfill them. Since players will likely reach Fame: Established quickly, the Conquer County CB also allows players to wage wars just as fast. Players can easily dominate other Counties by sieging just one Holding, allowing them to obtain Gold and Prestige. They can reinvest these towards developing buildings, getting more Men-at-Arms, and repeating the process.
To maximize County conquests, players should ideally Ransom hostages for at least 20-30 Gold for optimal returns. The only time this shouldn’t happen is if players see a high-Prowess prisoner they can invite to court. Otherwise, players can kill them to reduce Stress or increase Dread to get everyone else in line.
Curb Vassal Rebellions, Unrest By Ensuring They Don’t Get Too Powerful
Always have ways of weakening a Vassal’s control to quell unrest: Fabricate Claims, limiting County control
Pseudo-micromanagement in this regard can avoid unnecessary infighting between Tribal Vassals and losing the player’s land upon death
Despite Tribal Vassals becoming an important aspect of a Tribal Leader’swartime success inCrusader Kings 3gameplay, they can become a problem quickly if players leave them to their own devices. Since Tribal Vassals aren’t prevented from waging war and may even lose territory to outsiders, it’s advised for players to get them in line to stop unnecessary political turmoil. While players may use Title Revocation and Vassal Retraction at higher Tribal Authority, there are also ways for players to nip the problem in the bud entirely.
On top of making high-Prowess characters into Vassals for the added military output, it’s advised that only one County is assigned to one Vassal at a time to curb their political interests. Fabricating Claims against them can let players snatch Counties away while avoiding looking like a tyrant.
Tribal Leaders Should Make The Once-Per-Lifetime Subjugation CB Count
At Fame: Distinguished, a Tribal Leader can use the Subjugate CB once per lifetime. They should use this to dominate rulers with a lot of territory, or a Kingdom title for the Prestige
Depending on the Tribal Leader’s overall progress and development, their army at Fame: Distinguished is potentially sizable enough for the Subjugate CB to result in a victory
While a Tribal Government in a player’sCrusader Kings 3gameplay can freely Raid and expand however they wish, the eventual possibility of death for the current ruler can split their territory into subpar fragments if the future isn’t considered. Since a Tribal Leader at Fame: Distinguished unlocks a once-per-lifetime Subjugate CB, players starting a Tribe should consider building up their forces for a Kingdom-title conquest.
This is important, especially if players see rivals or other leaders with sizable enough territory. Should players have a large enough force, they can potentially run the Duchy or Kingdom to the ground and Subjugate its ruler as a Vassal. This also allows players to access territories with powerful buildings and technologies without having to invest in the upgrades themselves, potentially skipping out on upgrading to Clan or Feudal.
Avoid Splitting Hard-Earned Conquests Between Too Many Heirs
Ensure that players only have 1 Heir, or ensure there are no other methods of getting an heir while managing the current Tribe
Due to Tribes only having access to Confederate Partition, having multiple heirs will split up titles and territories evenly among them. This can result in siblings being rival rulers instead of being placed in a single dynasty
One of the biggest setbacks of controlling a Tribe is its implementation of Confederate Partition. If the current ruler’s lands are enough to create titles of the same rank as the ruler’s highest title, then the game creates those titles for free upon succession. This reflects a Tribe’s inherent lack of a succession law which would normally only put the eldest child in control of the family assets. When left unmanaged, this can leave a large enough Tribe fractured into independent Tribes led by siblings, limiting the player’s overall global power.
To circumvent this, players should attempt to maintain only one legal heir at all costs. On top ofbecoming celibateafter birthing the first heir or marrying a spouse at menopausal age, players may send unwanted heirs to Holy Orders to become celibate. There is also the unfortunate solution of having another heir killed to maintain the family line.
Tribes Suffer From Lack Of Tech In The Long Term
Anticipate eventually adopting Feudalism or Clans later down the line, especially when players acquire more territory
Tribes are locked out of useful innovations beyond the first era, so reforming into either a Feudal or Clan government should unlock these benefits
Despite the potential strength in numbers that a Tribe can offer players in theirCrusader Kings 3gameplay, players who want more sophisticated playthroughs may not see them due to the inherent limitations imposed on the government system. In exchange for a Tribe’s easier access to conquests and armies are vastly limited gameplay options, including the lack of more Men-at-Arms, stronger Siege Units, and more special buildings.
In fact, some of the ways of maximizing one’s performance as a Tribe come out of its inherent limitations. Tribes are locked in the Confederate Partition succession, a limit of +3 Domains, and Force Vassalization Casus Belli capped at 5 Counties instead of 11. While it can be worthwhile navigating one’s way past these setbacks, reforming into a Feudal or Clan offers more flexibility for players.
