➤ The Crusader Kings II Solution 🕹

Please note:

The solution is based on the US version of the game. There may be divergences from the Spanish version.

The "basic" structure of the game allows the individual to decide for himself their own goals within the game. You can therefore choose with relative freedom whether to be a noble of low rank and little territory and / or whether to try to conquer the entire world as an emperor. The basis of the game is not about trying to be "boss" of your own nation, but only about developing your own "home". In case you fail to have descendants, the game will be considered as over. Therefore, one of the greatest difficulties you will encounter will be precisely that of being able to develop a family with a good chance of continuation of the lineage. When / if your main character dies, you will then take control of one of his descendants.

Character selection & main game region Starting the game, you can select a character by choosing between counts, duke or king. The variety does not end there, you can then select a specific historical period and an equally specific geographical region. Each selection will directly influence the type of game and the possible challenges.

Choice of the reference region
First of all, you will have to take into account that the Iberian Peninsula is by far the most dangerous area (politically speaking) of the whole of Europe, in the period of play under consideration. The areas of the world along the "edges" of the Christian area are perfect for players who prefer more aggressive politics and / or constant wars. In case you prefer a generally more peaceful policy, we recommend that you position yourself in a more "central" way, in areas such as Sweden / Roman Empire / France.

How to master the noble ranks?

Tale
The count can be considered as the worst of all available characters. The reasons are easy to list: it has a rather low number of counties, and few options for expansion following the initial stages. You can try to develop your offices and / or create new structures and / or declare war on other subjects, but little else. However, there are also advantages in being a count: first of all, the accounts have a good ability to make profitable investments, especially of the real estate type. By comparison, the duchies and kingdoms are unable to produce a decent return on capital.
The combination of these two trends makes the math a perfect choice for those just starting to get familiar with the game. In fact, during the initial moments, you will not have particular obligations: as a result, you will be able to learn the game mechanics with the necessary calm, as well as easily reach the highest levels of "honor". Remember, however, that more ambitious players may encounter various problems in trying to go from earl to king or - in extreme cases - to emperor. You will therefore have to try to "buffer" your diplomatic skills.
Moreover, thanks to the scarce "importance" of the accounts for the purposes of game dynamics, the monarchs will often and willingly give them special privileges. It is clear that such privileges will not suddenly make an earl particularly important, but will almost always allow him to live a relatively comfortable life, without excessive worries.

duke
A Duke has a domain which usually consists of a few counties; united, they are called a duchy. In general, there is no upper limit to the expansion possibilities of a Duke, which makes them suitable for more ambitious players than those who prefer a Count instead. However, it must be taken into consideration that all Dukes are always subject to a monarch, so from a diplomatic point of view you will always have clear limitations - that is, you will have to try to align your policy with the policy of your monarchs. Accounts can often and easily amass a significant amount of power, given their basic importance to game dynamics. Generally, you will have to try to ensure social peace within your kingdom: in this way you can then try with relative ease to expand it, and most likely you will succeed without excessive problems.
However, as we mentioned earlier, it is always necessary to pay attention to the alignment of your external policies with those of the ruler: in the event that the relationship between you and the monarch deteriorates considerably, you could end up killed in speed. Another major problem is the sovereign's ability to always recruit your troops, using them to complete his own objectives - you won't be able to influence this process in any way, so put it away, when it happens you won't be able to do anything with it. For starters, we recommend selecting France, Poland, Gaul or Scandinavia. For slightly more advanced players, we recommend Germany, Eastern Europe, Italy, the British Isles and / or the Balkans. For really experienced players, we recommend switching to Spain, Southern Italy or the Byzantine Empire.

Re
These are the most important characters in the entire game. Generally, almost all emperors are not really capable of controlling kings - although it may appear that way, the reality is noticeably different. In addition to all the standard privileges, they also have a title of nobility - this means that all the subjects in their "house" are princes or princesses, which makes marriages much easier. The Kings can control the Dukes, also forcing the use of their armies, even against the will of the Duke himself.
However, there are also issues related to the great power available to kings. For example: inheritance. When playing as king (or queen) you will have to try to always keep in mind the need to secure a crown for your children. Also remember that the power of kings attracts a lot of envy from all other subjects. The other characters will always want to try to kill him; therefore, paying attention to "internal" policies will be absolutely indispensable, especially as regards keeping vassals under control, trying to limit their abilities and their power. There are several ways to achieve this, but the most effective can generally be summarized as follows: assassinations, corruption and the sale of real estate structures - clearly the latter turns out to be both the simplest in terms of speed (you will have to limit yourself to selling a immobile), as well as the most complicated to carry out successfully, as vassals will often react.
Trying to divide the various Kings into characters suitable for beginners, advanced and experienced, we have: Beginners - France, Poland, Hungary, Scandinavian; advanced - Croatia, Scotland, Balkans; experts - Spain, England, Georgia and Jerusalem.

Kaiser/Basileus
This is the highest level of all, both in terms of power and difficulty of play (however, as we mentioned earlier, kings can often be considered as more powerful than emperors - since at the level of "micromanagement" I have more options). The German and Byzantine empires are in fact enormous in size, so being able to manage them requires considerable skill - in addition to size, you will also have to look after the vassals. Given these great problems of internal politics, it is difficult for an emperor to be able to successfully deal with so to speak "foreign" politics. The problem is even more felt within the Holy Roman Empire, since the power of the vassals is truly remarkable compared to the low authority of the emperor himself.
In a similar way to what was seen for the kings, but in some ways even more exasperated, the main problem of the emperors consists in ensuring their descendants of the lands to be administered where they still have real power. Obviously, you will have to make sure that the voters are in favor of this continuation of the lineage; in case they are not in favor, you will have to covertly convince them, or less covertly (but without letting yourself be discovered) try to assassinate them.
The emperor's territories are typically divided between several dozen vassals. From the negative point of view, you will always have to try to manage them effectively, often creating intrigues to make them go and eliminate each other; from a positive point of view, you can try to ally with the vassals of a monarch, and progressively remove the power "from his feet" before launching the final attack, so that immediately afterwards his vassals will swear allegiance to you. Obviously, throughout this process, you will have to try not to make the rest of your vassals jealous, which is not necessarily an easy situation.

Video - Trailer

How to expand the kingdom?

Tale
There are three general methods to allow a Count to reach the maximum possible power: solution through the use of "force", solution "legal" and solution related to the assassination of enemies.
"Use of Force" solution
As the name suggests, this solution requires you to declare war on the enemy and try to recover all its territories. It is therefore a relatively problematic method, given that a Count's army is not known for its power. It is therefore essential to first secure the right alliances, using diplomacy, and only then attempt a real frontal attack on the enemy. Be careful though: try to only attack enemies that are at best as powerful as your most powerful ally. Indeed, an ally will refuse to declare war if the enemy is too powerful for him - indeed, he may even decide to ally with him, against you.
"Legal" solution
This is a complex solution from the point of view of execution, you will have to have either enormous fortune, or enormous diplomatic skills. Luck is needed because all computer-controlled characters still want to win; it will therefore be essential that all their plans fall apart, perhaps due to a tendency to promulgate them in a completely conflictual way. In general, your behavior should be assimilated to the following plan: get your children to marry as many kings or similar as possible.
"Assassination" Solution
The general scheme of this solution is as follows: you will have to marry one of the princesses, have an heir, then kill (obviously, undercover) all her brothers and her father. By completing this procedure, your wife will quickly become queen and her children will inherit the entire nation. Furthermore, since the family inherited from the children will be the same as the father's, you can go and control them directly and therefore effectively continue to play in their guise.

Duke
In general, there are three ways to gain power by playing as a Duke: Election, Conquest or Assassination. We speak from the Election.
Election
In empires and / or regions and / or nations where the principle of election is in force - such as eg. the Holy Roman Empire - there is always the possibility of reaching maximum power by simple voting. It is clear that "simple" is an adjective that is only partially true: you will have to convince all the voters to vote for you. The simplest method is - as can be guessed - corruption; but other less "direct" methods are also potentially useful - for example, if you manage to conquer many territories in a short time, the voters will be very impressed with your performance and, as a result, will vote for you without problems. Furthermore, victory in the Crusades will allow you to equally gain respect. Election allows you to go directly from Duke to Emperor, without having to go through the Monarchy.
Conquest
Similarly to what we saw for the Duke, another method to broaden your sphere of influence is the simple ... conquest - it works exactly the same as what we saw for the Earl. However, a Duke has a decent advantage: he can declare war on the Kings, and - in some cases - even win.
Murder
This is undoubtedly the simplest method, especially when there are kinship relations between the various nobles: when / if one of them goes to meet death, the others will immediately obtain their territories. By gradually eliminating all your brothers and cousins with noble titles, you will achieve victory without too many worries of mind.

Re
It is clear that all the opportunities available to a Count or a Duke are always available to a King. However, there are also some peculiar "challenges" that a King must be able to overcome in order to keep his kingdom in order. In general, we can see three ways to continually extend your lands: take possession of an empire; be able to administer a multiplicity of kingdoms at the same time, or pass power to your descendants.
Take possession of the Empire
If / when you depend on one of the two emperors (Byzantine or Roman), you can always try to make his crown yours. The legal method is to convince the voters; the illegal - but simpler - method is to declare war. Furthermore, while it may not appear that way, the second method is much less expensive than the first: bribing voters requires much more money than simply "buying" mercenaries and soldiers.
Create different Kingdoms
There is no peculiar opposition to having different kingdoms under the control of a specific monarch; however, you must remember that there will always be a "main" kingdom, the only one where the monarch can really decide all the laws. However, you can change it as and when you prefer, by clicking on the shield on the coins. This strategy turns out to be crucial, since each kingdom can have its own laws, often contradicting each other: it is up to you to change them according to your preferences for a "direct" succession in one or the other kingdom.
Continue the lineage
This is one of the main problems, since often the legislative structure of your kingdoms does not allow for a particularly simple succession. You will therefore always have to keep the opinions of your vassals at bay, choosing the political system in such a way as to allow a passage without excessive problems.

Emperor
Although emperors are remarkably powerful "on paper" subjects, they have relatively little "real" power. In general, an emperor must constantly wage wars of attrition with kings and vassals - unlike others, therefore, the emperor starts from a position of maximum power and finds himself constantly having to defend it. First of all, it is necessary to distinguish between the optimal game conduct of an emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and one of Byzantium.
Holy Roman Empire
The first step is to change the German political / legislative system. There are two changes that are indispensable: first, you will have to change the level of authority downwards, so that you can directly remove lands from your vassals. Second, you will have to try to change the election system from "election" to "principality" - this way you can be sure that the emperor's crown will be passed on to your children, and no other family will be elected. To change the political system it is clearly necessary to develop good relations with your vassals, starting with the Accounts.
Byzantium
Compared to his German equivalent, the emperor of Byzantium is in a considerably better position. From the beginning of the game, his level of authority is remarkably high and the "basic" law for succession is the principality. Therefore, all the problems of internal politics turn out to be of lesser entity than the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. However, there are also problems: one of the main problems is religion, the empire is Orthodox so you will not be considered reliable by potential Catholic colleagues, and Muslims will oppose you at the same time. We advise against attempting a change of cult to overcome this isolationist tendency: it is very likely that it will lead to a civil war.
The policy to be advised is therefore of this kind: on the one hand, you will have to try to conquer as many Arab lands as possible; on the other hand, you will have to try to win the favor of as many areas with a Catholic majority as possible - the areas that most easily lend themselves to this action are the Spanish peninsula and the northern Balkans, but Georgia and Hungary are also eligible candidates. .

Official Scenarios - Stamford Bridge

The scenario takes place in the year 1066, and speaks of the invasion carried out by Wilhelm also known as The Conqueror. However, you can also take the shoes of his opponent, namely the King of Norway, Harald. 66 and tells about invasion of Wilhelm called also the Conquerer. You can play not only him, but also the legal king of England (Haroldem) or the Norwegian ruler, Harald.

Wilhelm the Conquerer
Wilhelm's campaign is characterized by a remarkable simplicity: the goal is the invasion of the United Kingdom, to then remain stationed there indefinitely. You will therefore have to fight two enemies at a time - namely Harold and Harald. More often than not, they will be busy fighting each other, making the whole process a lot easier than you can configure. First of all, you will have to try to "launch" all your characters beyond the English Channel. You will have to divide your army into two parts, otherwise you will not be able to fit it inside the ships.
After reaching the mainland again, you will have to divide your armies again, so that they manage to conquer the largest possible fraction of territory in the shortest possible time. It is possible (but not likely) that Harold tries to defend himself actively: in this case, it will be advisable to unite your troops to create a larger, less flexible but more powerful army - in this way you can destroy the enemy without excessive problems. Once the King is defeated, you can divide the army again and continue the siege from all sides.
Continuing at this rate, Harold will decide to surrender and the crown will pass to Wilhelm. You can then go on to fight Harald, the King of Norway. However, a "direct" type of combat is not recommended here: it is generally more effective to try to direct an assassin towards the enemy King. It is clear that, in case you are discovered, you will necessarily have to proceed with a direct battle.

Harold, king of England
Harold's mission is the most complex: he will have to fight two invaders at the same time. Despite having a sizeable army, he has no chance against his opponents at the same time. It is therefore not advisable to start a battle directly: it is much more effective to try to use a "trick". First, you'll need to send a "Master" level spy to the Norwegian King's court. Inside, your agent will therefore have to try to create a real "network" of espionage. So when the network is large enough, you can plan to kill the King and work out this part of the problem. You will therefore have to move on to the rejection of Wilhelm. First of all, we recommend that you send home the bulk of your army - Harold's finances are not particularly good, so trying to keep such an army will almost certainly end up in bankruptcy. When the army is home, you can finally get income from your realm.
Also, try to immediately look at your son, who is missing a wife: you will have to try to find one for him, quickly. First, look at the age of the bride and - as a gift - not a covenant, but simply money. The character in the game who seems most appropriate for this type of alliance is undoubtedly the daughter of the King of Germany. After completing the wedding and recovering the 50 gold coins that serve as a dowry, you can use them to pay a murderer. When Wilhelm has also been killed, you will get the scenario "victory" without having to fight in any way.

Harald, king of Norway
Using Norway turns out to be relatively simple, if compared to the other two nations: this state has a large amount of gold, as well as a large army, already stationed in enemy territory when the invasion begins. The main problem is represented by Wilhelm, since he may be able to "take" the English crown first. You will have to prevent such an event from becoming a reality, that is, assassinate him before it happens.
In fact, you have all the necessary monetary means, the execution will be fast and painless (for you). When he is dead, you will have to wait for the British to attack you in York - this way, you will not undermine possible alliances, and Harold will certainly lose the battle given the hard work his soldiers will have to go through to get across the river. It is clear that you will then have to try to chase it and kill all the people you manage to eliminate, making your potential further expansion much easier.
Having destroyed the British army, you will have to start attacking as many castles as possible at the same time. Given your large cash reserves, we recommend hiring mercenaries in case your army is not of sufficient size. When almost all the castles are under siege, you will only have to deal with the "management" of these sieges; after a while, Harold will want to end the battle and you will win.

Wilhelm the Conquerer - Next Scenario

This scenario begins after you have won the previous scenario, and there are no peculiar "underlying" assumptions. The player will decide independently what to do. First of all, we recommend that you calm down all the characters you have enraged as a result of your actions. Wilhelm has an enormous amount of land, we strongly recommend that you distribute them to the various vassals, so that they are "happy" and you can proceed with the administration of your kingdom without too many hitches.
Secondly, we can explain a situation that is almost always true, despite the "open-ended" nature of the scenario: without the use of mercenaries, you will not be able to make it in any way. So immediately start moving your family members; the marriage need not result in an alliance, indeed - it is often best when / if the result will be a simple infusion of money (especially gold coins) for your kingdom.

Video - Teaser Trailer

The Third Crusade

European leaders
Even in this scenario, there are no set and fixed objectives. You can choose with relative freedom what to do. However, there are some tips that can be considered universally valid. First and foremost, regardless of what you prefer to do, we recommend acting as a calming force for your subordinates. The method should now be known to you: you can distribute various titles, and / or try to bribe the various subjects in the area.
Having completed this objective, you will be able to start playing in a "standard" way. Most vassals have no descendants, so their properties will be yours again soon after their death. For this reason, if you want to regain possession of a specific territory, it is often useful to set the game clock in such a way as to increase the speed of the scrolling of the temple, so that they die sooner.

Jerusalem
This is a faction that will be much more complex to play than the previous ones. The reason is soon said: Jerusalem can be considered as a real fortress to be protected, you will have to constantly reject the real "hordes" of infidels who will come on the scene all the time. This is not an easy task, given that most of your kingdom is made up of Muslim populations, therefore subject to frequent riots. Also for this reason, it will be very difficult to create an army composed almost exclusively of citizens: most of them are Muslim, so you will have to forcefully hire mercenaries. Generally, playing as Jerusalem forces you to a completely defensive strategy: it can be a good training, from this point of view, but we do not recommend it for players who really want to have fun.

Byzantium
It is in a similar situation to that seen for Jerusalem, but has no allies from the rest of Europe. Furthermore, the emperor must always take into consideration the presence of a strong "opposition" within his own group, given the high authority granted to his subordinates (which we advise you to quickly decrease). Byzantium is not characterized by particular expansionist wishes (given the already large territory), as well as by particular political affairs. Therefore, you must always try to calm all the "disturbances" of a social nature that are within it - looking for eg. to grant territories to the vassals in such a way that the distribution is as fair as possible, so that no one can protest openly. We also recommend trying an alliance with Georgia, the only Orthodox nation to the east of Byzantium - while not being of much help, it will be better than nothing.

The Hundred Years War

The war is characterized by a conflict on two sides: England vs. France. You will therefore have to choose which of the two nations to prefer.

England - Edward III
The advantage of England is given by the size of its army - it is really huge, so you will have no problem defeating the French. You will have to try to attack mainly from two directions: the English Channel, and the area near Bordeaux (which is already initially part of your lands). By attacking the enemy from two sides, you will almost certainly achieve victory.
During the fighting against Philip VI, King of France, you can also take diplomatic actions to try to "sabotage" his relationship with vassals and nobles; in the event that you manage to definitively sabotage his relationship with the court nobles, you can even arrange for them to go and assassinate the King himself.

France - Philip VI
The general advice for a player using France is: don't even start the war. The opponent has a huge army, a larger amount of money, as well as a very significant influence in terms of pure "power". Furthermore, you have everything to lose (the whole territory) while they, in case they lose the war, have nothing to lose.
The simplest method of avoiding war completely is to ... kill Edward III - the King of England - along with his son - who also has rights to the English Crown. In this way, you will avoid the war even before it can begin. But what to do if England tries to fight you anyway? Continue to plot with Edward's court so that he is assassinated. In fact, you do not have sufficient resources to create a powerful enough army that can defeat the enemy; furthermore, even trying to continue the lineage of Philip VI, all his vassals would turn at the moment of succession and you would have no hope of achieving victory.