EU5:Checklist/Grandma's-video-tutorial/en

EU5 Grandma Beginner's Guide – Section Breakdown & Topics (Video)

Phase 0: Game Setup & Basics

What You Learn

• Interface and tooltip settings for clarity
• Hotkey remapping (river map mode)
• Rerolling rulers for optimal stats and how ruler skills affect gameplay
• Save scumming: Why and how to do it efficiently
• Naming conventions and save strategies for experimentation
• Essential message settings (war/army popups)
• Topic Highlights: Setup, UI, hotkeys, ruler reroll, save system, beginner accessibility

Phase 1a: Before Unpause – Economic Foundations

What You Learn

• Automated taxation and the logic of each estate's contribution
• Court costs, tribal cohesion vs legitimacy, and stability management
• How inflation works and why to avoid it
• Pop automation for efficient economic stability
• Removing and destroying unnecessary forts/buildings
• Topic Highlights: Economy tab, minting, taxes, equilibrium, maximizing returns, automation

Phase 1b: Government, Estates & Privileges

What You Learn

• Navigating the government/estate tabs
• Granting and revoking privileges, handling power balance
• Satisfaction equilibrium, estate power, and penalties/rewards
• When to use communal lands, pasture access, common militias, religious administration, and more
• Avoiding dangers of estate overempowerment and aristocracy
• Topic Highlights: Estates, power/satisfaction, privilege strategy, common mistakes, optimal starter setup

Phase 1c: Tech and Research Tree Navigation

What You Learn

• Tech queue strategy—how to efficiently plan long-term
• Recommending best early game techs
• Disease resistance and Black Death preparations
• Navigating universal/Christianity tree, expanded archives, scholasticism, and institutions
• Topic Highlights: Tech trees, focus branches, tech queuing, institution system, Black Death

Phase 1d: Diplomacy & Rival Setup

What You Learn

• How to set up ideal rivals
• Sent insult mechanic to lower relations for rivalry/wars
• Using spy networks for CBs and expansion planning
• Marriage: lowborn vs arranged vs royal, best ways to grow your dynasty
• Topic Highlights: Diplomacy, rival picking, CB engineering, marriage strategies

Phase 2a: First War – Preparation & Conduct

What You Learn

• How to time DOWs w/o CB, war exhaustion, and stability loss
• Summoning levies, assigning generals (ruler vs nobles)
• Siege mechanics, battle terrain, army splitting, merging, and how to minimize casualties
• Peace deal optimization, looting, and postwar economy fixes
• Topic Highlights: War declaration, levies, sieges, army control, optimal looting/peace strategy

Phase 2b: Postwar Recovery, Land Integration, & Expansion Targeting

What You Learn

• Disbanding levies efficiently
• Cabinet action switching (integrate, stability, control boost)
• Integrating new provinces: why and how, speed vs cost
• How to pick next rivals and which targets to prioritize for expansion
• Topic Highlights: Postwar actions, land integration, target selection, diplomat management

Phase 2c: Assigning Advisers/Cabinet, Control, and Vassal Management

What You Learn

• Assigning correct adviser types to government positions
• Maximizing province control—how it affects taxes, levies, rebels
• Comparing direct ownership vs vassalage
• Population/estate management and strategic vassal creation
• Topic Highlights: Adviser assignment, cabinet priorities, control growth, vassal utilization

Phase 2d: Creating/Cycling CBs, Law Strategy, and Multi-Target Wars

What You Learn

• Building up diplomats, spy networks, and CBs
• Law change strategy: using parliament to change laws for free/cheap
• Insult/embargo to drop relations for future conquests
• Multi-target wars and handling alliances/collateral conquest
• Topic Highlights: CB mechanic, parliament law abuse, multi-wars, core law changes

Phase 2e: Ongoing Expansion, Peace, and Event Decision-making

What You Learn

• Advanced peace tactics: separate peaces for extra prestige and cash
• Managing new vassals, annexing and “spitback” strategies
• Handling rebellions and harsh random events
• Event choices that shift societal values and long-term estate health
• Topic Highlights: War snowballing, vassal manipulation, event strategy, prestige stacking

Phase 2f: Parliament, Laws, Age Transition (Renaissance), and Black Death

What You Learn

• Parliament law agenda and advanced law swapping
• Teaching the importance of gravel road centralization/decentralization
• Embracing institutions and age progressions
• Black Death: how to prepare, effects, and recovering population
• Topic Highlights: Parliament for law manipulation, institution system, age transitions, population crisis management

Phase 3a: Uniting Ireland – Final Wars and Power Optimization

What You Learn

• Final steps and last conquest to unite Ireland
• Dealing with Pale, England, Scotland, and coalitions
• Antagonism/coalition management and leapfrogging through vassals
• Topic Highlights: Final Irish unification, mega-wars, coalition tricks, endgame rivals

Phase 3b: Moving Capital and Optimal Economic Heartland

What You Learn

• Choosing optimal capital (Cork vs Dublin vs starting province)
• Control/proximity logic, natural harbors, and road/sea calculations
• Core vs non-core population and acceleration to economic snowball
• Topic Highlights: Capital relocation, market/harbor optimization, 'breadbasket' setup

Phase 3c: Roads, Granaries, RGO/Production Maximization

What You Learn

• Building roads for optimal resource movement
• Granaries, settlements to maximize population growth
• Prioritizing RGOs, market villages, industry hubs
• Town/city differences and how to specialize
• Topic Highlights: Infrastructure, food/pop growth, RGO vs city strategy

Phase 3d: Town Industry, Trade Capacity, and Market Centralization

What You Learn

• Setting up town industries based on local RGOs
• How trade capacity/advantage works for late game
• Automating traders, balancing rural and urban profit
• Market attraction and stockpile strategy
• Topic Highlights: Industry, trading, maximizing profits, trade node logic

Phase 3e: Integrating Vassals, Advanced Re-optimization, and Economy Snowball

What You Learn

• Annexing vassals—how to do efficiently
• Rebuilding “bad” vassal provinces, deleting useless buildings
• Re-optimizing integrated lands for resource/industry synergy
• Topic Highlights: Mega-annex, economic snowball, province re-specialization

Phase 3f: Maximizing Province Control & Market Optimization

What You Learn

• Maximizing province control w/ towns, temples, market manipulation
• Creating/deleting markets, building trade warehouse/entrepôts
• Recap of market proximity and economic synergy
• Topic Highlights: Control, trade node engineering, market rebalancing, economic snowball recap

Phase 3g: Late-game Techs, Advanced Production, and Navy Preparation

What You Learn

• Endgame techs for economy/navy/naval building
• Building/using barks, docks, and sailor capacity
• Introduction to protected harbors and their economic/transport power
• Topic Highlights: Tech, navy, bark spam, maximizing harbor usage

Phase 3h: Maritime Presence, Natural Harbors, and Full Naval Control

What You Learn

• Spreading and maintaining 100% maritime presence in sea zones
• How naval power expands trade and control (with Admiral assignment best practices)
• How to clear pirates/privateers and pull more provinces into your market
• Topic Highlights: Full navy, maritime dominance, naval micro, trade protection

Phase 3i: Final Market Domination, Integration, and Endgame Options

What You Learn

• Full assimilation of culture and economy
• Ending vassal integrations, optimal province/industry specialization
• Preparing for expansion into UK/Europe or colonization
• Balancing estate vs crown power for perpetual snowball
• Topic Highlights: Final optimization, late-game expansion, assimilation, estate/crown strategy