Europa Universalis 4 – First Impression

Hello Armies! This is Mr. Frog Hubient and today I will give you my first impression about a  masterwork of a strategy game. It still has its rough edges, and convoluted underlying systems that will only be comprehensible to the most in-depth and experienced players. Europa Universalis 4 

Europa Universalis 4 is a strategy video game from the Europa Universalis Series, which Paradox Development Studio developed and Paradox Interactive published. It’s a strategy game in which players can manage a nation throughout the Late Middle Ages to the Early Modern period. They can conduct trade, administration and diplomacy. 

The game was designed to start historically and real-time events are included. Interactive maps of Earth are divided into the various provinces that make up nations. Each province can either contribute positively or negatively to the country. Provinces can provide resources for a nation, but they also have the potential to cause unrest and rebellion. The player must lead a nation and balance military, diplomacy, and economy. The player achieves this by choosing to be sovereign of their country and spending the resources they have: Prestige and Stability (Ducats), Legitimacy and Monarchies, Republican Tradition and Republics, Devotion For Theocracies and Horde Unity for Hordes. 

You have the option to conquer the entire world with military might, build a colonial superpower or establish trade dominance. You can choose from over 500 nations. These nations are alphabetically arranged from Aachen through Zuni. The game is a sandbox and there are no rules for winning. However, the game ends when the player’s country is annexed or removed from the map. Diplomacy is an important aspect of the game. It’s vital for a player to be able to create alliances or vassal states and their tributaries, improve opinions, and prevent defensive coalitions. You can also use espionage against enemy states to take their territory or incite rebellion within their provinces. The game simulates real-world factors like morale, discipline and competency of leaders. The game also includes trade, which is where the world can be divided into several trade nodes. Trade flows through these nodes and can then be collected by merchants. 

Missionaries can be hired by players to convert their territories or engage in policies that promote universal religious freedom. The Catholic faith, for example, makes use of the Papacy. This can give a country control over the Pope and allow them to influence other countries. Random events can influence gameplay. These events can either be beneficial or detrimental. These random events can be influenced by the history of a country, but others can be applied to any country. They also help to improve the “flavor” of the game. You can play against the AI as a single player or against multiple AI players over the Internet or LAN. A single player can also choose “Ironman”, which locks many settings, such as difficulty, and takes away the player’s control over saving the game. Any mistakes made are irreversible. However, it is the only way to achieve any of the many achievements in the game. 

Well That’s it for Europa Universalis 4. So what do you think of this game? Leave a comment below if you have any questions. Join our HUBient discord at discord.gg/hubient for more games, events and game announcements. Thank you Armies and catch you to the next one.  

– Mr. Frog Hubient