What's a good starting nation?

[Lochlan]

I have been trying to get into this game for a while but it is very confusing is there a good nation i can start as so i can learn the game?

[dracos24]

Try one of the Incan states, they're pretty self-contained and a nice slow start for figuring stuff out.

[Beaverfan12]

theodoro is very good, with gud ideas and overpowered diplomacy

[Aerondight]

the ottomans

[Aerondight]

really good for begineers

[doingrealstuffsucks]

Start with the Ottomans.

[Waxen]

The most often cited beginner nations are Ottomans, Spain, and Muscovy. Personally, I recommend Ottomans. No one is stronger, except maybe Ming. You have loads of weak enemies to pick off, medium enemies to grapple with, and two big wide fronts to minimize aggressive expansion penalties.

[SirTalkALot]

Ignore the first two comments, they are trolling you. Ottomans, Castile->Spain, and Portugal (dont piss off Castile, stay allied to him, he will protect you) are great starter nations. Muscovy can be another good one, but unlike the other nations you may end up having to two enemies right on your door step (Poland-Lithuania, aka PLC aka Commonwealth, and the Ottomans) instead of the usual one.

[brian_va]

muscovy is probably one of the better options. real early game you can pretty much make a bunch of mistakes and it not bite you in the ass to bad. as you progress, you will snowball into a superpower and can do nearly anything you want without penalty.
this can help to offset newbie mistakes, but aggressive expansion can become an issue if/when you expand towards the HRE.

[Mikey]

Ottomans for conquests
Portugal for colonizing
Austria for diplomacy
Muscovy for a mix between colonizing and conquering

[Tasty Bunny]

I think Ottoman is way too easy even for the first player if you have a working brain.

I recommend other major European powers, like England France etc. They are easy enough with some decent challenge for the beginner.

[CyPunk]

Spain, France, Ottomans, Muscovy.
Honestly I would skip Portugal. It is most often great for learning, but there is a luck factor: if Castile/Spain falls apart then you will be scrambling to totally redo your alliances in Europe. It is not insurmountable, but as a new player you probably don't want to have to deal with that.

For your second game, Bradenburg: you will know enough by then, and I found learning can easier when you start smaller... everything is just more manageable in small steps then. But first game you need someone a bit stronger.

[Stephan]

To learn the game hit up some youtube tutorial videos watch a few videos and then styart a campaign, practicve what you learned. Afdter a few years of in game time, watch another video. This is how i learned EU4. Ottomans are super friendly for a new player, Portugal is also super laid back. Muscovy aka Russia is a safe bet too. Castile is safe as long as you dont have grand ambitions within the first 50 years or so.

[Shai-Hulud]

Ottoman or France.

[Eldrin]

One of the dynamo in japan.

All the wars will be small scale, you dont have to worry about superpowers because if anyone attacks any country in japan they attack them all, and nobody EVERY attacks japan.

So while your uniting japan your entire map pretty much boils down to only japanese soil, the rest of the world dose not matter to you.

[Noob2Pro]

Nothing Recommended. If you have bad luck then no country is good.