Spending Monarch Points

[Alidrules]

So.

After watching many EU4 videos, multiplayer and single player and reading up a bit. It appears many are for tech first then ideas....and many are for ideas first then tech.... im trying a 1 tag with brandenberg...got my provinces for prussia and its only 15 years in. For those whove done the long haul what is your recommendation

[Gerfreckle]

Priority should always be:

1. Tech
2. Ideas
3. Anything else

Unless there's a really good idea that you want, generally avoid spending MP on ideas unless you're ahead of time on the tech for that type of MP. Especially do not fall behind on military tech.

[☭ Calabresa ☭]

I usually do like Tech untill ahead of time, then Idea, then if I'm still ahead of time, Idea again or Tech if not. But it depends on how bad I need the idea, like getting the first two of Exploration to unlock the Explorers and start colonizing.

Originally posted by Gerfreckle:

generally avoid spending MP on ideas unless you're ahead of time on the tech for that type of MP. Especially do not fall behind on military tech.

And I agree, Military Tech is the only one that can not fall behind time.

[SAJ1573]

Tech/Idea/Dev

[shoki]

I always go tech first, except i have an important idea to unlock, e.g. admin 2 (reduced coring costs). Outside of europe i go insitution dev first.

[Cymoric]

Depends how quickly I need to expand.

Large nation start - don't need as good mil tech because you have numbers to make up for it. don't need as many admin points because you don't have to desperately grab land to not die in early game.

Small nation start - the opposite.

General plan:
I grab lvl 5 admin tech as soon as I can to open an idea group (usually a military idea group). Then I set national focus to the group that I'm trying to gain ideas in until those ideas are done so I don't have to sacrifice teching much for idea gain.

Meanwhile I've probably gotten to lvl 7 admin tech and often will take an admin idea group at this point since I have already added a group of military ideas and should be fairly survivable. Usually by this point I need either...
1. Religious - to attack and convert lands that aren't of my type.
2. Administrative - to reduce coring costs for big expansion and save on admin tech cost reduction as early as possible, and get an extra 5 states for a more healthy economy.

I swap focus to admin as soon as I can and power through these ideas. There's no real downside to waiting to tech up in admin unless I wanted to get another idea group so I just get admin cost reduction before continuing to admin 8. Or for religous power through to the +3% conversion bonus and then go back to teching. Some may well want to go all the way to the religious war dec *shrug*.

Plan if I'm short on points or won't get institutions soon:
In this situation I tech as soon as I can, especially in admin and at least keep even in military tech with neighbors. Admin tech early before negatives start stacking so you can reach early idea groups. Only grab military ideas when you are already comfortable with your tech level. You don't want to fall behind in mil tech trying to reach say that 5% discipline that is just out of reach.

Others:
Portugal has great colonial bonuses so I might rush to colonization for the first idea group there. 2 colonists with +50/year colonial bonus from age unlock is huge and can help you grab the caribean and push it up to 13+ dev per province fast. It also can help you reach your second age goal of 5? colonial nations owing you fealty.

[Cymoric]

Also I try to keep in mind when I'll get institutions and sometimes even take multiple large loans to reach an institution much earlier. This can save you hundreds of points easily if you plan to take techs right after.

And if I have enough points to advance mil tech, but I'm ahead of time and am safe from attack with strong alliances etc I'll wait several years for the cost modifier to fall. Every year you wait is like 60 free tech points in whatever field you wait in. If I am attacked well I can instantly go up tech because I have the points on hand.

Also budgetmonk did a video on how in some situations you can use Show Strength in the early game several times in a row as a minor to get several hundred points in each tech and basically put yourself 1/2 a tech ahead of everyone else or develop a ton or whatever.