Getting more Levies

[Sum1overthere]

With the 2.0 patch I am having issues figuring out how to get more levies at the start of the game. I am playing as Sparta and I have very low levies at start. I am not sure how to increase it so I can go to war. What's the best way to do this?

[Warhunter]

the best way to get more levies quickly is to integrate more cultures. The more integrated pops the more troops you get.

So find some small lands to attack and integrate their pop and keep doing that until you can handle conquering the bigger nations around you.

Once you finish conquering stuff and want to settle down, get the grand theater tech (oratory tech called Gradual Economic Integration) and plop thoses everywhere for faster assimilation

Then drop the integrated status with your smallest culture groups first and wait for your main culture to grow enough to drop the others

Also set your laws to give the highest levy size multiplier you can get as that can drastically affects levy size

[priamossz]

save up and buy a merc army seems like the best option to me. fight only with mercenaries if you can, use levies to raid for slaves in the background to get more pops. eventually you will be a big boy that can field a real army.