How to form Prussia and/or Germany as Brandenburg

Altough it is not to hard to form Prussia as Brandenburg, I tought it would be usefull to share some strategy's with you all. Forming Germany on the otherhand requires some carefull political and military manouvering. I want to help you with both of these. First of all it is important you know the basics, because this guide will not mention them. Therefore I recommend this guide for gamers that are at least fairly familiar with EU4.

1444

I am a huge fan of the 1444 starting date. Maybe it is not the most usefull, it is however the most pleasing when you rule over Europe starting with just three provinces.

Like I said above Brandenburg starts with just three provinces. Important to know is the fact that it is a Holy Roman Elector state. Because of this the emperor (Austria) is most likely wanting to form a alliance with you. I highly recommend to do this as this will make expanding within the HRE a lot easier.

Furthermore are you in the possesion of six army units at the begining of the game. This is more then most of your neighbours, but not even close to having enough, but I will talk about that later.

Selecting a rival is a little specific and these are you guidelines. Feel free to select your own. I will always start with these rivals:

1. The Hansa
This is a very obvious one. There lands are crucial if you want to control the trade Lubeck trade region.
2. Pomerania
There lands have a important tradecenter too and once they are annexed by you, you gain acces to Danzig and the Prussian region.
3. Bohemia
The emperor wil dislike them soon. Giving you an extra relationshipbonus with him.

Because of your very subtle income advisors are not yet a real option and your national focus should be depending of your first ideagroup.

Your ally's should suite your ambitions and playstyle. I personnaly select Austria, Denmark and a Holy Roman state, mostly Brunswick. (no fourth because you are stuck with a stupid royal marriage to Mantua).

Wich national ideas you choose is up to you. I personaly always have humanism, trade and some military ideas to max out the might of the already most powerfull Prussian military.

Four Campaigns to rule them all

I like to have some breathingroom in my gameplay. This guide will be a reflection of that. I think that there are two campaigns needed before you can form the German Empire (four to make full use out of it), just two of them to form Prussia.

These four are:

* Getting a foothold in the Lubeck trade region
* The push to the east
* Securing the German possesions
* Campaign for the unification of Germany

Getting a foothold in the Lubeck trade region must be the first. Campaign for the unification of Germany last. (actually its more a bonus mission).

If you seek to form Prussia you only need the first campaign and the push to the east campaign.

If you seek to form the Germany you need all but the push to the east campaign. (But it is still usefull tough).

So feel free to look at the 4 different campaigns I stated below and use them as guidelines or as a checklists. Combine it with the current situation.

Getting a foothold in the Lubeck trade region

First of all you need a steady nation with a good powerbase. This means: getting rid of the smaller nations around you and securing sufficient income. In order to do this you should start with sending a diplomat to Austria to improve relations with them as much as they can. This is crucial for expanding within the HRE and very usefull for your first expansions towards the east.

Your first move should be attacking Neumark. Many surrounding nations will try to get this one and because you are such good friends with the emperor, it is almost sure he will join your side. (if not you should wait. Your armies allone are to weak). This is a easy war. Hold your army together and focus on besieging Neumark before anyone else. Yes, even Austria.

Because the emperor joined your war you and the Teutonic knights can march around on all HRE territory. This is as much of a blessing as a curse. Actually a curse till the stronger Austrian army will arrive. After that it is a blessing as their territory's lay open.

This war failled if you could not annex Neumark. You could however, at the cost of some military points, secure some holdings needed for the push to the east campaign. This is a little tricky however because they will not be connected to your lands for at least 20 years. Annexing Ost-Preußen & Danzig however gives you a stunning bonus later on. Use the military points to avoid rebelions.

After this there are three things to secure before this campaign is over. Decide for yourselve in wich order.

* Pomerania should be annexed. (This makes the push to the east campaign possible).
* The Hanse should be annexed.
* The minor nations west of you should be anexed.

Pomerania:
By annexing them you gain control of Stettins Oder estuary. Your first move towards trade dominion. And you are able to link your nation to the Danzig port. (Wich makes you able to start the push to the east campaign).

Difficulty you could encounter is that they are ally's with the Hansa.
When this ocurs I recommend to focus on the Hansa first. This will make it more likely that Denmark will support you in a innevteble war with these two rivals of yours. Annex or vassalize them. (Only when they negotiate for themselves).

The Hansa:
The Hansa's precense is a real pain to your income and regional military dominance. They have a huge income and will field a large army as a result of that. There is also a good point of view. They have many powerfull enemies. So diplomacy should be your key to the ports of Lubeck and Hamburg. (possible even Bremen). Denmerk is especially usefull as a anti Hansa ally.

At the dawn of war you need to remember that it is impossible to annex or vassalise the Hanse in one war. Make sure you make them as weak as possible in the first treaty.

This is the hardest task of this campaign but when you did it you are a regional power to be reconed with. You have a good income and can field a fairly large army. You are ready to start entering the worldstage.

The Minor nations at your western border:
There are five provinces in the hands of minor nations worth conquering in this stage of the game:

* Altmark
* Lüneburg
* Lauenburg
* Anhalt
* Mecklenburg

The most important minor nation you should (diplo)annex as soon as possible is Altmark. They have a basetax of 9.0, wich is more then Berlin itself!

The push to the east

This campaign will focus on the securing of the Geographical Prussian region and more importantly the trade notes of Ost-Preußen and Danzig. These are in the baltic trade region. These are also part of the requirements to form Prussia itself. (You only need to reform your state religion into protestantism or the reformed faith and have an administrative tech of 10 after this campaign).

At the starting date of 1444 these lands are in the hand of the Teutonic knights, it is however enterily possible that Poland annexed or vassalized them before you had the change to do so. This will proof to be no problem.

First I recommend you to produce claims on Danzig because it is a very expensive province to core. This can be done once you are in the possesion of hinterpommern. Because of the expensiveness of your so precious admin points. You should take your time on this one. Make your target goal that wether it is Polish or Teutonic territory. To take all the lands with the Prussian culture within three to four wars. Constantly claiming there lands before you enact war.

After that you are qua provinces finished in the east. But there are a lot of oppertunities. Poland is a weak state and it is not to hard to make them collapse. (I always unite the Polisch people within my own German state).

There are also uncreated nations as Ukraine and Polotsk that can be a buffer against the strong Russian state lurring in the east. If you are able to vassalize them and let them expand after that. You gain a tremendieus bufferzone. (I personnaly don't diplo-annex them). Your hands are free to focus on the west.

Securing the German possesions

This is the campaign that will allow you to form Germany. To do so you are required to take and core some provinces spread trough the German region. Most are within Your grasp as all but one are located around the north-eastern part of Germany.

These provinces have to be yours at the end of the campaign:

* Mecklenburg
* Brandenburg
* Altmark
* Lüneburg
* Brunswick
* Anhalt
* Saxony
* Leipzig
* Thüringen
* Nürnberg

This is as much a diplomatic as a military undertaking. The problem is that everyone is instantly upset when there are territorial changes within the HRE. So reasure yourselve the backing of the emperor whoever it is. This will prevent you from being demanded to force territory. Wich is very, very nice.

Try to diplo-vassalize as much as possible (annexing later on ofcourse). Try to avoid war as much as you can. It will oblitterate your admin points to annex them all in a warlike way. Some provinces like the Saxon-Thuringian and Nürnberg provinces are however eassier to take by warfare.

There are as always some difficulties that you may encounter:
* Saxony, Hesse or Brunswick becoming too strong.
* Nurnberg has fallen into the hands of Bohemia. (may or may not be under Austrian rule).

Saxony, Hesse or Brunswick becoming too strong
When a neighbour of you like Saxony gets too strong it is essential to take them out as soon as you can. Do this with an extra alliance or by luring them into an attack so your ally's have to help you. Just whipe them.

Nurnberg has fallen into the hands of Bohemia
Nürnburg is a serieus pain as it is the most remotly and a popular prize for Bohemia, Bavaria or Wurzberg. The last two should not provide a problem. One war is enough the wrest Nürnberg out of their control. If Bohemia is in charge. Things could get serieus, especially when Austria formed a union with them. When the worst case scenario took place I advise you to back down for now and gain a bigger powerbase in the east or in the north-western part of the HRE.

After this you should trade your Austrian ally for a French ally. It is enterily possible you have to make Austria your rival now. An alliance with Hungary is a nice option to. (If not fallen under Austrian rule). Together with your new French BFF you should strike and focus on releasing Bohemia. Yes, thats right, not Nürnberg. It is more important to severly weaken you new nemisis then to gain a few provinces. If you acomplished this a small war against Bohemia alone should be a problem anyway. And then you take your so beloved Nürnberg.

Germany is (in name) yours.

Campaign for the unification of Germany

It always disturbes me that when I formed Germany, I only posses the upper halve of nowaday Germany. And Germany makes all German cultures accepted within your lands so it would be a wast to let Austria and especialy the Netherlands with there ports. Therefore is this bonuscampaign. To unite the German, Austrian, Dutch, Flemmisch and Czech lands.

German and Austrian lands
The first 25 years after you formed Germany you have a claim on all German region territory's. It is pretty obvliously that you unite Germany at first. If you where still friends with Austria this is the moment to ditch them. It is most likely that in this stage there are not that many nations in HRE around. So its time to call your French ally into the frey as you start securing the Rhine sector.

After this you should posses the entire westernborder of Germany. (excluding the low countries). Making you a continental superpower. Wich is good, because France will hate you by now. It is time to take up the weapons against Bavaria and Austria yourselve. This will result in some exciting wars as you are an equalle match. Your ally's will be decisive so pick them carefull. Denmark should feel themselves threatened by you and will seek an alliance.

After you secured all of Germany it is up to you to push on into this Austria, or let them be. They should not be able to resist by now.

Dutch and Flemmisch lands
The ports of Amsterdam and Antwerpen are a musthave if you want to start a colonial empire and it is absolutly no problem to change your main tradenote from Lubeck to Antwerp, wich will result in profit to.

The low countries are most likely owned by Austria or the Netherlands. If held by the Austrians you can conquer it as during your war mentioned above. If they are Dutch it is even easier. Your armies will just outnumber them 5 to 1 by now. Watch their navy tough.

If the southern Netherlands are controlled by France (wich is rare, but not unlikely) you could consider an alliance with Spain/Castille as they are natural enemies. Savoy is a nice ally to and when you are more succesfull then initially expected. Push them from the Alsace-lorraine region.

Czech lands
Nope the Czech or no German people, neither are they of any tradevalue, but they are a dangerous enemy if they are a part of a coallition. There lands are close to cities like München and Berlin. So take them out and make their lands your lands. Now your capitalcity of Berlin is secure and there is nobody in the entire world who can match your armies.

Post scriptum

Thanks for reading this guide. I hope it assisted you in your conquest.

I want to ask some compassion with the fact English is not my first language. If there are any typo's, incorrect or misformed sentences or misusage of words please help me to correct them.

Last but not least I would like some feedback (either good or bad) so I can use this for further guides.
Thanks in advance.

-=Crucesignatus=-

[idiot 3 alt (7)]

https://youtu.be/ARTiHkBaBzo

[oversizedspeedbump]

forming prussia isn't hard, but forming germany is way less harder imo. after you get prussia and the ridiculous military buffs that come with, you just snowball. by the mid to late 1600s im not even worrying about ae anymore.

[bigzthegreat]

personally i push on the east and annex tuetonic order and bully poland then i annex north germany.

[John from Texas Oblast]

Outdated guide, but forming Prussia is always a blast. Brandenburg used to be the most OP choice when forming Prussia, but it has since been more rewarding (i've found) to do it as literally anyone else. Poland, Riga, Teuton, Livonians, and Pomerania are all nations that can form Prussia. Poland can be a tough one to do it with, but if you get it to happen, you go into Prussia being incredibly large, and depending on how early you do it, you can blob out harder than any other nation around you, even the hordes.

[muhammadjon sadykhov]

what is the hansa?

[Skinny Pant]

Please update this guide

[Skinny Pant]

Can you make a guide like this one but meant for the starting date of 1492? I'm playing on the demo and it's different than starting on 1444 (For example, you already have Neumark). I would appreciate if you could make a guide like this one but more centered on the starting date of 1492.

[tcurran]

Update it plox?

[Roman Empire]

cool

[Varegue]

I don't understand the choice of humanism