In the grand tapestry of medieval dynasties and political intrigue, Crusader Kings 3 reigns supreme as a strategy game that allows players to shape the destiny of their noble house. As you embark on your journey through the annals of history, selecting the right starting region can make all the difference in your quest for power, wealth, and influence.
In this guide, we will explore the best region to kickstart your Crusader Kings 3 adventure, each offering a unique set of challenges and opportunities that will test your mettle as a ruler. Whether you're seeking to build a mighty empire, engage in intricate court politics, or survive turbulent times, these handpicked regions will set you on the path to success.
The basic version of the game is available on Steam, along with its many DLCs. The publisher of the game, Paradox Interactive, has frequent sales, so I suggest you follow them on Steam and get the game and all of its DLCs during the sale. Discounts are amazing, going as much as 75% off.
A Humble Beginning
Once you start a new game, you will be presented with several predefined scenarios you can play (tutorial included). Scenarios can vary based on what DLCs you own. You will also be able to select a year when the game will start, and this is where I will start this guide.
Select Region
You can choose two periods to start your game; one where the game starts in the year 867 AD and one where the game starts in the year 1066 AD. I prefer 867 AD, as I don't want to be deprived of 200 years of gameplay.
Maybe the most significant event of the year 867 AD is the Battle of York, fought between the Vikings of the Great Heathen Army and the Anglo-SaxonKingdom of Northumbria on 21 March 867 in the city of York. It is where Ubba and Ivar the Boneless defeated the Anglo-Saxon army led by King Ælla and Osberth, thus avenging the death of their father - Ragnar Lodbrok.
Once you select the starting year, you can either select one of the predefined scenarios or create your ruler. And this is where your legacy begins if you opt to create your own. This will allow you to create your own character, who will also be a forefather of your dynasty.
This is where everything begins.
On the next screen, you can select the region where you will start your saga. The game allows you to choose any county in Europe, Northern Africa, the Middle East, or Asia. You can also decide whether to play as an emperor (empire), a king (kingdom), a duke (dutchy), or a count (county). The options are countless here. I was a bit biased towards Europe when I was writing this guide, and since Europe (Croatia) is where I live, please don't hold it against me. But still, to help you out, I will list my personal favorites:
Easy Start - Earldom of Thomond
Located in the south of Ireland, the Earldom of Thomond consists of two counties; Thomond and Ennis.
Earldom of Thomond
Having two counties here initially will give you an excellent military advantage over your neighbors. You will have considerably more men than your first neighbor, the Earldom of Desmond, which should be your first target. Once you conquer the Earldom of Desmond, you can create the Duchy of Munster, giving you an even more significant advantage.
If you are fast and the events in the game are in your favor, you can quickly conquer the earldoms of Ormond, Ossory, Leinster, Meath, and Breifne or Ui Mhaine. This will give you enough counties (duchies) to form the Kingdom of Ireland. And once you have the Kingdom, those Vikings up north are doomed!
Earldom of Thomond - Pros
Fast expansion
Little resources required
Huge chance to form a kingdom during the reign of your first ruler
Earldom of Thomond - Cons
Game events may not be in your favor. After all, there are other rulers around you with plans to expand.
Raids on your territory are inevitable, so expand your armies as soon as possible.
Counties in Ireland are tribal, so you will need additional resources (money) to switch them to feudal.
Ireland, as a whole, is underdeveloped, and most counties are wetlands, which negatively affects development.
Dominant faiths in Ireland are Insular and Norse. If you don't change religion to either Catholicism or one of the Islam-based faiths, you will not be able to participate in Holy Crusades or Jihads.
Earldom of Thomond - Recommended expansion plan
Conquer Earldom of Desmond (will allow you to create Duchy of Munster)
Continue with Earldom of Ormond (you will own all De Jure counties of Duchy of Munster)
Conquer earldoms of Ossory and Leinster ( will allow you to create Duchy of Leinster)
Meath and Breifne or Ui Mhaine should be your next targets (will allow you to create the Kingdom of Ireland)
Once you have the Kingdom of Ireland, it's up to you what to do next (you may go for the Empire of Britannia)
Best Start - Judicadu of Cagliari
Judicadu of Cagliari is located on the island of Sardinia in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of three counties: Cagliari, Arborea, and Tortoli.
Judicadu of Cagliari
Having three counties here, to begin with, will give you a military advantage over your first neighbor, Judicadu of Gallura. You will also have the option of creating the Archonate of Sardinia (duchy) right away, though a considerable amount of money is required for that, so you will have to wait a bit. You can claim either the county of Gallura or Logudoro, both ruled by your neighbor. Conquering both of those counties should be your primary goal here.
What you will do next is also why I choose Cagliari as the best region to start; several multiple choices, all leading to an ultimate goal; the Kingdom of Baleo-Tyrrhenia! With it, you will be filthy rich, have a massive army, and have an advantage over everyone surrounding you. Having the Kingdom of Baleo-Tyrrhenia will allow you to make a special Secure The Mediterranean decision. This will give your house an exceptional modifier (trait) called Controlling the Mediterranean, which will give you the option of attacking any county on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea without a valid cause (Casus Belli). The empire of Italia will be yours!
Judicadu of Cagliary - Pros
You are on the island, which nobody cares about at the beginning
Sardinia can be conquered pretty quickly
Since nobody cares about you, you can spend money to fortify the whole island and build a respectable army.
Curadoria of Iglesias (barony) is inside the county of Cagliari, which has a unique building modifier called Argentiera Mine.
Argentiera Mine has four upgrade stages, each bringing more and more money into your pockets.
Your might will have no limits once you declare the Kingdom of Baleo-Tyrrhenia.
Judicadu of Cagliary - Cons
Game events may not be in your favor. After all, there are other rulers around you with plans to expand.
The dominant faith in Sardinia is Orthodox. If you don't change religion to either Catholicism or one of the Islam-based faiths, you will not be able to participate in Holy Crusades or Jihads.
It takes a bit longer time to gain the upper hand, and you should be more careful with the decisions you make
Judicadu of Cagliari - Recommended expansion plan
Conquer both counties of Gallura and Logudoro
Swear fealty to The Kingdom of Italy (you will become a vassal)
Conquer counties of Vecchio, Ajaccio, and Bastia (will allow you to create/usurp the Archonate of Corsica)
Start expanding your castles and armies
Conquer counties of Manurqa, Mayurqa, and Yabisa (islands left of Sardinia on the map, which will allow you to create/usurp the Archonate of Mallorca)
Italy is very unstable, and sooner rather than later, you will have the military might to create Independence Faction and fight an independence war.
As an independent ruler, you should have enough resources at this stage to create both the Archonate of Sardinia and the Archonate of Corsica.
With both archonates created, you can create the Kingdom of Sardinia
Your next goal should be Sicily
You should be able to conquer counties on Sicily owned by Arab rulers (specifically The Aghlabid Sultanate) pretty quickly.
Counties owned by Byzantine Empire will be considerably harder to conquer, so expand your castles and armies even more.
Once you conquer Sicily, you can create the Kingdom of Baleo-Tyrrhenia.
After that, you can do whatever you want; there is no way of stopping you (consider the Empire of Italia)
Judicadu of Cagliari - Recommended expansion plan
Conquer both counties of Gallura and Logudoro
Start expanding your castles and armies
Conquer counties of Manurqa, Mayurqa, and Yabisa (islands left of Sardinia on the map, which will allow you to create/usurp the Archonate of Mallorca)
Wait until Italy is unstable enough, or maybe even falls apart, and conquer the counties of Vecchio, Ajaccio, and Bastia (which will allow you to create the Archonate of Corsica)
While you're waiting, simultaneously present your claims on the Arab-held counties in Sicily (specifically The Aghlabid Sultanate)
Once you conquer Corsica, you should have enough resources to create both the Archonate of Sardinia and the Archonate of Corsica.
With both duchies created, you can create the Kingdom of Sardinia
Your next goal should be the whole of Sicily
Counties owned by Byzantine Empire will be considerably harder to conquer, so expand your castles and armies even more.
Once you conquer Sicily, you can create the Kingdom of Baleo-Tyrrhenia.
After that, you can do whatever you want; there is no way of stopping you (consider the Empire of Italia)
Alternative Best - County of Aachen
The county of Aachen is located in the west of Germany. It is the center of what has always been one of the wealthiest and most prosperous regions in Germany; the Rheinland. Nowadays, it is considered to be a part of the European "golden triangle", the most prosperous and industrialized region of Europe. At the beginning of the game, it consists of two counties, Aachen and Maastricht.
County of Aachen
Having two counties here initially will not bring you an advantage over your neighbors. They are either stronger than you or similar in military power. Your advantage here is a character with good traits (I will explain how to create one in another guide). Also, the county of Aachen has a special building at the beginning of the game; the Palace of Aachen. A nice amount of money is also your advantage here.
By creating a good character here who excels in any of the four main lifestyles (Diplomacy, Martial, Stewardship, or Intrigue), you have an excellent chance to be chosen in your lieges council (the county of Aachen is part of the Kingdom of Lotharingia, and you are a vassal). I prefer Martial or Stewardship over others here, as one will give you a financial boost (more money) and the other a military boost (more men) if you are selected for the council.
With all that, you will have enough power and wealth to quickly expand your castles and armies. Once you have a large enough army, you can claim the County of Cleves. This will allow you to create the Duchy of Jülich, giving you even more bonuses. From here on, your goal should be claiming all the counties which are part of the Kingdom of Frisia.
County of Aachen - Pros
The Palace of Aachen will give you a prestige boost right away.
The region of Aachen (Rheinland) has a high development growth score.
By quickly securing the county of Cologne, you can build a special Cologne Cathedral building, which will give you a massive boost/bonus.
County of Aachen - Cons
Game events may not be in your favor. After all, there are other rulers around you with plans to expand.
Raids on your territory are unlikely but possible, so be aware.
Your neighbors are similar in power or stronger than you, so expansion is a bit more tricky.
It takes a bit longer time to gain the upper hand, and you should be more careful with the decisions you make
County of Aachen - Recommended expansion plan
Create a ruler who excels either in the Martial or Stewardship lifestyle.
Expand your castles and army.
Conquer the county of Cleves (will allow you to create the Duchy of Jülich)
Create the Duchy of Jülich
Focus on the Duchy of Lower Lorraine (counties of Koblenz, Cologne, Berg, Mark, and Dortmund)
Start with conquering all counties/duchies of the Kingdom of Frisia.
Once you secure them all, form an Independence Faction and fight the independence war against the Kingdom of Lotharingia.
Create the Kingdom of Frisia
From here on, it's up to you. You can go for the Empire of Germania or even the Holy Roman Empire.
Pain Pain Pain - Lordship of Ceredigion
My last pick is the Lordship of Ceredigion. I do not recommend this one to someone new to this game. It's pretty challenging even for more experienced players, but you should try if you like the challenge. In the beginning, along with the Lordship of Ceredigion, you will also hold the Lordship of Sir Gaerfyrddin.
Lordship of Ceredigion
You will have more men at arms than your neighbors (Dyfed, Brycheiniog, Morgannwg, and Gwent), so I suggest you start with the conquest as early as possible. With those under your domain, you are on a good path to forming the Kingdom of Wales. And this is where good things about this starting region stop.
As for not-so-good things, there are a few... and they are really not good. You are the neighbor to the Principality of Gwynedd, and the ruler there also wants the Kingdom of Wales. So yeah, expect him to attack you very early in the game. You're also very close to England's three petty kingdoms: the Wessex, Mercia, and Northumbria, which also aspire to expand in your direction. Across the Irish Sea is, of course, Ireland, which is mostly tribal, so expect heavy raids to your territory from that direction. On top of everything, you're in the middle of the Viking conquest of the British Isles, and they will molest you constantly.
As for the development, lands around you are heavily underdeveloped and poor, so making money will be a struggle deep into the game. It doesn't look good, right? Still, you can come over the top, but it will take much more time and effort than with the other suggested regions in this guide. Patience and good strategic decisions are the key here.
Lordship of Ceredigion - Pros
The only advantage you have here is having a bit more army than your closest neighbors.
Moderate chance to form a kingdom during the reign of your first ruler.
Lordship of Ceredigion - Cons
Game events may not be in your favor. After all, there are other rulers around you with plans to expand.
Raids on your territory are constant.
Due to poor and undeveloped lands, expanding the military and territory is a challenging task.
It takes a long time to gain the upper hand, and you should be careful with the decisions you make
Lordship of Ceredigion - Recommended expansion plan
Create a ruler who excels in the Martial lifestyle.
Conquer Dyfed, Brycheiniog, Morgannwg, and Gwent as soon as possible.
Focus on the Principality of Gwynedd after that.
You will have enough counties to create the Kingdom of Wales at a certain point, but it will be challenging due to low revenue and lack of funds.
An outstanding balance between expanding armies and castles is a must.
A war raging in every corner of the British Isles can be your advantage, so pick weak targets when expanding, but still make sure they are close to your primary domain.
The Empire of Britannia is a possible ultimate goal, but will be extremely hard to achieve.
And that is it. I hope you like my picks. Please feel free to suggest yours in the comment section below. I would like to hear all about them. Thank you for reading.
