Summary
For players who are new toCrusader Kings 3, the start of a new playthrough can be daunting with so many notifications at the top of the screen. Before players even think about pressing the play button, there are a number of actions to take after assessing the situation.
As such, the following arethe most important things to do first inCK3and these tips can also be applied to moments of succession, as each new ruler is almost like a fresh playthrough.
Updated June 14, 2025 by Joe Grantham:Crusader Kings 3 is a game that has never been simple, and with it constantly evolving thanks to free updates and paid expansions, there is always more to do. While some absolutely crucial steps must be carried out first in CK3, there are also some smaller tasks that are best done early. There is no harm in keeping the game paused for as long as needed, and for both learning the game and min-maxing, this is the recommended strategy.
9Look At The Ruler’s Traits, Stats, Culture, & Religion
This Informs Players About Their Current Strengths, Weaknesses, & Options
When starting a new playthrough inCK3or upon succession, the first thing players should do is have a good look at their ruler. Unlike other grand strategy titles,CK3is a more character-based game, where the game mechanics encourage players to roleplay as their current ruler.
Unless the character is a child, they will likely have threePersonality Traits, which provide certain positive or negative stats. These Traits also affect the opinions other characters hold and determine what makes the ruler gain or lose stress. For example, a Shy character will not enjoy attending events. Players should also look at anything else such asinherited Congenital Traits, as well as their overall stats, culture, and religion. All of this informs players of their character’s capabilities and any strengths, weaknesses, or features they need to be aware of.
8Choose A Lifestyle
This Determines How A Character Will Play & The Perks They Can Gain
Choosing a Lifestyle is one of the most important decisions inCK3, and players will want to do this at the beginning so that they can start earning experience right away. There are five Lifestyles; Diplomacy, Martial, Stewardship, Intrigue, and Learning, and all are viable options, but play out completely differently. Within each Lifestyle are three Focuses, which award passive boosts, as well as three Lifestyle Perk Trees, each with aLifestyle Trait unlocked at the end.
Players can choose whichever Lifestyle they like and over the course of time, they will earn experience in that specific field and be able to unlock more Perks. However, every adult character has an Education Trait which aligns with a certain Lifestyle, speeding up the rate at which experience is gained. This makes opting for this Lifestyle the most logical choice, especially for beginners toCK3. Furthermore, older characters will have already unlocked some Perks in this field.
7Assign Members To The Council & Manage Their Tasks
Council Members With Better Stats In Their Field Will Perform Their Tasks Better
One of the many things to do at the start ofCrusader Kings 3, is to manage the council. There are five positions on the council; Realm Priest, Chancellor, Steward, Marshal, and Spymaster. If any of the positions are empty, players will want to fill them out and may even look to assign different candidates who are either more skilled or who are powerful vassals who demand a spot on the council. Note that most religions assign the Realm Priest automatically and the player has no control over this.
After they are happy with their council members, players will want to assign them tasks. For example, they might want their Steward to collect taxes and their Realm Priest to start forging a claim on some land. Players can also choose a focus for their spouse to help with, although often the default balanced assortment of stats is best.
6Look For Potential Spouses & Alliances
Spouses Produce Heirs & Fore Alliances
Depending on the character in question, the ruler may or may not be already married, but the latter is usually more common and this also means they often have no heir. Therefore, finding a spouse to produce an heir is imperative if players want to avoid an early game over.
When choosing a spouse, one of the biggest considerations is looking for strong alliances in case the spouse’s family needs to be called to war. Ideally, this ally would be local and have a large army. At the start of the game, players can also confirm alliances with any related rulers, via the drop-down menu at the top. Other things to consider when choosing a spouse are their Congenital Traits, as both the good and bad can be inherited by the future heir. When choosing a wife specifically, players will also want to ensure they have many years of fertility left.
5Sway The Realm Priest Or An Important Vassal
Players Can Start A Personal Scheme To Increase The Opinion Of One Target
Players are able to run one Personal Scheme at a time, with the most common Sway scheme used to increase the opinion one character holds of the player’s ruler. This is immensely useful, especially forkeeping vassals happy inCK3,who can otherwise cause problems.
However, at the start of the game, the best thing to do is often to Sway the Realm Priest, as the tax they pay and the number of levies they provide are based on their opinion of the ruler. If they hold a negative opinion, they won’t provide anything at all. This is true for many religions, but not all, and in cases where it is not, players can instead Sway an important vassal.
4Find A Court Physician
The Court Physician is easily themost important court position to fill inCrusader Kings 3, as they are required to treat wounds and illnesses, as well as tostop the spread of diseasesafter the addition of plagues to the game. Players can use a decision to search for a Court Physician, and they will be presented with a few options.
As a bad Court Physician can make things worse with botched treatments, players should be careful with whom they select and not be afraid of spending money to acquire a competent healer.
3Choose An Innovation To Research If You Are The Cultural Head
This Is How Technology Is Progressed & Is Best Started Early
If players start out the game with the most counties of their culture, then they will be the Cultural Head. This is very likely for kings, queens, and duchy-tier rulers. If they are the Cultural Head, then one of the many things to do before un-pausing is to choose an innovation to research.
Innovations are essentially technological advancements that provide a culture with new buildings, unit types, and generally more options. It can take decades for an Innovation to be fully researched, so it’s best to get started right away. Players can choose anything they like, and go with whatever they like the look of, or the one that suits their plans. Having a high Learning stat and some of thebest Learning Perks inCK3helps fascinations progress faster.
2Build Siege Weapons
Wars Are Won With Sieges & They Are Incredibly Slow Without Siege Engines
If players are planning to go to war or feel like they could be under threat from external forces, then they will need to prepare. They can do this by hiring new men-at-arms regiments from the Military tab on the right. Over a few months, the regiment will slowly fill up. However, while all troop types andarmy compositions inCK3are useful, it’s imperative that players start by acquiring siege weapons, such as Onagers or Mangonels.
This is because while winning battles is good, most wars are won, or heavily progressed, by sieges. Without siege engines, these can take many months. Having even just a small regiment of siege weapons early on in the game will make a huge difference if war breaks out. They provide daily siege progress, and the more of them at hand, the faster the siege. Players will want to target their rival’s capital and any land that is being contested in the war.
1Station Any Existing Men-At-Arms Regiments
Stationed Men-At-Arms Gain Advantages
While there are more pressing matters to be done first inCK3, one of the smaller tasks, best completed before pressing play, is the stationing of troops. Individual Men-at-Arms regiments can be stationed in the ruler’s holdings to gain various buffs. Only one regiment can be stationed in each holding, but as players start the game with only a few Men-at-Arms, they should be able to place them all.
The buffs that troops receive from their station depend on themilitary buildingswithin the holding. For example, a holding with Militia Camps will provide extra bonuses for Archers and Skirmishers. For this reason, choose carefully where different unit types are placed.
