Europa Universalis IV offers a variety of idea groups that cater to different play styles, strategies, and situations.
In this article, we’ll discuss the top idea groups for both single-player and multiplayer modes. Remember that the best idea groups may vary depending on your specific strategy and goals.
Singleplayer Idea Groups
Here are the best singleplayer idea groups in EU4:
- 5. Influence and Trade
- 4. Offensive and Quantity
- 3. Humanist and Religious
- 2. Administrative
- 1. Diplomatic
5. Influence and Trade
Influence ideas provide bonuses to diplomatic annexation costs, diplomatic reputation, more relations, and cheaper unjustified demands, making it great for managing vassals and subjects.
Trade ideas, on the other hand, boost your economy with increased trade efficiency, more merchants, and a plethora of policies for your economy.
4. Offensive and Quantity
Offensive ideas grant bonuses to siege ability, discipline, and leader abilities, along with nice policies like increased army morale and stability. Quantity ideas focus on more manpower, reduced attrition, and additional force limit, with policies for reduced development costs and improved army morale.
3. Humanist and Religious
Humanist ideas provide stability to your country, reducing the need to fight rebels and offering idea cost reduction and improved relations bonuses to avoid coalitions. Religious ideas not only aid in converting provinces but also grant bonuses to culture conversion costs and access to the powerful holy war casus belli.
2. Administrative
Administrative ideas are excellent for expansion, offering core-creation cost reduction, increased government capacity, reduced interest per annum, and bonuses for mercenaries. Paired with Influence ideas, you’ll have some of the best policies for expansion.
1. Diplomatic
Diplomatic ideas are crucial for conquests, providing improved relations bonuses, reduced province war score costs, more diplomats, diplomatic reputation, more diplomatic relations slots, and slower diplomatic action decay.
Multiplayer Idea Groups
Here are the best multiplayer idea groups in EU4:
4. Defensive and Trade
Defensive ideas offer bonuses to army morale, army tradition, and reduced attrition, while Trade ideas provide economic benefits as mentioned earlier.
3. Offensive and Religious or Innovative
Offensive ideas are similar to single-player, with siege ability and leader bonuses. Religious ideas grant moral bonuses, and Innovative ideas provide cheaper advisors, reduced war exhaustion, and infantry combat ability policies.
2. Quality or Quantity
Quality ideas enhance your armies and ships, with the best policies for military strength. Quantity ideas focus on manpower and force limit, with economic benefits through development cost reduction policies.
1. Economic
Economic ideas are crucial in multiplayer, with 20% development cost reduction being the key benefit. The policies it provides for discipline, artillery combat ability, and development costs make it the top choice in multiplayer.
Keep in mind that these rankings are general guidelines and may vary based on your strategy and play style. Make sure to experiment with different idea groups to find the perfect combination for your game. Happy conquering!
