Crusader Kings 2: A Tutorial for Complete Beginners - Part 1/3
The base CK2 game is now FREE -- a move so brilliant, it's weird that it took this long to happen. Want to join in the stabbing-your-brother-to-sleep-with-your-half-sister fun? Here's a guide for complete beginners!
Want to know which expansion to get? As with all things CK2-related, T.J.'s got a great article for you to read: www.strategygamer.com/article...
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New to the channel? I do Let's Play videos -- these are like walkthrough guides of gameplay with continuous English commentary trying to explain my decisions and what strategy I use. If you're looking for hacks or cheats, you're in the wrong place!
“There’s a variety of buttons over here” a pretty good summery of the entire game.
man, I really really want to like this game, but....lol
@@m4rs12 I hears ya! Sure a whole lotta buttons and moving parts to keep up with!
"Wait, is that my wife?" CK2 in one sentence right there.
:)))
for me “why do I have so many Vassals?”
@@Dopamine621 more like "why do they all hate me?"
Me is like'so if i kill him i win'
@@ToriTrak Coz this game has a high degree of realism.
I am one of those "hey look it's free now" people. Thanks for the series.
LMAO same!
Man lucky SOBs lol. I just got the game and all the expansions a year ago.
No kidding, this is awesome.
same. i always get games when they are free.
I bought it like two weeks (the base game only) before going free to play. Only today I decided to play it cause I am no longer that angry.
“I’ve given up on this game many times, I should try to watch a tutorial.” Imagine seeing the tutorial is 40 mins and it’s only part 1 of 3...
Lol give it a try. Personally just finished the Hearts of Iron 4 tutorial which is 7 parts...
Yeah but also free learning? Idk yeah it's a lot for sure. Dlc amount doesn't help
Dude this is like what everyone does when they started playing a paradox game.
interestingly I've played Stellaris and it's nothing as complex as CK2 or HOI4
Dude I watched a Dwarf Fortress Beginners Guide that's 80 fucking parts, still have no clue how to play.
I have about 300 hours in CK2. Time to watch this tutorial!
Exactly my thought. I'll probably find out something I've overlooked this entire time 😥
Well, even when you have 1000+ hours in a game like CK2, you will always learn something new.
i have close to 1.000h or more i dont know but i still want to watch it xD
Stormfox i was gonna comment exactly that
I have 2500 hours lmao my life
Was I the only one who found hilarious that Quill described feudalism as a pyramid scheme?
Pretty accurate description :P
It's also the reason why East and South East Asia are hard to integrate. Here we don't accept pyramid scheme for the sake of our greed. You can see glimpse of it even now.
I think that’s how it is described in schools nowadays
yea pyramid scheme or the feudal pyramid
What you don't realize is that all forms of government is in the shape of a pyramid that's...a scheme. With the leaders being at the very top, an upper elite of some sorts, maybe some engineers in the 'upper' lower class and then a 'lower' lower class where the majority are. I don't know about pyramid scheme as in the direct definition of pyramid scheme, but it's technically a scheme that could be shaped in a pyramid. :)
This is exactly the type of tutorial beginners like me need. Some of the other tutorials simply reads everything, which I can do myself, but what I really need is some generalization based on experience, so that I can construct a vague concept of this game's structure in my head.
Literally just played my first 2 hours of the game and failed the tutorial stage immediately
I can't even figure out how to move my troops
Read the tool tips lol
Alex301 it’s just the tutorial is synced with gameplay in like a really weird way. I was better off doing a play through by myself and watching tutorials.
@@Steamed yeah I just watched like a 3 series 40 min each tutorial on here
Same and I don't know how to control my troops or make money and end up dying young
I have around 700 hours and still have no clue what to do.
I have 10 and managed to get absolute control of poland, 0 vassals Now everyone is trying to kill me, and I am super rich and my army is around 16/17 k instead of the starting 4/5 k
@@adrian225 i can't even figure out how to move my army
lions pride xd
lions pride me to I don’t even know how to marry declare war or get money
@@quackthefifth6002 i figured it out there a dude that did 3 vids like 40 each in length u should watch it really helped me
This tutorial is for people who have never played Crusader Kings 2 before -- this is a perfect time to jump into the series because the base game is now FREE! I have no expansions installed for this series... and it really amazes me how well vanilla CK2 stands up. I mean...some of the expansions are soooo good, but the base game is still an awesome experience if you've never played before and don't need a thousand new sub-systems and a billion new events.
also, as of writing this, The Old Gods DLC is still free when you sign up for their newsletter. Best to grab it if you want to play as the Vikings!
Twerkinator is this deal still on?
I started as King of Mumu and ended up as King of Egypt with strong claims over Hungary in just 5 characters 🤣
Yeah, that happens a lot when crusades get called, I once had a Danish King of Yemen
long live mumu
@@turnip8749 btw do u know how to increase those font size in the game I am new and its extremely hard to those writings
@@conserztasfia0078 I’m actually not that great with computers, I’m sure there is a mod on the steam workshop
@@conserztasfia0078 replying 2 years later in case anyone has the same problem - there should be UI scale in the video settings, if you set that around 1.3 then the text should become larger
"WHAT?! My wife's a genius?" lol The King ignores his wife confirmed.
It took me 20 ingame years to realise that my wife is the best martial skills in the entire kingdom
What?! I have a wife?
Literally didn’t know my wife was my cousin for two in game years
Came for the tutorial, stayed for the hilarious pronunciation of Irish names!
I wamted to write a funny way to pronounce your name, but I realized I'd written it the way it's actually written. So, Tim, son of Donkey, hello.
@@paritoshd Ahahah, well this spelling is actually a modernisation of the classic spelling "Tighearnán" but in CK2 it would be spelled "Tigernán" since Old Irish used over dots above consonants to denote the lenition of them.
Took me about 50 hours (and watching tutorials ) to even barely understand what was going on in this game. Then another 50 hours before I started to feel like I got the game. Here I am 1000+ hours later and still learning new things and enjoying the hell out of this title. I don't have that many of the DLC's either. What a great game!
Actually, one small correction... it's not that the game ends if you have no valid heir... it's that the game ends when no one of your dynasty has any land under their control. A subtle difference, but it will come into play if, for example, you have a brother who holds land, even if he's in a different kingdom. If you die, and he's the oldest living member of your dynasty, you'll take control of him. It's even possible that you might end up playing as the daughter you married off to some foreign duke for an alliance, after that duke has died but his wife remains unmarried and running the duchy. :)
"Painting the map is not the real joy and magic of crusader kings" **laughs in empire and horrific border gore**
*cackles in warcrimes*
*screeches in murdering 10 year old*
18 minutes in and I'm already understanding things better than that feckin' so called "tutorial" Thanks mate!
Fun drinking game to play while watching these tutorials: every time quill uses the phrase "bend the knee," drink! Good luck.
I came searching for this exact comment
I am dead now Thanks for that.
*Daenerys Targaryen intensifies*
Quill: im not good at history... probably every paradox game: Let's fix that!
Demesne, pronounced Di-MAYN from the old french word demeine which ultimatly comes from Latin dominus meaning "Lord, master of a household.. Demesne is a variant of the word domaine.
Disclaimer: No knees were harmed while bending for this tutorial.
No arrows were shot into knees in the developing of this game
Thanks man! I have been looking at CK2 in my steam library for a few years now, opening just for a few minutes then closing. Finally decided to play and used your video here. NOW I'M ADDICTED!
NICE !!!!!!!!! FINALLY a update to OLD tutorials with outdated information.
thank you so much for updating the tutorial! i have been trying to get back into the game and this is just what i need.
Thanks for this tutorial! This game has been in my library for a while, but I’ve never played it before. I’ve been following everything step you’ve taken on the video, and I’ve learned a lot already. I’m definitely continuing with part 2 now.
I was watching a video on Byzantium/The Eastern Roman Empire the other day and they were basically saying the fall of Constantinople (1453) is widely accepted as the transition from the Medieval era to the Renaissance - because the Byzantine citizens fleeing the destruction in Constantinople moved to various places in western Europe and brought Greek philosophy, ideas, culture, etc with them. I haven't studied this thoroughly but they were saying that's the exact point when most of Europe was introduced to Plato, Aristotle, Socrates and the rest of the philosophers and all of that stuff - or were at least more widely popularized/reintroduced to them - I'm sure some people in Western Europe knew about them before obviously. But they also said a lot of it came down to one man with the books and knowledge on these topics who became a tutor to the Medicis. I was thinking though, I assume that's the nuanced reason the game ends in 1453. The history of Byzantium is something that just grabs 100% of my attention. I guess because I've always loved learning and I knew about the Western empire and Medieval Western Europe, yet I didn't know much about the Eastern Roman Empire until recently - basically, two of the greatest ancient civilizations mashed together - Greeks and Romans. Kind of off-topic, but I've been almost of a one-track mind lately in my fascination with Byzantium.
Rise of the ottomans gave way to discovering America as they controlled trade routes and europe sailed the other way in looking for new routes.
"When in doubt, Newbie Island!"
I just want to drop a line and say thank you for this video. I credit this video with finally getting me started on CK2 (last year) after it sat in my queue for 5 years. I reference it in my Steam review as a great way for new players to get into it.
I learned how to play EuIV from you. Now, four months later, I'm here to learn CK2. You have some great tutorials!
Quill taught me EU4. Arumba taught me CK2, but that was a really old tutoral, even 2 years ago. Wish this was around back when I started.
Thanks quill for this helpful guide. Was watching your ck3 footage and remembered i bought ck2 ages ago. Started the game but was overwhelmed, your info definitely helped!!!
Thanks you so much Quill. Just got the game and have been really daunted by the learning curve. Cheers
Yes! Finally some motivation to learn this game after I bought all the DLCs during a sale a long time ago :D
I watched a tutorial for this some time ago when I tried to play this game. It was pretty good... except the tuber started in the viking era, which isn't available in vanilla, and other dlc so a lot of things didn't make any sense when I played myself later on.
Wow! Not many reviews are like this one!! Guy went over everything like a pro!! Thanks! 👏👏👏
Thank you so much! Even if a lot of time has passed, I still find this helpful!
Thank you! A very good tutorial and also with an up to date map. Some of the other beginner tutorials on youtube have an older version of the map (with fewer counties), so this video series is my pick!
Ck2 has a very steep learning curve and the tutorials aren’t really user friendly. But once you overcome that its one of the best games out there. Learning about succession laws can give u a headache though
Fantastic video. I recently got into this by watching someone else play but had NO idea what was really happening. I tried playing this and immediately had my Civ hat on. Big mistake. This is a great introduction and really cleared up the basic concepts/attitudes of playing the game for me.
this is the 2nd tutorial series u have made that i have watched this year ck2 and hoi4 thx a lot
Just got the game today on steam since it's now free 2 play and your tutorial videos are alot more helpful, cause that tutorial scenario that they give you just makes the game more complicated and stressful. But these videos get straight to the point so thank you!👍
Norwegians and Swedes watching this are probably all snickering whenever you said the name of your heir xD KUKEN
Germans will laugh about the "king of Mumu" :D
@@Gnipahell1r 😂 I do
roligt som fan är det
Does it mean “the *private part*”?
At least he split it into two words, which improved it slightly. Now it's only 'Cow Ken' and not something terribly rude and indescent.
Thanks so much! I just got the game but all the mechanics and functions are overwhelming. What I really need is a video like this where you just go through how everything works and then what's a good idea and why.
Still have to get my feet wet in this game but this 3-part introduction is the best and most concise I have seen so far. I am finally ready to get started :)
Quill18 you have some seriously good content (and great taste in games). Idk if you will ever see this but you have taught me how to play 3 games (EU4, Kerbal, and Factorio) and now CK2 ;). Keep releasing that quality content!
Thank you so much quill; will be watching #2 tomorrow.
fantastic help with these videos, your optimism and joy of the game comes through the screen
Great tutorial! I like how you don't explain every little button and just skip to the more important parts.
Thank you for making this tutorial. I really liked it and it helped very much. Keep up the good work.
LOL I love this type of tutorial. Helpful and entertaining at the same time.
It's a hierarchy, not a pyramid scheme. With that said, great video. Very informative.
Favorite games are Sid meier’s pirates and defender of the crown. Love adventure games with strategy sequences and it’s the first time I tried real strategy games and learned so much the last few weeks from your tutorials. Also like your passion for the games it’s always fun to hear you talk. Thx
thanks for the guides, coming from total war games and ck2 is quite overwhelming, it helps a lot.
Fantastic start. Super clear and helpful.
I really needed that guide, thanks Quill!
Very excited for this tutorial!
HELLS YEAH thank you quill!
Had this games for ages, just started playing, thanks for the vid.
By faaaaaaaaaaaar the best explanation. Now i m going to put civ 5 on hold and try play this game again. thank for the video!
This has been very thankful. Thank you!
Thanks brother! You inspired me to pick up this game and try it out!!
genuinely the best ck2 tutorial
I watched all three videos in the series. They were about 10x more useful than the learning scenario in the game.
Boy did I need this
These videos are so helpful. Thank you 😊
this is super helpful, thanks a lot
I saw a long LP about a year or so ago, and the most recent one here. Personally dabbled a bit in several realms to get a feel for what I want. I have several bits of DLC. Forgot that the find person button was there.😁 My brother is curious about the game, I'll be sending him here; great tutorial!
as a Swede, I lold hard when you said "let's get kuken married"
Somehow I always end up going for Strong Geniuses. Then they die young or go comatose from wounds in battle and stay that way for 20 years:)
Dude I can not thank you enough for this. I picked up CK2 last year but just could not get into it at all. Far too much to take in. This is going to get me to go back and have another go. Starting in Ireland!
Protip: Incest is wincest
Owned and played CK1. Owned and played CK2 since launch. Quill makes "Guide for total noobs." Yeah, I got to watch that because I know I'll still learn new stuff.
excellent video， was just looking for the tutorials
This tutorial is very helpful and easy to understand. I play stellaris alot and there i feel like is quite different from this game but similarities still exist.. As he said this game is about ur dynasty and it's not all about painting the map.. This game individual characters seems much more important than stellaris where leaders just is there to boost some trait in the empire... Figuring that out by watching this is probably the most important thing cause i was looking at this game like a historic stellaris... Great tutorial 👍
Downloaded the game and was intrigued but had no idea how anything works. Looking forward to playing it when i know how to 😅
Thank you for this, this helped me alot lol
The Cassus Bell-Eye lol! Kidding... thanks for the tutorial. The game looks amazing and can't wait to try on my new gaming laptop :)
this game made me study the history of the medieval age to actually understand the game
Amazing video. Can't wait for ck3.
OMG. Its an amazing video. Thankyou
I have never played and just got it to try it out, please help me great quill man
Thank you I'm going to give this game another try!
Have fun
Quick tip for fellow noobs, don't bother with the tutorial, it just made me more confused. I just started a game as an Earl of Derby and will figure out the game by working my way up through the ranks as I go. This keeps it nice and simple in order to not get overwhelmed and is a nice steady pace to learn what everything does. I'm already better equipped 2 hours in than I was after playing the tutorial for more than 6 hours.
The tutorial in game just randomly stopped giving me the tutorial messages so here I am
Thank you so much. I've been trying to find a crusader game for months because I'm Lion hearted. I found this game from someone on discord and i really like this game, so thank you so much.
I played MuMu straight away I played the game. The only reason I did that was because it was called MuMu.
you are the man. i have learned ksp thanks to you. and i will learn this game thanks to you again.
I just got this game, thank the algorithm for this channel 😭😭😭 I had a rage quit in the game suggested tutorial in Leon...
Nothing motivates finally doing a tutorial like the preannouncement of a sequel. Better late than never :)
Thanks for this. I’ve been eying the game for years, but was always intimidated by the learning curve and time it must take to understand. Thanks to this series I’ll try to break into CK2. I have no idea what I’m doing but this does at least point me in a direction.
Exactly what I was looking for. As a proud owner of entire Stellaris shopping crat I wanted to branch out. And I wanted to see if I should even start this game, let alone comit myself to some DLCs thanks
I just recently got the game and wanted to learn things the hard way. So I have already driven several domains to chaos with my incompetence, but hey, I learned some things along the way, like how to grow my future heir to have good stats. But I had no idea that the heart shaped traits are genetic. I bet I have a ton of things I've missed, like only in my latest game I realized that I can build things in my cities and other holdings.
Thank you for making a workplace manager worthy job description of being a medieval lord
Watching with captions is even better. Every time you say Mumu they spell it “MooMoo” lol
Wheres the focus tab or was that part of an expansion?
Thank you so much for making your guide so accessible to foreign speakers. I just realized I mispronounced half of the words in the game.
For those who want to play this game, way of life dlc is a must, it adds so much to the game, i really recommend to pick it up as the first dlc. You can pick up it cheap on g2a, its like 1 or 2 euro.
Thank you Quill
Nice job. Gonna get stuck in with Ireland.
Great guide I tried the game some time ago and I was absolutely lost, I couldn't do anything. This tutorial makes everything more clear and now I now what to do. Do the DLCs change much of the game?
Yes,DLC's are like paid uptades but the base game is not bad
Resul Yeşilördek the base game is infuriating, it has the options like societies visible but unavailable. Taunting you with what you could have.
holy shit. i downloaded this game a while ago. im a huge fan of medieval history and ive always been itching to play this game but its daunting as fuck. this clears up a lot of the basics
25:00 Painting the map; with blood on your hands.... Expanding our realm; and winning new lands...
i only started playing last month when i discover the game and it was free,so i installed the steam and the game,after a great first 7-9 hours,the game didnt open,luckyly that was solved a few days ago and now im playing like a madman I LOVE CK2,im seriously considering buying the royal collection