Victoria 3 has some complex diplomacy mechanics, and war is no exception in terms of complexity. How to declare war and see it through is as much of a brain tickler as the rest of it.
Our guide will provide you with tips on how to declare war in Victoria 3, as well as how to manage warfare and force other nations to attack you.
Conquer a State
If you simply wish to conquer a state at any point in the game, you can initiate the process by following these steps:
- Select “Diplomatic Lens” menu.
- Go to “Diplomatic Plays” tab.
- Select “Conquer State” option.
Once this option is chosen you need to select a state on the world map that you wish to conquer. Note that not all states may be available for conquering.
When you’ve decided to conquer a specific state, click on it and press “Confirm” to start a warfare.
How to Manage Warfare
Mobilization
There is a specific way of managing warfare in Victoria 3. Although the game gives a lot of freedom, there is a recommended pathway that players should take when conquering other states:
- Select “Military Lens” menu.
- Go to “Army” tab.
- Select “Activate Conscript Centers” option.
- Highlight all areas of your state that are adjacent to the enemy’s state.
Once your army has been conscripted, you need to put generals at the helm of your army:
- Select “Commanders” menu.
- Go to “Generals” section.
- Select a general or as many as you wish.
- Confirm by pressing “Mobilize“.
- Highlight areas of their corresponding command.
If you don’t have generals yet, then you can recruit them at the “Military Lens” menu.
Combat and Peace
While your army is being mobilized, you can watch the reaction of an enemy state in the “Diplomatic Play” menu. If the gauge reaches the Escalation level, then the combat begins.
A “War has broken out!” will appear on the screen, and you need to confirm the combat phase by pressing “To Arms!” button. You can follow the numbers of dead and wounded soldiers by hovering over areas that are affected by combat.
If you see that your army is clearly winning, you can initiate a quick victory by doing the following:
- Select “Overview” menu.
- Go to “Make Peace” tab.
- Select “Make Terms to White Peace” option.
If the enemy state rejects your offer to quickly surrender to you, then the war continues until a complete capitulation of the enemy state.
In case, you see that your army is not doing well, and you haven’t received the White Peace offer from the enemy state yet, but you wish to leave the state of war, then you need to do the following:
- Select “Overview” menu.
- Go to “Make Peace” tab.
- Select “Propose the Peace Deal” option.
The enemy state may not accept your peace deal, and in that case you will lose your army. But if the enemy state offers a deal of their own, it is probably a good idea to accept it. You may as well gain an ally!
Other Ways of Declaring War
If you consider a direct assault on another state to be of no benefit to you, but you still wish to start a warfare, then you can use the following methods:
- Annex Subject.
- Liberate Subject.
- Make Dominion.
- Make Puppet.
All these are indirect ways of declaring war to any state and all these options can be found in the “Diplomatic Ways” menu.
The difference is that by declaring your intention to conquer a state, a war begins regardless of the relationships between the two states, but if you use the methods listed here, there is no guarantee that a war begins no matter what.
Also, while declaring these other types of warfare, you need to consider how it will affect your allies, which is shown in the Country Map List. If you see that effects of these declarations will play negatively for your side, then it is recommended to withhold both direct or indirect declarations of war.
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That’s all you need to know on how to declare war in Victoria 3. For more Victoria 3 tips and tricks articles, please visit our dedicated hub page.
