Post
EU5: Strategic Guide to War - Dominate the Battlefields
This tutorial delves into the war system of Europa Universalis 5, explaining how to win battles through understanding the different units, tactics, and modifiers. From the early eras with levies, to the strategic use of artillery and special units in the advanced stages of the game, the guide offers essential tips for new and experienced commanders.
1. ⚔️ Introduction to the EU5 War System: Epochal Changes and Casus Bellis
- ✅ Wars in EU5 evolve significantly over the epochs.
- ✅ In the early stages, battles with levies are crucial for warscore.
- ✅ Subsequently, the occupation of territories becomes more important.
- ✅ Different types of casus belli influence the declaration of war, including those fabricated by Parliament, religious ones, or those specific to certain historical events.
00:00 - 00:37
1. ⚔️ Introduction to the EU5 War System: Epochal Changes and Casus Bellis
- ✅ Wars in EU5 evolve significantly over the epochs.
- ✅ In the early stages, battles with levies are crucial for warscore.
- ✅ Subsequently, the occupation of territories becomes more important.
- ✅ Different types of casus belli influence the declaration of war, including those fabricated by Parliament, religious ones, or those specific to certain historical events.
00:38 - 02:48
2. 🛡️ Army Composition: Levies vs. Regular Units, Cavalry and Artillery
- ✅ Screen to view and manage available levies.
- ✅ Screen for troop division, with a focus on 12 units per deployment to avoid supply problems and exploit the battle frontage.
- ✅ Levies vs. Regular Units: In early game, levies are more numerous (1000 units per regiment against 200 of the professional units).
- ✅ Tips: Use mainly levies, integrating heavy cavalry if you have resources. Avoid light infantry if you have little manpower due to the high retreat rate.
- ✅ Artillery: Functionality of siege bonus and pre-battle bombardment. Effectiveness increases significantly over the course of the game.
02:49 - 05:05
3. 💥 Artillery: Siege Bonus and Strategic Bombardment
- ✅ Artillery offers significant bonuses during sieges.
- ✅ During the bombardment phase, only artillery can attack, inflicting damage on enemy deployments without suffering counterattacks.
- ✅ Initially, artillery inflicts limited damage, but becomes devastating as the game progresses.
05:06 - 07:30
4. ⚔️ Battle Dynamics: Initiative, Combat Speed and Special Units
- ✅ After the bombardment, melee combat begins.
- ✅ Initiative determines which units enter combat first, influenced by both flat modifiers and the skills of the generals.
- ✅ Combat Speed affects the speed at which units from the reserves reinforce the front line.
- ✅ Special Units: If available (e.g. Ottoman arquebusiers, Spanish tercios), recruit them if they do not have significant maluses.
07:31 - 08:42
5. 🎯 Combat Strategies: Exploiting Initiative and Hitting the Rear
- ✅ Units with high initiative enter combat first, inflicting significant damage.
- ✅ Units on the front try to hit units in the enemy rear as well.
- ✅ Quickly filling the front line is crucial to maximize the damage inflicted.
08:43 - 10:37
6. 🛡️ Battle Front: Wings, Center and Morale
- ✅ The front is divided into three sections: center, left wing and right wing.
- ✅ If a wing loses morale and units, the remaining wing attacks the center.
- ✅ Losing a wing exposes the center to damage from multiple fronts, accelerating defeat.
10:38 - 12:36
7. ⭐ Special Units and Militias: Exploiting Unique Advantages
- ✅ Special units, both land and naval, can make a difference.
- ✅ Some special units are included in the militias (e.g. Florentine militias).
- ✅ Examples of special units: Genoese crossbowmen, English redcoats, English riflemen.
- ✅ Focus on exploiting special units, especially in specific eras.
12:37 - 14:41
8. 💰 Economy and Manpower: Building a Sustainable Army
- ✅ Professional units require a lot of manpower and a strong economy to support the costs of armaments.
- ✅ Building armaments lowers the price in the market and reduces army maintenance.
- ✅ The professional army consumes manpower, but not directly the population (pop).
- ✅ Levies, on the other hand, directly reduce the population when they are lost.