The Force limits in EU4 can be frustrating to get your head around. One minute it’s high then it’s low. Why? The base limit you have is determined by your starting nation, some have higher Force than others when starting but soon enough those numbers rise and fall. The amount of land you have is the main thing that determines how much your Force Limit is. The limit will constantly change during the game, and you can help turn things your way. This Europa Universalis Guide looks at how to increase your force limit in EU4.
Force Limit is basically how many units you can have before incurring penalties, e.g. if our Force Limit is 22 for our army and 11 for the navy, once you go above that the maintenance cost of the newer troops will be considerably higher. The price does differ depending on the unit, ships for instance have a lower maintenance cost and won’t cost too much if you exceed your Force Limit. Whereas land troops will cost more to maintain. Force Limit doesn’t mean how many units you can have, it’s simply how many you can have before having to pay extra.
The autonomy of your provinces has a direct effect on your Force Limit, for every % of autonomy, you lose .1% to your Force Limit to both land and naval units. That’s one thing to bear in mind, so try to keep it as low as possible. One of the many ways to increase your force limit is by working on ideas. These ideas can take a while to complete but they are worth doing. Your national ideas will be different from other places and the bonuses will be different too. One example would be playing as Muscovy and working on their religious and military ideas and later in the game, you can get large Force Limits. There are also Diplomatic Ideas Groups for some nations which also increase your Naval Force Limit by as much as 50%.
Ruling coastal provinces grants you naval units, this is incredibly helpful when trying to invade other lands. If you can take a rival’s coastal land through war or more peaceful means that would of course increase your Naval Force Limit and enable you to conquer regions further away. Buildings increase your Force Limit, shipyards for instance will increase your Naval Force Limit. Also, having a coastal centre of trade increases your Naval Force Limit. These are all things to consider when plotting your strategy for domination and earning more money. If you’re playing as a colonial nation, you gain a bonus to land and naval units when you own more than 10 provinces.
The best way to increase your Force Limit is to conquer more land. The more land you have the higher your Force Limit will be. Developing buildings in these provinces will also increase it. Taking land isn’t as simple as declaring war on a nation and invading them. They probably have a large army in neighbouring lands or allies who will come to back them up. If you have an ally, they won’t always be able to assist you. If you have a large army, it is possible to invade their land and claim it as your own. Fabricating claims, Claim Throne and even Royal Marriage are more peaceful ways to get land, but they take some time to complete. And that is how to increase your Force Limit in EU4.
