All is fair in love and war—amassing armies, gaining wealth, and forming alliances. But the creator of Europa Universalis 4, Paradox Development Studio, takes it further and allows players to utilize vassals. And to do that, players must master how to vassal feed in Europa Universalis 4.
With the different methods involved, we have tested each and can now give expert knowledge on what you should know for each method; to arms.
Contents…
- What is Vassal Feeding in EU4?
- How to Create a Vassal in EU4
- How to Increase the Income from Vassals in Europa Universalis 4
- How to Avoid Over-Dependency on Vassals in EU4
- Is Vassal Feeding Worth it in EU4?
What is Vassal Feeding in EU4?
Vassal Feeding in Europa Universalis 4 is the practice of giving conquered (uncored) land to vassals with the aim of expansion. Vassal feeding is a feature that circumvents certain problems that players encounter in the conquest for world domination. Its benefits include:
- Vassals will core the land for you.
- Players can use diplomatic points instead of the more valuable administrative points to get lands after annexing the vassal.
- It strengthens vassals, making them more reliable in war.
- Vassals can help to get rid of religious or cultural problems.
- It can speed up blobbing and enables you to take over 100% overextension (OE).
- Using reconquer Casus Belli (CB) to regain permanent cores owned by the vassals in other nations. Aggressive Expansion (AE) costs 25%, and it costs 75% of normal conquest without spending admin points to achieve.
…be careful when vassal feeding as a vassal’s desire for liberty grows as you feed them, which can lead to them being disloyal. You can check its desire for freedom by placating the leader or, as a more sinister means, forcing them into financial turmoil and paying off their debt.
How to Create a Vassal in EU4
Players who want to make the most of vassal feeding need to know how to obtain them. There are several ways to create a vassal in the game, and they include the following:
…with the most prominent way being to release a nation.
Release a Nation
“Release a Nation” works when a peaceful nation releases the land it controls. In this case, you have gained provinces that can’t be sold or cored. The following are ways to release a nation:
- Check out the diplomacy menu. It will show your country; if it does not, check out the “view own country” in the upper right menu.
- At the upper right menu, you will see “Create Vassals.” If the “Create Vassals” button is gray, there is no nation to release, or the country is at war.
- Click the “Create Vassals” button and select a nation to release. Doing this will successfully create a vassal.
…a nation is suitable for release when it is at peace, controls or owns a province and the target nation is non-existent. When releasing a nation as a vassal, you can play as the vassal in ironman mode.
Forceful Vassalization
Forceful vassalization, also called military, puts target nations under pressure, forcing them to choose peace over destruction. After a forceful vassal, players will gain land without using their administrative power, and the vassal will control its army, giving players less of a management role.
Diplomatic Vassalization
This way includes offering to vassalize a country. However, to make this happen, you must do the following:
- Be allied to the target nation.
- Have over 190 relations with the country.
- Less than 50% technology cost difference.
- The target nation must have 100 developments.
…if these conditions are met, you will be offered a nation as a vassal. However, the pre-vassal nation will have to trust the military and financial strength of the overlord for vassalization to be successful.
How to Increase the Income from Vassals in Europa Universalis 4
As an overlord or Suzerain in Europa Universalis 4, you can increase your income from vassals through the following:
- Ideas and Policies: There are ideas and policies to make as an overlord to increase your income significantly. For instance, implementing the offensive-administrative vassal taxation policy will increase your revenue by 50%. Also, ideas like Pulotu’s creation and tribute system will increase income by 30% and 25%, respectively.
- Decisions and Events: Events like keeping vassals safe and controlling them for ten years increase your income by 10% and 25%, respectively.
- Force Limit Contributions: A vassal will help an overlord increase its income through force limit contributions, often 10% of the vassal force limit.
…to make these ways of increasing income work, you will manage the vassals effectively by protecting and supporting them, making them trust and be loyal to you.
How to Avoid Over-Dependency on Vassals in EU4
Although the benefits of having a vassal outweigh the drawbacks, over-dependence on vassals can be risky. The dangers include:
- Breach of allegiance by the vassals.
- Declaration of war.
- Income jeopardy.
- Total loss of governance on the vassals etc.
…to avoid this, diversify your income, gain other vassals’ true loyalty and protect your vassals by taking care of and supporting their armies. This way, they will stay true and not breach their allegiance.
Is Vassal Feeding Worth it in EU4?
Feeding vassals in Europa Universalis 4 is worth it as it grants players benefits that will aid them in their conquest. Vassal feeding will help players take lands or core some provinces during a war. In addition, feeding vassals provides financial and military assistance to the player during the war. Also, vassal feeding helps players expand their territory/empire, giving them a high governing capacity.
However, there are situations vassal feeding will go wrong, like when the vassals declare war on the overlord after allying with other enemy nations. Vassal feeding as a tactic tends to favor more conservative players as it utilizes fewer resources and takes on a more peaceful approach in general.
