Video summary

I Ignored Every European War and Still Won EU5 as Portugal

Main summary

Key takeaways

Gaming

Storyline (Portugal → global colonial power, European war ignored)

Goal and constraint

  • Goal: Transform Portugal (poor/weak early) into a global colonial power.
  • Major constraint:
    • Conquest of Catholic Iberia is forbidden
    • Castile must remain in the game
  • Therefore, the run aims to reduce Castile to a “footstool” role without fighting for Iberian religious conquest.

Core approach

  • Leverage Castile’s involvement (wars/events) while staying focused on:
    • Granada → Morocco → Africa
  • After securing Granada and gaining early map knowledge in Morocco/Mali, Portugal shifts into:
    • Long peace for economic/control building
    • Then steady colonial expansion across Africa and onward.

Gameplay highlights & key phases

1) Early game setup (mirrors Castile—then diverges)

  • Removes fortifications (except the capital), develops early tech/institutions, and improves diplomacy.
  • Advisor plan:
    • One advisor toward communalism
    • One advisor toward legitimacy
  • Early army tip:
    • Starting army composition is randomized
    • Player preference: cavalry for the first war
  • Alliance survival plan:
    • Improve relations with Castile immediately to secure an alliance (otherwise Castile may attack).
  • Marriage mechanic (dynasty + advisor trick):
    • The heir’s wife becomes queen and can’t be a cabinet advisor once she’s queen.
    • While she’s still a princess, you can grant cabinet rights.
    • Pay 20 legitimacy to use her immediately as a superior advisor.
    • Later, her queen status still strengthens crown authority.

2) Defensive war strategy around Castile’s interference

  • After the vassal-nerf, the run uses a defensive/slow conquer style (vassals are more costly than before).
  • Budget automation:
    • Automates spending
    • Lowers army maintenance
    • Temporarily disables forts
    • Minimizes diplomacy spending
  • Estate privileges to shape communalism:
    • Clergy: privileges boosting communalism
    • Peasantry: one privilege for communalism
    • Burgers: a privilege that passively increases development
    • Nobility: higher taxation privilege
  • Critical dependency:
    • The plan requires Castile not to fight immediately
    • Often Castile gets dragged into Morocco-related wars
    • If dragged in, the goal becomes seizing as much value as possible from Granada/Morocco

3) Granada war: seize key timing + map theft

  • Diplomacy/casting:
    • Wait until parliament
    • Use spy actions and claims (Fabricate claims targeting Granada)
  • Lucky war outcome emphasized:
    • Morocco defeats Tlemcen but loses its army
    • Granada’s army is unusually weak
  • Tactics:
    • Occupy quickly—especially Granada’s capital—before Castile arrives
    • Use naval levies to transport the army
  • Court event decision:
    • An affair triggers a choice (execution/civil consequences)
    • Player chooses to remove the lover to avoid losing the Castile alliance (called the “reliable” option in repeated tests)
  • War results priorities:
    • Take Granada fully
    • Avoid taking Moroccan African territories in this phase
    • Take war reparations and maps of the Sahara
    • Convert/secure long-term control while preventing odd outcomes from releasing vassals

4) Control, integration, and long peace → Renaissance transition

  • After Granada conquest:
    • Disband the army (long peace)
    • Integrate conquered provinces over ~100 years
    • Convert culture/religion
  • Push toward humanism with tolerance laws for voluntary workers.
  • Economic stabilization:
    • Once legitimacy hits 100, finances become profitable
    • Repay/clear loans early
  • Renaissance:
    • Choose Administrative ideas to reach high control
    • Develop RGO resources (iron/horse/salt)
    • Expand valuable production in the capital
  • Institution/tech approach:
    • Focus literacy for faster research
    • Support nobility taxation later
    • Keep preparing for continued wars via better levies/response readiness

5) Black Death crisis → communalism max → free subjects + governance infrastructure

  • During the plague, use segregation of the infected to reach max communalism.
  • Build settlements during/after to restore population.
  • Build an Iberian special governor structure:
    • Lieutenancy (Iberian-culture governor variant)
    • Requires a road connection to the capital
    • Placed in Porto near an iron mine
    • Expensive upkeep (gold) but spreads control and pays off later
  • Maritime reform unlock:
    • After reaching ~50 maritime values, enact Port Administration
    • Builds a naval governor in Granada ports

6) Africa discovery and control engine (roads → control → assimilation)

  • Map theft path:
    • Keep stealing from Morocco until unlocking Jolof
    • Then pivot to Mali/Jolof discovery
  • Engineering upgrades:
    • Build roads to quarries/marble → big control jump
    • Build bridges
  • Province development in profitable rural areas:
    • Build bailiffs, balanced with trade villages
    • (Bailiffs empower nobility; trade villages strengthen peasantry)
  • Assimilation optimization:
    • Higher control = faster assimilation (explicit tooltip guidance)
    • Use two advisors:
      • One increases control
      • One assimilates
  • RGOs/services scaling:
    • Increase demand via service buildings (including market purchases of goods)
    • Reach ~100 gold net income pre-1400 as a milestone

7) Age of Discovery → fleets, ports, and docks across the coastline

  • Build fleets and invest in naval presence for protection and exploration.
  • Colonization enablers:
    • Docks and protected harbors
    • Selective coastal town-building (port-rights or granary-rights)
    • Libraries + marketplaces later
  • Specialization strategy:
    • Use “city specialization” municipal laws later to make towns efficient (e.g., tools/jewelry/paper)

8) Wars for footholds: Jolof → Mali markets → “capture markets, not just wealth”

  • Jolof invasion:
    • Requires supply carts and careful timing for food/supplies
    • Uses naval fishing boats as food supply assistance
    • Establish diplomatic relations with Mali during/after conflict to secure market access
    • Aim for weapons shipments rather than refusing orders
  • Market domination approach:
    • Conquer inland areas via colonial nation creation to gain merchant share/power-transfer dynamics
    • Keep the coastline under direct control
    • Use port rights + libraries + marketplaces to make coastal towns function like major trade hubs
    • Add trade outposts on Moroccan-controlled route segments
    • Patrol with fleets to reduce trade friction/cost

9) Government and economy scaling: capitalist transition + bureaucracy form

  • Capitalist transition:
    • Revoke burger privileges
    • Replace them with capitalist-economy-value privileges
    • Switch employment to the most profitable roles
    • Spend stability temporarily to afford the transition
  • New World discovery and colonial policy:
    • Rush ocean exploration tech
    • Focus on discovery speed, conquistadors, and colonization laws/bonuses
  • Triggered government efficiency form: Bureaucracy
    • Grants:
      • 50% efficiency bonus
      • +100% demand for paper
  • Afterward:
    • Specialize cities into paper/books production
    • Expand merchant quarters and markets strategically

10) Expansion cadence through Africa → Zimbabwe/Congo → Maldives → Goa → Brazil

  • Use mercenaries when manpower is insufficient.
  • Major colonial/foothold wars:
    • Benin for African coast progression
    • Zimbabwe region (too large for single conquest; uses colonial nations for inland)
    • Congo via further southern expansion
  • Goa campaign:
    • “Wait” tactic: attack after allies abandon, then conquer Goa
  • Portuguese New World:
    • Discover Brazil coastline
    • Establish settlers in southern/eastern Africa while wars are ongoing

Key strategies & tips emphasized

  • Use Castile indirectly: secure the alliance, then let Castile’s wars create openings.
  • Occupy the capital fast in early wars to lock in outcomes before allied forces arrive.
  • Map-stealing is strategic power, not flavor:
    • Sahara, Mali, Jolof discoveries enable route access and later colonization plans.
  • Control beats conquest speed:
    • Roads/quarries (marble) → major control gains → faster assimilation.
  • Advisor pairing:
    • One advisor for control, one for assimilation.
  • Balance estate strength via building mix:
    • Bailiffs (nobility) + trade villages (peasantry) to maintain tax base.
  • Colonial nations to manage wealth vs domination:
    • Transfer inland provinces to colonies/vassals to reduce direct wealth pressure while extracting market power.
  • Trade empire mechanics:
    • Port rights + libraries/marketplaces for hub cities
    • Merchant ships + outposts + patrol fleets to improve trade presence and reduce costs.
  • Government reforms for economy:
    • Administrative ideas for control
    • Bureaucracy/paper-demand synergy for explosive paper/book profitability
    • Manage capitalist transition via privilege changes + stability control

Gamers/sources featured (at the end)

  • Imperialist Lukas (channel host/creator)

Original video