Key points
- Victoria 3 offers a dedicated objective to learn the game through easier nations.
- Crusader Kings 3 focuses on personal stories and guides players through the development of the ruler.
- Europa Universalis 4 gradually introduces new elements starting first from the basics of combat and technology.
Grand strategy stocks are often not the easiest stocks to engage with. A lot of questions tend to arise when entering a new and unfamiliar grand strategy stock: questions like “What do all these statistics mean?” and “Why is the resources tab hidden behind three other menus?” and the classic “why is my nation leading a rebellion against me after I built one (1) cornfield?”
Of course, gaining some familiarity with this genre in general will help with individual titles, but there are some games that, while not necessarily the easiest of the genre, have some great tutorials to help the player get used to what they're dealing with. expect from them. Whether players are looking to get into grand strategy for the compelling story or challenging mechanics, here are some titles with great tutorials to help in the early stages of the game.
5 Victory 3
A difficult game that eases players slowly
Victory 3and indeed, the Victory series as a whole, it's one of the more complicated grand strategy titles to come from Paradox. The variety of economic modes, the faction groups that define each nation's government, and the intricate mechanisms that help build a stable economy can be quite intimidating to a new player, or even a Grand Strategy veteran who simply doesn't has ever engaged with Victory Before.
It's good, then, that this title offers the dedicated gameplay objective of simply learning the game. By taking a couple of the easier nations as starting blueprints, players can tackle a sort of dedicated storyline as the game walks them through the important things to take into consideration when developing a nation, with tips and insights specific to the nation of departure. the players chose.
4 Crusader King 3
A simplified game brings with it a simplified tutorial
More than other grand strategy games, Crusader King 3 it's less about strategic nation-building and more about the personal stories the player creates along the way. The new start dates with the latest update have added more historical rulers, and as with all historical rulers in this title, there are some that will give the player an easier time than others. Perhaps the best way to explain how Crusader King 3 takes on a different style than its peers in the Grand Strategy genre: players control a single member of a royal bloodline, not the kingdom itself over which the member rules.
THE Crusader King 3 the tutorial does a great job of reminding the player of this by walking them through how they must personally develop and manage their ruler and their relationships, while constantly introducing the more macro level things the ruler must do to expand and maintain their kingdom.
3 Europa Universalis 4
This tutorial slowly introduces more elements
Both chronologically and mechanically sitting in the middle Crusader King 3 AND Victory 3, Europa Universalis has an incredibly large time period to cover, with everything from the early Renaissance to the final moments of the Age of Discovery all falling within its timeline. This basically means that a multitude of new mechanics are implemented as the game progresses and new concepts, technologies and even schools of thought are developed.
Europa Universalis 4 manages to delve into the basics of combat and technology very early on, as these are the core parts of the game, and then provides more guided tutorials as the years go by. Beyond that, there are many beginner-friendly countries that will help players gain a foothold in this world.
2 Age of Wonder 4
An entire kingdom dedicated to teaching the player the basics
Age of Wonder 4 is a fusion of 4X principles with Grand Strategy, creating an incredibly modular civilization builder limited only by the player's imagination… and the mechanics of the game. This is pretty important. This makes it even more rewarding to see that the first scenario and realm the player is able to tackle is a very relaxed and light-hearted exploration of how the game works and what the player's goals should be.
The player is led by a more advanced civilization that essentially gives them a victory if they continue to build their armies and do a handful of missions between starting the game and putting one of the tyrannical Godir to rest on the other side of the world. map. It's a slow and ingenious way to introduce the player to the core mechanics of Age of Wonder 4.
1 Stellaris
VIR is ready to help conquer the galaxy
Stellaris is a very compelling title about the creation of an interstellar empire and how that empire is defined by its fellow occupants across the galaxy. This game isn't about the scale of nations or kingdoms, but rather entire swathes of stars and planets, so it's easy to feel intimidating at first. It's actually one of the simplest grand strategy titles, which is quite strange, especially if the initial game is used correctly.
For players who need help, however, their brave AI, VIR, is here to provide two distinct types of tutorials. VIR can offer players a very in-depth beginner's guide to all assets and concepts, or a more relaxed tutorial where text boxes only appear when the player has come across a relevant part of the game. Players also have the option to scrap VIR for ore, which is fun!
