Expecting players to put themselves into the shoes of a dynasty ruler, Crusader Kings 3 is a game where realm building, court intrigue, and politics are paramount. It is a game where the player’s goal can be anything from conquering the world to consolidating power in their own little corner of the world.
But as with all games, money is what enables the player to have more stuff. This can include better castles, more levies, bribe money, etc. So how do rulers collect gold? And how can players collect even more of it? There is a multitude of methods, but the items listed below should help the player considerably.
Understanding Taxes in Crusader Kings 3
The most basic form of gold collection a ruler has at any given time is taxes. This is done automatically by the game’s systems, but the player can still influence how effectively taxes are collected and by how much.
Zoom in on the map until the ruler’s individual holdings are visible. Click on one of those holdings and the player can see how much gold that part of the domain is making. But just because it should be making that much money, that doesn’t mean it will always be collected effectively. How much control the player has over the area and the relevant vassal’s opinion of the ruler can both affect how much taxes can be collected.
In the event that the player has low control in a region, players can head to their council tab, head to over to their marshal, and select the “Increase Control in Country” option. This will show the control levels all throughout the ruler’s domain, and players will have the ability to select any region that doesn’t have an exceedingly high control score. But if the player is against using the army to enforce control, then the player can also attempt to increase the ruler’s popularity in the area which can be a bit time consuming depending on how the ruler acquired that land and a variety of other factors.
But to start, what religion are they? Because if they worship some other religion that is not adopted by the realm, then the player can get their council priest to convert the area. What about their culture? Then they can send their steward to address the problem by clicking the “Promote Culture” option and selecting the appropriate area.
Vassal Contracts in Crusader Kings 3
Assuming the player isn’t going the tyrannical route, the main thing to keep in mind when it comes to controlling an area is making sure the relevant vassal s the ruler. This means the player may want to enter a sway scheme, arrange a few beneficial marriages in the vassal’s family, or send a gift. Anything to keep them in your good graces.
At a high approval level, they are more likely to enforce tax collection in the area. But, and here’s the better part, players can actually modify their feudal contracts so they are obligated to collect even more taxes. Right-click on the vassal and chose the feudal contract option. This will bring up their feudal contract and the player will have the ability to demand more levies, increase the tax rate, and give the vassal a variety of privileges. But for the purposes of making money, demanding higher taxes is what the player wants to focus on. This will make the vassal lower their opinion of the ruler. But if the player increased their popularity with them already this should be a non-issue.
Land Development in Crusader Kings 3
Spend money to make money. Select one of the holdings the realm and take a look at any buildings that can be constructed. Building any structure is bound to raise the tax rate a bit, but the real money makers are crop lands and anything related to trade. This includes farms and fields, trade ports, and wetland farms. Build those and upgrade them whenever possible. They will not increase the number of levies the player can have, but the player can offset this military weakness by hiring some men-at-arms through the military tab. Or by constructing the relevant buildings, such as barracks, in another holding that the player has a good grip on.
But arguably just as important as the land is the steward. This council position always has two options available: “Collect Taxes” or “Increase Development in Country”. Believe it or not, reinforcing development is actually the better option. Why? Because while collecting taxes will ensure better tax collection, building better infrastructure will actually increase the overall amount of gold an area produces. It won’t seem like much at first, but once the amount of gold earned reaches over a 10% increase the player will be seeing some serious cash flow.
Demand Gold in Crusader Kings 3
Collecting gold from the land is all well and good. But the player can make some serious cash by extorting it from nobles and courtiers. All the player has to do is dedicate themselves to the stewardship lifestyle choice and select the “Golden Obligations” perk. This will allow the player to extort money from other people in exchange for hooks. Hooks can be gained when the player, either through chance or the use of their spymaster, learns of a secret or scandal. Then the player can then approach the appropriate person and attempt to blackmail them. If the blackmail is successful, then the player gains a hook. Hooks can also be granted during certain events such as feasts and visiting another court.
But above all else, the player needs two things to make gold extortion a decent enterprise: a good spymaster and a scandalous court. Recruiting a spymaster is easy enough. Just look for a powerful vassal or courtier with sufficient intrigue skill. Or, if the spymaster is a bit lacking in that department, have the player’s spouse make up for it by having them collect court intrigue.
Getting a scandalous court on the other hand can require time and a decent amount of luck. The main thing to focus on are marriages. Yes, marriages. Click the court tab and run through every available bachelor or bachelorette. Right-click on them and select “Find Spouse”. The main thing the player wants to look for are ‘troublesome’ traits. Traits like wrathful, arrogant, and especially lust. If the aim of the game is scandal, then these are the traits the player wants in their court. Just be sure to have a firm grasp on either their loyalty or fear in case things get too out of hand. It also helps if the potential spouse in question comes from a noble house of some sort. They are the ones with the most money, after all. Their titles can also become useful later.
But provided that the spymaster is set to uncover secrets at the ruler’s court, the scandals should be rolling in. Then the player can create a hooks left and right, which can then be turned into gold when the player demands payment in exchange for those hooks.
Crusader Kings 3 is available on PC.
