Key insights
- Victoria 3 offers a special objective for learning the game through easier nations.
- Crusader Kings 3 focuses on personal stories and guides players through ruler development.
- Europa Universalis 4 gradually introduces new elements, first introducing the basics of combat and technology.
Big strategy titles are often not the easiest titles to get involved with. When delving into a new, unfamiliar grand strategy title, a lot of questions tend to come up – questions like “What do all these stats mean?” and “Why is the Resources tab hidden behind three other menus?” and the classic “Why does my nation lead a rebellion against me after I built one (1) field of wheat?”
Certainly individual titles will be helpful in familiarizing yourself with this genre as a whole, but there are some games that, while not necessarily the easiest in the genre, have some great tutorials to help the player get started to get used to the expectations. Whether players are looking for a comprehensive strategy for the captivating story or the addictive mechanics, here are some titles with fantastic tutorials to help you in the early stages of the game.
5 Victoria 3
A difficult game that slowly eases players into getting started
Victoria 3namely that Victoria The entire series is one of Paradox's more complicated grand strategy titles. The variety of economic modes, the clusters of factions that define each nation's government, and the intricate mechanics that help build a stable economy can be challenging for a new player or even a Grand Strategy veteran who has simply never dabbled in it before has to be quite intimidating Victoria before.
So it's good that this title offers a specific in-game goal, namely simply learning the game. Taking a few of the simpler nations as starting projects allows players to progress through a storyline of sorts as the game walks them through the important things to consider when developing a nation, with tips and insights specific to the starting nation players chose.
4 Crusader Kings 3
An optimized game comes with an optimized tutorial
More than other grand strategy games, Crusader Kings 3 It's less about the strategic building of nations and more about the personal stories that the player tells along the way. The new launch dates with the latest update have added a few more historical rulers, and as with all historical rulers in this title, there are some that make life easier for the player than others. Perhaps the best way to explain how Crusader Kings 3 differs from its counterparts in the grand strategy genre in that players control a single member of a royal bloodline, not the kingdom itself over which the member rules.
The Crusader Kings 3 The tutorial does a great job of reminding the player of this and walking them through the way they need to personally develop and manage their ruler and their relationships, while also gradually introducing the more macro things the ruler needs to do to maintain their empire to expand and maintain.
3 Europa Universalis 4
This tutorial gradually introduces additional elements
Both chronologically and mechanically they lie in between Crusader Kings 3 And Victoria 3, Europa Universalis covers an incredibly wide period of time, with everything from the early Renaissance to the final moments of the Age of Discovery falling within its timeline. In practice, this means that as the game progresses, a variety of new mechanics are implemented and new concepts, technologies and even schools of thought are developed.
Europa Universalis 4 manages to cover the basics of combat and technology very early on, as these are core parts of the game, and then offers more and more guided tutorials over the years. Additionally, there are many beginner-friendly countries to help players get a foothold in this world.
2 Age of Wonders 4
An entire empire dedicated to teaching the player the basics
Age of Wonders 4 is a blend of 4X principles and Grand Strategy, resulting in an incredibly modular civilization builder limited only by the player's imagination and game mechanics. This is pretty important. It's even more pleasing to see that the first scenario and realm the player can tackle is a very relaxed and casual exploration of how the game works and the player's goals.
The player is guided by a more advanced civilization, which essentially grants him a victory if he continues to build his armies and complete the few quests between the start of the game and the burial of one of the tyrannical Godir on the other side of the planet. It's a slow and ingenious way to introduce the player to the core mechanics of Age of Wonders 4.
1 Stellaris
VIR is ready to help conquer the galaxy
Stellaris is a highly compelling title about the creation of an interstellar empire and how that empire is defined by its fellow galaxy residents. This game isn't about the size of nations or kingdoms, but rather swathes of stars and planets, so it can seem slightly intimidating at first glance. Funnily enough, it's actually one of the easier grand strategy titles, especially if the early game is used properly.
However, for players who need a helping hand, their own brave artificial intelligence, VIR, is available to provide two different types of tutorials. VIR can provide players with either a very detailed beginner's guide to all resources and concepts, or a more relaxed tutorial where text boxes only appear when the player has encountered a relevant part of the game. Players also have the option to trade VIR for minerals, which is fun!
