Crusader Kings 3 Best Starts

You may want to know the Crusader Kings 3 best starts, and which nations are worth playing during your early experiences with the game. Crusader Kings is one of the most iconic grand strategy franchises, allowing players to inhabit the character of a medieval ruler and further their dynasty throughout centuries. Like any Paradox game though, it can be fairly complex, especially if you are just starting out, so it's worth picking a character who will allow you to pick the game's mechanics at your pace. You may also want to know which starts allow for the most potential in terms of furthering your dynasty and creating a house that will be remembered throughout history. So check out our breakdown of the Crusader Kings 3 best starts. 

Crusader Kings 3 Best Starts: Petty King Murchad Mac Donnchad Briain of Munster

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Petty King Murchad is the protagonist of the tutorial chosen by Paradox, and with good reason. The starting placement of Munster in the south of Ireland allows you to get familiar with many of the game's major mechanics without worrying too much about your neighbours, or other powers in the region. This start also allows you to form the Kingdom of Ireland, which is good practice for some of the other kingdoms you can form with other characters. 

Crusader Kings 3 Best Start: King Alfonso of Leon

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Reuniting the Iberian Peninsula is a major achievement for any CK player, making for a satisfying goal to vie for when starting as any character here. King Alfonso is our personal choice due to his starting position and high Intrigue, which allows you to pull off some sneaky plays to gain more power. With the Fate of Iberia DLC, you also gain access to the Iberian Struggle mechanic, which adds a lot of depth to the chaos of the time period. 

Crusader Kings 3 Best Start: Duke Vratislav of Bohemia

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Controlling any area within the Holy Roman Empire can be hectic due to all the characters in the region with big ambitions, so you'll need to be the most ambitious of them all. Starting as Duke Vratislav of Bohemia affords you a lot of protection that many don't have, making him a great choice while learning the game, but you also have a tonne of options in terms of expansion and politicking. 

Crusader Kings 3 Best Start: King Svend of Denmark

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King Svend of Denmark is a good Crusader Kings 3 start for players looking to learn under a bit of pressure, as you'll need to make use of lots of diplomacy to keep Viking invaders at bay. This also gives you a good chance to stage an invasion of Britain,allowing you to expand massively. 

Crusader Kings 3 Best Start: Sultan Yahya II ibn Yahya of the Idrisid Sultanate

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Boasting a high Diplomacy stat that can be exploited to expand your territory, Sultyan Yahya II can make use of concubines to secure alliances, and has a big army that rivals many of the major African powers. This is great for when you want to experience the game in a different continent, as CK3 can often be too focused on Europe. 

Crusader Kings 3 Best Start: High Chieftess Daurama of Kano

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Playing as a woman in CK3 is just an outright different experience than playing as a man, but with the tools available to you, you can make the medieval world just a bit less awful for them, and High Chieftess Daurama is a great character for this. One of the most rewarding things you can do in CK is to create a more matriarchal society where male heirs aren't automatically favoured, and with a bit of work on your part, this is one of the best starts for achieving that. 

Crusader Kings 3 Best Start: Thakur Vijayabahu of Rohana

While Crusader Kings is primarily about role-playing as your character and simulating a dynasty, war is a big part of the game, and sometimes you just want to brutally dominate your neighbours into submission. If you want to learn the war mechanics with a big army that's 4000 strong from the get-go, Thakur Vijayabahu is a brilliant choice. It won't be a cakewalk, and you'll need to manage your alliances too, but turmoil is where the real fun comes from anyway. 

That's all for our primer on the Crusader Kings 3 best starts, and now you know who the best characters are for starting your dynasty.