How To Declare War In Victoria 3
You may want to know how to declare war in Victoria 3, as sometimes the best way form of diplomacy is waging a hellish war that will see your enemy beaten into submission. War does take a backseat in Victoria 3, and its systems aren't the most fleshed out compared to the economy and politics mechanics, but it's still worth utilising in certain situations. So if you're looking for an explanation of how to declare war in Victoria 3, we've got you covered.
- Make sure you also check out how to become a recognised power in Victoria 3, which requires you to risk going to war.
How To Declare War In Victoria 3
Click to enlargeIt's worth pointing out that you can't outright declare war in Victoria 3, and anything you can achieve through war (annexing a country, liberating a country, vassalising a country etc.) can also be done through careful diplomacy. If you do want to take part in a war though, you first need to make a Diplomatic Play in the Diplomatic Lens menu at the bottom of the screen. This is a new system in Victoria 3 that allows you to threaten certain actions against another nation, and if it's not resolved peacefully, war begins.
There are different types of Diplomatic Plays you can make, which dictate the end result of a successful play or war, and you can only make them if you have declared interest in a specific region. For example, you can't make a Diplomatic Play to ban slavery in a country unless you have declared interest in that region. When making a Diplomatic Play, other nations that have declared an interest in that region will also be able to join or ignore the play.
Click to enlargeUpon making a Diplomatic Play, you will enter into a period of negotiations which begins with the Escalation phase. During this portion, you and the target can add more war goals to the conflict, but adding war goals costs manoeuvres, which are limited and based on your world ranking.
The next phase is called Diplomatic Manoeuvres, where you and the target nation can sway other countries to join sides. Offering countries Obligations is a good way to make them join your side, though they can force you to join their side in future conflicts. It's also possible to sway countries on your enemy's side into being neutral.
Click to enlargeThe last phase is the Countdown to War, where the only options are backing down and avoiding conflict, or waiting it out. Once the timer finishes, war is declared, and it's time to mobilise the troops. After the outbreak of war, there are only three ways to put the genie back in the bottle. You can propose or accept a peace deal, propose or accept a white peace deal (where no war goals are enforced), or capitulate or get the enemy to capitulate (capitulation means accepting all war goals).
That's all for our walkthrough of how to declare war in Victoria 3, and now you should be able to make Diplomatic Plays that lead to all-out war.
We also have an explainer for how to increase Influence in Victoria 3, which can be useful getting allies for wars.
