Crusader Kings II ran from 2012 to 2020 and went free to play in 2019, which is why it still holds a live player base alongside its sequel. You play a dynasty rather than a country, starting anywhere from 769 with the Charlemagne expansion or 867 with The Old Gods through to 1337, and the game ends the moment no landed member of your dynasty is left to inherit. Everything else, the wars, the marriages, the murders, exists to stop that from happening.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best builds, equipment worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
Succession laws and gavelkind
Gavelkind splits your titles between every living son, and it is the single most common reason a carefully built kingdom collapses one generation after it was assembled. Moving to Primogeniture requires the right crown authority and legalism level, and until you get there the practical answer most players use is to make sure only one son is alive when the old ruler dies.
Levies and retinues
Vassal levies scale with the vassal's opinion of you, so an angry duke sends a fraction of what his holdings could raise. Retinues are standing troops paid out of your own demesne income and ignore opinion entirely, which is why a well-composed retinue of a few thousand outperforms a much larger unreliable levy call. Composition matters too, since most combat tactics buff one or two unit types and penalise the rest.
Plots and factions
Every plot has a plot power figure that rises as backers join, and it has to clear a threshold before it can fire. Murder plots you run are the cheap side of the system. Factions aimed at you are the dangerous side, because a faction holding a large enough share of your realm's strength can present a demand that you either accept or fight a civil war over.
De jure drift and claims
A title held continuously for 100 years drifts to become de jure part of its holder's realm, which is how borders quietly redraw without a war. Claims are the fast alternative: fabricated by your chancellor, inherited through a marriage, or handed out by the Pope, and a claim is what turns an aggressive war into a legal one your vassals will actually support.
Societies and lifestyle focuses
Monks and Mystics added societies you join for a rank track and society-only actions, the Hermetic Society, the Monastic Orders, the Assassins and the devil worshippers. Lifestyle focuses from Way of Life run alongside them, and picking Theology, Scholarship, Intrigue or Seduction early shapes which lifestyle traits your ruler ends his life carrying.
For a deeper dive into how these systems interact, see our Crusader Kings II combat guide.
Builds Overview
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feudal | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Tribal | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Nomadic | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Merchant Republic | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Iqta | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our Crusader Kings II builds guide. For rankings, check the tier list.
Equipment Guide
| Equipment | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy Infantry | The anchor of most melee lines and one of the units that came out of the Horse Lords rebalance near the top. | The centre of a retinue, paired with pikemen rather than doubled up. |
| Pikemen | The consistent answer to cavalry and the one heavy unit that was reliable across every patch, provided your commanders have the traits that trigger the pike tactics. | Any army expecting to meet knights or horse archers on open ground. |
| Light Cavalry | Cheap, fast, and devastating in pursuit. | Turning a won battle into a destroyed army rather than a retreating one. |
| Archers | Skirmishers that soften the enemy before the melee phase. | One or two skirmisher slots in a mixed retinue, never as the bulk of an army. |
| Retinues | Standing troops maintained from your demesne income that ignore vassal opinion entirely. | Any ruler whose vassals dislike him, which after fifty years is every ruler. |
Heavy Infantry: The anchor of most melee lines and one of the units that came out of the Horse Lords rebalance near the top. Expensive per unit, and the reason a small retinue can hold a flank against a much larger levy.
Pikemen: The consistent answer to cavalry and the one heavy unit that was reliable across every patch, provided your commanders have the traits that trigger the pike tactics.
Light Cavalry: Cheap, fast, and devastating in pursuit. Light cavalry contributes little to a stand-up fight and enormously to the casualties inflicted after the enemy breaks and runs.
Archers: Skirmishers that soften the enemy before the melee phase. They were reduced in effectiveness after Horse Lords, so a modern retinue usually takes fewer of them than older guides suggest.
Retinues: Standing troops maintained from your demesne income that ignore vassal opinion entirely. The general rule is two skirmisher types and two melee types, because most tactics buff a pair of unit types and penalise everything else in the stack.
Full breakdowns in our Crusader Kings II weapons guide.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Duchy of Munster, 1066 | Beginner, one duchy and a few counties | The Kingdom of Ireland title, and a working understanding of claims and succession |
| Byzantine Empire, 1066 | Advanced, an empire tier title from turn one | Enormous starting strength, and the hardest lesson in the game about plots |
| Scandinavia, 867 | Intermediate, tribal government with raiding unlocked | Raid income, the Norse reformation, and the shortest route from petty king to emperor |
| Francia, 769 | Advanced, requires the Charlemagne expansion | The chance to build the Holy Roman Empire from its actual starting position |
| Kingdom of England, 1337 | Intermediate, a short game ending in 1453 | A compressed campaign that finishes rather than running for six hundred years |
Duchy of Munster, 1066: Murchad ua Briain in southern Ireland, the classic first campaign. A handful of small neighbours, no great power within reach, and enough room to make every beginner mistake without losing the save.
Byzantine Empire, 1066: Konstantinos X Doukas ruling from Constantinople with the largest army on the map and a court full of people who want him dead. The Seljuks press from the east while the internal politics do more damage than any invader.
Scandinavia, 867: The Old Gods start, where the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok and Rurik in the east are all on the map at once. Norse pagans can raid for prestige and loot, and reforming the faith is a long-term project worth planning around.
Francia, 769: The Charlemagne start, the earliest date the game allows. Karl and his brother hold the Frankish inheritance between them, with the Umayyads in Iberia and the Saxons unconquered to the east.
Kingdom of England, 1337: The Hundred Years War bookmark and the latest start in the game. Borders are settled, succession laws are mature, and the interesting problems are diplomatic rather than expansionist.
See our maps & locations guide for detailed area breakdowns and our walkthrough for the optimal progression path.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Fix succession before anything else. Gavelkind splitting a kingdom between three sons undoes fifty years of work in one death screen, and changing the law requires crown authority you have to raise years in advance.
- Retinues beat levies because they ignore opinion. A vassal at minus 40 opinion sends a fraction of his troops, while a retinue paid from your demesne turns up in full every single time.
- Compose a retinue with two melee types and two skirmisher types, not five of everything. Combat tactics buff a pair of unit types and penalise the others, so a mixed stack cancels its own bonuses.
- Marriage is a claim delivery system. Marrying your heir to the only daughter of a childless duke is worth more than marrying him to a genius with high stewardship.
- Fabricating claims through the chancellor is slow and cheap, papal claims are fast and expensive. Keep the chancellor working on the next target while you fight the current war.
- The council is not decoration. Councillors with high relevant stats add real numbers to research, taxes and levies, and an unhappy council is the seed of the next faction.
- Educate your own heir when your ruler has good stats and a matching trait, because the guardian's traits and education directly shape what the heir becomes. A drunkard guardian produces exactly what you expect.
- A title held for 100 years drifts de jure to its holder. That means a slow game can absorb a neighbour's counties into your kingdom's legal borders without a single extra war.
- The free-to-play version covers the base 1066 to 1337 range only. The 867 and 769 starts, the Norse and nomadic governments and the society systems all live behind The Old Gods, Charlemagne, Horse Lords and Monks and Mystics.
- Prestige and piety are currencies, not scores. Piety buys the Pope's help with claims and divorces, prestige buys mercenary contracts and better marriages, and both are spent rather than admired.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Building a kingdom under gavelkind and losing it entirely on the first succession, then restarting rather than fixing the law.
- Calling every vassal levy for a war without checking opinion, then fielding a third of the army the screen promised.
- Ignoring plot power on incoming factions until the demand arrives with half the realm behind it.
- Declaring war without a claim, which costs enormous prestige and turns your own vassals against you.
- Spending the whole treasury on holdings and having nothing left for a mercenary contract when a neighbour smells weakness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Crusader Kings II still worth playing next to CK3?
Yes, for two reasons. The base game has been free since 2019, and after eight years of expansions it covers ground CK3 has not reached, including nomadic government, merchant republics, societies and the 769 and 867 start dates in their finished form.
Which start date should a new player choose?
1066 in the Duchy of Munster. Ireland is contained, the neighbours are small, and no great power will intervene while you learn succession law and claims. The 867 and 769 starts are more interesting but require The Old Gods and Charlemagne.
How do I stop my realm splitting when my ruler dies?
Change the succession law away from gavelkind. That needs crown authority and the legalism technology, both of which take years, so start the process while your ruler is in his thirties. Until then, the number of living sons is the number of pieces your realm breaks into.
Why do my armies arrive smaller than the levy screen says?
Vassal levies scale with vassal opinion. A duke who dislikes you sends a fraction of his holdings' capacity. Retinues do not work that way, which is why they are the standard answer once your vassals have had time to build up grievances.
What are the five playable government types?
Feudal, Tribal, Nomadic, Merchant Republic and Iqta. Feudal is the default European experience, Tribal is the early pagan and Norse starting point, Iqta is the Muslim equivalent of feudal, Merchant Republic runs on trade posts and patrician elections, and Nomadic from Horse Lords runs on clans and herd size.
More Crusader Kings II Guides
- Crusader Kings II Best Builds
- Crusader Kings II Tier List
- Crusader Kings II Walkthrough
- Crusader Kings II Beginner's Guide
- Crusader Kings II Tips & Tricks
- Crusader Kings II Weapons Guide
- Crusader Kings II Combat Guide
- Crusader Kings II Boss Guide
- Crusader Kings II Maps & Locations
- Crusader Kings II Crafting Guide
- Crusader Kings II Classes & Characters
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