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 walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Duchy of Munster, 1066 | Succession laws and gavelkind basics | Tribal | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Byzantine Empire, 1066 | Levies and retinues mastery | Tribal | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Scandinavia, 867 | Plots and factions + gear | Feudal or Tribal | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Francia, 769 | Build optimization | Feudal | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Kingdom of England, 1337 | Min-max | Feudal or Iqta | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (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.
Level/Difficulty: Beginner, one duchy and a few counties Key Rewards: The Kingdom of Ireland title, and a working understanding of claims and succession
What to Do in Duchy of Munster, 1066
- Learn 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. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Tribal as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- 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.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Pikemen or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Succession laws and gavelkind fundamentals
- Tribal selected and functional
- Duchy of Munster, 1066 main content cleared
- Ready for Byzantine Empire, 1066
Phase 2: Early Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Advanced, an empire tier title from turn one Key Rewards: Enormous starting strength, and the hardest lesson in the game about plots
What to Do in Byzantine Empire, 1066
- Work on 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. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Pikemen if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- 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.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Scandinavia, 867.
- Consider whether Feudal might suit your playstyle better than Tribal.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Levies and retinues integrated into gameplay
- Pikemen acquired
- Byzantine Empire, 1066 fully cleared
- Ready for Scandinavia, 867
Phase 3: Mid Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Intermediate, tribal government with raiding unlocked Key Rewards: Raid income, the Norse reformation, and the shortest route from petty king to emperor
What to Do in Scandinavia, 867
- Master 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. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Heavy Infantry. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- 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.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in De jure drift and claims for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Plots and factions mastered
- Heavy Infantry acquired or in progress
- Scandinavia, 867 fully cleared
- Ready for Francia, 769
Phase 4: Late Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Advanced, requires the Charlemagne expansion Key Rewards: The chance to build the Holy Roman Empire from its actual starting position
What to Do in Francia, 769
- Finalize your build. You should be running Feudal or Tribal with optimized gear.
- Heavy Infantry should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- 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.
- Societies and lifestyle focuses optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Kingdom of England, 1337.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Heavy Infantry upgraded to max
- Francia, 769 fully cleared
- Ready for Kingdom of England, 1337
Phase 5: Endgame (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.
Level/Difficulty: Intermediate, a short game ending in 1453 Key Rewards: A compressed campaign that finishes rather than running for six hundred years
What to Do in Kingdom of England, 1337
- Kingdom of England, 1337 tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- 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 endgame loop: run Kingdom of England, 1337, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Iqta for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Societies and lifestyle focuses mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Kingdom of England, 1337 fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- 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.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- 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.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Crusader Kings II Guides
- Crusader Kings II Crusader Kings II Overview
- Crusader Kings II Best Builds
- Crusader Kings II Tier List
- 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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