In Europa Universalis IV (EU4), the “Humiliate Rival” Casus Belli (CB) can be a valuable tool, depending on your specific goals and circumstances within the game.
The “Humiliate Rival” CB allows you to wage war against a rival power with the primary objective of humiliating them, rather than outright territorial conquest.
The “Humiliate Rival” casus belli (CB) is great early in the game, but later on, it is only good in certain situations.
This CB can only be used to hurt your enemies. As long as you don’t have a peace treaty with them, you can always get it. This makes it easy to quickly go to war with your competitors.
You can get three useful things from this CB:
+2 beauty each month during the Age of Discovery
+100 to all three mana,
+30 to power projection
Here are some factors to consider when deciding if the “Humiliate Rival” CB is worth it:
- Victory Conditions: With the “Humiliate Rival” CB, your main objective is to accumulate a significant amount of Humiliation score, rather than acquiring land. This score is gained by winning battles, occupying enemy forts, and completing certain objectives during the war. If you have a rival whom you can consistently defeat and secure these objectives against, the “Humiliate Rival” CB can be beneficial.
- Power Projection: Power Projection is a game mechanic in EU4 that measures a nation’s relative strength and influence. Humiliating a rival grants you a significant boost to your Power Projection, which can provide several benefits, including additional monarch points, morale bonuses, and improved diplomatic reputation. If you’re struggling to maintain a high Power Projection, the “Humiliate Rival” CB can help you achieve that.
- Long-Term Rivalry: If you have a long-standing rivalry with a particular nation, using the “Humiliate Rival” CB can be a way to assert your dominance and weaken your opponent’s position. It can serve as a deterrent to future aggression and potentially improve your diplomatic standing with other nations.
- Opportunity Cost: It’s important to consider the opportunity cost of choosing the “Humiliate Rival” CB over other CBs that allow for territorial expansion. If there are valuable provinces or strategic regions you can acquire by using a different CB, it might be more beneficial to pursue those objectives instead.
- Diplomatic Ramifications: Humiliating a rival may negatively impact your relations with them and potentially other nations that have strong ties with them. Consider the potential diplomatic consequences and whether the benefits outweigh the potential drawbacks.
Ultimately, the decision to use the “Humiliate Rival” CB depends on your specific circumstances, objectives, and playstyle in EU4.
It can be a useful tool for increasing your Power Projection and asserting dominance, but it’s essential to weigh its advantages against other potential options available to you in the game.
- For Meeting the Age Objective
- For Farming Mana
- For Weakening Your Rivals
- FAQs
- Can I gain territory or vassalize my rival using the “Humiliate Rival” CB?
- How does the Humiliation score affect my nation?
- Can I use the “Humiliate Rival” CB on multiple rivals simultaneously?
- Is the “Humiliate Rival” CB more useful for certain nations or playstyles?
- Are there any drawbacks or risks associated with using the “Humiliate Rival” CB?
For Meeting the Age Objective
“Humiliate Rival” is one of the goals of the Age of Discovery. When you do it, you get +2 splendor every month, which you can use to buy age skills.
The “Humiliate” peace term, on the other hand, isn’t just for the “Humiliate Rival” CB.
As long as you are at war with your foe, you can humiliate them for 40% war score.
If you’re playing a country with good early-game skills, like Portugal, you should find a rival as soon as possible and beat them.
For Farming Mana
“Show Strength” is a peace term used only by the CB. This takes 100% of your war score but gives you 100 mana in each category.
This is very helpful early on, when mana is short and there are a lot of opponents.
Depending on who you play as, you might be able to challenge a weak country that you can easily take over.
Farm them for mana before the difference in power between you two gets too big and stops you from being rivals.
As the game goes on and your opponents get better, this method will become less useful.
Only people who are as strong as you are can be your opponents. As you get stronger, the number of people who want to beat you will also grow. It will be tougher to beat them.
At some point, the costs of winning will be much higher than the rewards of farming mana.
For Weakening Your Rivals
Here, the CB really shines. Since you can use it against your enemies at any time (except during truces), you can bother them whenever you want.
For example, if you see that your rival is suffering in a faraway war, you can “help” their enemies by starting a humiliation war.
You also get +30 power projection from the “Humiliate” peace term, while your opponent loses -30 power projection.
FAQs
Can I gain territory or vassalize my rival using the “Humiliate Rival” CB?
No, the primary objective of the “Humiliate Rival” CB is to accumulate Humiliation score by winning battles and completing objectives, rather than acquiring land or vassalizing your rival.
How does the Humiliation score affect my nation?
Accumulating Humiliation score through successful battles and objectives boosts your Power Projection. This, in turn, provides various benefits such as increased monarch points, morale bonuses, and improved diplomatic reputation.
Can I use the “Humiliate Rival” CB on multiple rivals simultaneously?
Yes, you can declare war on multiple rivals using the “Humiliate Rival” CB. However, keep in mind that managing multiple wars at the same time can be challenging and resource-intensive.
Is the “Humiliate Rival” CB more useful for certain nations or playstyles?
The usefulness of the “Humiliate Rival” CB can vary depending on the nation and playstyle. It can be particularly beneficial for smaller nations looking to assert dominance or improve their Power Projection without engaging in extensive territorial expansion.
Are there any drawbacks or risks associated with using the “Humiliate Rival” CB?
Using the “Humiliate Rival” CB can strain diplomatic relations with the targeted rival and potentially affect your relations with other nations that have strong ties with them. It’s important to consider the potential diplomatic ramifications and weigh them against the benefits before using this CB.
Remember, the “Humiliate Rival” CB is just one of many tools available in EU4, and its suitability depends on your specific goals, circumstances, and overall strategy in the game.
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