Crusader Kingsis a game of dynasties, intrigue, and tales spanning centuries. Since the launch of the original game in 2004, this series has perhaps best exemplified theParadox Development Studioformula ofgrand strategy gamesthat would expand to include titles such asEuropa Universalis,Hearts of Iron, andStellaris.
As a rule, Crusader Kings locks achievements behind certain criteria, leaving them as an optional challenge for those seeking specific challenges or role-playing opportunities. This leaves them with some very particular requirements, many of which have only been achieved by a fraction of the community thus far. While their difficulty may vary depending on how you play the game, these arejust a few of the hardest.
7I’m In My Element(s)
Pass through every Terrain, including naval, whilst on the same Travel.
Travel the world, see distant lands, meet new people, and just maybe you’ll unlock this tricky-to-get achievement. Or maybe not, as traveling through every type of terrain would require an unusually specific path throughout the game world to achieve.
Such a journey would necessitate passing through Taiga, Forest, Steppe, Wetlands, Mountains, Coastal Sea, Sea, Oasis, Floodplains, Desert, Plains, Farmlands, Jungle, Drylands, Desert Mountains and Hills, all without deviating too far from your path, which will by necessity end up encompassing a large portion of the map.
6Lingua Franca
Have every Royal Court speak your Court Language.
Language is the bedrock of society, and that makes this achievement particularly hard to achieve. You will, essentially, be tasked with making your language spoken across the entire known world without making use of a custom character.
This is exactly as hard and tedious as it might sound. In fact, the fastest way to achieve this goal is simply to eradicate all royal courts in the world other than your own, opening up a new avenue of challenge. Whatever your path, you’re in for the long haul.
5A.E.I.O.U. And Me
Starting as the Habsburgs, rule the Archduchy of Austria, plan more than five Grand Weddings and don’t wage War.
The Habsburgs are perhaps one of the most famous, or perhaps most infamous dynasties inall of history. Your goal, if you choose to accept it, is to take this house to rule all of Austria, throw some parties along the way, and, most importantly, never wage a war.
There are two main ways to accomplish this task:diplomacy or intrigue. Whichever you choose, you’ll need to make friends and enemies both without resorting to the sword, a fair challenge in a game so often defined by conquest.
4Your Eternal Reward
As a Regent, sucessfully coup your liege to take their Realm without War or Schemes.
Often, intrigue can be just as potent a tool for conquest as war. This achievement firstly requires you to be regent to your liege before taking any further steps. As regent, you must plot a coup using the ‘Diplomatic Coup’ decision, without resorting to other means.
The steps necessary for this achievement to be viable in the first place can be just as tricky, if not more tricky, than executing the coup itself. With some patience and some careful planning, however, it is possible.
3King Of All The Isles
As a North Germanic Asatru, control all islands in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, whilst keeping your realm size below a certain threshold.
Conquering is a large part of what you’ll be doing in Crusader Kings, and the steps in order to qualify for this achievement are no different. The details, however, may prove challenging.
Starting as either a part of the North Germanic or Norman cultures and of the Asatru faith, you must eventually control Iceland, Mann, Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, and Cyprus, along with all other islands in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. The real kicker, after all that conquering, is that your realm size cannot be over 80 provinces.
2Mulct Them Dry
Loot four Illustrious-Tier Vizier Extravagance Modifiers from your Vizier.
After appointing a vizier, there are four tiers of available modifiers: Notable, Remarkable, Famous, and Illustrious. Each gives one hundred more gold than the last, beginning at one hundred and maxing out at four hundred.
All in all, it will take 16 years for your vizier to reach the max tier of these modifiers, making this a matter of time as much as careful planning. Additionally, viziers can only be appointed from one of your extant tax collectors during times of peace.
1End Of An Era
Play until 1453.
The way most people play Crusader Kings, this might be the hardest achievement to achieve in the entire game. The rules on paper seem initially straightforward: play out a full game to the end date of 1453. Of course, road bumps may arise along the way in the form of war, scheming underlings, illnesses, or simple bad luck. Lag is another consideration, as the longer the simulation runs, the more your save will be affected.
If you want to achieve this goal as fast as possible, you’re able to minimize the amount of time you’ll need to spend in the game by choosing the latest start date possible. Following through on that, however, is another matter entirely.
