(Image: Paradox Interactive via HGG / Nathan Hart)
I'm a stand-up comic by night and write for HGG by day. Most of my gaming happens at an improvised desk at the Days Inn right outside whatever small town I'm in for the night.
Reviewed by Jeffrey Hsu
The achievement system in Crusader Kings 3 is an exciting way to enjoy the game, giving experienced players some guidelines to try and pull off some genuinely daring maneuvers and engaging some of the more creative aspects of the game. You’ll need to try your hardest to manage your dynasty as time wears you down and makes each achievement less likely. To make matters more difficult, you can only earn achievements in CK3 during an Ironman playthrough, preventing you from reloading the game when things don’t work out for your feudal offspring.
Hardest Achievements in CK3, Ranked
From re-creating historical imperial boundaries to pushing onward into new alternative history, or simply achieving something challenging to pull off within the traditional rules of the game, there are achievements for everyone.
But the only the truly dedicated and conniving players have what it takes to get these ten hardest achievements in CK3.
A Legacy To Last The Ages
One of the easier achievements on this list, but still difficult nonetheless for a brand-new player, regards dynastic legacies and the many bonuses you’ll achieve through them.
Picking the best dynasty legacy off the bat can be instrumental for the long-term success of your dynasty because these bonuses apply to every single member of your extended houses. All of your heirs will get these bonuses, and it’s critical to prioritize one that will compliment the playstyle of your region and intended goals.
Getting this achievement simply means you’ll have to max out one of the dynastic legacy trees. One of the best starts for this achievement is playing Charles The Bald of West Francia, who can quickly take control of the prestigious Karling house. The Karling, with their familial link to the legendary Charlemagne, begin the game with many powerful dynasty members, earning you lots of renown right away.
Beacon Of Progress
Getting this achievement involves unlocking every tradition in the game. Traditions are gradually unlocked by each individual culture, but rulers with high development and learning skills can help push your culture forward more quickly.
If you’re the cultural head for your people, you can also accelerate this development by prioritizing traditions that have already been unlocked by other cultures who share a religion with you.
One of the quickest ways to get this achievement is to start in 1066 as any ruler in India. In the game settings, turn up Divergent and Hybrid Cultures. Hybridize your own culture with numerous other neighboring peoples to rapidly advance through the trees until you’ve unlocked every tradition. Note that you don’t need to unlock any regional traditions to achieve this.
From Rags To Riches
This is one of the ultimate tests for any Crusader Kings player that wants to see if they’re capable of bringing a character from the lowest positions all the way to ruling a huge chunk of the world.
You’ll need to begin the game as a lowly count and work your way into founding an empire. You’ll have to combine all of your skills together in order to get this achievement done. Even Jarl Haestenning, with his dream of taking over all of the empires of Francia or Hispania, had to do it one duchy at a time.
A quick option for this achievement is to begin the game as the heir of Seljuk in 1066. When the current emperor dies, you will be promoted from a count to immediately becoming a mighty Emperor.
Blood Eagle
This achievement is awarded to any player who begins the game as one of the Sons of Ragnarr and successfully conquers the entire British Isles. Any of the starting characters from the 867 Wrath of the Northmen scenario will count.
You’ll need to use your Viking armies to push through all of the lands that belong De Jure (by law) to the Empire of Britannia. Note you don’t actually need to hold the imperial title, although you may as well once you’ve taken that much land.
Halfdan Whiteshirt is the best start if you want to unlock this achievement, as he starts in the most powerful position and already holds a good chunk of land in Brittania. He can use his powerful special Viking troops to rapidly push his way through huge regions and forge an alliance with his brother, the Ironside ruler of Sweden.
Ivar the Boneless is also a good choice for this achievement if you want to rely more on intrigue than martial strength.
What Nepotism?
This achievement is formidable, but not incredibly complex once you understand enough mechanics of the game. It requires your own dynasty to simultaneously rule over ten independent kingdom-tier realms. It’s one of the more flexible achievements, as any starting ruler can eventually accomplish enough expansion to get it done.
A very enjoyable way to do this is to start as a Mongol ruler in 867. Push on your weakest neighbors until you’ve taken enough of them to become the Empire of Mongolia. Consolidate power into your own family as often as possible as you take new lands, while also maximizing how many concubines your rulers take to produce as many offspring as possible.
Eventually, you’ll own enough land in the region to declare yourself the new “Genghis Khan” via a decision, unlocking an incredibly powerful Casus Belli and some special troops. Go on the warpath in every direction, taking as much land as possible.
Before your Genghis dies, have him distribute 9 kingdom titles on the furthest reaches of your empire – all to your own dynasty, then release these kingdoms as independents. What’s left of your Mongol Empire will likely fracture afterward as well, giving you a bit of insurance against rebellions that might occur in the meantime.
End of An Era
Amusingly, playing a game of Crusader Kings 3 all the way to the end is one of the toughest achievements to get done, simply because it’s easy to get bored when you’re that deep into the game.
Some general tactics to prevent the game from getting too repetitive for too long is to alter your playstyle every few generations, avoiding leaning too heavily on martial or intrigue. Lasting all the way to 1453 also pairs well with plenty of other long-game achievements, like restoring Rome.
Despite seeming so simple, this achievement can take a huge chunk of time from you, as any player of a Paradox game can tell you. It can be so easy to get distracted and want to start your game over when a single playthrough takes dozens of hours on its own. Stay the course, push yourself, and you can make it all the way to the Renaissance!
Rise From The Ashes
You get this achievement by bringing back the Roman Empire at the height of its glory. Rome is hard to recreate, requiring huge swaths of territory to be under your control before you can fire the decision. Due to the number of cultures and regions that need to be subdued, recreating Rome will ultimately be an end-game decision.
You’ll need to get started by founding the Holy Roman Empire or beginning the game as the Kaiser in 1066. This will unlock the “Restore the Roman Empire” decision, which you can use after you’ve achieved the extensive list of requirements.
Another trick is to start the game as a custom ruler of the Byzantine Empire, to avoid beginning the game at war like usual. The Byzantine Empire has a more favorable position for early expansion and is typically one of the most difficult foes you’ll encounter on your way to re-create Rome from the West.
A Perfect Circle
This achievement is confusing to comprehend. The in-game text says you need to have two distinct parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, counting “absent ancestors” as individual characters.
Essentially, this is the reward you get for the usually hazardous and frowned upon practice of inbreeding rulers for multiple generations.
Starting the game in the isolated duchy of Iceland, and giving your beginning character the “pure-blooded” trait can help with reducing the chances of being hit with the Inbred trait or having some other ruler father some of your children. After this, you’ll simply need to get lucky, hopefully getting three consistent generations of siblings that you can marry off to each other.
Lingua Franca
This requires the Royal Court DLC since you won’t be able to have a royal court without it. The achievement requires every royal court on the map to speak the same language as your court. Only kings or emperors can get a royal court, so they’re the only ones that matter for the conversion of language.
The quickest way to get this done is to torch every other kingdom on the planet, until everything is under your own control, then place a leader of your own culture into the various kingdoms across your sprawling empire.
This achievement pairs well with other world-conquering goals like restoring Rome for From The Ashes. To make sure King-level rulers don’t keep flipping back to their local cultures, convert their De-Jure capital to your own culture. This will keep them speaking the correct language for the achievement.
Mother Of Us All
Mother Of Us All is by far the most complicated achievement in the game, requiring you to bring together many disparate elements of the game in an expertly precise fashion. The goal of this achievement is to unify all of northern Africa that is visible on the CK3 map. Additionally, you’ll need to reform your faith and convert your entire realm to said faith.
You’ll need to begin the game in 867 as one particular character, “Daurama Daura of Kano” – the only starting character in Africa, as well as one of the only women rulers you can begin the game as.
The second part of this achievement is just as difficult as the first. It is recommended you reform your faith to include the Islamic Syncretism tenet, since this will make it easier to keep the Islamic peasantry in line until they’ve been converted. Make yourself the head of the faith, so you gain the ability to declare holy wars as you gradually drive yourself west.
Join the High Ground!
With this list of achievements for you to tackle in CK3, your medieval dynasties will have plenty to do all the way to the Renaissance. Let us know in the comments if you think another achievements deserves to be on this list!
Want more tips for conquering your foes? Take the high ground by subscribing to our weekly newsletter and following us on all social media.
You must sign in to comment.
Don't have an account? Sign up here!