HOI4 Guide | Beginners Tutorial (2024 Version) - P1

[@gameswithbrains]

IMPORTANT MARCH 2024 UPDATE - SAVEGAMES: I made this Beginners Guide so it can be watched or followed along, click for click. It's a groundbreaking series in that regard, however on the 7th March 2024, Paradox released a new "Minor DLC" for HOI4 which added focus trees for South America, called Trial of Allegiance. 1st Good News - Hearts of Iron 4 (so this tutorial) still plays the same, so all videos are correct and updated to the latest gameplay mechanics, and don't need redoing. Bad News - The update has broken EVERYONES Savegame files, which of course includes any progress players made through this HOI4 video tutorial series. Thus all our savegames (as with everyone in HOI4) are now incompatible with latest version of the game. No big deal right? Just start over? If the game plays the same? Well.. YES! (except if you were 10 episodes in, that becomes a BIG deal...) To fix this, I'm going to play the game from scratch (off camera, in my own free time, so you don't have to) and I'll upload each new savegame file - just like before, thus making available new updated savegames for the updated HOI4 - for EVERY episode. This means nobody has to go back to replay the series from start.... apart from me! This will take a little while to get done, and I will appreciate anyone leaving us a word of encouragement nudging us along. Although this is obviously frustrating for everyone, including myself - I could of course just leave things and say "just watch the video" but that only leaves a half baked, out dated solution online. By redoing the savegames, anyone can download any episode and continue with (or start off from) any episode they like. That way everyone gets to enjoy this tutorial series, in the way I had intended. I appreciate your patience while I catch up on this task in the coming days. Cheers!

[@celerun]

This is so awesome. Even though I just started today

[@soloflo]

@@celerun starting now 2 months after you LOL I guess the ongoing war doesn't mind more fresh meat

[@michaelmadigan65]

you my friend are an absolute star. I have no issue with the saved games, I bought this game recently though. The issue I have when following you literally click by click, is that my default ships (before adding any when you do) are not the same as yours. In episode 7, the Spanish civil war never started for me anywhere near the time it did for you. In fact I let it run until September 5th and it still had not shown anything about Spain. I got a message about the Olympics. At this point I decided to start again. So this is my second attempt and, trust me, I am literally doing everything you do, double checking before committing to anything. I just don't know why my navy is different as I am playing Civilian like yourself. If it doesn't work this time, I will email you and maybe you can help? M

[@kiwinesss]

@@michaelmadigan65 And did it work out for you?

[@austx290]

I'm overwhelmed by this game but determined to learn it at the same time. Wish me luck. Great tutorial and thanks for not going too fast.

[@otalaedwin]

Yeah and i'm a seasoned paradox and overall grand strategy gamer but damn is there a fucking ton of variables and things to keep track of. I think i'm just gonna launch a game and un pause and see whatsup cause i've booted it a few times and never un-paused lmao

[@sheltoneduardomabelane2268]

After seing the amount of videos for learning this game, Imma need a master degree just to play the game casually

[@ryanmakesvideos4969]

Nah mate, I have a master's degree, doesn't help

[@raymarshall6721]

I've been trying to learn how to play it since 2018... I'm going to have a doctorate in how not to play the game at the rate I'm

[@johntaylor2433]

@@raymarshall6721 I have to agree. This is a game that I have been dying to learn how to play and I’ve had it for a couple of years, but being a fully grown adult with children and fully grown adult stuff in my life, it’s very difficult to learn how to do something like this with about five hours a month available available to me.

[@kmartcentral3580]

@@raymarshall6721I swear it’s both gotten harder and I’ve gotten dumber… almost 1500 hours I put into this game from release when I was 12 and those first couple years I remember being infinitely easier than today

[@Moskiman]

This is the perfect tutorial series for me - HOI4 has sat barely touched in my Steam Library for ages because initially I struggled with the complexity and "why things work the way they do". I've even managed to screw up the Italy tutorial in the past! Playing along with you at your pace has really helped me understand the base mechanics a whole lot more. I'm up to about Part 16 and loving it - really hope you get the appreciation you deserve for the effort you've put into this series

[@michaeldot3s544]

i have played this game for over 2 years and i have never known that there was a red and green bar at the bottom of generals i am actually going insane. i have over 2000 hours. this is crazy, thank you for this guide series

[@celerun]

Doom scroll through the Steam spring sale, aimlessly searching for something to waste my money on and further add to my already massive backlog of games that I'll likely never touch? Or buy a six-pack of beer as a token of gratitude for this gentleman and scholar who can at long last assist me in embarking on my journey into Hearts of Iron 4 that's been one of those games for almost 6 years? Part 1 nearly completed, your tutorial has given me the motivation and determination to finally, hopefully, master this game! Thank you!

[@kiwinesss]

Did you manage to do all the tutorials?

[@celerun]

@@kiwinesss I did not no, my attention span does not comply with this game and it's just way too complicated for me. I think I made it through part 3 and decided to probably not ever touch it again.

[@kiwinesss]

@@celerun what a pity, you seemed so motivated. Oh well. I am up to part 4 now. It is a lot to soak I'll keep it up.

[@celerun]

@@kiwinesss I know, I've had my eyes on this game for so long. But it's just so demotivating to have to watch 20 hours of tutorials on youtube to play a game and then still don't understand a thing haha. :D Good luck in your adventure!

[@kiwinesss]

@@celerun I think I have asked you the same question twice now Sorry bout that .....

[@Xeribolous]

I love that you really take the time explaining even what UI scale stands for etc. So many tutorials gloss over little things like that, you never know what people don't know :)

[@C-141B_FE]

Just started playing the game this month. The 2022 tutorial was so great it's on a constant loop while figuring this game out. Thank you for putting a new series together!

[@gameswithbrains]

The new series, of which I'm minutes away from hitting record to continue with, as well as being updated, is more detailed. I never knew how many people could be helped, and it's a good feeling - so we'll include bits that may have been missing from before.

[@brenxd_]

25 hours of just guides of hoi4 is crazy, this just shows how complicated this game is, i don't know if i want to learn it anymore

[@carlolaput2597]

Just picked up HOI during the sale, This series is a god send! THANK YOU

[@yoepdeligt682]

I just finished your 2023 tutorial the day before yesterday and properly made it into my first war. This is immaculate timing to see the changes I noticed accurately explained!

[@TPSans-souci33]

Thanks for putting the time & effort into making this entire tutorial. I'm 5 episodes along & I've found each one of them incredibly useful & informative. I'm glad I started straight from the top instead of jumping around in search of specific answers to any questions as they might've arisen. I'm left with little doubt that the patience for doing so is going to save myself, as well as any other HOI4 beginner, ample time & frustration in the long run! So thank you again! Now... on to the next video I go! Cheers!

[@CAPTex92]

Great tutorial. One of the best I've found. The detail is just right (and necessary to understand this game!).

[@IronBrutzler]

Always wanted to get into this game because i love WW2 Games and such but always gave up in the first hour even after playing the game tutorial. After 700 Hours in Crusader Kings 3 now i will learn this game and hopefully i will find Time for some World of Tanks games in between ;)

[@theOzz13]

Watched your 2023 which helped me along and I was making strides but got away from the game. Glad to have found this 2024 version. Your tutorials are outstanding in every way.

[@doublee2375]

I highly recommend this tutorial series by Games with Brains. I've only played Hearts of Iron IV a couple of times, and honestly I have more fun watching these tutorials than playing the game itself! This trainer is very passionate about the game, is clearly a student of WW2 history, and has a passion for making the game easier for other players. He also has a very relatable sense of humor and I find myself laughing frequently while I learn from him how to conceptualize the game.

[@ed_ms]

A massive thank you for all the work and the great tutorial you've set up here. HOI4 was on my wishlist for quite some time. I stumbled on this series, and was about 10 of your video's deep into the series until I finally decided to buy the game. Tried it out, but I'm going to start over again with part 1, it is a rather complex game. Thankfully I have one of the best game tutorials I've ever seen as a learning companion.

[@Jo-Heike]

About being back in 30 minutes, I actually went into the game without watching a tutorial, and without even doing the ingame tutorial. Played a 9 hour game where I got to 1948 with my initial borders intact and having capitulated one of the major seven. I were however playing as the USA, and the country I capitulated was Japan. The hardest part was naval invading Japan, and then trying to wrangle the frontline system. My field Marshal, Eisenhower, moved the entire army group move onto Shikoku, meaning we basically got encircled there as Japan retook the Nagasaki. It was a bit of a mess. But when I took manual control of the armies I easily managed to retake Kyushu. However I only finished 13th, and the German Reich sort of took over all of Europe (including Britain) and capitulated the Soviet union. Germany never declared war on me so I never got involved, didn't even provide lend lease. Although, the major reason for my "success" is that I am a Paradox Veteran, and have also watched a good amount of Gameplay videos.

[@jordangill2710]

Best and most thorough tutorial. Thank you so much. I’ve watched so many others and they are terrible.

[@KoiGaming]

So I watched this whole tutorial series and was like wow! What a great game! I finally picked it up and was like ok I learned a few things and tried to get started as the US well, let me tell you the US is COMPLICATED from the get go! So here I am back at this first video again but now going to do exactly what you said and follow along step by step! Kudos to you for creating such a great tutorial to a very complex game

[@bigmcw]

Thanks so much for going through all the effort to make life for new players a whole lot easier. As someone who has hundreds of hours over Stellar is and CK2 and 3, I stupidly assumed I'd pick it up quickly and boy was I wrong! We really appreciate you Comrade keep up the good work

[@westr70]

This was excellent. Glad I found you, already makes a big difference in confidence.

[@donshepherd6092]

I have watch all 25 episodes so far, many of them twice and followed along in my own game. Thanks for doing such a great job of this tutorial series, I know it must be a lot of work. Thanks again D

[@gameswithbrains]

You're most welcome. It really means a lot to know there's people out there, like yourself who's enjoyed the series. At some point I want to officially tie it off, but I don't think I need to continue to war anymore to do so, as I've gone over most of the parts of the game now. I'd like to cover a few more things that are more spaced out across time, which will require to edit that last episode, and it will include some common mistakes beginners make, so as well as being the last episode of the series, it will also be a video by itself. Thanks again for your support and words of encouragement.

[@itsokay7989]

Some additional notes for the steps he shows(which he might explain in later videos, but they're topical so i'm just gonna drop 'em right here): 1) The green/red strength bar beneath your generals, adjusts in real time. Having the game paused and assigning a frontline, might show a 90/10 green/red bar in your favor. But as you unpause the game, and the enemy/other country reacts to your frontline and you pulling up units along the border, they might do the same(as seen in the video as Poland reacts). Which can suddenly leave you with an unfavourable strength ratio. So keep an eye on them throughout the game, and especially before you move into action. 2) You may have noticed that when you inspect a division (23:40 mark in the video), you see 9k soldiers, but only 910 "guns". Just in case you're wondering: unlike actual troops, the 910 is an abstract value. 1 unit does not represent 1 gun. But rather "one supply unit of guns and other shooting supplies". Its a bit weird but that's how it is. As long as the unit has a 100% equipment needs fullfilled(the crate icon that's to the right of the 9k number of units on the window), you don't need to worry about that. 3) Staying with abstract values: On the topic of convoys. Unlike troops and warships, you don't have to move them around, or make sure they're ready in a certain area where you need them. Convoys are a passive unit pool that is automatically used wherever needed. This is an amazing and thorough tutorial for beginners; virtually a talking manual! I just thought these questions might come up while watching so there you go.

[@gameswithbrains]

thanks for your helpful comment, and kind words to boot.

[@thegreekscholar]

Thank you for making this series. Best Hearts Of Iron tutorials on You Tube. Love the pace and detail. Can you do one for Victoria 3. That is also very confusing. :D

[@felixcomet7268]

My man, I've been trying to get into this game for years, you're the only one who knows how to explain things effectively

[@BrianS1981]

The Channel Islands are part of the UK Crown Dominions (they're legally not part of the UK itself, they're royal properties) because they're the last remnants of the original Duchy of Normandy from whence the current UK monarchy is (convolutedly) descended from. England lost the rest of the duchy in the hundred years war but always retained the islands. It's one of those weird bits of medieval history still around us like San Marino or Liechtenstein.

[@connorschneider9256]

This is an amazing tutorial. Good pace, great depth, clear explanations. I feel like this time I will finally understand how this game works after a good many attempts

[@kiwinesss]

Ahhh there you are, I just wrote I hadn't seen any new video for a while. Hearts of Iron beginner tutorial was the very first video I ever saw of yours a cuppla years ago. Thank you for this, I will go and install this game again, I haven't played in a while, but you have inspired me again with this video.

[@mesost1]

I have about 400 hours on this game, I have tryed a few times to watch a tutorial on this game but this is so far the best one I found. A lot of the things you mention here is irrelevant me who knows that but here and there I go "ohh you can do that? There is alot of helpfull details and everyone else anre missing. Thanks alot, if the rest of the episodes are as good of as this I will be soo much better at the game

[@hudooguru2]

Thank you for taking the time to put this together.

[@gameswithbrains]

Thank you for taking the time to leave me a couple comments. It's nice for me to find out that people, like yourself get something from these videos.

[@redconnor3629]

I was just thing about getting back into this game but was worried that i'd forget how to play. So thanks for refreshing my memory on this game.

[@philb7789]

me playing on a second monitor "you can follow along on a second monitor and play on another" dude get out of my head lol thanks for the video... on to part 2.

[@kanarie93]

Oh boy, 27 hour playlist tutorial, 45minutes in and i think it was just 10 minutes, just like playing the game :+ Realy good slowly telling everything there is as it all matters.

[@shadowlucario7125]

Despite having a couple hundred hours in the game theres still a lot i dont know so im gonna watch this series. Episode one and ive already realized how much time ive wasted by not using the hotkey shortcuts.

[@Largecow_Moobeast]

I felt dumb needing a tutorial for this game, but if you think about it most board games that are big and complex you need someone who's played before to walk you through your choices and how the game works. Anyhow, thank you, I've had this game in my library for a long time and just now dusted it off with this video to play.

[@WatchMyUserName]

Thank you. Very helpful! You are explaining in a very pleasant way!

[@you_goslavia]

literally the only good and helpful hoi4 youtuber

[@T0tenkampf]

Dang It I just finished watching the 2023 updates...a synopsis of what may have changed to this base game in the 2024 version would be cool. Your series is really good in that it provides enough depth but not too much. Good timing as the game and most of the DLC are on sale this week in preparation for the new DLC to be launched on 7 March.

[@chiiv999]

Thank you for this! Was looking for an updated guide

[@timc3896]

Thanks a lot! Got the game this week and just finished part 1! Great tutorial:)

[@kiwinesss]

I'm gonna start with this video and watch the lot.

[@btmarine]

These videos are great, thank you for sharing them!

[@user-ru3ok9de2j]

Thanks very much for the terrific tutorial! You are making this game much more accessible for me! I really appreciate that you take the time to explain things in detail, slowly and thoroughly. As you pointed out, so many of the tutorials out there go very quickly and make lots of assumptions about what the viewer knows already. Also, that cat is very cute! What’s her name?

Do you have in depth tutorials for individual DLCs? I've a strong grasp of base mechanics but once I move to the DLC there's a ton of detailed stuff that I find confusing.

[@MrRhoidRage]

Currently taking over the world as Brazil after watching this video

[@MoolsDogTwoOfficial]

I can't wait to watch this whole series! All the other HOI4 tutorials I've watched were either too fast, expected you to have prior knowledge and generally missing out on a bunch of things. From what I can see in the comments, this is hopefully going to be a good series!

[@djib8549]

Appreciate this, bought this game a while ago but never really got a grip of it but this helped alot.

[@hookt422]

This is exactly what I needed! Love it, I will be going through the whole series I am sure.

[@ballisticpug6764]

Very good video, I already feel smarter! I appreciate the time and effort you put into teaching such a hard game

[@SergiusXVII]

Wow! This certainly takes dedication, especially after all the savegames have been rendered unusable. For someone who‘s getting into strategy games more and more, this is the best guide out there! Thank you very much :)

[@wombleking]

Thank you for doing this, hugely appreciated.

[@Milan74]

Hi, been playing this game since the beginning and still learned a couple of things thanks to your tutorial. Many thanks and greetings from Belgium.

[@emmagetya]

You are awesome!! Only one I can find doing 2024 tutorial. I just bought it so this is so helpful. I subbed, thanks

[@Armydog-wc3hd]

I was going to pass on this game because of the overwhelming menus. But i found your game walkthrough videos and now its my next buy. Thank you

[@TisNi]

Thanks man, 52j. old game veteran and needed some guidance. Just bought the game and this is so helpful. Subscribed and liked....

[@テイラーサム]

Pathetic that KZbin starts quivering in their boots if AH's _name_ is mentioned too many times. Like he's Voldemo...well, you know who. We literally treat no other comparable, horrible dictator in this fashion. Stalin, Stalin, Stalin. Mao, Mao, Mao. Pol Pot, Pol Pot, etc. Each of whom killed tens of millions a piece. Anyway. Good guide mate.

[@Trebor5388]

I've always wanted to play this game thank you for taking the time to go through everything and trying to make it fun.

[@webdevj]

Thank you for this. Every guide I've found either rushes through or has dlc enabled. I don't want to pay for dlc, until I learn the base game, so this is exactly what I've been looking for.

[@goldenplayers8469]

You know how to make things easier thank you

[@jepsmusicjp]

Thank you kind sir for taking the time to do these for us!

[@yutanarkavich]

for years I postponed this game because I was getting pretty tired in learning curve, now im starting again but it still feels the same xD

[@Aiphiae]

Looking forward to seeing how you manage to invade the UK. If there's one part of playing Germany that I struggle *IMMENSELY* with, it's landing in the UK. I have watched so many tutorials that say "this way is guaranteed - super easy!" but can never seem to make them work. You seem to avoid cheesing and utilize a good strategy throughout the game. I will be eagerly watching :)

[@WapsiWillie]

Thank you for your patient and wonderful videos.....I did not have an interest in playing HOI4 until I started watching your tutorials!

[@mikedrzka6701]

Absolutely amazing!

[@Azqalihm]

In a short 20 hours you too could learn the basics of the game thanks to this guide!

[@floridaraccoon1018]

I'm learning how to play this game solely for Kaiserreich and The New Order

[@dmwiggy7661]

Great video! I tried starting with U.S my first play through and it was too much to manage out the gate.

[@ΚυριάκοςΙσαρης]

god bless you you made such good tutorial wish me luck on learning the game

[@SeanLally]

Thanks very much for these! I'm up to episode 9. Very helpful.

[@Rellings]

Now if only there was a similar tutorial for every other Paradox game :)

[@davepask4706]

Great video series. Learning heaps. Quick question. When forming armies at the beginning should i set them on training mode?

[@arektofil6122]

Hello and thank you for a wonderful and very detailed Gaide. Thank you very much for doing this.

[@TheRealXartaX]

As someone with almost 10 thousand hours in EU4, what I'd really love to find is a tutorial that basically just plays the game, but explicitly goes through every consideration you make as you do. To learn how to actually play the game, rather than completely basic stuff like "how to choose what to research". I'm fairly confident I could get someone up to speed fairly quickly in EU4 who is a competent HOI4 player, for example. Even though you have no idea how to play EU4 (if anyone is actually interested in this, maybe I will make a guide). Despite EU4 being considered the more complicated game from what I can find people saying online. Of course, you won't know how to do everything and how everything works, but you'd not feel totally lost in how to proceed. EU4 is a game where you don't play it while you understand everything, you learn new mechanics as they become necessary to learn (or you're just curious). That said, due to the lack of any such primers I'll be watching your tutorial. What frustrated me to the point of seeking out a tutorial is that battles seem to take way too long, and even when I'm flanking an enemy from 3+ sides and the estimate is clearly showing yeah you're winning hard, it still takes ages to win (I don't play huge countries like Germany, though). So I'm unable to really make any real gains and if I ever break through I'm worn down by lack of supplies etc. before I can really solidify them and have to do very complicated maneuvers like withdrawing troops to supply rich areas to regain organization and keeping reserves for rotational purposes to try to somehow not lose all my gains. This is also why I'd like to see a tutorial from the perspective of a smaller nation with more equal or superior neighbors. As that's how you really learn how to play.

[@TheRealXartaX]

Having watched it, this is a great tutorial for beginners. A bit slow paced as a grand strategy vet, though.

[@jolmanus]

As an older fart I use this to get me going on a playthru. Thanks for the time spent making it. You do help us newer players 🤓

[@gameswithbrains]

Thanks for taking the time to let me know. I hope you continue to find them useful.

[@kiwinesss]

I have a question. You transported the first division you took from Münster over to the Bock's army at the front. It was transported by ships over to Königsberg. Then you took a division from Hamburg and a division from Bremen over to Königsberg as well. My question is, do the ships that took the Münster division over automatically sail back to Köslin to pick up the subsequent divisions? Or are they new ships and the ships kind of pile up in Königsberg? I hope that was understandable.

[@talonmort8059]

To answer they question at 7:10 default UI Scaling is 1.0 by default.

[@franckijpelaar]

Thank you for the tutorial. I've just bought the game and I'm sure it will help a lot.

[@T0tenkampf]

36:35 Is the +1 attack for "Harsh Leader" on Bock already included is his Attack rating of 5 in the line of 4 general stats or is it in addition effectively becoming a 6?

[@gameswithbrains]

Great question...

[@dipper7171]

bro deserves way more than 4.67K Subscribers and only 31K views

[@C-141B_FE]

Thanks!

[@gameswithbrains]

Wow! That's so incredibly kind. Thank you so much for helping to support what I do here on the channel.

[@tuesday0846]

I'm sending this video to my friends who bought HOI4 recently. They don't know how easy they have it lmao. It was painful being a beginner of this game back in the day.

[@gameswithbrains]

Yeah it's getting the basics down that's the hardest part about HOI4. It just has too many weird things about it, combined with an unusual interface, making it such a challenge. Feeling the game out, without help is almost impossible, at least I thought so. I don't think I've ever played a game before (or since) that I couldn't gradually figure out alone, with a bit of trial & error and a healthy dose of common sense.

[@Andre-wu5ng]

I just bought the game and your tutorial is very helpful

[@seancoleman2276]

i am really looking forward to this series. Thank you for doing this

[@celerun]

Dude me too, it's been sitting in my library for years but now is the time to finally learn it!

[@SunkHippo]

Excellent mate, maybe this’ll help with my fear of getting into this game lol

[@megamutant4539]

Tutorial starts at 8:34

[@lukeroar9347]

25:36 "escape is your best friend in this game"... real

[@ManaNoodles]

25:57 Yeah that's a "figurine" alright 🤣

[@richardherlihy8416]

Cheers mate, thanks for this 👍

[@timmiaushamburg]

THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@mrsullied]

I'm here after 300hrs on steam a few years ago and having forgotten virtually everything 😂

[@MM-qr9vq]

You are soooo goood and helpfull i will watch all videos tyyyy so much❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@mattmanshaw]

GREAT TUTORIAL!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[@joshuachambers9302]

Looking forward to the 2025 version if you're going to make it!

[@HardSrceen]

Thank you! This video helped me a lot 👍

[@MonsieurMoustachio]

Version 1.14.2, Playing germany. Stuck on Research. Instead of having the option to Research Tigers, and other german tanks i can only research "1934 light tank, 1938 medium tank, 1940 heavy tank" etc. What the hell did i do wrong

[@tedats]

Okay lets give it a shot

[@duckfliper696]

I have 100 division and can't invade poland😭

[@jeova0sanctus0unus]

So after having suprised myself by being able to learn stellaris, ill not try again to suprise myself by learning this. I mean it cant be... what do you mean this playlist has 25 parts! Oh and the DLC isnt even... fuck me. I might have overestimated myself

[@proxona3227]

Hellooo is there any way to play 2024 with modern borders? I would be so happy to receive an answer thank you ♥