HoI4 Guide: Greece into Byzantine Empire - No Step Back

[@Bitt3rSteel]

A HUGE thanks to War and Order for sponsoring today's video! Check out War and Order using my link: bit.ly/3Ihl8Lm Get yourself some free goodies AND help out the channel!

[@andrewjohnson7111]

1st

[@pulsar8013]

You said eleftherios venizelos perfectly

[@Bitt3rSteel]

@@pulsar8013 thanks, it's nice to hear

[@omegaexists]

Bittersteel, if you ever get a raid sponsorship, im not saying get rid of your morals, all im saying is that it would be VERY funny

[@fastranger]

i believe you discover great content on hatlesspider, ive been there too! hes nice guy with great brain

[@JasonSteelflex1102]

Greece: "Italy, would you like to join our third faction?" Mussolini: "Of course! What could go wrong?"

[@hatless_spider]

Surely a newly reformed byzantium empire could have no designs on its traditional capital!

[@someonethatlikesyou7713]

greece: hey italy wana restore the roman empire? italy: sure! i was trying to form it for years! greece: *forms byzantium* italy: *I WANT TO DIE*

[@theappel]

Imagine a much smaller and weaker nation than you forming the eastern Roman Empire before you can get the west.

[@stylianstamatis8000]

As a Greek person, great attempts at pronouncing stuff! Definitely not without faults, but way better than what I've heard some other people pronounce!

[@andrewjohnson7111]

I feel like forming the Byzantine Empire should be a monarchist path or at least include a monarchist path. Greece at that point already has a king so it makes sense

[@redretribution1789]

And they should also have the decision to restore the Roman Empire after restoring the Byzantine Empire first, because why not?

[@deletedchannel7014]

@@redretribution1789 I think it isn't in the game because by the time Rome fell, the Eastern part was almost a Greek superstate with low Latin culture, so it doesn't make sense However, they tried to restore it and reconquered Rome, so I also think it should be possible :D

[@spykots2990]

Around the 1920s Greece wanted to return to a Byzantine-like state, with the Megali Idea, but the king at the time didn't support it. That's why it's not a monarchist path.

[@redretribution1789]

@@deletedchannel7014 Yeah I definitely think it should be possible though, cause culture doesn't just define the right to Roman succession (*cough* No Step Back Russia *cough*). They could get the claim by right of conquest. And also, Byzantium restoring Rome makes, sense doesn't it? Sorry for all the mansplaining

[@szekspir98]

Actually traditional byzantine basileus was closer to radicaly authoritarian dictatorship

[@martimtorres9093]

Hey Bittersteel, could you try the Fascist Portuguese path which leads to the Fifth Empire. It’s very difficult, would you do a guide on it? The Fifth Empire spirit is so good.

[@Ghostslayer566]

Thisss

[@Xulgaron]

+1

[@Aytwo]

You want impossible stuff from him. It would be hard.

[@Balls_on_Chin]

Never seen/heard of this, def would be interesting

[@nicetas2344]

@@Aytwo he's the guy if you asked the imposible

[@eisbergsyndrom5010]

"A little bit of cheese never hurt anyone." Lactose intollerant people would disagree.

[@timothyhouse1622]

Well, it is Greece, so the cheese is probably Feta and that is made of sheep milk. Even the lactose intolerant may cheese their way to victory.

[@ExDee419]

just tolerate it smh

[@christos3280]

@@timothyhouse1622 Im Greek and lactose intolerant and dear Feta would never hurt me

[@kova1577]

Virgin lactose intolerant vs Chad Sheogorath

[@viliphied]

Pro tip: when doing the naval invasion trick you can split off one sub and park it in the northern Agean to see if tiles are garrisoned

[@viclorenzo5016]

0:00 Ah yes, "Peter Steele" is back. 1:15 "assist your army in bajo" 3:47 "venezuelans" 43:55 "peace skill" 44:35 "headless spider"

[@TheDidgerideuces]

Peter Steele, he exists on a quantum level to make every country in 1936 reach it's true potential.

[@settratheimperishable4093]

The Byzantine Empire suddenly got very Goth

[@savsal2603]

As a Greek I am just amazed how you got the pronunciations of Greek words and names almost perfectly. I am used to youtubers butchering them

[@vivofoottheseventh7393]

LoL rlly 😂

[@IIBloodXLustII]

One thing you might do different in the beginning: Athenian thinkers isn't required for the Anatolian Refugees, it just needs to be one on that row. Theban Warriors gives 5% Defense on Core Territory.

[@jakas2524]

I just think that the research bonus is far better than a measly 5% defense bonus. You get enough defense by actually just getting spirits of the army and using defensive generals. + You have like no research slots so any research bonus is nice to have.

[@htzak8194]

Thanks for taking the time and giving some strats on minor counties that became needlessly hard to play now with NSB. If playing Greece though I highly recomend trying out the right side of the economy tree. The unlocked financial expert + the OP design companies you get from it are worth the try. Pitsos the elactronic company gives -7% consumer goods + the Tsouderos the Financial expert and high stability you get from the reforming Byzantium focuses can get you to 0% consumer goods on war economy even if you bolster the shachtplan. Also Biamax (tank designer), and the Infantry and Mechanized disigners give a flat 5-10% infantry and mechanized boosts. To finish it off if you form byzantium and default of the debt you can bypass the two inbetween focuses of the economy tree so you can rush to the end of the economic focus tree faster so you get rid of the foreign monopolies debuff faster and get your 5th research slot quicker. Keep up the good work and take care.

[@QaysSyed]

Can you explain how minors have become more difficult to play after NSB?

[@jessicalindo7977]

@@QaysSyed Train production, truck production. It's harder to wage warfare

[@danielgloyd4529]

@@QaysSyed Logistics in general. Prior to NSB the only thing that mattered was infrastructure level, and even a small nation can build that at a decent pace. Now you need Trains and trucks then railways and supply hubs. It's a big problem for some smaller countries without 🧀.

[@htzak8194]

@@QaysSyed I guess we agree that you want as most brown and red nations to go for 1-2 wars prior to 20% world tension. To that end prior to NSB you would squeeze 1-4 civs or some dockyards for specific strats till say early 1937 then go ham on military factories till you reach say 30 mils for infantry armies and say 50-60 for combined arms armies. After that you take a look at your game state and starting country and start building dockyards, roads or most likely refineries since 9/10 times this is 41-42 Japan has attacked the US and have taken over all of the world's rubber and gone into closed economy, out of spite i guess. With NSB while supply is waaaay more straight forward and more manageable it is also more production heavy requiring both hubs and tracks. Tracks are fine with the old system you would be striving to build lvl 4-5 roads in most places anyway for supply and resources and maxed out roads in your capital province since all overland supply was a percentage of your capitals supply. But hubs cost more than civs and provide nothing to your economy and you have to build them early to use them, also you cant spam them. Naval supply is still all over the place btw jumping between ports and prefering dumb routes instead of you selecting a port of origin and destination, i guess we have wait for the next full price DLC on that one. Also remember NSB red supply is not a i am struggling to push now, its I am stuck bleeding equipment and manpower and have to build a civilian factory to advance kinda deal. So to sum up building non economy related things (hubs and tracks) earlier and for longer times (instead of civs and mils) slows you down couple that you need to research and also build trucks and trains for supply with 1-2 factories very early and i hope you are getting the jist. For reference Greece starts with 2 mils and 8-9 civs you need like 2-3 factories on trucks and trains alone for war at the very least. Finally the most competent templates for infantry divisions (tank divisions are now dead in single player imo for anyone but the UK, US, Germany and USSR) is 21 or 27 width divisions and guess what, they are more expensive than 20 width ones aren't they? Want more tangible proof take a look at Bittersteels' Manchukuo or Red China or any other nation before and after NSB runs, its got to be the same or similar strat though for a comparison unlike this Greece one obviously and look at the end date of those videos to get the feeling of it.

[@elborre5483]

@@htzak8194, I think you are being extremely overdramatic. At most, you need an extra 3 military factories to supply trucks and trains for the game's entirety with all nations. A 9/1 is cheaper in material costs and production than a 7/2. The only difference is a thousand men. I don't know where you are getting this info from. In over dozens of games in NSB. I can count with one hand the times I built supply hubs, and building tracks takes way less time than building infrastructure. You are definitely wrong on all of what you said without a doubt

[@antgeozzz]

Yes! More Greece. Please teach us how to play this early game wreck of a country.

[@alexasln975]

BitterSteel you can crush the monarchists at the beginning of the game. You are still allowed to go for compromise with them. They'll become your friend and you'll get both bonuses for free!

[@pudanielson1]

How does this work?

[@KonigHoff]

@@pudanielson1 it's a decision in the decisions tab, 150 pp

[@pudanielson1]

@@KonigHoff Thank you just saw it

[@liamhughes2692]

This requires delaying things, overall maybe not worth it unless you're really just trying to avoid Eleftherios RNG

[@zonnytiger2371]

keeps you from getting ioannis metaxas and the sharp tongued lawyer doe, atleast in my game the monarchists turned inconsequencial after crushing and then doing the focus which prevents you from using any of their stuff

[@gregoryjames1542]

Amazing how this run completely falls apart in By Blood Alone. Fucking Paradox

[@jesse9638]

Whoa, the frequency of these uploads is an unexpected treat.

[@pudanielson1]

Thanks for going back and doing this post No Step Back, these videos help noobs and experienced players learn and relearn the meta to actually carry out single player

[@favicci7856]

I would recommend going down the right side of the industry tree since it gives you a lot of very good companies and there’s one focus that can give you ~10 factories

[@berkdikmen95]

12:29 Classic Greek moment right there

[@youngmeeks2403]

this worked absolutely perfectly, thanks bitter man

[@Lynn-qw5bt]

Finally! Now I can do my 16372846th attempt of forming Byzantium

[@VenomousVortexProductions]

Thanks for this strategy! The strategy didn't go exactly your way for mine but I followed 90% of yours and formed Byzantium after annexing Turkey.

[@billybill1272]

Hatless spider is a goat for discovering this method

[@Bitt3rSteel]

Man is a big brain

[@Dudewithguns-ww7wc]

Indeed

[@hatless_spider]

😊

[@TheZerxisk78]

I am trying his Finnish Him run. so close but hard also

[@Berethoris]

Amazing! I have like 1.000 hours in Greece and I never managed to end ww2 so fast

[@the_wallaby]

Just tried this and Romania joined the allies. Edit 1: 4th time testing now, and Romania always joins. 60% tension right after I annex turkey. Edit 2: I think i may be capitulating turkey so fast that they can't switch to non-aligned before hard.

[@cravingtuna1561]

Same here. I don't think that it has to do with world tension

[@johnmarston5383]

Having the same issue, very annoying

[@the_wallaby]

@@johnmarston5383 the flip on am exact date. Just delay a bit

[@lazarus2742]

I can't even get to that part they just guard everything with at least 3 troops

[@franklinclinton4539]

F in the chat for the 3 of the 4 meme lords who were sacrificed for the greater purpose.

[@Bitt3rSteel]

A price must be paid...

[@hatless_spider]

I prefer to think of it that they were sadly defeated, but we graciously liberated them and allowed them to participate in something greater

[@Hellene_]

AAHH YESS FINALY you played as Hellas once again 🇬🇷♥️

[@catrevolution3647]

Greece more like turkey land

[@tech_splitter]

@@catrevolution3647 based insult

[@OLYMPIANgreek]

@@catrevolution3647 mongol....

[@notlucas6859]

@@catrevolution3647 turkey more like mongol land ээээээ

[@makiskotsampasis3223]

Eam ellas meligalas♥️

[@js-sf3cy]

I found your channel when you did that half-france disaster save. Ever since i've watched your videos every time you upload. I love your videos 💖!

[@flaviocubas2003]

You really do be spoiling us with these updated guides.

[@jke5486]

Is there anyone else having the problem, that Romania suddenly joins the Allies in October 1937, while you are still fighting Turkey?

[@samwilkinson8620]

I had soo many naval invasions and could not hold it back

[@albinobadger]

I asked for this so long ago and I am so glad it’s finally here THANK YOU SWEETIRON

[@jonahbaker7540]

Can you revisit this? I’ve had a hell of a time making this work. Takes almost two years to get to Constantinople and timing and casualties are out the window.

[@Mpalalass]

Another Good video and a fast upload i really look forward seeing this chanel rise in popularity

[@francomarinelli9078]

This channel achived the most dificult goal in hoi4. Have fun playing it.

[@jimlego9686]

Thanks for doing my suggestion !!!

[@jeweledmagpie4493]

Hey bitter I found your channel in late 2019 or 2020 and have watched like almost every vid on your channel just wanted you to know we all love you and your channel take care my guy

[@yvesyannickgalindo142]

OMG this video is uploaded at the greatest moment for me, thanks

[@skmd-420]

even if i watch all your videos, i dont habe to watch this one, because i got all archivements possible with greece allready.. so I leave a like and thank you for your videos! :)

[@bismarcksmustache6010]

2 videos in 3 days? I think I’m in heaven

[@whitezombie10]

Another challenge I will fail even after watching this

[@정연두-f1v]

This is .... a MASTERPIECE

[@RoryMulhall]

Just want to say big thanks to bittersteel for uploading all these guides just after 100%ing the achievements of this game... i nearly had an anyurism doing CK2.. keep up the good fight BS!

[@tomato0067]

with BBA released, you don't have enough naval supremacy to do the trick, and you can't produce any naval bomber at the start of the game. Bad Romeance is a nightmare now

[@gamboldo1]

That's why we all have to switch to either NSB or BFB to do only this one achievment

[@CaptainTostaki]

Thanks you so much man i really needed it this, ive had 20 iron man greeces and never made it

[@nanoboso3656]

I tested the Istanbul encirclement today in NSB, it still works if you just build a port on Alexandropolis and a railway leading to it On the first try you have to take the port in the tile next to Alexandropolis, but it's still less risky than doing naval invasion shenanigans However, I absolutely love this kind of strategy, and I'm on my way to redo a Greece play through

[@davidamogg]

Is there a video on how to do this somewhere?

[@nanoboso3656]

@@davidamogg I think every pre-BFB greek tutorial would be corect, but the idea is to cut the turks from supplies by the north (just rush on a strait line to Istanbul) and to recreate this pocket over and over

[@lancesavage5539]

Gotta love when Bittersteel declares war on Turkey and Elevator music starts to play while hes shopping for lendlease from Italy after which he immediately justifies on

[@ДмитроПрищепа-д3я]

Hmm, A Greece playthrough focused around pushing yourself into a debt and requesting European allies to send help. Historical game, btw.

[@Djung3lsk0g_x]

Hey Bitt3rsteel, could you do a updated version of this (with by blood alone).

[@pregnanttomato9576]

Man this one is gonna be tough, thanks for the vid. In my first attempt the Turkish somehow got a naval invasion off in the Peloponnese and 10 Romanian divisions flooded in and killed my run so I'm feeling pretty bummed about that. I can't imagine the work it takes to pump out these achievement videos. Keep up the great work!

[@calebwidergren9138]

Bruh that just happened to me😂

[@MichaelGC8]

Yeah, same here ;-)

[@rickfitzgerald7294]

I had a run where I capitulated the Turks, and somehow there were Romanians in Turkey, and they captured a couple of ports. This was after the peace deal. Then all of a sudden, the Romanians send their ENTIRE army to turkey, and absolutely delay everything...

[@Classical4Piano]

It's annoying that paradox didn't add reform rome and a proper roman tree to greece. The byzantine empire was literally just a smaller, Eastern based Roman empire.

[@barrett9286]

I was doing really well using this guide, but it all fell apart when Turkey naval invaded me in the south. Then it was all over.

[@k4in497]

Thank u god i have been trying to do this for 4 mounths and i was about to give up , thank u bitter steel

[@katjakrausinski6223]

Was there an update? Every time I try it, romania joins allies at about September 37..

[@edoardobaia7927]

If you hire the shared tounged layer the pp cost foe improving relations is reduced by a lot

[@ryankline1164]

He actually did that in his pre-NSB guide for this. I'm in agreement with you, but I'm curious if there's a reason he didn't...

[@jollytosty]

I love your voice, ima give your stuff a watch when i get some time

[@timothyhouse1622]

Oh, my little tweek with this. Split off the 3 Mountaineers and use them for naval landings and convert everyone else to inf. The Mountaineers have higher org so will sit around a little longer in case you have a hiccup in trying to close the pocket. Also, your first few divisions out the door should be 9 cav. Use the infantry to hold up turkish divisions, by the time you get there they will not have enough to fill the line but just enough divisions to be a pain in the ass. Use the speedy boys to zip around and cap them quick. I was able to do it within one economy focus so I could get back to the byzantine path.

[@timothyhouse1622]

Other tweeks I did to make a little more bearable. 1. As mentioned by someone else, hire the sharp tongue lawyer. It won't hurt your PP so much to make friends. 2. PP isn't a problem with Greece and I didn't have an issue with war support once flipped to fascist. So instead of war propaganda. I took anti democratic raids to get my stability up. Do this BEFORE war starts and before you flip. Dont forget, to get a net gain of stability you have to lose 10 percent at the start. 3. Do not do naval invasions unless your air has been hitting their ships. They won't sink any but as long as they are damaging the ships they will be in port repairing. Do port strikes to keep them there. 4. In dozens of runs I have had Romania capitulate Bulgaria ONCE. Ugh....

[@elbeto191291]

Holy... those are some amazing plays!

[@georgios_5342]

Fun fact, the EEE is actually called 3Epsilon

[@AccelEng]

That's a cool strat, I've never tried it before! I'm sure I'll give it a shot soon, so thanks for sharing it ^^

[@bonesyjonesy716]

Video is awesome. Sadly it doesn't work anymore. Need an updated version please!

[@georgios_5342]

3:53 VEEEEERY GOOD pronunciation 😉👍

[@dawsontan9265]

Did this achievement a few months ago, but now Romania always joins alies now even though I canceled the justification on Germany, does anybody know why and how to fix it?

[@derdummkopf5337]

Conquer the world as Costa Rica, no puppets, no factions

[@Spagghet]

I like this naval invasion tactic. What I found worked well is just defending on Alexandroupolis until they lose like 100-200k troops. What happens recently after a few patches is they really stop attacking early though, what you can do to bait the AI is keep pulling one division back off the line and the computer will attack again for some reason. After theyve lost a bunch you can encircle them, destroy, then fall back to Alexandroupolis with the mountain and river to defend. Also you can farm the Hill Fighter on one of the generals and it will be enough to get them the Adaptable skill which is awesome.

[@thomaspilkington5302]

Been waiting for this

[@unternehmen_wacht_am_rhein]

A day bitt3rSteel posts is a good day!

[@JonMI6]

“We will just ask for stuff.” Modern day Greece in a nutshell

[@jerfil2226]

finnaly did it after 2 weeks of trying :)

[@axelstucky9448]

1st attempt and Venizelos died on Jan 3

[@emma5068]

I was looking at an older guide and tried it but it just didn't work anymore. Specifically with Turkey. The AI wasn't falling for the trap the guide recommended, which it seems you were referencing with Paradox not letting us have fun. The method you used here in this one seems like a much clever trap and, for now at least, it is much more feasible to get the AI to take the bait. I'll try out the way you did it and see how it goes.

[@anettkakuk9637]

Yeah shoutout to you man , great job , it's too hard to form byzantium because turkey is guaranteed or by the time you attack italy does too, but blood alone should make this easier this time considering italy won't always attack you

[@louismacie]

edit: if you want to get naval superiority make sure to have your planes on all possible missions especially port strike re-edit: you cant get naval superiority, seems like the greek navy has gotten nerfed with new update :(

[@klm0016]

You can, barely.

[@theovereditedarena5672]

Not that essential to the run, but I got so excited when Thessaloniki got mentioned cuz my whole family is from there

[@XtremeXC29]

One thing I would mention is set your navy to low or no repair. Otherwise you will get naval invaded to the south.

[@dasshibainotm6926]

Finally I waited years for that!!!

[@Bzerka333]

Roman Empire in no step back? Only way i find to get an upper hand is to luck out and have france not follow through with the guarantee on on yugoslavia early game.

[@tincan6862]

Could you make a video on No Step Back templates please?

[@gerbil6416]

Could you do the Hardly Anything Sevres achievement with no step back? I feel a lot has changed since then, notably the fact it actually spends the command power now, as well as tanks being changed, and spaniard's video on it is no longer up.

[@cilleinkinsella9089]

i attempted this but yugo capitulated romania by themselves

[@DrMoffett]

That wacky racers reference was golden

[@markk404]

Trying this with Blood Alone. 1st run, PM died, 2nd, I decided to be cheap and not deploy my navy until I launched my invasion, Turkey naval landed Athens, ooops. Change in mechanics to spike tension breaks that cheese move :-(

[@sketchye5943]

I forgot to stop justifying on Germany and so the world tension was on 55 and Romania joined the allies 💀

[@fadichekman6042]

Nice episode keep it up my friend

[@trygveplaustrum4634]

*And this is why few nations in history have ever liked the Byzantines.*

[@starbuild8324]

This strategy is no longer effective. You can't hold the front even with 4 divisions naval invading Alexandroupolis and even if you can you are going to lose 2 or 3 divisions to the encirclement. Also do not use "Death or Dishonor" DLC because then you won't even have the naval supremacy required to naval invade.

[@samsonsistis7204]

no joke you nailed the greek names youtubers getting better and better

[@Unknown-rv1rf]

Got to January 1937 and Eleftherios Venizelos passed away, should I restart or continue?

[@tasuketeeirin9882]

restart

[@fsscrub4631]

Play algeria in the road to 56 you get a nasty amount of cores and a focus tree

[@marf4204]

Hey bitter if you don’t have the achievement where you defeat Russia without taking Stalingrad you can kinda cheese it by having them go monarchist and killing them then i got it without realizing by doing that

[@realsmithas2759]

The Germans going monarchist or Soviets?

[@marf4204]

@@realsmithas2759 the soviets

[@Roketsune]

What if the Byzantines were really space aliens led by Anne Heice?

[@KonigHoff]

Question: why not crush the monarchists for the war support when the Compromise with the Monarchists focus makes them friendly anyway?

[@Bitt3rSteel]

I preferred to get some stability early on. Possibly, i got too focused on that

[@nickeri5381]

It would be fun to know how many times you experiment your strategies before you do the final recording? :D I really appreciate the hard work behind these fantastic guides, thank you a lot again!!!

[@paintyxd]

Neither death nor dishonor plus death dishonor or cake next please

[@fourtwenty6979]

Method doesn't work anymore. They reinforce from Edirne up to Thessaloniki, and naval invade multiple points in Achaia. Green air and Naval Strike don't seem to matter in that regard either

[@yaboi672]

Ive had some issues as of By Blood Alone where I cant ever land because there is always a port guard. any suggestions on how to land?

[@alpacalemon2322]

Haven’t even watched it yet and i already know it’s a banger vid

[@Alexei1727]

HoI4 is that type of game that will fuck up everything possible for you to go insane, Romania keeps joining the Allies in my save.

[@malocuillandre1344]

Your guide is really good and well done (like all your videos), but personnally I can't break through the bosphorus in time, it takes me a solid additional year to conquer Turkey, but I don't understand how I'm so bad while I think I do everything like you showed... That delay makes Italy joining the Axis before I'm even at the step to create one with Bulgaria, in my current game I'm about to betray Yougoslavia, then idk if I'll be able to break an Italy reinforced by Germany but I'll try my best

[@colinalkiin]

im in the same boat, i cant push through the straight

[@gregorybartz3125]

I can't break through either. I do everything the video says, I try renewing lend/lease over and over again but my deficit never changes (stays at -14.2k guns, for example) then after about the 2nd or 3rd encirclement, turkey decides to naval invade behind me and capitulate me while I'm fighting. And that's after I bounce my planes back and forth and set my navy to strike force and give it a good admiral and everything. I think I'm not managing lend/lease right because I am definitely not filling out my armies or my plane reserves...any advice is appreciated.

[@fabien1619]

First try, they send so much army in the border when i made the naval invasion that i lost 3 of my 4 division before to make a junction Second try, Romanian came and i lost so much time that Yougoslavia join the balkan faction and attack me in my back Third try, Turkey invade me by the south and i didn't saw it... Fourth time again Yougoslavia Well i think i'm gonna cry in my bed a little before to restart again

[@gamboldo1]

Switch to older version like (Battle for The Bosporus) or (No Step Back) and always check historical focuses on

[@christianveniani3587]

Hello, I'm having a serious issue with this. The problem is that as soon as France is capitulated, Vichy France pops up and takes Algeria and Syria which are needed for two decisions. How to prevent that? Cause last time I didn't manage to capture Paris before the Germans so perhaps that's the key here. Thanks in advance

[@casualboomer3593]

Romania did some voodoo and pulled in France, which pulled in UK. Historical game btw.

[@casualboomer3593]

Most recent attempt, and the dude died before the 1936 election..... not one day with him in charge.