Opening Move: Byzantium

[@Bovara]

Good video, you seem to have mastered playing all the nations around the Ottomans. Well played.

[@BudgetMonk]

Thanks Dave, i plan to upload plenty of other content aswell.

[@xxiacid5399]

The new patch is gonna weaken the ottomans, can you review it as one of the beyliks?

[@Wowbaggerz]

Great videos! Love the format and the banter, keep it up

[@BudgetMonk]

Thank you friend.

[@thomkinrade9314]

I love your videos. You have a personality which makes watching the video feel informative and relaxing. I enjoy that. Keep up the good work !

[@BudgetMonk]

Thanks for the feedback friend.

[@CrazyViking07]

Great video! I am hoping to see a video in which you discuss and elaborate on idea groups. The length of 20-40 minutes is also really good because its not too brief, whilst not being excessively long.

[@samx7356]

Great video as usual mate! I always enjoy giving your strats a go. Keep them coming :D

[@BudgetMonk]

Thank you friend!

[@giokun100]

Nice tips. Brings an entirely new perspective for Byzantium! Best EU4 channel so far.

[@BudgetMonk]

Wow very king, thank you.

[@coolwhiprofl]

I have never played EU but I do enjoy your videos greatly! I started playing CK2 a month ago and im having so much fun, I look forward to go for EUIV soon.

[@BudgetMonk]

I am the other way around, do not know how to play ck2 if you want to get good fast at eu4 watch people stream. You can pick up a lot of tips by just observing.

[@jasonbudd6359]

Would be interesting to see a 1.21 strategy, as you cannot ally Poland Austria or mamluks

[@ChrMuslimThor]

You can get poland and the mams you just have to get lucky.

[@jasonbudd6359]

You can, you have to have bought the MOH expansion though. I've tested. You basically cannot get alliances with Poland or mams without it.

[@MultiJade]

You can get an alliance with Poland, you need to wait for Poland to annex Mazovia.

[@kobbehh]

I can beat byzantium easily as the ottomans , I am great

[@Dark-jh8kx]

you are a underrated youtuber men you have to be more wiewers ty fo your videos :)

[@BudgetMonk]

Thanks that means alot. However i have only been trying to produce halfway decent content for less then a year and i am quite happy with how my channel is growing so far. I am hoping like most things it will pick up speed as it grows.

[@Sparky2618]

Awesome update to the Byzantium guide been beating my head against a brick wall with some of the older strategy guides out there. Hope this one works.

[@niallowens6312]

Mark Jeffs the guides are interesting but it is all luck based. I finally managed to get not just Basilea but also mare nostrum (entire med coastline) yesterday. it only took me a few dozen attempts :)

[@Sparky2618]

Yeah I had a good run a few patches ago but you really do need the stars to align in the beginning

[@BudgetMonk]

This game has heavy rng and will always been luck based. My goal is to maximise that luck and give people insight into what is possible.

[@SSDucky]

Still waiting for that Unorthodox Orthodox Bear game and strategy :P Nice little strategy for Byz Monk, gj on the youtubes FeelsGoodMan

[@BudgetMonk]

Haha maybe one day. Thanks daru.

[@D3ATHBYFIR3]

Nice, always enjoy these videos. Helped me a lot. Do you think you could do a horde video one day ?

[@BudgetMonk]

Yes i will.

[@Darkwolf72113]

That was great! I like your attitude about ironman mode. Going to give this a shot now :)

[@Jonathanius02]

Best youtuber in the world!

[@klagebajs]

Props to you on the successful removal. I have a couple of problems with your tactic though... -Ottomans are so strong (on normal) that they keep beating my allies with impunity both in anatolia and the balkans. They will just travel back and forth with a 30 stack killing all resistance. In the cases where they don't do this my allies seem to not want to engage/siege further provinces and just camp about in one province... -Muscowy tends to interfere and smash up PLC until they withdraw -Also Ottomans keep their fleet together and Mamluks wont engage, so naval supremacy is out of the picture Any tips? >:( Sorry for the rant, I will grow up and graduate Basileus academy one day, I hope.

[@xxiacid5399]

Do what he is doing. Keep your navy at max or even higher than force limit. Having multiple galleys like this helps you a lot. Also, if you have a 30 stack chasing you, get them stuck in corfu or euboea with your navy. If you are attacked by ottoman navies, dont be afraid unless you do not have a good admiral.

[@xxiacid5399]

By good admiral i mean having at least 3 points. I know this isnt good

[@leolinox]

Great video man !

[@BudgetMonk]

Thank you.

[@bastange8856]

just one question, I managed to do the trick with Skanderberg to win the first war and got almost all my cores returned. I made sure to increase relations with Mameluks and Poland throughout war so netted my Alliance with poland, but the Mameluks just do not seem interested in Alliance, even with enemy of enemy and full 100 im still more than 30 relations off...

[@benjiabroad]

Love your videos and how you detail what sort of options you can do and what may happen! I think these challenge starts are the most satisfying of them all. I have been trying to do the same with an Irish OPM and then take over Great Britain without colonization (to get luck of the irish achievement) but i'm struggling due to the lack of expansion options. Any tips?

[@BudgetMonk]

Thanks friend, will consider posting a video on this topic.

[@byronfickett]

Illuminati Confirmed Speed Siege.

[@Carolus5050]

Nice video!! :D

[@UnnamedRevolutionary]

I see what you mean, it seems that no matter what happens the ottomans sieges faster than me

[@msxavier8519]

1.21 killed this strat.

[@cleverslim1331]

In the new 1.20 patch since you can now scorth earth enemy land should u do it to the ottomans to hurt them?

[@randomcommenter395]

How do you promise allies land in an offensive war?

[@lamentobtv01]

you need a DLC, it will give you the option to call in your allies on the promise of land

[@Agnus958]

Succeeded the first try with this!

[@Acrocora]

Wow got here early! I wish I could learn this game honestly, its so vast compared to CK2. Long live Byzantium!

[@D3ATHBYFIR3]

Opposite for me..I can't seem to understand CK2 at all

[@BudgetMonk]

I feel the same way about CK2 i have not learned it my friend. ;)

[@cleverslim1331]

very good

[@vague899]

Can u make a video forming japan and conquering korea china the principal countrys from asia in general,i know that this is jard but u can do this

[@BudgetMonk]

Will consider it, btw uplaoding a video right now... You might like it i think it is better then most of my content.

[@brandylark420]

Just finished watching video, strat seems alright but one problem now. After Hungary patch AI is much less receptive to allying (IE the only important people, mamluks and Austria.) They will always go over their relationship slots which then causes -30 modifier making it impossible to ally either even with Dip rep advisor. PLC and Hungary are available but Poland is RNG whether he goes over slots. But from my trials on the new patch it seems you can easily (with enough patience and save scumming ) get a PU over Serbia since they always disinherit their heir. Also the whole island trap method was pretty void too. It's not impossible anymore but I would like to hear if you have thought about other strategies or cared to make a 3rd video on the subject haha. Lastly sorry for writing whole book down here but I love Byzantium and am always interested in playing them.

[@kra4is]

that feeling when ottomans somehow get 50 ships.

[@tornagh9200]

Is Skanderbeg style still viable by the way? tried it out a couple times but Venice always declares o either Albania or myself mid war.

[@MichaelS-vy1ku]

I've found that hungary will occasionally guarantee albania. If they guarentee then you should ally albania so when ottomans attack albania you and hungary are pulled into the war, don't let albania occupy any land and you will get all your cores in one war with hungary troops and skandenberg.

[@Munchausenification]

The siege speed should be higher for the Ottomans, since they got defensive bonuses to their forts

[@BudgetMonk]

Haha i was just joking around. So often the ai 100% me before i can take a single fort. xD

[@o0bango0o]

Have you ever thought about a holland playthrough?

[@djaevlenselv]

In patch 1.19 I have attempted to start up several Byzantium playthoughs. In literally every single one of them Serbia has rivaled me.

[@matijazezelj6800]

nice tactic dude. i will try it. can you make a how to start whit Serbia cause i want to try them but i dont know how

[@BudgetMonk]

Will consider for the future.

[@np5229]

Which dlc you used

[@cricrielectro]

I'm on v1.22, so if I understand correctly, you can't cross a strait when one side is not yours (or not occupied by you)? Or do you need blockading ships too? Cheers for all your great videos!

[@cricrielectro]

nv, just got the response further in the video!

[@xXtr3m3Potatox]

Do you recommend taking religious ideas as your first idea group? If not how would your first three ideas groups go?

[@BudgetMonk]

In most games i take a diplo idea first, while focusing admin. falling behind in diplo but moving toward my second idea group which would be an admin idea at a rapid rate. Otherwise if you lack options to expand an admin idea group is fine as a first idea group. In this case you core is free and then your will lack massive expansion options(truce with the otto) Therefore i think taking religious first is a good move. I would focus admin from the onset. And not change my focus until i have my second idea group and am caught up in admin tech then i would switch to focus my next idea group. Hopefully in combination with power projection and smash that idea group out.

[@CuboidCheese]

R E M O V E K E B A B

[@hamiltondurkan]

What patch is this?

[@Jhereg17]

I got basileus already wasn't that hard :p what pisses me off is I can't conquer the world! Even as kebab! at 1600 I'm on my way to India and Russia they're easy to chew but I'm really starting to fall back in terms of technology and absolute worst rulers don't really help.I have very cautious playing style (i don't take debts if absolute necessary,i dont get ae and oe high) so it's hard for me to conquer world. Do you have suggestions to speed up me a bit ?

[@BudgetMonk]

it becomes extremely tedious. A WC run is a real chore. Maybe i should make a video with suggestions and other things to consider.

[@aarohalme1020]

The strategy aganist ottoman's as byzantium depend's on where the turk's army is. If they are in the balkan's you could attack them and stop them from moving their army's and take some province's in anatolia with 50 + warscore.

[@kowo7795]

when i played byzantium i just waited for a game in which albania allies hungary. then wait until the ottos attack albania and immediatly ally albania. they will call you in, you dont have to take any loans, albania and hungary will crush the ottomans for you and since albania doesnt wants very much land you usually get all your cores back. then attack serbia, vassa or annex them, annex the former ottoman serbian core always. there you release bulgaria, declare a reconquest on the ottos and block the straight, nice and easy war. finally you can attack anatolia and crush the rest of them. almost no ae:))

[@tomh4754]

Lol no way will 'albania and Hungary crush the ottomans'. Hungary is nowhere near as strong as the Ottomans. Albania? They can pretty much be ignored.

[@kowo7795]

Russian Bear i did it that way, normal difficulty... so it works:) the hungry is, as long as they have the same tech as the ottos (and they have at the beginning) weaker than an albanian-hungarian alliance. the reason for that are skanderbeg (5/5/5/0) and hunyadi (4/4/4/0). they eat the ottomans:) and as i mentioned at the beginning: used that tactic, formed the roman empire and got basileus as well as mare nostrum as byzantium.

[@kowo7795]

sry for that languageXD should habe read it again:D

[@xXKirkSoloXx]

My allies destroyed their navies and the Ottomans allied France.

[@thelight9047]

We neeed a 1,21 strategy since we can;t ally Poland Mamluks or Austria

[@frozengrip2609]

I normally just keep restarting until I can get Poland Hungary and Austria In a triple alliance (sometimes Albania as well for that sweet general). Before declaring war at 1450.

[@BudgetMonk]

Complete badasses do not keep restarting but instead deal with hand they were delt! ;)

[@ente866]

do a video with great horde

[@GroovinMagicK]

Is the pheonix dlx required to play byzantium?

[@BudgetMonk]

No i don't have it either. Probably should, it makes many events happen as you play Byz most good events i think i.e it buffs them.

[@GroovinMagicK]

thanks, great tips by the way didn't think destroying the fort in greece

[@cleverslim1331]

BudgetMonk 119 ya it gives you a lot of free claims as well like on Bulgaria and Anatolia

[@alozz7]

sometimes you can ally aragon as byzantium, if you are looking for naval supremacy would be great

[@flyingberserker3965]

Im playing in patch 1.22 in 1454, and i managed to make aliance with poland, mamluks ang genoa more recently, Before that I couldnt make war with ottomans with poland and mamluks and karaman backing me up, even with land promise they dont suport me even having all of us ottomans as rival, it was supose the perfect scenario, but the ottomans declare war karaman and and they ask for help and i have to decline. Im waiting for Ottomans to atack me but they dont do it Now my rivalry with ottomans ended and its worse odds for me to take an ofensive war, since noone back me up. I dont understand that diplomacy on that game we all 3 had a comon rival but they didint join me, Mamluks are in peace and have a strong army and poland (With Lithuania) had a war against hungary, but they still strong. The only mistake i did was alliance with karaman to prevent Ottomans atack them but it was a bad move, besides that i did what i should do having powerfull allies backing me, and I invested in a strong navy. Im wondering if they will help in a defensive war. Someone give me some hints or help

[@tornagh9200]

Venice has gotten sooo sneaky and opportunistic in the last couple of patches, in every single game I see them jumping whoever the Ottomans are bating up (be it Byzantium, Hungary, Serbia or Bosnia), they ruined quite a few of my BYZ runs but it makes sense. Now I see they also do the opposite fromt ime to time (jumping the Ottomans). Great video by the way.

[@BudgetMonk]

Very true. Thanks friend.

[@FeedsGaming]

WHY DOES ALLWAYS VENICE ATTACK ME + OTTOMANS HAVE SUPIERIOR NAVY CANT WIN

[@MarxMan0o]

Damn Budgetmonk used to be really belittling towards his viewers back then :D

[@TheRockhound119]

Best case is Serbia guarantees Albania and Hungary allies Albania and then Ottomans STILL attack Albania. In this case it is possible to have your cores by 1452 especially if you ensure the Albanians and Ottomans fight for as long as possible, by keeping close to the Hungarian armies.

[@MrGabys91]

what game is this???

[@BudgetMonk]

It's called Europa universalis IV Make sure you are awhere of what you are doing before buying this game, it has a very poor dlc model.

[@jess09ra]

How are you so good at eu4? Really impressive

[@BudgetMonk]

I am a really humble guy, instead of thinking that i am so good at eu4 i just like to think that everybody on earth is worse then me Kappa. No seriously though i have 3k hours played and am a complete tryhard nerd.

[@johnarryn1777]

This is no longer possible with 1.23

[@Maltbyr]

cant ally candar and treibzond at the start and hungary doesnt ally albania :(

[@jsimek]

What's that accent? New Zealand?

[@UnnamedRevolutionary]

I got the luckiest start, I got Poland Hungary and the mamluks as allies and ottomans attacked Albania who was allied with Hungary and Serbia

[@TheRealPhilippePetain]

Billy Amilly you did

[@dpq100]

*Quitting eu4 because your last strategy didn't work with the updates *New Byzantium strategy on youtube newsfeed :)

[@BudgetMonk]

Gotem coach!

[@GimmePaypalKid]

can never get the bloody mamluks teh ally me

[@vague899]

lol the most easy way crush the ottomans is open console and write .. integrate tur.. lol

[@Redshift2077]

Whassup, Peeps?

[@BudgetMonk]

Whaazzzzaahhhp

[@treyshaw3474]

You cant rival ottomans in new patch and i cant really ally poland at the time. So i always get fucked

[@Maltbyr]

well.. the bitter truth is byz just died in 1453

[@MultiJade]

Why do people go on about albania allying hungary? I've legit have never seen such a thing happen, ever, in any game

[@kaikaczmarczyk4122]

Turks allways ally France

[@ilirikumserbinum-1327]

Byzantium never existed

[@jarjarbinks978]

what do you mean?

[@Marshal_Rock]

jonas buying I think he means that the term Byzantium never existed back in the XV century as it was called Roman Empire at that time.

[@zyankali5049]

Gustavo Fuentes Reyes they called themselve the Roman Empire, but dont expect any catholic from the xv century to call them Roman Empire. basically byzantium was the Rest of the roman Empire and byzantine Empire is a term invented by historians, but they were the only ones calling their state Roman Empire.

[@pete2389]

Tom Spruyten The Turks and Russians most definitely called them the Roman Empire. When Constantinople fell, the Ottomans considered themselves the successors to the Roman Empire since from their pov they were the ones who conquered it. In western Europe they tried undermining that title due to conflicts with the HRE/ Catholic church during the middle ages. History is told by the winners, so the "Byzantine" empire continues to be considered something different from the Roman Empire despite the fact that it was basically a continuation of the same government which had existed since 500 b.c. The administrative capital had moved to Constantinople long before the old capital fell, and Roman culture had been dominated by Greek culture from the very beginning. Greeks had been full fledged Roman citizens- Romans- since before the capital was even changed. Think of all the empires throughout history which changed their capital and/or lost a significant portion of their land, but aren't called an arbitrary new name by historians. The Roman Empire fell in 1453, lingering on for 1000 years after the original capital was conquered by the vandals and visigoths. I'm not sure what the argument against that is, other than the fact that the Bishop of Rome decided to give the title of "Holy Roman Emperor" to a Germanic Frank who conquered the city of Rome 300 years after the fall of the western half of the empire in a power play. You'll be hard pressed to find anyone today who thinks Charlemagne was the successor to the Roman Empire, so it's passed time we stopped denying the Eastern Roman Empire's legacy/legitimacy as well.

[@Billswiftgti]

Pete thank you

[@CuboidCheese]

R E M O V E K E B A B