ULTIMATE Guide to Victoria 3 - COMPLETE Tutorial With Timestamps

TIMESTAMPS BELOW!
A brand new grand strategy game from Paradox is here, and it's none other than Victoria 3 itself. This is a massively complicated game which is likely to take you dozens of hours - if not hundreds - to truly learn, so I thought I'd help you on the path to dominate the world of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
In this massive beginner's guide, I take you though every aspect of Victoria 3, from military, trade goods, trade routes, markets, production, population, and interest groups, all the way to politics and laws, diplomacy, warfare and diplomatic plays. Everything you need to know about Victoria 3 is in this video, but if you have further questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment, and I'll do my best to answer them :)
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Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe to help me befriend the algorithm ;)
JOIN THE DISCORD: / discord
Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:01:27 - Campaigns, Countries, Ranks
00:05:55 - Beginning, The Map, Notifications
00:10:20 - Capacities
00:17:46 - GDP, SOL, Literacy, Radicals, Loyalists
00:22:11 - Game Time, Speed, Pins
00:24:10 - Production Lens
00:25:18 - Political Lens
00:28:38 - Diplomatic Lens
00:31:02 - Military Lens
00:31:59 - Trade Lens
00:34:20 - Map Modes
00:35:19 - Country Window, Infamy, UI Tips
00:39:18 - Politics, Laws, Interest Groups, Institutions
00:52:45 - Budget, Gold Reserves, Credit, Investment Fund
00:58:41 - Buildings, Production Methods, Economy
01:11:21 - The Market, Trade Relations, Tariffs
01:21:51 - The Military, Navy, Warfare
01:37:07 - Diplomatic Plays, Diplomacy and Colonies
01:50:09 - Technology
01:52:36 - Culture and Religion, Formable Nations
01:57:51 - Populations, POPs, Political Engagement
02:02:00 - The Journal and Decisions
02:03:42 - The Outliner, Pins, and Map List
02:05:10 - Outro
Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe if you enjoyed the video :)
#victoria3 #victoria3tutorial
#victoria3beginnersguide

[@AndysTake]

Is THIS the next Paradox game?! kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXuxmoOugamYq6c

[@gleren37]

Well, given that I've launched the game about an hour ago and immediately realized I had no fucking idea how to play it, this video is a godsend.

[@thebasic5917]

same lol idk wtf is going on

[@uneverjack158]

i launched the game and oh man there are a of new and scary buttons. Glad to see such a thorough tutorial already!

[@mgore90]

Same. It reminded me of the feeling I had when first playing Victoria I when I was 13 (and selecting Nejd as my first country). Glad KZbin exists now.

[@YouLikeBosch]

I came from Crusader Kings 3 and I'm like "bro dafuq is this UI/tutorial"

[@Bill_Garthright]

Heh, heh. It's funny, because that's my experience, too. I've been watching videos on KZbin, so I thought I had a general idea of the game. And therefore, when I bought it yesterday, I decided to skip all of the tutorial stuff and just jump into a game (as Russia, for some reason, instead of one of the nations they suggest for beginners). And I had absolutely _no idea_ what to do. I didn't even unpause the game. So, yeah, I'm watching this tutorial now. And when I start up the game again, I'll pick one of the smaller nations suggested for new players and let the game lead me by the hand (I _hope_ that's what it will do) for a bit. :)

[@gaborszili9855]

Well here I am, 3 hours into Vicky 3 and having no idea what is going on, please save me!

[@timlampers8610]

Same lol. Honestly makes every game feel like "put the square box in the square hole" while game feels like assembling your own space shuttle.

[@AndysTake]

@@timlampers8610 hahaha exactly!

[@TheAzure256]

@@timlampers8610 When grand strategy game meets factorio. It’s Victoria 3 😂

[@XXveny]

For every paradox game i played, there was one simple rule: You learn by failing. Just during first playthrough of V3, i had like 10 WTF moments where i discovered things much later than i should have, which kinda ruined my game, but it will surely help me in future.

[@rob67w]

@@XXveny makes sense I didn’t fully figure out CK3 til after 50 hours of gameplay lol

[@tophatowl6724]

That moment when you buy a new game and the first thing you do is watch a 2 hr guide. You know the tutorial is kinda mid when you need an amazing guide that does it 1000x better. Thank you for helping immensly in figuring out what to do.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you for the kind words, Tophat, it’s my absolute pleasure :) I worked hard on this it took me a better part of 2 weeks, so I’m really glad you’re finding it useful! Cheers!

[@filibertogarced]

A full guide just hours after the game is released. You are a hero 🙌

[@AndysTake]

My pleasure, Liberato! :D

[@agastyanhidayat219]

​@Michal Koutný if you can't even answer that question without asking for further information, then how could you expect him to teach you when the video is only a one way instruction??

[@FrancescoBedini]

Me, an italian, looking at a perfectly done tutorial using two sicilies. Perfection👌🏻. You have my full gratitude Fratello.

[@piotrcarafa7993]

Connazionale o7

[@AndysTake]

Heck yeah! Grazie, amico mio, I'm glad you enjoyed the video ;)

[@whicker7069]

I love this video for many reasons. The best is that he is not just telling you what you have to do or how to min/max it. He leaves the exploring of the actions we take up to us. He just does a fantastic job of getting everyone familiar with the screens and smaller buttons that get missed very easy in Paradox games. Great video my guy! I look forward to watching the other videos you have.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, love the kind words! :D

[@arthursandomine5464]

Good point.

[@scrappile5925]

I am a avid Stellaris player and thought this game looked really fun and peaceful. I've cried five times in three hours of my last playthrough 😭😭

[@smartestybaplayer3757]

same

[@KylePandapatan]

Rebellion, bankruptcy, invasion. So many ways for it all to go south. 😂👏 I learned more about apply micro and macro economics from this game than school. 😅😂

[@ihavenoidea5277]

Victoria 2 is such a classic I hope this game gets a lot of user created content like HOI4

[@s7rika7ul]

Your video is pure genius. One of the best guides I’ve seen. Especially for such a complex game…

[@Crusader-eh2cv]

Man I needed this so bad. This game is probably the most complex of any pdx game.

[@AndysTake]

My thoughts exactly. Insanely complex, so it’s good to get a thorough overview before jumping in, I thought - I had no idea what I was doing when I started lol

[@theflame5919]

EU 4 is still the most complex Paradox game (assuming all DLCs).. but this is definitely a very complex game, as my first impression of it this far.

[@skullyboi1215]

@@theflame5919 EU4 is pretty easy to learn in my opinion

[@randellprice3259]

@@skullyboi1215 yeah honestly eu4 took me 3 days to learn. I’ve been playing vic since it got leaked and I still suck.

[@theflame5919]

@@skullyboi1215 easy to learn, incredibly difficult to master, hence depth.

[@carinha97]

Im a big fan of hoi4, and I consider myself to be an excelent player. Yet, It took me around one year of pain and suffer to finnally get to say "hey, I know how to play hoi4!". I recently bought vic 3 and it has been a big fear. "Am I going to take one entire year or more to get the hang of this?". I never considered watching one of these hours-long tutorials/guides, but I was desesperated. This was soooooo refreshing. I actually feel confident to play now, mainly with two sicilies :) Thank you a lot!

[@sheepyscreepys]

Such a well-structured and understandable Tutorial I have not seen for a long time! thank you very much !!!

[@AndysTake]

Thank YOU, sheep, so glad you liked it!

[@jnoyes9986]

I played the game for three hours last night but felt so completely lost. This video helps a lot! I feel much more confident going back into it.

[@AndysTake]

That's great to hear! Good luck, let me know if you have any further questions!

[@konfuchie357]

Thank you! I'm sick of Paradox KZbinrs making 20 minutes videos expecting us to learn something...

[@AndysTake]

Haha it really demands so much more to learn this game than just 5 minutes here and there

[@mekal779]

Havent played Vicky 2 but played all other paradox games im sure ill need this video thank you for making it

[@Retroblique]

Thanks for an excellent introduction to the game! Even in tutorial mode, the game never really does a good job of informing the player exactly what type of game it is and how it should be played, which can be problematic if you're deep inside a CK or EU mindset. Paradox just seem to assume that everyone's already familiar with Victoria 2 and that newcomers enticed by nothing else other than the time period should just fend for themselves. I think it's a testament to the game's high learning curve that so few beginner guides exist outside the ones that Paradox sponsored (which are all based on alpha versions and press release notes), so a non-promotional newbie guide as detailed as this is hugely appreciated. Keep up the good work!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, this is exactly why I made it! :) Glad you liked it!

[@pz9mo1221]

make guide on shtty krakow city start if u r such an expert

[@AndysTake]

this comment made me wheeze

[@pz9mo1221]

@@AndysTake i meant this game is kinda overwheliming at start gj tho

[@AmUnRA256]

you could check spiffing brits video on how to deal with very small states as he played with Jan Mayen and exploited the russian market

[@vinhcong7679]

0

[@godkingemperor9782]

In this game you can be supreme ruler with a one province minor. unlike EU4 which is almost impossible. I conquered almost the entire world playing as El Salvador Haiti and as Liberia, Because the Military system in the game is broken. fighting a bigger power is worse for them than it is for you, because they rally all their troop at once, which cost them a fortune and makes them go bankrupted and lose war support.

[@rizaldiaulia7496]

this is the most comprehensive guide I've found so far. this is the first time I played the Victoria series, and I can say that the mechanics are too overwhelming for me, the first hour I played this game was enough to make me want to uninstall the game right away. 😭 but after I watched this video, now I understand how beautifully the mechanics were made. you are indeed a hero, Andy!! 👊🙏

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much for saying that! :D

[@billycolburn1563]

Thank you! I was completely lost until I found this video.

[@sdupont73]

Paradox ought to be paying you for this video. It's simply outstanding. Extremely well done!

[@thygrrr]

Amazing tutorial ❤️‍🔥I got quite a few learnings from this video, even after a solid 100 hours of playing the game. This is Endorsed by the Players👥 (+10 Approval from +4 to +14). Players👥- Grateful Gamers activated. This is due to their Approval Rating of Loyal (+14) Players👥- Channel Subscriptions activated. This is due to their Approval Rating of Loyal (+14)

[@AndysTake]

Yooo thank you SO much, Thygrr! I really appreciate it!!

[@user-qq33dx8id5ww]

I came to realize that this guide is more useful than the game's own "learn to play" mechanics, I still run it simoultaniously as I advance through my campaign and it's really helpful. I wonder if you could make a playthrough of a third world nation in South America, Africa or anywhere in the world since their starting situation is absolutely different and more complex than the commonly played world powers. Again, thank you for this great guide!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much for watching, Sccipps, glad I could help! :D we’ll see what I do in the future!

[@polnatista2410]

Finally finished the video, thank you so much for going over everything. Very helpful for me to reference back to as well, much appreciated!

[@gurufabbes1]

about to give it my first try. thank you for making this. really enjoyed watching it as a warmup

[@belphegor_tv]

Imagine how much more complex Vicky will be after a couple of feature updates and DLCs.

[@Koczu0]

50 min of video and my head is ready to explode

[@AndysTake]

That’s Victoria 3 for you hahaha

[@The_Great_Turk]

Wow, it just felt like 30 minutes. Thank you so much. Just got an amazing overview :) I'm ready for the game now ;)

[@AndysTake]

So glad you liked it, my friend!

[@oleben2012]

Wow, what an incredible tutorial. Very well-structured and informative. This greatly helped me in getting to terms with Victoria 3.

[@maxwellspiegel5985]

This was long, but SO REWARDING! Thank you so much for this!

[@user-zj3zy6ot4g]

Think I have more hours in this guide than the actual gameplay. Great video

[@JacksonMarczyk]

I just started playing Victoria 3 a few days ago. This video was fantastic teaching me things that a friend of mine didn't. Thank You for making this!

[@m4a1saiko29]

40:06 respect for reading that name out

[@AndysTake]

Trying my best over here :)

[@n.bcritical9819]

my 8 years spent at accounting and Corporate finance will be used for something other than calculating mu neighbors taxes MY TIME HAS COME "Respect my AUTHORITA !! "

[@AndysTake]

Hahaha exactly

[@macproduktiv]

This was super helpful. I believe I will return to this guide from time to time to get a refresh. Thank you.

[@sonnyjim5268]

Outstanding. The best tutorial on KZbin. It's a great help and really saved me a lot of time getting on with the basics. Thank you for doing this.

[@keegansmetanko3755]

Thanks for this video, I'm a paradox nerd and have played every other paradox series so now I have to dive into the most complicated game and this is very helpful to learn everything in it.

[@synthelione3714]

An actually well thought out, soothing and beginner friendly tutorial! :D

[@AndysTake]

So glad you think so, thanks for watching! :D

[@serbianempire6456]

Ah yes, Ottoman Empire mobilising its conscripts from the Baltic region and putting them on the front against Greece. Jokes aside thank you very much for this video. Not being able to manually assign troops to your generals is probably the most frustrating mechanic I have encountered in any grand strategy game.

[@AndysTake]

I know it’s actually extremely frustrating not to manually assign them, I’ve found! Glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@ricardos8858]

Great tutorial Andy! I stood firmly the full 2h tutorial, but you helped VERY MUCH my learn of the game...just got it yesterday. So I have not yet started a game of my own. Why ? I am a gronard of strategy games Paradox (and many other company...some defunct). Overall on Paradox games (since HoI1, EU1, CK1, Victoria1 just to name a few) I have more than 6000 hours....crazy? well 30 years of gaming. I value your tutorial as I can see that to make that 2h tutorial ...you played many hours and also spent a lot of hours on planning, organizing, collecting info, making the narrative, cut and editing the several takes of different countries that you presented as case studies of the tutorial. Well, I am a economist / bussiness man and SALUT you!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, Ricardo, that means a lot to hear! I’m so glad I could help you, and I hope you have a lot of fun with Victoria 3! :)

[@elythiel]

Mate you deserved that sub. Thank you so much, I admit I had to watch the video twice to understood everything, I might watch it again after a couple of games, but you literally saved me from feeling completely lost for my first Victoria. 👍

[@AndysTake]

I’m so glad to hear that, Elythiel, thank you so much for watching and the kind words!

[@beardedlonewolf7695]

Much better than the in-game tutorial tbh, it's not bad (good try from Paradox) but I think it's the way it's presented with the journal. I haven't played Vic2 in years so your video is helping me a lot to get back into it!

[@connor4366]

Amazing tutorial, I watched it all. Thank you.

[@arthursandomine5464]

Booting up the game for the first time and having NO idea what to do, how to do it and even why the game is played at all. Thank you for this!

[@Andymartin1175]

I think this is the only 2 hour youtube video I've ever watched. And the most helpful. I've winged the first 7 years of the game as Sweden but this has helped me massively. Subscribed and thank you!!!

[@creeperminecraft294]

the game came out 2 months before this comment 💀

[@danielmayes4164]

This was so helpful even if I only grasped 35% and retained 15%. Arguably the best explained, most comprehensive tutorial overview (rather than "how to play" guide!) I have seen on any game. Your ability to be detailed as well as concise, and give simpler explanations for some elements is to be commended! Great job and thank you. Now to attempt to play...

[@AndysTake]

Thank you, Daniel! Good luck playing the game :D

[@danielmayes4164]

@@AndysTake I certainly will try, although I am likely to watch this again after a few more hours of playing to help it sink in a bit more.

[@BrandonCollins907]

That was a very in-depth look into all the systems at a very basic level. Thank you.

[@AndysTake]

Glad it was helpful! :)

[@alextrainor850]

Just bought Victoria 3 - never played a Paradox game before so fresh clean entry.

[@dichebach]

Great tutorial! You have a knack for education. It is interesting to see how much tweaking their has been to the since you published this guide. For example, Two Sicilies is now a Minor Power with rank of 18 instead of Major Power with rank of 12. I am taking advantage of the free weekend, and keeping the 50% sale in mind, and have been on the fence. Your guide is helping me to get a clearer sense for what the game is really all about and I'm increasingly leaning toward making the purchase.

[@bragesndre6991]

Thanks for the tutorial. Was easy to understand and interesing to watch. Didn't understand a thing when I first played, but now it shuld go much better

[@SamiVillaGalaxy]

A very helpful and well explained guide! Thank you for creating and sharing.

[@suiradkeemaj69]

The level of detail, effort, and just overall helpfulness in this video is just amazing. Liked and subscribed. Thank you so much.

[@Samuel-ih3et]

Amazing tutorial! Thank you for making this!

[@Chillieman]

My God that was alot of information. Excited to try the game! Good job on the video!

[@luizbrito3258]

Damn... this is very very useful. Thank you very much for your time putting all this together. Cheers!

[@zaskta]

I spent hours trying to figure this game out. While yes I got some aspects. I still struggled with quality of living, the government structure, and how to get production down. This video helped out thank you!

[@sandsiren4840]

Saving this video as it will be needed when I get the game!

[@dd7aa]

I haven't watched the whole video yet but its already a great help. A definite sub from me sir 👍🏻👍🏻

[@ccgandy1095]

AWESOME VIDEO - love the callbacks to EU4 to help bring things to a point of reference

[@justcars2454]

I always watch videos, challenges to be exact of Victoria 3 here and there, and I never understand a thing, I love how it's more economic build then military(as I think, and I love the games that are that way focused more on economy). Today I download it, and I am watching now this tuto, to learn some basics

[@wilsongomes94]

Thank you for providing this tutorial. It was essencial for me to understand how the industries works.

[@Bill_Garthright]

OK, I finished the video. Very, _very_ useful! Thank you for posting this!

[@Fallub]

Very good and informative video. Thank you very much.

[@thelegendofjohn953]

I some how watched that entire video, that was super helpful! Thanks!

[@AndysTake]

So glad you enjoyed it!

[@ibnfuzzayd]

You’ve outdone yourself. This is excellent and so, so useful!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, happy to hear it!

[@ElZorro85]

I was wondering where your Victoria 3 content was a couple of days ago, our patience is rewarded with this banger of a video.

[@AndysTake]

Makes me happy to think you were missing my content, Turtle!

[@aamo3960]

Honestly was thinking about maybe refunding this game since it seemed so overwhelming even for a decently experienced Paradox player like myself. I‘m going to give the game a second chance after watching this godsend of a video! Thank you so much!

[@aamo3960]

@John 117 Definetly get what u are saying! However i‘m confident enough to think i‘ll be able to handle the game. It just seems to be so much fun once u get the basics. I remember playing my first 5 hours of HoI4 and not knowing how to draw frontlines. I learned back then through trial and error as well. I just have to give this some time :D

[@AndysTake]

@John 117 it’s definitely about playing the game yourself - however, it can be very useful to have someone teach you the concepts, what the mechanics actually do, or what is going to happen if X. Everything else is mostly up to you to learn and get used to. I can tell you how the game works, what the important rules are, and show you examples, but just like learning a language, you ultimately have to put in the time to memorize it yourself until it becomes natural

[@anthonyfleming5711]

Thank you SOOOO much. This has been the biggest help

[@khaledazzam5420]

Awesome! Thanks Andy this was super helpful 👌

[@nureddinaslan6345]

This guide is a godsend. Very well put through and informative. Thanks

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, Nureddin, I’m glad you liked it :)

[@Geralt26]

Great staring tutorial. I played a little, watched this and it gave me much general knowledge and new play is more like i know what i am doing :).

[@AndysTake]

Awesome, Geralt! Good luck on the path, wind’s howling!

[@redwankhan3375]

this tutorial is very well structured... thanks❤️

[@marken1060]

Amazingly detailed and informative video. You may just have convinced me to acquire this title!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, Mar Ken, happy to hear it! :)

[@elishmuel1976]

Thanks man! How many others are going through your video right now just itching to jump back into the game?

[@seathanfisher144]

This was so helpful, Thank you!👍

[@michaelmarchant7245]

I am completely bewildered, confused and overwhelmed. So, thanks for that. But you have convinced me to buy the game. So, thanks for that too.

[@Unfluffykitty]

This is a life saver. Thank you.

[@Fran5Malan]

Definitely going to watch this later, been playing the tutorial but still no clue to what is going on.. Thanks Andy! Read the first part of the guide on steam and it's good.

[@PrivatePyle9999]

Brilliant stuff, this is going to be a huge help.Thank you!

[@AndysTake]

Glad to hear it, Dave! :D

[@eaglekings]

Thank you for this awesome guide !

[@Mancspartan88]

Fantastic video, very helpful. Thanks very much 😀👍🏻

[@minibear582]

Thanks for this, tutorial really nedded this!

[@selcukzengin200]

So... I finished this tutorial in about 4 hours 🤣🤣 and I will probably watch this again after playing for some time. this is the best video on youtube so far.

[@PPKinguin]

Best and most easy to follow guide I have seen!

[@AndysTake]

thank you so much for the compliment! :D

[@diamondandtasha1642]

Great video thoughtful, thorough and thoughtful!

[@AndysTake]

why thank you so much! :)

[@amanpreetsekhon3323]

i now know absolutely nothing about this game but am fully prepared to launch it for the first time. Great video!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, have fun my friend! :D

[@EdgePitSwing]

The amount of interconnected systems with this game is baffling me. This video helped a lot. Wow.

[@AndysTake]

Glad I could help :)

[@ceyes00]

This video really helped me understand thank you. I liked how you explained thing in the simplest terms and slowly so I can process everything (given that my mother language isn’t English this was necessary for me)

[@AndysTake]

So happy I could help! :D

[@playingamesforfun3423]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!!! TAKING SS FOR SHARING!

[@gunnergoz]

Marvelous! Solid, well thought out explanation of basics. Kudos! Well worth the time to watch, maybe even over and over again. Keep up the great work!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much for the kind words! :D so glad it was helpful!

[@Groundpenguin]

This video is incredible! Thank you so much :D

[@SuperRoflcopter12345]

Splendid tutorial. Thank you.

[@levendil14]

Great video, much appreciated!

[@stgravatt]

Great guide. One particular thing ive struggled with is measuring what my country is producing and consuming in one screen. The market screen is useful but when you have a lot of imports/exports to your market, it's really not a good measure of the actual production and consumption of your own buildings. You have to go building by building or mouse over resource by resource.

[@SpacerZVEVO]

Paradox should just have this video in-place of the tutorial. Awesome work!

[@NomeDeArte]

Thank you! Amazing video, already suscribe, best wishes from Argentina

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, my Argentinian friend, glad to have you here!

[@sus10651]

Thank you so much. I need to study this video, which I will. Liking it and recommending to others.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, Sush! :D I hope you find it useful!

[@jakejmullin]

best tutorial out there so far

[@Dumpweed971]

I’ve always been a mod/cc cheater in paradox games (it’s so fun). I wanted to try for real this time and this is freaking fantastic guide, thank you dude.

[@sverrg]

I am a serious Paradox veteran and about five hours into this game I am thinking it's going to take me a year or so to fully understand it. And I love that.

[@thekillingduck]

Sæll, gott að sjá íslending hér.

[@sverrg]

@@thekillingduck Sömuleiðis :)