VICTORIA 3 | Beginner's Guide - 7 Essentials Before You Start (New Player Tutorial)

This video is sponsored by Paradox Interactive. Grab the game and take on the world here - play.victoria3game.com/PartyE...
Victoria 3 has finally released, and as expected, it's dense with a variety of complex mechanics that tackle everything from economics to politics to social progress. In today's beginner's guide video, we're going to take a look at the basics of how to play Victoria 3, understanding how pops work, how trade works, how diplomacy works, and more. This is just the start of the beginner's guide series - with so many topics to explore, we'll be doing a deep dive on everything from war to interest groups and more besides.
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00:00 - Intro
00:35 - You're Working Against Yourself - A Preamble
02:35 - Understanding Pops
06:06 - Interest Groups & Changing Laws
12:01 - The Impacts of Wealth & Standard of Living
16:03 - Buildings, Production & Profitability
22:19 - Understand Markets & Trade
31:14 - Interests, Diplomacy & Escalation
34:10 - Outro
#Victoria3 #ad

[@PartyElite]

Vicky 4 when? Who knows! Until then, play Vicky 3 - play.victoria3game.com/PartyElite

[@higochumbo8932]

Maybe by the time Vicky 4 comes out I might have been able to process Vicky 3's tutorial.

[@alric4106]

I played for three hours and that whole "You're working against yourself" described my playthrough pretty well. Everytime I tried to solve a problem I made another or found I had to jump through several hoops to even get to it. Thanks for the tips!

[@PartyElite]

That section was one I knew I needed to get in from the very first draft of this video - it can feel so counterintuitive at times, and I remember how much better I felt when I realized "oh wait, this is how it's supposed to be". Glad leaving it in wasn't a mistake! =D

[@badkataeuw97]

>1' game >Chose switzerland cous i think is safe >bankarupt in 1 year >civil war >game over Nice

[@poplovegaming]

Haven't finished this one yet but dude your videos have gotten me into so many games I otherwise never would have played or had time to learn, like CK3 and Total War. What planet did you come from and what did we do to deserve you??

[@PartyElite]

You're too kind omg thank you so much! Glad to hear I've helped you get into some of my favourite games

[@Aspectfrgee]

@@PartyElite same you're the reason I played ck3 too and three kingdoms ,you're too much man ,kudos

[@richietill1799]

Fr bro same here, appreciate the content 🙏 💯 👌

[@ShortsClips445]

I played ck3 and eu4 but I find difficult to understand vic3

[@lucc.6156]

@@ShortsClips445 I’ve played imperator, EUIV, CKII, CKIII, Victoria 2, HOI2, HOI3, HOI4, stellaris and I still find vic3 hard to understand. The Economy system is really in depth

[@underofficerbrandonjoseph6512]

Iron needed for industrial good. Need tools to extract iron. Need iron to make tools. Got caught in that death loop.

[@cracked21]

buy iron

[@Lobos222]

Wrong, it is not a death loop until you get a huge loan in a currency not your own. IMF! Now you are in a death loop. #Argentina

[@tlarson5422]

Your videos on CK3 helped me get super into that game. How you play the game and tell the 'story' of the characters involved is a true art. Talk to paradox and tell them that they need to work with total war for mini map battles and they would have the ultimate games

[@brandoncliff5653]

Everyone's dream. Creative Assembly working with paradox.

[@BC_9957]

I just love how paradox games are so big even after 100hrs I still will watch a tutorial for it

[@Thukad]

I got to 18 minutes before my mind melted.

[@PartyElite]

Haha there's definitely a LOT. I tried my best to keep it concise, and it still ended up super long ;-;

[@hoodie5004]

Same! Had to pause and smoke a cigarette… And I don’t even smoke ! 😭😭

[@snowbear163]

Very well done video. Good script and good editing. No rambling, no blasting sound, no erratic train of thought. This will help a lot of people feel comfortable with a these gameplay systems.

[@PartyElite]

Thank you! Appreciate the kind words!

[@kendrel2099]

For this being my first Vicky game, I’m thankful for videos like this. Thanks PE!

[@PartyElite]

Enjoy!!

[@TelperionMt]

Loved the video. I had to take breaks between sections to digest all the things discussed, but this video was wonderful for understanding the fundamentals interconnected nature of the political, social, and economic engine running in the game's background. The clarification on how the investment pool works was particularly useful, because while playing through the tutorial I was constantly confused as to why the state's net income was swinging between a positive and negative figure like crazy.

[@Th3Nob]

Your awesome tutorials lower the barrier of entry so tremendously. Thank you so much!

[@thelemonofgaming6303]

Your*

[@Th3Nob]

@@thelemonofgaming6303 Thx

[@thelemonofgaming6303]

@@Th3Nob You're welcome. (The context in which that spelling of "You're" Is used.)

[@tianwang3768]

2 vids from this series might have taught me more than half a semester in my college econ classes, thanks

[@norespawns]

I was so lost and this helped a lot - cheers!

[@hifonzo]

this video has helped me SO much! loving the game and able to get into it in large part thanks to your content. thank you for this!

[@Silverhand9]

Dude every new paradox game I come her to the tutorial u got me into ck3 and now we start this game Ty for all good work hope u the best 😊

[@jean-pierrecrozier]

Would love to see you playing this game and turn this into a series

[@PartyElite]

Definitely part of the plan =) !

[@jazzyb9488]

Yes, it has to be done!

[@woodsmaneh952]

This is so very helpful. Thank you!

[@winoodlesnoodles1984]

As someone who has never played a Victoria game before, the rapid fire made sense the first listen without having to watch the rest of the video.

[@jacobtb1]

your first point is exactly what I was struggling with. Hard to balance economy. Thanks.

[@GivenToFly201]

Oh thank god a Party Elite guide. I have no idea what I'm doing and ran my economy into the ground

[@PrivatePyle9999]

Damn it, man. I want to know everything right now! :-) Thanks for the video.

[@prototype102010]

I've played about 3 or 4 hours and I'm hooked. The tutorial is so well done in this game. I feel like, in general, I'm making decisions and I know why, and the potential fall out of those decisions. I can navigate through menus and find the info I'm looking for usually and I'm actually having a ton of fun with it. There's a few things I'm not sure about, like how to specifically raise people up to Laborers for instance, I'm having a massive issue with that group specifically, but other than that it's been great. And you're videos have really helped fill in my knowledge gaps, especially about the political groups and how to sway/move pops to different movements. Thanks a ton for your vids!

[@Strat-Guides]

Great guide as always! Thanks for your hard work!

[@1SantinO2]

At some point it feels like i watched "what is a turn around" and still have no idea what is going on but great video. I need to play more, watch it again and i'll certainly watch more of your guide videos for this game... I thought CK3 was complex... jesus

[@AdamL_18]

Do you need a major in economics to play this game ? .. its way more complex than i expected.

[@PartyElite]

No no, you have it backwards - being able to play this game lets you put "Bachelor of Economics" in your resume!

[@JS-vf5gn]

Great guide. This video helped me not fear the mass of mechanics within this game.

[@JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

Cheers PE. Thanks for the vid.

[@Jason-35D]

Thanks for the Video it really helps me understand what’s happening. I also I might be too dumb to play this game.

[@slick3d392]

Fantastic.

[@eramorn]

i thought the speed of the video was on 1.5 but it's was just on normal. Thanks for the guide dude ;)

[@w.8031]

I was particularly waiting for your guides. Thanks.

[@rafaelurrusti6418]

Best and most comprehensive beginner's guide by far. Wow!!

[@PartyElite]

Definitely part of the plan! =)

[@buckdraper303]

If you love browsing through a zillion tool tips, you'll love this game.

[@thrakkanuur]

You saved my ass with CK3 hopefully you can with this one too. SO much harder.

[@yanchunmichaelho7259]

Can you do quantitative easing in this game? How reasonably true is the economy compared to real life?

[@kvikram19]

I’ve been loving the LPs but great to see you doing edited videos again!

[@thecobaltemperor]

Hey just wondering when the Warhammer empire campaign coming back. It was my favorite series on youtube at that moment

[@RaccoonRepublic]

I got this game because I love Anno 1800, that time period in general, love the music, and am looking forward to learning it. But boy is it overwhelming to understand. Unlike some games that make you feel like you know what you're doing at the start, Vicky 3 has quite a learning curve. This is my first Grand Strategy game of the Paradox style.

[@oblockwannabe]

How's the game 7 months later? I have 800 hours in euiv and i'm planning to buy vicky 3 today

[@RaccoonRepublic]

@@oblockwannabe I enjoy the soundtrack immensely, but more or less forgot that the game existed, after a total time investment of 4 hours.

[@oblockwannabe]

@@RaccoonRepublic Oh... guess I'll stick with euiv for a while and wait for a bit for some more Vicky content then.

[@Smirk1979]

Thank you for breaking this dense masterpiece down into delicious bite sized chunks, you are a true master of your craft.

[@PartyElite]

I appreciate the kid words, thank you very much!

[@thedanishsocialmonarchist7286]

It wuold be Nice with a tiny guide to Denmark just showing how you fix your buget at the start

[@belphegor_dev]

This game will be amazing after a couple more major dlcs.

[@CharlesMurphyphotography]

Interesting video. I suspect, at best, I will remember 10% of the tips. This makes me wonder if I will ever really enjoy this game, unless I am able to understand how to play it correctly.

[@corruptangel6793]

Have you grown to enjoy it?

[@maxriley9540]

Oh no I'm gonna have to buy this

[@elian958]

Sorry to bother, quick question it keeps saying ´´cannot incorporate colony while it is still growing´´ does that mean that I have to wait until all of the territory is colonized before I can incoporate a territory? My problem is i cant collect profits from colonies that are not incoporated to my nation yet.

[@Aldrahill]

Okay, but how do you play Byzantium?

[@PartyElite]

Step 1: Start as Ottoman Empire...

[@lassecaspersen3466]

will there be a season 3 of planet zoo? Love the Serie :)

[@Brakum]

I'm not saying this isn't helpful, it is, but i have watched like 5 beginners guides now. Everyone explained the systems and i feel like i understand them but i'm still clueless about how to actually play the game.

[@PartyElite]

I've got a few more videos in this playlist that should provide some deeper explanations and hopefully some clarity but is there something in particular that you're struggling with? Happy to help however I can! Here's the playlist so far - kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqW8nqCMgbSLrbc

[@Brakum]

@@PartyElite Hey, first of all thanks. Well i think what would help me personally, (not saying you're doing a bad job, i enjoy your guides, maybe it's a me problem), is to watch some overexplained playthrough, from the early game at least. I've seen some people play, but i'm trying to play as portugal and i haven't seen anyone do that yet, maybe it's not the easiest to start with, losing money from the start etc, but what i see people do in other countries doesn't quite work out for me in portugal.

[@PartyElite]

No worries at all - I didn't take your comment to mean I was doing a bad job or anything haha. I will take another look at Portugal asap! I've been planning on doing some playthroughs, especially with deep explanations of the decision making process as you've described, so hopefully those will help too. If you're not already in our discord btw (linked in the description) it's a great place to ask around too - lots of PDX fans in there!

[@Brakum]

@@PartyElite thanks. cant wait

[@abednadir2134]

This was really good! Thank you.

[@PartyElite]

Glad to hear it, thanks!

[@flopus7]

Played a Sweden game and boy are those ports expensive. Port workers singlehandedly destroyed my economy

[@Spudder77]

Thank you for the clear cut information

[@feralfanatic6954]

Had some angry parties that rebelled i. Revolution. I crushed them and now i have unlimited power!

[@geopoliticos]

How to establish worker coops? Worker's communes? Self-managed businesses?

[@takeeto9894]

anyone else boot up the game, be completely stonewalled with text and buttons, and search this video up?

[@stickynotemetagaming]

I'm preparing, I'm on 90% installed rn but did play Vicky 2 somewhat

[@PartyElite]

I hope the video helps! Once you get an understanding of the game, it's an absolute blast imho. If you have questions, ask away!

[@daft990]

Is every country the same? I've just played a few hours, but from what I've seen, there isn't much difference between countries at all?

[@DarkZerol]

Certain country have a clear economic and trade advantage over others including certain social, political, diplomatic and cultural traits. Smaller and less-developed nations are more or less similar to one another due to game balancing. If games were 100% historically accurate then there will be no point in even playing the game because superpower nations at the time will practically just streamroll most opposition. The has to be compromised balance between realism and entertainment in order to make any game fun for players.

[@deadwaste1]

Ive seen alot of people dis on this game, is it worth it

[@Jake-lc1lh]

This game looks INTENSE.

[@kevin4324]

I’m so hooked but simultaneously losing every nerve about the sheer mass of stuff you need to oversee because one mishap can set you back years. But damn is it a great simulation

[@boethia7367]

Can i have custom character like ck3? Are there traits and arranged marriage? Lineages and such?

[@thomasanderson752]

Thanks for the video, helped me to realize this is totally not a game for me, unlike CK3 for example :D

[@honeybadger781]

How do you talk at 1.5x normal speed? (I actually had to double check the video playback speed)

[@PartyElite]

Lmao dang - and this was me trying to consciously slow my talking speed down too!

[@arthanor9631]

Do countries naturally follow something similar to history or is it sort of random? A history simulator like this, with the proper initial conditions to follow characteristic paths would be quite an accomplishment, but also show proper understanding of the systems by the devs.

[@kobeelmallah1394]

yea they do, theres some scripted events based on date or in game prerequisites, but as a player u can nudge the AI based on ur interactions with them

[@michaelferrua4717]

Will you be doing a playthrough

[@PartyElite]

That's the plan, yep!

[@michaelferrua4717]

@@PartyElite Nice, I will have to see whether I get it or not

[@johnneymc]

i need a tutorial to understand this tutorial

[@balasubramaniama7285]

Party Elite, Excited for Sikh Empire Let's Play Series, Fan from South India

[@KrazieKanuk]

My buddy and I are devouring this video after 5 hours of aimlessness wandering the game getting killed by rebels! Great work as always!

[@kiwinesss]

Is this video stuck on double speed for any reason?

[@tim01263]

I've grown tire of Total War, and looking to get into something new. I'm not sure if this is too much macro, it's a shame you can't get old school demos anymore!

[@johnmcintyre9910]

Brutal...fell asleep 15 minutes in. I'll try again tomorrow.

[@jturie]

Never played any of these games...I guess the "running clock" part of it put me off. Trying to make sense of it through various videos, but getting more confused. Seems to me that these "beginner" videos go off the rails almost immediately. Kind of like starting an economics 101 textbook on page 50. It really does look interesting though so going to keep at it until (if?) my brain kicks in.

[@Crimsrn]

play hoi4. there is not a single thing about economy on that

[@bigbodykelp767]

Holy shit, and I thought ck3 was a lot.

[@formatagfys1903]

Looks like trying to rule today situation only 200 years ago

[@Rokashy]

Yo why do the Zulu have the Lithuanian Flag?

[@scadooshy5161]

There is NO WAY you didnt intentionally say "seek out" whilst highlighting the Sikh Empire.

[@PartyElite]

;)

[@Bradly197]

less coffee man. MUCH less coffee please

[@lvrobertus]

This is fucked! Strategy games 5 years from now will require actual diplomas to play. Can't wait to get started, good video.

[@josvermeulen6191]

essential 1: REFUND

[@dnaseb9214]

Wtf is coult ? Popularity ? Influence ?

[@Maharaja_of_Punjab]

Sikh empire guide

[@pintoffanta2510]

Its CSA time :)

[@Luzitanium]

is bit confusing

[@gaven9763]

Thanks for the tutorial PE i quite liked it I would have prefered a much slower one with examples of countries for each but I guess this was essentials for zoomers =)

[@yondie491]

"While everything I said might sound like chaotic nonsense to you" You mean basic economics? No. I loved it. Minor soapbox: I've always felt that the strength of one's opinion should be proportionally related to the level of one's education on the topic. Sadly, it rarely is. If that explanation sounded COMPLEX.. good... it is. If it sounded CHAOTIC... then I hope you (abstract big picture you, not PartyElite you) hopefully don't have a pronounced and frequently expressed view on what the people who drive the economy are doing and what they should be doing. Vicky 3 is a good litmus test to see if someone knows what they're talking about in terms of interlocking economic systems. Most PDX games are like that in some degree (like Dynasty dynamics in CK). It's like asking someone "Can you explain what it means to purchase currency?" to someone who is talking about is ranting about international finance. Ain't nuttin wrong with not knowing. But, y'know, just make sure you know you don't know. Now, back to the video.

[@azymight]

i usually play PC game to rest my mind after a hard day at work or fitness run or hard day from shopping hahaha... Victoria 3 has too much variables, and it is not real ... so much work ... i deleted the game.

[@nathandenney1776]

2:20 You need more faith in your audience mate. What you laid out isn’t that complicated.

[@impek667]

Is your voice sped up or do you really talk this fast?

[@asapas8]

you speak very fasttt

[@sneedchuckington]

"This video is brought to you by ya boi, Raid Victoria Legends. I am contractually obligated to tell you that this half-finished game is good and worth your money".

[@JasonEllingsworth]

this sounds like the least fun game ever.

[@Crimsrn]

for unintelligent people who can't multitask, yes

[@JasonEllingsworth]

@@Crimsrn oh stop being a crybaby

[@snugglyjeff214]

​@Moon Lord getting personal by implying someone is unintelligent, simply for stating their opinion, is ridiculous. Grow up.

[@Crimsrn]

@@snugglyjeff214 i’m just giving a counterargument.

[@Crimsrn]

@@JasonEllingsworth i’m not crying about anything, you just can’t understand basic economics and basic militarism.

[@k.i.a6433]

There's so much shit shoved into the game.

[@hompanit8942]

you speak so fast

[@boethia7367]

You can change the speed of the video by selecting the gear on the top right of the video.

[@FrozenMonkeyG]

Is this now a days training course to be able to play a Paradox game? If you need to pay KZbinrs to make videos on how to play your game you've clearly failed as a developer to make an accessible game. Just glad PE is making money out of doing this so it can keep funding him to make other quality videos.

[@sterd1149]

To be fair, it was more complicated in previous titles. I think Stellaris is the only one I didn't need to lookup a guide for.

[@crawley6957]

Is Paradox's goal to make easily accessible games though? They've also failed at making a first person shooter. I'm a dumbass and just started playing Vicky 3 a little while ago and I'd already figured out almost everything in this video myself, just from doing the tutorial missions, reading tooltips, and trying stuff out. Videos like this are great resources, but they aren't exactly a requirement.

[@lordflatworm]

Why did you type all of that? You didn’t stop and ask yourself if you should keep this to yourself?

[@TheSkyGuy77]

If someone makes a complicated game, does there not need to be a tutorial?

[@mezeidavid9086]

i dont want accessible games, i want good 4x games. not everything should be for everyone.

[@lukasralys6096]

Beginners guide - dont buy this steaming pile of shit and stick to modded Vicky 2

[@victorn5870]

Every new version of game starts bad features and gradually improve

[@linda.kopecka.guttfreund]

THE WORST Thing about Victoria is the spoken leanguage.Lack of translations,that would match the Picture... Even THIS comentair is spoken TOO FAST - too fast for Anyone but English !!! second Thing is the Personage. Coleman is PRETTY. Victoria was NOT ! Not at all !!! She looked like a basette-dog. I don't mean any offence-I am much uglier....I'm just saying...- Her Love was based on status and CHARACTER - and I do not see much of THAT in the series. !!!

[@markjordan7800]

not very detailed lol

[@commiebastard]

this is so complicated i'm getting overwhelmed

[@CreateWithShank]

Hey, glad to see you back in action. Hope everything at home is okay. Just wondering, is 2PC coming back? 🥲

[@gunnergoz]

Well done! Gives me confidence to keep at the game until I "get it." Thanks!

[@PartyElite]

Happy to hear that! Plenty more to come, too!