The best National ideas. (2024)

Since we have a thread for the worst national ideas, let's talk about the best National ideas, or even nation's with underated sets.

For starters we have Prussia with the best military ideas, Byzantium with the best religious ideas, and Yuan with the best coring ideas.

I guess it depends what you're trying to do - different idea sets for different goals. With that in mind, two countries that seem worth mentioning :

- Najd is the only tag that gets two extra missionaries in their national ideas ;

- Oman is the only country with +33% trade steering, which is crucial to maximizing monthly income.

Byzantium having the best religious ideas? Not no but hell no! They may have the strongest missionary strength in the game but Najd is still the best in the game.

Currently GB has the best navies but they may lose their crown with patch 1.31.

EarlKonrad said:

Byzantium having the best religious ideas? Not no but hell no! They may have the strongest missionary strength in the game but Najd is still the best in the game.

Currently GB has the best navies but they may lose their crown with patch 1.31.

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Yes I suppose you are right, I am curious how many missionaries they can have max, as Orthodox nation's can have seven max if they control all the holy sites (+4), and are defender of the faith (+1). Najd might be able to have 9 missionaries this patch?

Elisha said:

I'll nominate the new sianese ideas.
Strong mana saving ideas (tech cost, idea cost, dev cost), some blobbing (vassal annexation costs), and plenty of military (disc,morale,the OP OP cavalry fire).

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I do look forward to forming them, Diplo annex cost is always sought after.

Josar said:

Yes I suppose you are right, I am curious how many missionaries they can have max, as Orthodox nation's can have seven max if they control all the holy sites (+4), and are defender of the faith (+1). Najd might be able to have 9 missionaries this patch?

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Najd can get a max of 10 missionaries if you flip to Orthodox.

• +1 Base
• +2 Najdi Ideas
• +1 Religious Ideas
• +1 Defender of the Faith
• +3 Rome, Jerusalem, Mecca
• +1 Holding all 4 Holy Sites
• +1 Parliament

Making 10 missionaries the max you can get. You could also form Persia (or Sokoto if you're feeling frisky) as Najd, which gives you another +1 missionary from the Feudal Theocracy government reform, but bars you from flipping to Orthodox, hence leading to a net equal of 10 missionaries.

EDIT: As Lambda said, assimilating the Cush*tic group as the Mughals gives you another missionary. If you start off as Najd, form the Mughals while keeping Najdi ideas, assimilate the Cush*tic group then unite Islam for Feudal Theocracy, you can theoretically have up to 11 missionaries.

New Germany ideas really shine, even if they are slightly dissapointing after Prussian military-focuses ideas. They have not only +15 ICA, +5% discipline and +0,5 army tradition per year (although itself this idea is weak), but also whopping +20% goods produced, which is insane, especially in time when you can form them at tech 20, +5% admin efficiency, -2 unrest, + 1 dip relation and -10% tech cost.

However, it’s better to not form them from Protestant Prussia - they will keep their ugly modifier to government capacity.

Sidolowka said:

Najd can get a max of 10 missionaries if you flip to Orthodox

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For the purpose of getting max missionaries, Coptic works as well, you get a missionary from holding Alexandria instead of all the holy sites. Besides, from Najd's starting position, Coptic is more easily reachable than Orthodox.

Sidolowka said:

Najd can get a max of 10 missionaries if you flip to Orthodox.

• +1 Base
• +2 Najdi Ideas
• +1 Religious Ideas
• +1 Defender of the Faith
• +3 Rome, Jerusalem, Mecca
• +1 Holding all 4 Holy Sites
• +1 Parliament

Making 10 missionaries the max you can get. You could also form Persia (or Sokoto if you're feeling frisky) as Najd, which gives you another +1 missionary from the Feudal Theocracy government reform, but bars you from flipping to Orthodox, hence leading to a net equal of 10 missionaries.

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You missed Mughals diwan

Btw, my thoughts on these "best" XYZ or "worst" XYZ (idea groups, religion, NIs, etc.) is that it's going to end up extremely opinionated unless we agree on a common goal or objective. Best with respect to what?

Anyway, under my interpretation, 20/25% CCR and 2/3 ToH are all you need for being a candidate for the best, since expansion tends to be the best way to achieve most goals that people have in mind when discussing best/worst such as having high income, having a strong military, WCs, achievements, etc.

For example, no Prussia can match a nation geared towards expansion in army since said nation will field say 5x more troops than Prussia. No trade oriented nation will out-income a nation that just conquered everything. And so on.

lambda x.x said:

For example, no Prussia can match a nation geared towards expansion in army since said nation will field say 5x more troops than Prussia.

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You will need to do *much* more than just have 5x as many troops to beat a Prussia that has complemented its NIs and unique government by filling out a few military idea groups, enacting a few policies, and otherwise building up its power base.

Snake_Squeezins said:

You will need to do *much* more than just have 5x as many troops to beat a Prussia that has complemented its NIs and unique government by filling out a few military idea groups, enacting a few policies, and otherwise building up its power base.

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I don't understand why you're bringing in idea groups/government forms/policies in this discussion, but I suppose I can entertain you.

I don't think a Prussia who goes 3 mil idea groups 5/7/10 can ever hope to field enough troops match a 1k FL 2k income nation at 1530s (and this is a very generous estimate, I estimate I can do roughly 2k+ FL and 4k income at 1530s if I really try). You're welcome to prove me wrong though.