Europa Universalis 4: Army Composition Guide (2024)

Quick Links

  • How Army Composition Works

  • Early-Game Strategy

  • Artillery Strategy

It is incredibly tempting in Europa Universalis 4 to simply recruit as many soldiers as you can, send them off into your latest war, and then hope for the best. Unfortunately, doing this is likely to get your army wiped out by more attentive players or even the AI if it's deciding to work on this particular day.

RELATED: Europa Universalis 4: Iberian Wedding Guide

Army composition is important in EU4. The game takes a lot of things into account when calculating the outcomes of a skirmish and knowing how to optimize your army will give you that edge when it comes to toppling your foes - especially the larger ones.

How Army Composition Works

Europa Universalis 4: Army Composition Guide (1)

The combat width tooltip in Europa Universalis 4

There are quite a few things to consider when forming an army.

  • In Europa Universalis 4, armies work as two ranks of units - a frontline and a backline. Infantry and cavalry can attack from the frontline while artillery can fire from either the frontline or the backline.
  • Your army's width is dictated by your current Military Technology level. It increases as you purchase more technology levels.
    • An army width of 20 indicates that you can have 20 units in your frontline and 20 units in your backline.
  • Infantry and cavalry take precedence in filling the front row of an army, with artillery taking the back row. This is good, as artillery units take more damage when in the frontline.
  • Every nation will have a "cavalry to infantry" ratio. If there are too many cavalry units in an army, they will suffer penalties in battle.
    • The base ratio is 50 percent, so an army with 22 units of infantry shouldn't have more than 11 units of cavalry.
    • Certain nations and government types will have better cavalry to infantry ratios and will therefore be able to field more cavalry units effectively. Notable examples include Steppe Hordes, Tribal Federations, and nations of the Sunni faith.

Early-Game Strategy

Europa Universalis 4: Army Composition Guide (2)

An Ottoman army in Edirne in Europa Universalis 4

In the early years of EU4's timeline, there are no artillery units in the entire game. As such, armies are made up of only infantry and cavalry.

Military Tech Level

2

5

6

7

Combat Width

15

20

22

24

24

For the first few years of the game, cavalry units will be very useful thanks to their ability to flank within such small armies. Keeping at least four cavalry units in every army will ensure that your flanks are filled with useful units and your army will really shine in the shock phase of a fight. This is just a rule-of-thumb, however.

Artillery units are unlocked at level seven, which is when you should start shuffling your army compositions around to include them.

Artillery Strategy

Europa Universalis 4: Army Composition Guide (3)

Some Ottoman artillery units in Constantinople in Europa Universalis 4

Once cannons are unlocked, things change rather drastically.

Military Tech Level

9

11

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

Combat Width

25

27

29

30

32

34

36

38

40

With a Military Technology level of nine, you will have a combat width of 25. This means that you can fill your front row with infantry and cavalry, while also filling your back row entirely with artillery.

Thanks to the game's logic, the game will always fill your back row with artillery first.

  • Since artillery takes double damage in the front row, make sure that the number of artillery units you have in an army does not exceed the total number of infantry and cavalry units combined.
  • For cheaper armies, it is absolutely possible to get by with only two units of cavalry in your entire army. Flanking is less useful as combat width increases.

There are certain technology milestones that will affect your army composition in an ideal world.

  • Having artillery in your army will grant a bonus to sieges against enemy forts. The bonus depends on both how many units of artillery you have and the level of the fort you're sieging. As a result, from Military Technology Level Seven onwards it's very useful to have a few cannons in your ranks.
  • Artillery Units will get significantly better once you hit Military Technology Level 16. From here it is a good idea to fill your entire back row with cannons if you can afford it. Before this, having cannons is no bad idea but it can be cheaper to make up the difference with large numbers of infantry.
  • While many players swear by the rule of having only two cavalry units per army once you have artillery unlocked, there are two stages where you might consider adding more:
    • Military Technology Levels 18 and 23 improve the flanking range of cavalry. At this point, it can be quite effective to have around four and six units of cavalry in your armies respectively.

Of course, what you actually end up using for your army composition will depend on your nation, your ideas, and your personal preferences for each army. You may wish to have a dedicated siege army for busting down forts in the early stages of the game, or you may favor horses for the entirety thanks to certain bonuses to their combat ability, for example.

Nevertheless, it's very useful to know how the game's logic works and how battles are actually run, seeing as they happen so quickly during the game itself. Keeping an eye on your army width and taking some time to readjust the makeup of your armies is a small chore that can pay dividends.

NEXT: Europa Universalis 4: Burgundian Inheritance Guide

Europa Universalis 4: Army Composition Guide (2024)

FAQs

What is the best army in Europa Universalis 4? ›

- Poland's Winged Hussar is by far the strongest unit in the game. If you can blob and/or culture convert enough to have a full front row of them, you'll have an unstoppable stack. Still, it's one stack , not the entire army.

How to make a strong army in eu4? ›

To maximize combat effectiveness of an army, the ratio of infantry, cavalry and artillery is vital. To avoid the insufficient support penalty, an army must not surpass the maximum ratio of cavalry per infantry regiments.

What is the ratio of infantry to cavalry in eu4? ›

The base ratio is 50 percent, so an army with 22 units of infantry shouldn't have more than 11 units of cavalry.

What is the army composition in Call of War? ›

The army composition is determined by the amount of units per armor class. If for example the target army consists of 4 Heavy Tanks (heavy armor), 2 Infantry (unarmored) and 4 Militia (unarmored), the damage distribution for this army is 40% heavy armor and 60% unarmored.

What is the hardest nation to play EU4? ›

The nation of Hisn Kayfa can make for quite a challenge due to its rather unappealing starting position. Being bordered by the larger Aq Qoyunlu to the west and Qara Qoyunlu to the east means both nations may attempt to dominate the rather small Hisn Kayfa should it pose a threat.

What is the easiest faction in EU4? ›

  • 8 Vijayanagar.
  • 7 Ayutthaya.
  • 6 Austria.
  • 5 Kilwa.
  • 4 Portugal.
  • 3 Castile.
  • 2 Ottomans.
  • 1 France.
Apr 24, 2024

Is quantity better than quality EU4? ›

Depends on context. If you need a military edge without a money or manpower cost, quality is the way to go. If you're looking to increase the absolute strength of your military, then quantity is better than anything else.

What is army force limit eu4? ›

A force limit is a soft limit on how many ships or regiments a country can possess. It can be exceeded at a monetary price.

Is infantry better than cavalry? ›

Tactically, the main advantages of cavalry over infantry were greater mobility, a larger impact, and a higher riding position.

What unit is best against cavalry? ›

On narrow maps with lots of obstacles like cliffs or woods, cavalry units can fall prey to ranged units that can exploit their range. Camel Riders, Mamelukes, Flaming Camels, Kamayuks, and Genoese Crossbowmen also have bonus attack against cavalry units.

Do tanks count as cavalry? ›

After the First World War cavalry units were mostly converted from horses to either armoured cars or tanks which became known as either mechanized cavalry fulfilling a reconnaissance role, or armoured cavalry serving in the offensive role that seeks to break through the enemy defences.

What was Robb Stark's army composition? ›

Robb has 12,000 at Winterfell, which includes the Karstarks, Boltons, Umbers, Glovers, Hornwoods, Cerwyns, Mormonts, Hornwoods and Tallhearts, and when he is joined by the 1,500 Manderlys and 500 Flints at Moat Cailin, he has 20,000.

What is the U.S. army force composition? ›

The Army is composed of an active duty component and a reserve component that comprises the Army Reserve and Army National Guard. The operational Army conducts full-spectrum operations around the world, supported by institutional units. Without the institutional Army, the operational side can't function.

What are the 5 components of war? ›

Defines the source of strength as unity, not size, and discusses the five factors that are needed to succeed in any war. In order of importance, these critical factors are: Attack, Strategy, Alliances, Army and Cities.

What is the best country to play in EU4? ›

  1. 1 Muscovy. Muscovy is another very large nation that can thrive with the proper use of its powerful military (and is also the best candidate to form the nation of Russia).
  2. 2 Naples. ...
  3. 3 Venice. ...
  4. 4 Mamluks. ...
  5. 5 Poland. ...
  6. 6 France. ...
  7. 7 Castile. ...
  8. 8 Brandenburg. ...

Who has the best army in the EU? ›

Which European country has the strongest military in terms of ground forces, air power, and naval power combined? Russia has the most powerful military in Europe in 2023, based on its PowerIndex score. The UK, France, and Italy follow Russia in the ranking.

Which government type is best EU4? ›

  • 5 Native Tribe. Starting With Extreme Handicaps. Effects. ...
  • 4 Monarchy. Vanilla But Flexible For Most Playthroughs. Effects. ...
  • 3 Republic. Dominate Early Game Management. Effects. ...
  • 2 Theocracy. Dominant Military Held Back By Contentious Leadership. Effects. ...
  • 1 Tribal Government. Razing As The Backdrop Of World Conquest. Effects.
Dec 27, 2023

What is the strongest AI nation in EU4? ›

For the A.I the ottoman empire is the strongest nation in the game and the hardest to deal with for other A.I nations.

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