Game guide

1. Start with the tutorial, then try Casual Domination with a stronger country near the top of the country list.
2. Inspect your budget and army before expanding. Spending supports your country, but pushing every category higher will slow economic growth.
3. Before attacking, check the target's allies and combined defensive power. Keep troops available to defend your own territory.
4. Recruit replacements, review upkeep and give depleted troops time to resupply. Watch your progress toward the victory condition for your mode.

You can choose the country you want to start the game with, and therefore, the game difficulty: the weaker the country, the harder it will be to win. Countries are ordered by difficulty in the choose country table, so you should start with one of the first ones.

Change the map layer to inspect different types of data. The legend at the top explains what each color represents.

Select a country by clicking its territory or troops. Its country panel shows information and the actions available for it.

Desktop

Use the scroll wheel while the cursor is on the map position you want to zoom in or out. You can also use the slider on the left of the screen to control the zoom.

Touch controls

Use the pinch gesture to zoom in or out. You can also use the slider on the left of the screen to control the zoom.

The easiest way to move the map is by dragging it, but you can also drag the compass widget on the left of the screen.

Use the speed slider to change the pace of the game. Whether you can pause depends on the mode.

Select a squad on the map or in the country's Troops panel before giving an order.

All the different troop squads of a country are displayed as a tree map in its troops interface, where a squad with more troops is represented in a bigger area. In addition to its own icon on the map, you can click on its area to select a particular troop squad.

If you just want to select all the troops of a country, simply click the select all button, regardless of the status of the select multiple button.

Desktop

By default, when you click on a squad, only its troops will be shown in its troops interface. To show a combination of multiple squads toggle the multiple selection button. If this button is checked, it will instead add those troops to the currently selected ones when you click on another squad, or remove them if they were already selected. This button will also be toggled while the shift key is pressed.

In addition, if you want to select all the troops located in a specific area, you can right-click on a position on the map and then drag it, creating a rectangle in which all your troops inside will be selected.

Touch controls

By default, when you click on a squad, only its troops will be shown in its troops interface. To show a combination of multiple squads toggle the multiple selection button. If this button is checked, it will instead add those troops to the currently selected ones when you click on another squad, or remove them if they were already selected.

In addition, if you want to select all the troops located in a specific area, touch the map with 3 fingers at the same time and all the troops inside the bounding rectangle that they form will be selected.

Desktop

Select troops, choose Go to, then left-click a destination on the map. Right-click to cancel choosing a destination.

Touch controls

Select troops, choose Go to, then tap a destination on the map.

Terrain, relief and diplomatic relations affect a squad's movement speed along its route. Automatic pathfinding can prioritize faster or safer routes, while drawing a path lets you choose where the troops pass.

The automatic paths can also be determined using the slider on the left. Moving it to the top will result in the fastest path while moving it to the bottom will result in the safest one.

To choose an exact route, drag a squad along a path on the map. Passing through an unfriendly country can trigger militia attacks and damage diplomatic relations.

Moving through a country with poor diplomatic relations can trigger local militia attacks and further reduce those relations. This can happen even without declaring war.

Adjust the sliders beside each unit type, or use the top slider to select a proportion of all units. Your next order applies only to the selected troops; the rest keep their current order.

Select several squads and give them the same movement order. They merge when they meet. You can use the unit sliders to move only part of each squad.

Selection and splitting work with the other commands in the Troops panel as well as Go to. Cancel interrupts the selected squad’s current order.

Use the defend command to order selected troops to neutralise any hostile opposition in the surrounding region. This is especially useful to automatically counter any rebellion in the lands you have occupied.

Use the patrol command to order the selected troops to move indefinitely along a path you draw on the map.

Use the retreat command to order the selected troops to return to your capital city.

The attack command declares war on arrival and begins annexing the target country. A shared border or direct sea access is required. Drawing a region limits the area to occupy.

After a troop squad has been stationed in a country it is at war with for some time without opposition, it increasingly gains control of that area and, as a result, its resources become part of its own country. However, while this is happening, there is a risk that militia groups may be formed to fight the invaders.

When the squad has gained control of that area, it will decide for itself the next best area in that country to annex, until the whole country has fallen or it has been assigned a new task. If you want to manually control which areas to annex, you can move it freely without the attack task, once you are at war with that country.

The divide and conquer command splits troops along the border to occupy territory faster. The number of divisions depends on army strength and the area to occupy.

Hostile squads fight automatically when they are close to each other. Combat continues until one is destroyed or retreats.

Troops gain a combat bonus when defending their own or allied territory. The terrain and country bonuses affect its strength.

Countries keep claims on lost territory. These affect diplomatic costs and local militia support during invasions and reconquests.

You can return claimed territory to its former owner. A defeated country restored outside a coalition becomes a loyal puppet state.

Choose the type of unit you want to recruit, move the slider to specify the number, and then click on the recruit button. After the required training time has elapsed, they will join a troop squad located in your capital if possible, or create a new one.

If other troops are already training, your new order enters the queue. It begins when the preceding orders have finished.

Depending on the type of unit, you will need a certain amount of money to buy equipment, so you will need to have already saved the amount of liquid money needed for the operation.

Once trained, these troops will incur a maintenance cost that is funded from your country's budget while they are active. This cost increases depending on the terrain, relief and diplomatic relationship in which they are located at any given time, and how far they are from the base.

Training and maintenance costs depend on GDP per capita. Infantry is cheaper to train in low-wage countries, but its upkeep rises quickly as wages increase.

Besides unit type, production rate is also affected by the available population. If a significant portion of the population is already in service, it will be harder to find personnel, leading to bottlenecks. Infantry units, and especially reservists, are more demanding regarding manpower requirements.

Each type of unit has different stats and costs, so you should recruit a good combination of unit types to get a final troop squad with balanced stats. The optimal proportion depends on the stats of the troops to be engaged and the terrain and relief where the combat takes place.

Attack power

Attack power determines the casualties inflicted in battle, together with the enemy's strength, terrain and combat bonuses.

Defense power

Defense provides a combat bonus relative to the squad's base attack power. Increasing one stat far beyond the other gives diminishing returns.

Piercing power

Piercing offsets the enemy's defensive bonus. Its effect depends on the ratio to the squad's base attack power and has diminishing returns.

If combat takes place in difficult terrain, either because of the type of terrain or the mountainous topography, the effect of stats other than attack power decreases significantly, so the optimal balance of stats shifts and units such as armored vehicles are less effective than normal against units such as commandos or militias.

Even though each unit can potentially move at a different speed, a troop squad will only move as fast as the slowest unit it is composed of.

You can optionally produce equipment instead of buying it, which can be more cost effective depending on the number of troops being recruited. However, changes take time to reach full effect, only the liquidity production flow can be used, and production is paused while troops are trained with bought equipment.

Use the sliders to adjust the amount of units you want to train from each category. The training capacity is shared between all categories, so adjusting one will limit the others. The changes will not be applied until you click on the apply or ok button.

Production costs are deducted from liquidity income. If that income is insufficient, only part of the requested output is produced. After the minimum training time, new troops arrive periodically at the capital, joining a squad there or forming a new one.

The right-hand figures show potential annual output once changes take full effect, with sufficient funding. The left-hand figures show current annual output.

Reservists are a special type of unit. They are less expensive to produce and maintain, but they cannot be actively deployed. Instead, they will automatically defend their country when invaded.

Disbanding troops gradually recovers part of their cost and reduces upkeep. Infantry returns a smaller proportion of its cost than other units.

Value between 0 and 100 that represents the diplomatic relationship between the two countries. A value below 25 means that the countries are at war, while a value above 75 means that they are allies.

Any country with a diplomatic relation higher than 75 is considered an ally. You can consult these values in the diplomacy tab of each country, or using the diplomacy map overlay mode, where you will see the relation the selected country has with the rest of the world. The diplomatic actions tab allows you to manipulate your diplomacy with it.

Request an alliance treaty with this country, establishing a strong diplomatic relation between your countries.

Before attacking, check the target’s allies. An attack damages relations with countries friendly to the target, and allies may intervene. The country overview and defense map layer show the combined defensive power you could face.

Donate cash to this country, which will help improve your relations.

Use a public-opinion campaign to improve this country’s relations with yours.

Make a public statement condemning the actions of this country's government, harming the relation between your countries.

Declare war on this country, harming your relations deeply and allowing each other to gain territory by military occupation.

Request the end of the war, ceasing hostilities between your countries after you pay war reparations.

Restore the sovereignty of this country over the territories liberated from enemy occupation.

Declaring war during a truce damages international standing, making diplomacy more expensive and reducing the exchange rate.

GDP determines how much money is available for the budget. The exchange rate reduces the amount that can actually be spent.

Use the sliders to adjust the amount you want to allocate to each budget category. Each one yields an annual benefit of some kind, but with diminishing returns. The changes will not be applied until you click on the apply or ok button, and it will take time for the changes to reach their full effect.

The higher the total expenditure, the greater the fiscal pressure and, consequently, the country's economic growth will suffer. There is no limit to spending, as the country can in any case borrow or print money, but it is advisable not to overspend if you do not want to bankrupt your country.

Economic growth is another way to increase your GDP and, consequently, to win the game. In addition to your total expenditure, it is influenced by the development status of the country: developing countries with a GDP per capita around the world average will achieve maximum growth. It can also be negatively affected by global recessions.

Adjust spending on welfare programs, which will improve the quality of life of your citizens, reduce mortality and increase the birth rates and immigration. Higher values for rich countries attract immigration while low values for poor countries lead to mass emigration.

A larger population has many indirect benefits in different areas, such as research and military training, and is a critical foundation for sustaining a strong and healthy economy. However, it becomes increasingly difficult to grow it as your inhabitable land becomes overpopulated.

A higher research funding will increase the amount of research points produced, but a smaller population or lower GDP per capita reduces its efficiency. You can use these points at any time to unlock different types of bonuses in the research interface.

Your military will decline over time as personnel age and equipment deteriorates or becomes outdated. If your economy is not big enough to maintain it, it will deteriorate at a higher rate.

Wages and basic maintenance will automatically be allocated, but you can increase that spending to reduce the decline rate and, if more than enough, boost your military power instead. Extra spending can also slightly reduce troop cost for you and your allies.

Deposit a portion of your budget in the public treasury so that you have cash available when you need it. This money is kept invested in a wealth fund to prevent it from devaluing and will grow in line with the global economy, but could also lose value in periods of economic recession.

Your spending power will be affected by your current trade relations, which are simplified as the diplomatic relationship with each country weighted by its GDP and its geographic proximity to yours. Consequently, an isolated country with poor relations will see its economy weakened.

Investigation resources that can be used in the R&D interface to gain different benefits.

Advanced projects require a minimum investment of research points in their branch. Spending points on earlier projects in that branch contributes towards unlocking them, as well as granting those projects' bonuses.

Paired research options share a progress limit. Investing in one reduces how much can be invested in the other, so you can divide progress between both or fully develop one.

Most projects grant permanent bonuses for a one-time investment. Others consume research points daily and grant a bonus based on the amount allocated.

Area projects affect a chosen region and can be used repeatedly. Spending more research points increases their area and effect.

Each ideology consists of two perks whose magnitude you can adjust, and a final effect that varies depending on the magnitude specified in the former. You can change your ideology or magnitudes at any time but you can only have one ideology active at the same time, and the changes will be gradual over time once applied.

The ideology and the magnitude of the perks you chose will determine the political freedom in your country. Less political freedom leads to sanctions and has an adverse effect on the exchange rate.

For each ideology you can also choose a type of leader. Each type always consists of the same type of bonuses, but the magnitude depends on the skill of the particular individual at that time for the country.

Leaders have different levels of skill depending on their current age and experience, and some individuals can have a higher natural prime.

A new leader takes over when the current leader dies or finishes their term. You can select a different leader type as successor.

Your actions during the game, as well as random events, can also cause positive or negative temporary effects. You can view all these effects at any time in the 'Bonuses' tab of the country interface.

Conquering territory, especially if it was previously claimed, can have a positive effect on troop morale, making them more effective in combat. On the other hand, losing territory or being hit by nuclear weapons will have the opposite effect.

Fighting battles gives your troops experience, making them more lethal in combat. However, this experience is slowly lost over time or when new recruits join the army.

During intense battles, ammunition and other supplies are quickly depleted, leaving troops vulnerable if they are not given enough time to resupply.

However, actions such as invading, dropping nuclear weapons, breaking truces or neglecting to defend allies will have a negative impact on your international standing, making diplomatic actions more costly. Instead, it can be improved by helping allies defend their territory when they are invaded.

• First country to control more than half of the world's GDP wins.
• Other countries will try to prevent one another from winning, but they will let you win.
• Pause and save freely, and continue from any point.
• More forgiving settings.

• GDP, population, military, and territory size count for victory.
• Countries counter every victory threat, including you.
• No pausing or saving. Hardcore runs cannot be resumed.
• More realistic settings.

Total score from Domination victories. Winning with more countries, harder starting positions, or in fewer days increases it.

• Everything goes faster but there is a time limit.
• No defensive alliances.
• Game cannot be paused nor manually saved.
• Countries are randomly assigned.

Starting a new attempt applies the score cost shown before you play. Winning earns a reward based on your finishing time relative to that country's time limit. Your total score only rises above its previous value if the reward exceeds the entry cost.

Besides the normal competitive mode, there is a sandbox mode that allows modifying data during the game, changing country, or even simulating a game without playing as any country.

Additionally, you can download scenarios already created by other players. To do this, go to the "Single-player" section of the main menu, select "Custom" and press the download button. To share your own scenario, simply save a custom game, select it in the "Custom" menu, and press the upload button instead.

Currency earned in multiplayer. It is used to bid for countries and purchase cosmetics.

Before the game starts, each player bids a certain amount of influence currency for each country, and then each country is assigned to the highest bidder. This amount is deducted from the player and accumulated in a jackpot, and will be distributed to the winners. By default all values are set to the minimum so the player only has to bid for the countries of interest.

In competitive multiplayer, game speed is calculated from the average of the players' speed settings.

Misuse of game chat, such as insulting other players or flooding, is forbidden and can be reported directly by clicking on the message.

Countries are grouped into coalitions and work together for victory. Their diplomatic relationship is locked at maximum value and actions such as attacking each other are disabled. In addition, the progress of each individual country is aggregated and if it reaches the winning condition, the whole coalition will win the game.

Groups will be automatically generated for people that join directly, but if you want to play alongside specific people, you can manually create or join groups created by others. Potential maximum rating and clan rewards can be higher when joining as a manually premade group.

The bounty is distributed to the players forming the winning coalition proportionally to the amount of influence spent in the bid. Additionally, the distributed bounty will be proportional to the total amount bid by the coalition in relation to the others, so that if the coalition bid less, the surplus will be refunded to the others.

Winning with your coalition raises your rating; losing lowers it. The amount depends on player ratings and your influence bid. Abandoning the match prevents rating gains, even if your coalition wins.

Ballast

Players in organized groups start with a temporary handicap, while inexperienced players start with a temporary advantage.

Fortitude

Coalitions that start with fewer organized members receive a temporary defensive bonus as compensation. This effect expires faster if the coalition becomes stronger.

World War game chat is private to your coalition. Messages can be translated automatically, allowing teammates using different languages to communicate.

It is forbidden to deliberately enter this game mode with friends or multiple accounts without manually creating a group with them first.

Playing below your capabilities with the intention of disrupting your own team for any reason, such as helping someone on an opposing team or sabotaging another player on your own team, will be severely penalized.

Any other type of misconduct that alters the spirit of fair competition may be severely penalized, and ignorance of these rules does not exempt from compliance.

When the game ends, the winner takes half of the bounty and the rest is distributed among all players proportionally to their results. Additionally, players receive rating points based on their performance compared to the average performance for their country and how quickly they won.

If a time limit is reached, the game ends without a winner and all players receive a share of the entire bounty.

Increases when you outperform the expected result for your starting country and opponents, and decreases when you underperform.

It is forbidden to enter this game mode with friends or multiple accounts. In such cases, custom multiplayer or World War mode must be used instead.

If known players meet involuntarily by chance in a game, they should treat each other as any other player and not receive any special treatment, such as teaming up or helping one of them win to the detriment of the others.

Any other type of misconduct that alters the spirit of fair competition may be severely penalized, and ignorance of these rules does not exempt from compliance.

You can also create custom multiplayer games. To do so, create a custom game in the "Multiplayer" section of the main menu and share the generated code with your friends, so that they can use it to join the game through this menu.