EU4 Muscovy - Russia Guide [Tutorial]

Here is my guide to Muscovy into Russia and beyond. Playing as an Orthodox powerhouse is a completely different experience when compared to western Europe. I hope you have as much fun playing it as me.
The guide might be harder to recap on video, so I have created a webpage where you can read it again.

[triskilion]

the font was very confusing if you can read the actual Cyrillic alphabet lol

[stojankovacic]

Sorry, but the cyrillic used in this video made me unable to read it. Not because I don't know how to read it, but because I know how to. But it was quite a good video :)

[TheRepublicofChad]

Or you can have my luck and have Novgorod make an alliance with the Ottomans.

[hrsmp]

Your cyrillic literally reads "Mtsscivu/Jacssia". It's horrible. Reminds me of hoi3 font for communist faction though.

[banosisbest]

*sees thumbnail*
Ah yes, Mtzscovu Yatzssia!

[slaviclettuce]

Starts video thinking : Russia has so much manpower i am just going to overun everybody.


After 10 seconds : The two things that are going to hold you back are limited manpower and alliances.

[T-qq]

As a slav the Cyrillic combo gave me cancer

[ИлиянМилчев]

Please don't use such text because 1. It's impossible to read and 2. It's quite wrong... For example the letter Ц (ts) has nothing to do with U

[bogdanshymanovski]

The font hurt my head because I can read Cyrillic

[eniskaantasoren]

i have 4k+ hours on eu4 and russia is my main so i can suggest that -> Dont enter lithuania or golden horde before forming russia, always prioritise trade regions that are steering novgorod and stack discipline and production. so its a bad idea to expand eastern europa and scandinavia in mid game.

Edit: This strategy nearly changed completaly after introducing different pachs. Now you must expand in all directions, dev on moscow, take all key trade regions and stack development in core culture provinces. Now taking religious is not good considering now russia has 0 stability in heretic/heaten regions which is the most powerfull buff i see in eu4 history thanks to the burgers estate.

[Arms.Enthusiast]

Great guide. But the font you used made me puke. Could you imagine having dyslexia and reading it? you wouldn’t be able to.

[nationalistfromcanada]

"The Ottomans are the hardest enemy you will face as Muscovy or Russia."
LOL. They collapsed before 1470 in my game. It was just a matter of sweeping up the remains.

[Bragosso]

Good tutorial. A few things that needs to be mentioned though:

*Don't focus on grabbing land in the Persia trade node within Qara Qoyunlu and Ajam because it does not lead up anywhere to your home trade node.

*ALWAYS, and I mean literally ALWAYS start with Religious ideas for Muscovy. You desperately need converting power but above all you get the best CB until imperialism. Quantity seems overkill for Russia unless you are going for the 1mil manpower achievement since you have an unlimited supply of FREE Streltsy units and you get enforced serfdom later on.

*A trick with Streltsy units is that, if you have above 60% army professionalism you can spawn Streltsy units (the number is based on your army force limit, which is huge for Russia) and disband them immediately to farm free manpower.

I really loved though that you mentioned Admin and Trade ideas, those are stupid strong for Russia. I think beginners don't exactly understand HOW powerful admin ideas are. Early on it makes mercenaries cheaper if you need them, even though you'll have normal troops later on because of the unlimited manpower of Russia, but most important is the core cost reduction. It does not only reduce the cost but also reduces the TIME it takes to core a province! A case can be made for diplo ideas as well, even though you are isolated and hated by most of the world as Russia, because it makes you able to grab a larger number of provinces in each war. That together with admin coring cost reduction makes you able to grow much faster than ever before.

[yazzzlet]

As a new player, absolutism seems like the hardest concept to grasp. Great guide!

[alexg]

As someone who can actually read the cyrilic alphabet, that font made me unable to read anything you wrote

[DaeLh]

Playing Russia and not taking Lithuanian land which have accepted cultures AND the right religions is to me the most stupid thing you can do. Lithuanian lands will be a major part of your powerbase later on and a big boost to your income and manpower while you're conquering the far east. PLC is very easy to beat early on, especially with all of their rebel problems. Waiting for Commonwealth to form however can be quite difficult because of Polands awsome military ideas. No, for me, you should take down Novgorod first then focus on PLC. The hordes will be easier to conquer later with them falling behind in tech and you skyrocketing in money and manpower. In all of my Muscovy games, i full annex Poland and Lithuania by 1500. Every time. Bohemia will be your most trusted ally here, and after acquiring their lands, Ottoman should be easy work. Ottomans are much weaker in the latest patches than before. You can theoretically kill Ottomans before 1450 if you really want to (No CB on Byzantium, wait for Ottomans to declare, vassalise them and call in your allies. Take as much balkan lands as you can for Byzantium but keep a core for a new CB, then make your way down Lithuania eastern border to get a foothold on the Black Sea, and kill of Ottomans for good.)

[HighAdmiral]

"Let's embyase the cyyaillic goit goya this video" is what it says if you're generous.
"Let's embyase tne suyaillic goit goya tnis video" if you're not generous.

[apptreeline]

I allied Denmark and I will try to ally Ottoman. I hope that works too ;)

[Ulas_Aldag]

Don't... I repeat... Don't expand into regions were you can't steer trade to novgorod. Except the Baltic sea, white sea and Krakow, because this regions will propagate trade power into Kiev and Nowgorod which is essential to keep your huge trade income in mid game if you expanded intelligent. Don't conquer random provinces in Hungary Anatolia, Persia or southern India. Not worth the resources. East Asia should be your main expansion road

[kevinboros]

As Muscovy I always ally the Ottomans early game. One time, Austria inherited Hungary and Poland formed the Commonwealth. It was a war between them and Ottomans and me. It was a huge war and in the end we White Peaced.