Summary
Victoria 3is a complexgrand strategy game set in the Victorian erathat gives players huge amounts of control over the fate of their nation. While many countries begin the period in a state of industrialization, some don’t. Thanks to the deep economic gameplay ofVictoria 3, there are a huge number of choices to be made, and, sometimes, making decisions can be daunting.
This is especially the case when some nations have no industrial capacity at all at the beginning of the game. But despite being a challenge,Victoria 3is a very rewarding game if players are able to meet their goals. For players looking toindustrialize quickly inVictoria 3, there are some tips they should keep in mind to make the process easier.
10Change Trade Laws
What Can Be Bought Doesn’t Need To Be Made
Sometimes, trade laws inVictoria 3can be restrictive for a given country’s situation. The worst is Isolationism, but unrestricted Free Trade can be a massive drain on the national economy.
By paying attention to Trade Laws and choosing a Trade Law that works for the specific situation in the country, players can bridge gaps in their own production without losing key goods necessary for their own economies. If the country doesn’t produce quite enough of a specific good, it can and should be traded for.
9Change Economic Policy Laws
Private Investment Helps
In a more advanced industrialized economy, private construction can build all sorts of helpful buildings, including those which produce key industrial goods. On the other hand, a Traditional economic policy means that the private construction will only build basic agricultural buildings.
Choosingthe right Economic Policywill allow private construction to build a wider range of buildings, which can help massively with the overall health of the economy and fill in gaps the player may have missed.
8Suppress The Landowners
Traditional Land Management Hinders Industrialization
As well as bolstering Interest Groups to increase their attractiveness, players can supress them to do the opposite. One Interest Group that can hinder industrialization is the Landowner Interest Group. This IG is concerned mainly with preserving more traditional systems of land management, the economy, and trade.
Landowners typically prefer slavery, serfdom, and a more agricultural economy than other Interest Groups. This can make it extremely difficult to industrialize properly, especially if key law reforms are being blocked by a powerful Landowner Interest Group.
7Bolster Interest Groups
New Government Means New Priorities
Certain Interest Groups inVictoria 3have very useful priorities when it comes to industrializing a nation quickly. One of the best groups for players looking to pass key laws for industrialization is the Industrialists Interest Group. This Interest Group generally supports changes away from more traditional systems of industry and land management, making them a good pick.
Another group that can be helpful is the Intelligentsia. But as always withVictoria 3,it’s not quite so simple, as the priorities of Interest Groups can change over time according to the circumstances of the nation. So, it’s a good idea to pay attention to the traits and ambitions of a given Interest Group at any point in time.
6Research Key Techs
Better Tech Means Better Industry
All of the best production methods - and even some basic forms of production - arelocked behind techs, which often need to be researched. Whether these are changes to production methods to improve production, reduce labor requirements, or change input goods, tech is key to success inVictoria 3.
New techs can allow new laws and institutions, too, some of which are great news for would-be industrialists. Not only that, but some laws can support tax increases, which means more money for the construction sectors.
5Produce Tools
Literally The Tools For Success
One of the key inputs to an industrialized economy inVictoria 3is the Tools good, produced in Tooling Workshops throughout the world. Although many of the basic agricultural industries don’t require any tools, many of themore advanced industrial buildingsneed tools to function properly.
The Tooling Workshop is a great option to build early on because, depending on the production methods, it can drive demand for both Wood and Iron goods, which are also key to many industries inVictoria 3. Tool production is key throughout the game, so it pays off to get started early on.
4Build Industry Buildings
Self-Perpetuating Industry
Most industry buildings inVictoria 3use outputs from other buildings to create their goods. This has a feedback effect on the rest of the economy, boosting demand for the input goods and giving the employed pops the wages necessary to buy the output goods - which itself increases demand.
Other Industry buildings use the outputs of one Industry building to create goods from another. The Explosives Factory has uses in other military manufactories whose outputs are then used for armies.
3Use More Advanced Resource Types
Complex Resource Chains Boost Industrial Activity
Sometimes, when a new tech is researched giving a new production method, there’s no demand in the economy, so it feels pointless to switch to the recently acquired method. Often, it’s good thinking not to switch, but sometimes, an early switch is needed to drive the demand for a key sector.
A good example is steel, which in many industrializing economies, seems like a poor choice thanks to its low demand and lack of use. But a brand new Steel Mill can be paired with a production method switch to steel tools to drive demand in a burgeoning steel sector. The same is true for many industries.
2Expand The Construction Sector
Better Buildings Means Faster Work
One of the most important parts of playing a country inVictoria 3is the ability for the player to construct buildings, whether for administration, the economy, or the military. The ability to build things faster is a huge bonus inVictoria 3and is part of the reason why bigger, more populated countries have such an advantage over smaller ones.
But not only does the construction sector directly increase the speed at which new buildings are constructed; it’s a driver of the economy in its own right. Depending on the specific production methods used, the Construction Sector buildings require goods such as Wood, Iron, or Steel - keeping other workers in (hopefully) well-paid jobs.
1Grant A Bigger Country Foreign Investment Rights
Let Them Build It For You
A newer way for countries to industrialize quickly involves granting a bigger, wealthier country foreign investment rights. This will allow the country to use its own Construction Sector output to build new buildings in the player’s country. The foreign country keeps the money, but the player’s country keeps the goods.
This can be a really powerful way for small countries to get a leg up on the competition, as the goods produced stay in their own economy, and their workers still get paid. Having that additional source of construction can be a massive boost, allowing the player to focus attention on Universities, Government Administration, or military construction.
