Are you wondering how to colonise in Victoria 3? Hey, we’re not judging! Here’s everything you need to know.
Colonisation was and is morally bankrupt. It changed the world drastically and as such, it’s a necessary inclusion in Victoria 3, a game that recreates the global socio-economic situation of the time. It doesn’t bury its head in the sand.
While being morally bankrupt, colonisation was profitable, in a strictly monetary sense. And so, depending on your strategy, it may be a path you want to go down.
How to colonise in Victoria 3: Pass the necessary law
In order to colonise in Victoria 3, you must have first passed into law a colonial policy. If you have no colonial policy then you will need to change the law. Make sure you have requisite technology of the same name that allows the colonial law in the first place. You will then have an institution of colonisation that can be invested in to increase the rate of colonisation, for the cost of bureaucratic power.
Now you have an institution of colonisation, you may colonise any area of the globe that is not inhabited by a centralised power. Areas on the map where there are decentralised nations are easy to spot as they are coloured white with a faint outline. If you are able to access that region by land or sea, then they are potential areas for growth.
Declare interest in the area you wish to colonise
But you can’t just colonise willy-nilly. You will need to have declared your interest in the area that you are planning your new settlements. If it is within your homelands or borders an incorporated state, then you will have interest in this area by default.
Declaring interest in an area in Victoria 3 is simple. Click the diplomacy lens at the bottom of the screen and in regional actions there is a ‘declare interest’ button. You will be able to declare interest in more regions the higher your standing is on the main stage. You may need to set your sights from one area to another to be able to start colonising.
If you have a declared interest in an area with accessible decentralised nations then you may start colonising. Go to the diplomacy lens at the bottom of the screen and the option to start a colony is in the ‘regional’ actions tab.
You will start to pocket parts of the state until none is left – or until the natives rise up against you, forcing an all-or-nothing battle for the area. This is usually a trivial battle that secures you the area, but rival nations can prop up the natives to try and trip you up.
Be aware that most of the decentralised states in Africa in Victoria 3 hold the Malaria or Severe Malaria trait. This inflicts a massive increase to the time it takes to settle an area, making them essentially uncolonisable until you have researched Quinine and Malaria Prevention respectively.
