Summary
Crusader Kings 3is a game that focuses on building up a realm to essentially rule over as much of the world as possible. This of course suggests that war will be needed to gain land from other rulers. However,Crusader Kings 3doesn’t need to be all blood and turmoil for players to reach the heights of building an empire.
Crusader Kings 3has many different ways for players to gain land if players utilize their character’s skills correctly. Players can conquer entire kingdoms and realms without spending any soldiers whatsoever, whether it be using intrigue to murder a path to the top, or marrying off heirs to set up a future ruler.
Updated July 16, 2025 by Henry Whiting: As Paradox continues to update their successful medieval strategy game Crusader Kings 3, players are given more and more options for how they want to take on enemies and gain land for their realm.
Here are some great tips for the players who choose intrigue or diplomacy over war, whether it be due to players having a small and weak army, or simply wanting to avoid mass violence.
1Usurping Land
Snatch Titles From Under The Feet Of Rulers
Although usurping a title inCrusader Kings 3doesn’t directly get land for players, it will mean players have an instant casus belli on the target realm, meaning they can declare wars in the future. In addition, usurping a title installs the players' heirs and family bloodline into the succession of the desired title.
For example, if players manage to acquire a majority of the counties in a given duchy, they now become the new de jure duke of those counties when they usurp the ducal title, thereby making the vassalization of the remaining counts in that duchy a bit easier. As previously mentioned, even if a player’s current ruler dies, their heir will remain in the succession line for the usurped title.
In order to seize de jure lands after usurping a title, the player’s culture must have access to theCasus Belli Innovationin the Tribal Era. Tribal rulers need to worry less about this, as they will typically have access to the Conquest casus belli. Keep in mind, though:“casus belli” is Latin for “cause of war,“so not an action to be taken if you’re looking to expand without massive bloodshed.
2Grant Land To Courtiers With Powerful Claims
Gain Land Without Even Noticing
Gaining land inCrusader Kings 3can be done by simply granting land to a visitor who is heir to a desired realm or title. While this is more of a long-term plan to gain land without war, it is a relatively straightforward strategy. Players need to be careful to whom they grant land, as sometimes the powerful vassals are dangerous in any factions or rebellions.
However, if players can grant land to young heirs who have less authority and a lower chance of joining a faction, then there will be less risk of future problems down the road. Players must make sure the character who is granted land is heir to land that is not of the same/higher ranking title than the player’s title. For example, if the players' title is Kingdom, they should avoid granting land to heirs who have succession rights to a Kingdom or Empire, as that heir will leave the players' realm once they inherit their land.
3Vassalization
Invite Other Nations To Join Your Realm
Possiblythe simplest wayto gain land is through the vassalization of nearby countries. To do this, players must simply click on the ruler of the land that they desire and scroll down to the bottom of their actions page. There should be an option that says “Offer Vassalage” which when pressed triggers a letter to be sent to the selected ruler, where they will respond with their answer.
Most of the time, a nearby ruler will only accept this if players are of the same faith and culture as the desired ruler, and if the land that the desired ruler holds is de jure to the players' title. It is possible to get them to accept without these requirements, such as having a good relationship with the desired ruler or having anoverwhelming amount of powerin comparison to the desired ruler. However, having only this will usually lead to the vassalization offer being turned down.
To increase your odds of vassalizing neighboring rulers, go for a Diplomacy Lifestyle. The “Majesty” focus has access to theTrue Rulerperk, which gives you+20 Offer Vassalization Acceptance. Befriending neighboring rulers also helps. More on that below.
4Strategic Marriages
Marry Off Family Members To Powerful Leaders
Setting up a bloodline to be future Kings or Queens isn’t easy and will require a healthy amount of research into who and what realms are easiest to infiltrate through marriage. Picking an elderly ruler who has no family is usually a good idea, as they will die out soon enough, leaving your heir as the only legitimate heir to the elderly ruler’s realm. This also works if players marry their own character to an elderly ruler, placing them instantly in a high-power position.
Another way to use marriage to gain land is to marry a relative into a powerful family, and then, as brutal as it sounds, players can murder their way through the powerful family, once again leaving the player’s heir as the only remaining character to have a claim to the desired realm. This will work best for characters who have high Intrigue, as players willbe able to murder, capture, and trick their way into a claim to a realm much quicker.
5Murder
Risky And Sinister Option
Using murder as a way to gain land without war is probably one of the more risky options. If players get caught in the act, then it will be far from easy to salvage any built-up reputation. Nonetheless, murder is a useful option for characters with a particularly high level of intrigue, making each murder attempt much more likely to be successful.
Murder can be used in multiple different circumstances, with it coming in handy if done correctly. For example, if a ruler declares war on the player, then the player can avoid fighting by murdering the opposing ruler andtheir heirs until they simply give inand surrender, or offer a white peace. Additionally, players can murder heirs and rulers of realms where either their character has a claim, or their heir has a claim, essentially clearing the path for the player to simply snatch the crown of the desired realm.
With the release ofRoads to Power, Intrigue has received a massive overhaul. It is now much trickier, but also much more satisfying, to execute a perfect, er,execution.
6Diplomatic Approach
Peaceful Solution That Leads To Power Gain
Keeping up appearances andgood relations with other rulers, lieges, and vassals is vital inCrusader Kings 3,especially if players want to gain land with no war. Players can get friendly with their liege and other rulers, thus increasing the chances that their liege will gift vassals and lands of their own goodwill.
Players who take this approach of befriending other rulers will potentially see rulers throwing themselves at their feet, asking tobecome one of the player’s vassals. This isn’t that common, so do not expect that to happen too much. However, it is a possibility that players with a high diplomacy statistic can pursue. Boosting diplomacy will also lower the chance of other countries declaring war upon the players' realm, which greatly helps when attempting to take over the world with no war at all.
Befriend your vassals.Friendly vassals cannot join Factions against you. With enough friends, they may even throw you a surprise birthday party!
7Tactical Kidnapping
Quick Way To Enforce Demands On Rulers
Capturing characters inCrusader Kings 3can be done if the player goes down the intrigue skill tree, specifically the “Schemer” skill tree, and unlocks the skill called “Kidnapper.” This allows the player to abduct other people, which opens up many possibilities. If the player abducts an heir to a desired realm, converts their religion to the same as the player character, and then recruits the captured heir to the player’s court, it will then open up the chance tosteal away the desired realm.
Players will need to grant the newly recruited heir of the desired realm a piece of land that is lesser than the desired realm. For example, if the player character is a King and the desired realm is a duchy, then the player must grant the recruited heir a county. This means that when the current ruler of the desired realm dies, the abductee-turned-vassal heir will take that land, making it a part of the players' overall realm, as described in the previously mentioned “Usurping Land” entry.
