Explore the complexities of EU4 buildings to grasp their roles in Europa Universalis IV and maximize the potential of your provinces.
In the world of EU4, buildings represent strategic elements that can boost the value of your provinces, and drive the growth and prosperity of your nation.
Ever wonder about the mechanics and strategies revolving around EU4 buildings? The Reliable Narrator looks to answer all your Europa Universalis IV questions. Embark on a journey to explore these buildings and illuminate their critical role in sculpting your nation’s destiny in EU4.
EU4 Buildings: An Overview
The choices you make when constructing EU4 buildings can shape your nation’s future. From boosting the economy to creating a hardened defense, each building offers benefits that can be leveraged to gain the upper hand.
Understanding EU4 Buildings
EU4 buildings are categorized into Government, Production, Taxation, Navy, Trade, Coastal, Army, Forts, and Manufactories. Each category includes specific buildings that come with unique benefits and costs.
Government Buildings
Government buildings play a pivotal role in managing governing costs and autonomy, enhancing your nation’s administrative efficiency.
Courthouse
Cost: 100 Ducats. Reduces monthly autonomy change by 0.1, state maintenance by 25%, province governing cost by 25%, and adds one building slot. Requires administrative technology level 6 to build.
Town Hall
Cost: 200 Ducats. Upgrades the Courthouse, further reducing monthly autonomy change, state maintenance, and province governing cost, while adding another building slot. Requires administrative technology level 22 to build.
University
Cost: 300 Ducats. Lowers local development cost by 20% and adds one building slot. Requires administrative technology level 17 to build.
Production Buildings
Production buildings are integral to boosting the production value in a province.
Workshop
Cost: 100 Ducats. Increases local production efficiency by 50%. Requires administrative technology level 6 to build.
Counting House
Cost: 400 Ducats. Upgrades the Workshop, doubling local production efficiency. Requires administrative technology level 24 to build.
Taxation Buildings
Taxation buildings are vital to boost your nation’s financial health by increasing the amount of tax collected in a province.
Temple
Cost: 100 Ducats. Enhances local tax modifier by 40%. Requires administrative technology level 4 to build.
Cathedral
Cost: 300 Ducats. Upgrades the Temple, further increasing local tax modifier by 60%, and offers 3% local missionary strength. Requires administrative technology level 19 to build.
Plot Points
Navy Buildings
EU4 Naval buildings play a key role in creating and maintaining maritime domination.
Shipyard
Cost: 100 Ducats. Increases the naval force limit by 2, reduces local shipbuilding time by 25%, and enhances local ship repair by 25%. Requires diplomatic technology level 8 to build.
Grand Shipyard
Cost: 300 Ducats. Upgrades the Shipyard, further improving naval force limit, local shipbuilding time, and local ship repair. Requires diplomatic technology level 24 to build.
Dock
Cost: 100 Ducats. Boost the local sailors modifier by 50%. Requires diplomatic technology level 6 to build.
Drydock
Cost: 300 Ducats. Boost the local sailors modifier by 100%. Requires diplomatic technology level 19 to build.
Trade Buildings
Trade buildings play a crucial role in increasing your nation’s value in trade nodes and the wealth pulled from them.
Marketplace
Cost: 100 Ducats. Increases local trade power by 50%. Requires diplomatic technology level 4 to build.
Trade Depot
Cost: 300 Ducats. Upgrades the Marketplace, doubling the local trade power. Requires diplomatic technology level 14 to build.
Stock Exchange
Cost: 400 Ducats. Further upgrades the Trade Depot, increasing local trade power by 125%. Requires diplomatic technology level 22 to build.
Army Buildings
Army buildings boost your military capabilities, including force limit and manpower.
Barracks
Cost: 100 Ducats. Increase local manpower modifier by 50%. Requires military technology level 6 to build.
Training Fields
Cost: 300 Ducats. Upgrades the Barracks, doubling the local manpower modifier. Requires military technology level 16 to build.
Regimental Camp
Cost: 200 Ducats. Boost the land force limit by 1. Requires military technology level 8 to build.
Conscription Center
Cost: 400 Ducats. Boost the land force limit by 2. Requires military technology level 22 to build.
Coastal Buildings
Coastal buildings fortify your coastlines and make enemy landings and blockades more difficult. Requires diplomatic technology level 5 to build.
Coastal Defence
Cost: 100 Ducats. Increases the blockade force required by 50% and doubles the hostile disembark time. Requires diplomatic technology level 12 to build.
Naval Battery
Cost: 200 Ducats. Upgrades the Coastal Defence, doubling the blockade force required and hostile disembark time, and inflicts 5 hostile fleet attrition.
Forts
Forts serve as defensive structures, creating bottlenecks for enemy forces and providing a zone of control over surrounding provinces.
Castle
Cost: 200 Ducats. Fort Level: +2. Monthly Maintenance Cost: −1 Ducat. Requires military technology level 1 to build.
Bastion
Cost: 400 Ducats. Fort Level: +4. Monthly Maintenance Cost: −2 Ducats. Requires military technology level 14 to build.
Star Fort
Cost: 600 Ducats. Fort Level: +6. Monthly Maintenance Cost: −3 Ducats. Requires military technology level 19 to build.
Fortress
Cost: 800 Ducats. Fort Level: +8. Monthly Maintenance Cost: −4 Ducats. Requires military technology level 24 to build.
Manufactories
In EU4, Manufactories increase goods produced in a province, thereby enhancing your nation’s production and trade income. Special manufactories provide additional, non-trade related benefits, like manpower increases or governing cost reduction.
Farm Estate
Cost: 500 Ducats. Accessible at administrative technology level 6, Farm Estates specialize in Grain, Livestock, and Wine production, and enhance local goods production by one.
Ramparts
Cost: 500 Ducats. Accessible at administrative technology level 6, Ramparts impact all trade goods, offering a +1 attrition for enemies, a +15% boost to local defensiveness, and a +1 bonus to local defender dice roll.
Impressment Offices
Cost: 500 Ducats. Requiring diplomatic technology level 7, Impressment Offices specialize in Salt, Fish, Naval Supplies, and Tropical wood production, and increase local sailors modifier by 500, decrease local shipbuilding time by 20%, and reduce local ship cost by 10%.
Naval Equipment Manufactory
Cost: 500 Ducats. At diplomatic technology level 11, this manufactory increases local goods produced by one for Fish, Naval Supplies, and Salt.
Textile Manufactory
Cost: 500 Ducats. Available at administrative technology level 11, it increases local goods production by one for Cloth, Dyes, Silk, and Wool.
Weapons Manufactory
Cost: 500 Ducats. This manufactory is available at military technology level 11 and boosts local goods produced by one for Copper and Iron.
State House
Cost: 500 Ducats. Requiring administrative technology level 12 and specializing in Paper, Glass, and Gems production, State Houses cut statewide and province governing costs by up to 40% and 30%, respectively, reduce minimum local autonomy, and add one possible number of buildings.
Plantation
Cost: 500 Ducats. At administrative technology level 14, Plantations increase local goods produced by one for Cocoa, Coffee, Cotton, Sugar, Tea, and Tobacco.
Trade Station
Cost: 500 Ducats. Trade Stations are available at diplomatic technology level 14 and boost local goods produced by one for Cloves, Fur, Incense, Ivory, Slaves, and Spices.
Soldier’s Households
Cost: 500 Ducats. Accessible at administrative technology level 15 and specializing in Grain, Fish, Livestock, and Wine, Soldier’s Households boost the local manpower modifier by up to 1500.
Mill
Cost: 500 Ducats. Mills come into play at administrative technology level 16 and enhance local goods production by one for Chinaware, Gems, Glass, Paper, and Tropical Wood.
Furnace
Cost: 500 Ducats. At administrative technology level 21, Furnaces boost goods production modifier by 5% for each Coal producing province.
Effective EU4 Buildings Placement
Knowing which EU4 building to construct and when can make a difference in Europa Universalis IV. Strategic placement is crucial, and balancing immediate needs with long-term goals can have a profound impact on your nation’s success. However, a developed infrastructure can lead to fewer manpower issues, monthly deficits, and a healthy treasury.
While every game of Europa Universalis IV is not the same, here are some general rules of thumb on when and why you should construct EU4 buildings.
Government Buildings
Government buildings are an extremely useful class of EU4 buildings that help lower governing costs while adding more building slots. Players should look to build them as soon as they can in high-development provinces. If the funds are available, they should be built as often as possible.
Production Buildings
Workshops and Counting Houses can be useful in boosting the production of trade goods. While other EU4 buildings can provide more income, production buildings in a province with a high-value trade good, like Gems or Silk, can bring in significant value. Prioritize constructing these buildings in areas of high production.
Taxation Buildings
Taxation buildings can provide some of the best boosts to tax income for all EU4 buildings. Thankfully, Europa Universalis IV provides an estimate of how much of a boost a building can provide. Depending on their economy, players should look to construct these buildings in provinces that provide at least a .12 ducat a month increase.
Navy Buildings
If your nation has a coast, the Shipyard and Grand Shipyard are essential EU4 buildings. Increasing the naval force limit of a country is essential to boost trade, defend against pirates, and beat enemy fleets.
The Dock and Drydock are more situational builds. If your nation has issues with sailor manpower, consider these EU4 buildings. If not, there are more useful structures to spend your ducats on.
Trade Buildings
EU4 buildings of Trade should be built in provinces with trade centers and estuaries. This assures the biggest increase in trade power for your investment.
Army Buildings
Both types of army buildings are very important EU4 buildings. Barracks and Training Fields provide significant boosts to your nation’s manpower to keep your armies at full strength.
Regimental Camps and Conscription Centers directly increase the force limit of a nation’s army. If the funds and building slots are available, these EU4 buildings can help boost the number of units in the field. Prioritize them.
Coastal Buildings
Coastal buildings are very situational EU4 buildings. If you don’t plan on having much of a naval presence, or plan to place them strategically, they can be useful. However, there are more useful options, especially on a tight budget.
Forts
Forts are essential for defending your nation’s borders, and there are a number of strategic factors to consider when constructing them. Look to build them in defensible areas that can create chokepoints and strategic bottlenecks. But make sure you can support them. These EU4 buildings come with a monthly maintenance cost.
Manufactories
Any of the EU4 buildings in the manufactories category that increase the production of a trade good should be built, with priority given to the goods with the highest value.
The specialty manufactories are a mixed bag, and highly situational. State Houses, for example, are very helpful and mimic the benefits of the Government EU4 buildings. These should be prioritized where their effects are greatest.
Additionally, Ramparts can be very useful when built alongside the various EU4 fort buildings. With an increase in defensiveness and defender rolls, they can greatly increase the effectiveness of a fortification.
And if players make it to the late game, the production boost from Furnaces is unmatched among all EU4 buildings.
However, the Soldier’s Household building is extremely situational and should be avoided in most cases. For its value, the flat manpower increase is generally not worth it. Army EU4 buildings like barracks can provide more manpower at a much cheaper cost.
Conclusion
EU4 buildings are more than mere structures; they are strategic assets that can sway your nation’s fortunes in Europa Universalis IV. Understanding the various building types, their benefits, costs, and strategic placement can guide your nation to prosperity and dominance in the engaging world of EU4!
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