There are over 1,000 playable nations in Europa Universalis 5, which is a massive increase from EU4’s 600-700 tags. This guide will provide you with the list of the 10 best nations in EU5, including their biggest advantages and risks in comparison to all other nations in the game.
- Crown of Castile
- Ottomans
- France
- Kingdom of England
- Portugal
- Muscovy
- Austria
- Yuan
- Byzantium
- Japanese Shogunate
Crown of Castile
Castile can start wars with Portugal and Aragon early on, needing only to balance the potential disasters with the crown’s power and the risk of a colonial over-reach. But still it’s by far the best beginner-friendly nation with massive conquest and colonization potential, including the Reconquista missions, creating a safe Iberian base before forming and dominating the main trade routes in Europe. Such strong foundations enable fast population growth, technology development, and a global empire through road systems.
Ottomans
The Ottomans nation has a slower start this time than in EU4, considering the year of 1337, but is still capable of leading wars on multiple fronts, including against Byzantium and Mamluks. It is one of the earliest military powers in the Anatolian and Balkan regions, with a wealth of mission trees that offer rapid expansion options. It has very strong Janissary units and some very enjoyable conquest mechanics.
France
France possesses huge manpower and economy, with massive experience in the hundred years war, being able to swarm vassals and take over using nothing but diplomatic power. However, your own vassals and forts may go too far in terms of power, which can be really hard to manage later in the game. Also, the early continental wars can be overwhelming to beginner players. But the expansive economy can easily support France’s continental dominance via road control mechanics.
Kingdom of England
If you’re looking for naval trade dominance, with lots of safe islands to settle post-hundred years war, then there’s no better option than England with its colonization and war mechanics as a whole. Certainly, English continental holdings have always been within the effective range of France, which tends to limit land expansion, but it also has a safe defense automation system and some excellent population management and control mechanics to keep it all together.
Portugal
Portugal must be the easiest starter nation simply due to its unique geography, as well as early trade and exploration bonuses. The tax system is very efficient when taking into account the New World colonies, but the military is quite weak in comparison to other nations, such as Castile, which is both a potential rival and the main source of threat of annexation. Also, note that there’s very limited land nearby to expand to within the borders of the European continent.
Muscovy
Muscovy offers a large eastern expansion, with huge reforms for its navy and the population of the steppes region, which can significantly boost its growth, as well as that of its economy. But do take into account the severe winters and many small, underdeveloped provinces, plus a constant threat from the Horde. This means that you should expect a slow initial development.
Austria
Austria has some of the most flexible diplomacy mechanics in the game, where the emperors and their personal unions connect together a lot of central European peoples. Of course, you begin in a rather divided nation, but through lots of diplomatic micro-management tools, you can turn your weak military at the start into a real force of nature by the end.
Yuan
Yuan has always been an asian economic powerhouse, with massive population and trade growth, utilizing the Ming dynasty’s reform mechanics. However, pay close attention to the possible risks of collapse, rebellions, and total isolation from the European nations.
Byzantium
Byzantium is one of those high-risk, high-reward types of scenarios, which could be easily claimed by the nations of the Ottomans and the Balkans, if you’re not careful. Also, you should know that once you choose this nation, you’ll have to start with a very small piece of land, so be sure to focus on building a multilayer front defense to avert the risks of early conquer by the Ottomans.
Japanese Shogunate
Japan initially starts as a peaceful unification, with decent population growth, but under the pressure of trade isolation. The Daimyo rebellions could also be an issue, although with the proper internal political micro-management, they may not matter on an international level for a while.
