They can exert a Sphere of Influence, invest in other countries to control their markets, and intervene in foreign wars to keep their rivals in check or punish them. In other words, whatever your goal is, being a Great Power will be very useful during a Vic2 game. And it will give you bragging rights over your pals in a multiplayer game. To become a Great Power, you’ll need to raise your score to become higher than one of the current Great Powers – more specifically, all nations are ranked in-game through a score that includes:
Prestige Industrial Power Military Power
Here are the 8 Great Powers at the start of the game: Some of these early countries will rise and others will fall. Usually Austria, Spain, and the Ottomans fall. To become a member of this exclusive club and reap the benefits, you must simply surpass the least powerful one (The USA in this scenario). In other words, you have to raise your score faster than they do. Command a large army and fleet, build up the industry, and win the respect and admiration of other nations through culture and grandeur.
Raising Prestige
Prestige does not require too many precious resources to grow, nor does it need upkeep. For this reason, increasing your prestige is often the fastest, cheapest way to achieve Great Power status, provided you can amass it in the early game. How? By researching Aesthetics and Philosophy technologies in the Culture category. Both of them will grant prestige whenever you get one of their inventions. Inventions are random events, discoveries your nation will eventually make, as long as it has unlocked the necessary technology. Still, there’s a catch: the sooner you get them, the more prestige you will gain. Sure, it takes some luck, but you can tip the scales.
Aesthetics will give you a 5% prestige bonus per tier. The first two techs are available right from the start of the Grand Campaign in 1836. You can research new Philosophy from 1840. It will increase your Research Points, thus getting you faster to new technologies and inventions. Finally, some nations have unique decisions that provide a bit of prestige, and you should take advantage of them if you can.
Small nations with a small population can punch far above their weight with high prestige. Using their status as Great Power they can then increase their size and station.
Colonial Expansion
If you have the population and the economy to field a decent-sized army, there are other options. Small, vulnerable, non-industrialized options. You will need to expand because the Great Powers have a larger economy at the beginning of the game: beating them through internal growth only is very hard. Justifying a war against weaker opponents in Asia and Africa, on the other hand, is easy: just use the Demand Concessions or Establish Protectorate casus belli. You can only declare war after you have justified it and acquired a casus belli, but don’t sit on it: you have a limited time to use it before it expires. Seize territory at your leisure after defeating their armies with your modern troops. Tip: If you win a pitched battle against a larger, less advanced army, order your troops to pursue the enemy to route their entire army before it can reorganize and leave your opponent defenseless. Yes, this will earn you some prestige as you win battles and wars – but most importantly you will get more POPs for the army and more resources for your economy. Industrialize, militarize, repeat. You will soon be at the helm of a budding global empire. Some early targets that almost every industrialized nation can conquer are:
Tunis, Algeria, and Morocco on the southern shore of the Mediterranean Johor and Atjeh in South East Asia Makran, Kalat, and Sindh between Persia and the British Raj Yemen and Abu Dhabi in Arabia
The only thing you should keep in check is your infamy. This represents the threat that other nations perceive from your rapid, aggressive expansion. You will accrue up to ten points when justifying colonial wars. Never let your Infamy reach twenty-five. If it does, the Great Powers will become wary of your ambitions and cut you down to size. If it rises too high, stay at peace for some time and let it drop to a manageable value.
Twilight of Empires
Whether you have surpassed one of the Great Powers through international recognition and acclaim or by proving your might, you will have to be patient: because Great Powers have a one-year grace period to re-establish themselves. Just hold fast, and the declining Great Power will soon lose its Sphere of Influence. You will then receive a somewhat unceremonious but nonetheless very satisfying notification: you are officially a Great Power! You will retain this position and the advantages that come with it as long as you are in the top eight. You’ll have one year to reassert your greatness if you also fall, and you will be able to use your newfound great powers to prevent some upstart from usurping your rightful place in the sun.
