Research should be focused on trading tech.Exceptions may be made necessary by war or possibly for hiring advisors on Octo(When starting the Grand Campaign). If an investment can be postponed it is usually better to do so. If so, it can be advantageous to war on other minors in order to vassalize them or take their money.

Even in the beginning this can yield 15-20 monthly income which will be needed to boost research. Trading is key, merchants should be sent to the, probably Antwerp, LГјbeck and Venice.The best strategy is to have a clear idea of where they want to colonise first, and make a beeline for this area, with out having to explore the entire new world just to find a good island to colonise. One does not need to send an explorer on a wild goose chase, trying to find the fabled land of America. The player has a very large advantage over those back in the 15th century, this is that he/she knows where to look for the good land. New players are advised to start off with one of the bigger nations, the best country to learn about colonising likely being Portugal. It is important to realise that distance plays a large role in colonisation, and that only coastal nations can colonise. Possible choices for pursueing this approach are Brittany, the Irish minors, Corsica or Sardinia, and Holy Roman minor. Colonisation strategy for minors from other regions may differ dramaticly. The discussions in this guide are generally valid for European countries. 4.3 Dealing with opponents who take colonies you wantД¬olonization can be a successful strategy for (coastal) minors and middle powers that have a hard time competing with their neighbours in other fields.

Europa universalis 4 colonial nations