10 best counties in CK3 to move your realm capital. I’ll say it right away, most important thing in Crusader Kings 3 is your capital. Yes, you heard it right. It’s more important than your traits, perks, lifestyle, culture, religion, perks, etc. Everything starts with your capital county.
It’s the only holding your heir will inherit no matter what succession law you have. So, in order to secure your succession, your capital must be a big powerhouse. Vassals will give you nothing. A fully upgraded big capital county will give you more gold and manpower than 40 vassals.
A good capital should have multiple castles to keep you strong after inheritance, unique buildings for extra bonuses, farmlands terrain if possible, and perfect geopolitical location. There are only few counties with all the features I’ve mentioned.
1. Isle de France
Paris, City of love and rats, I guess.
Got 3-4 castles depending on the start date, all farmlands, 2 unique buildings, center of Western Europe, high development. I mean, what more you can ask for. Isle de France is the best county as capital in Crusader Kings 3.
You can build Notre-Dame and University of Montlhery. When both built, their bonuses stack.
- Notre-Dame: Insane amount of gold bonus, development growth, stewardship, piety, and renown bonuses. Is it the best unique building in the game? Indeed it is.
- University: Development growth, +1 learning per level of faith, monthly lifestyle +10%, +5% cultural fascination, and renown bonus.
I mean, there is no competition. It’s the best of the best.
2. Earldom of Middlesex
Middle Seaxe / Middlesex is the second best. Capital Londres / Lunden / London.
3 castles, all farmlands, in the most interesting area of 867 Viking age, unique building, Europe… Almost as good as Isle de France.
The Tower of London gives men-at-arms damage, development bonus, tax bonus, and dread gain. Overall, its bonuses are great.
3. Aachen
3 castles, unique building, middle of Europe. Perfect start location in 1066. You can go from count to emperor!
- Palace of Aachen: Development, prestige, renown, -20% tyranny gain, clergy opinion, and vassal opinion.
It’s right next to Cologne. Perfect combo if you ask me! Cologne has 2 castles, all farmlands, holy site, and unique building.
- Cologne Cathedral: Insane tax, development, piety, +20% knight effectiveness, control growth, and renown bonuses.
Two great counties side by side in the perfect location. I really love controlling both.
4. Cagliari
3 castles, two pre-built, third coming with hold court decision event. One unique building. And the best location ever?
Argentiera Mining Settlement: Huge tax, development, and siege effectiveness bonuses.
It’s also the capital of formable Kingdom of Baleo-Tyrrhenia. By controlling duchies of Mallorca, Sardinia, Corsica and Sicily, you can take Secure the Mediterranean. It’ll give you a unique Kingdom and bunch of house modifiers for 100 years. But the best part about it is the Mediterranean conquest casus belli. You can conquer any county along the shores of the Mediterranean.
5. Maduria
It’s great — because of its +7 holdings, 5 castles, 4 farmlands terrain for best buildings in the game. That’s insane! However, it’s really distant and far away from the game. You can’t go on taxation tours or pilgrimages unless you’re following an Indian religion and conquered most of India. So, don’t try to cheese Europe by moving your capital to Maduria.
But for Indian region playthrough, it’s the best capital choice without a doubt.
6. Baghdad
4 castles, floodplains terrain (2nd best), House of Wisdom, right next to Great Mosque of Samarra, 25 development, holy site, decent location.
- House of Wisdom: Literally the best unique building in the game, +15% lifestyle experience, +10% cultural fascination, +2 learning per level of fame, +20% taxes, high development bonuses, and +5% renown.
- Great Mosque of Samarra: Piety, renown, development, tax, and construction bonuses.
By the way, both unique buildings are pre-built even in 867.
Historically Baghdad was a paradise on earth. Then, Mongols came and destroyed everything.
7. Jerusalem
Holy of holies location on earth! Right next to Petra. Very close to Damascus. Only two castles though.
- Dome of the Rock: Huge tax and development bonuses. Martial per level of devotion, piety per knight, monthly renown, +20% knight effectiveness, and control growth.
- Petra: Tax and development bonuses. It’s in a city though. So, it’ll not be directly controlled by you.
It’s not really special place to play as Muslim ruler though. The real fun of playing there is to win a crusade and play as your beneficiary.
You can also form the Outremer Empire with a decision after you control the required locations. It’ll form a new Arabian-European mix Outremer culture, destroy the Sunni Caliphate title, turn some vassals and counties to Catholicism, etc. It’ll be a fun playthrough, I guarantee.
8. Constantinople
Highest development in the game (35), Hagia Sophia Cathedral / Mosque, Theodosian Walls, 867 prebuilt, farmlands, holy site. Literally is the middle of known world.
- Hagia Sophia: Development, learning, intrigue, piety, renown, and knight bonuses. Perfect building for Orthodox and Muslim rulers.
- Theodosian Walls: +10 tax (WTF), +45% levy size, +45% holding taxes, and huge development bonuses.
9. Praha
3 castles, 2 cities, 1 temple, university, close to a mine, 1 farmlands terrain, and in the middle of Europe. Capital of huge duchy with huge amount of baronies.
- University: Development growth, +1 learning per level of faith, monthly lifestyle +10%, +5% cultural fascination, and renown bonus.
- Kutna Hora Mine: +3 tax, +10% holding taxes, +5% development, and +10% siege weapon effectiveness bonuses. Can be upgraded 3 times after being built.
10. Frankfurt
Capital of Holy Roman Empire. 3 castles, 1 farmlands terrain, middle of Europe. No unique buildings though! Shoot.
Anyways, to rule the Holy Roman Empire, you need a capital with 3 castles. Frankfurt ticks the box.
You might ask, where is Rome? Dude don’t touch Rome. It belongs to the Pope. I will never make it my capital, unless developers allow us to play as the Bishop of Rome, Pope himself! Still waiting for the DLC…
Other noteworthy counties: Uppland, Kyiv, Holland, Mann, Santiago, Cordoba, Toledo, Krakow, Cairo, Bambuk, Mecca, Isfahan, Mangyshlak, Pihiti, Pataliputra, and Karakorum.
Thanks for reading! Do let me know your favorite capital location by leaving a comment on below. See you later.