Victoria 3: How to colonize? Victoria 3 guide
Gradually taking over new regions is a good strategy for your country to increase its influence and become a significant force on the world map. On the following page of the Victoria 3 game guide we describe how to colonize new areas and what to pay attention to during this process.
Last update: 28 October 2022
This page of the guide deals with the colonization of new areas in Victoria 3. You will learn what needs to be done to capture the areas, and how to prepare for it.
- Preparing for colonization
- How to set up a colony?
- How to remove a colony?
- Creating a colony step by step
Preparing for colonization
Before you start establishing your first colony, you need to research the Colonization technology. You will do it in the Technologies tab marked with a light bulb symbol.
Some countries have the Colonization technology already researched from the start, so you may be able to skip this step.
Then you need to work on the specific law. Go to the Laws tab in the Politics section and develop one of the following:
- Colonial Resettlement - a law that gives a bonus to the Migration Attraction. Useful if you plan to increase the population of a given region by attracting people to it.
- Colonial Exploitation - colonies will be cheaper to maintain, and buildings operating in them will become more efficient.
Depending on the support for the new law, its implementation may take up to several hundred days, so in the meantime deal with other issues of state management.
How to set up a colony?
You can only establish a colony in a region that meets two conditions:
- You have declared interests with a given region;
- The country to which the region belongs has the Decentralized Nation status.
You declare your interests with the Diplomatic Lens. In the Regional Actions tab, select Declare Interests, then select an area on the map.
To check whether the state authority in a given region has decentralized status, left-click on the specific area. In the Overview window at the bottom you will find the information you want.
When selecting a region, it is worth choosing one that is weaker than you in terms of economy and military. Thanks to this, it will be much easier for you to set up and develop a colony.
Once you have declared your interests, right-click on the region and then select Colonize. From then on, your country, piece by piece, will expand its influence in that area.
How to remove a colony?
If you find that maintaining a colony is too expensive for you, or you just changed your plans, you can remove a colony. You can do it in the Diplomatic Lens by pressing the Establish Colony button. Click on the desired area and confirm your choice.
Creating a colony step by step
Below you will find a list with all the stages of establishing a colony.
To establish a colony:
- Develop the Colonization technology;
- Establish one of the laws: Colonial Resettlement or Colonial Exploitation;
- Declare business with a region whose country has the Decentralized Nation status;
- Select the Colonize option by right-clicking on the region.