In Crusader Kings 3, there is absolutely no shortage of things to do no matter what point of the game the player is at. Whether expanding their land or their family, the characters who populate the medieval lands of Europe and beyond will always have goals to achieve.
But what can a character do if their lands are (for the time being) big enough and their family is oh-so content? Why, develop their lands and accrue wealth, of course. Paradox Interactive was kind enough to bless the more avaricious players of their acclaimed grand strategy game with three powerful perk trees focused on gaining wealth and sustaining it.
Updated April 21, 2022 by Ryan Bamsey: Crusader Kings 3 places a great emphasis on keeping your realm ticking over smoothly, and while you have quite a few options to aid you in that enterprise, money is truly the oil that keeps things running. This makes picking up a few Stewardship perks a great option for the financially minded, and we've added some more of our favorites to this list.
12 Fearful Troops
Of the ways to play CK3, being dreadful might be one of the most conflicting. Sure, it's fun to wield your power like a mallet, but it can make you feel pretty darn guilty. Fearful Troops is a perk that makes you overlook any guilt you harbor by making Dread even more beneficial by reducing the cost of your Men-at-Arms as you increase your Dread level.
This perk synergizes perfectly with some other perk trees from different lifestyles, such as the Overseer Martial tree and the Torturer Intrigue tree.
11 Professional Workforce
One of the main reasons to take the Stewardship lifestyle is to accrue a ton of money, and one of the main things you'll end up spending your large reserves on is building. Buildings are crucial to retaining power, as they drastically increase your personal levies and your income.
This perk will shorten the time it takes to build any building or construct a hold - by a huge 30 percent! This means your counties will be freed up sooner for further construction work, and the ball never stops rolling. You can go from a small fish in a big sea to the most powerful shark in the ocean over the course of one lifetime if you take advantage of this boon.
10 Soon Forgiven
While the general rule of thumb when playing Crusader Kings 3 is to avoid taking actions that are particularly tyrannical, Soon Forgiven can lessen the sting a little. Being known as a tyrant can have devastating effects on a character’s popularity, but with Soon Forgiven a character will be… soon forgiven, shortening the time that they are considered a monster.
While players are not likely to purposefully build a character around the Soon Forgiven perk, it is useful when it is relevant, and many characters will likely pick it up on the way to superior perks like Toe the Line and Honored to Serve.
9 At Any Cost
While it may seem bonkers that a character would ever want to sell their titles, the At Any Cost perk allows them to do just that. Thankfully, the decision to Sell Minor Titles doesn't actually give away any of the player's land, and it is simply something they can do to trade prestige for some money.
Using this decision can have some quirky effects, so it's quite a fun option to take for a player who likes role-playing and rolling with the punches that the game gives out so liberally.
8 Organized Muster Rolls
A must-take for the architects of any warmongering empire, Organized Muster Rolls doubles the rate at which levies reinforce. This is very useful for recovering after long wars and difficult battles alike, allowing a realm to get back into the fray quicker whether for defense or for profit.
Taking this perk is a beautiful option for any player who doesn’t wish to worry about the micromanagement of their army too much and allows them to more frequently fire soldiers off in any preferred direction.
7 This is MY Domain
Less gallant players may wonder why their subjects do not simply hand over all of their money at the drop of a hat, and those players are likely to take the dramatically titled This is MY Domain perk. This unlocks the ‘Extort Subjects’ decision and it is just as ruthless as it sounds.
While the player will suffer some negative consequences for using this decision, many would assert that the benefits outweigh the cost. The player can accrue some serious coinage from exercising a little ruthlessness, and the fairer rulers will almost certainly invest that money back into the realm. Certainly.
6 Honored to Serve
The dangers of becoming a large kingdom or empire are manyfold. One particularly annoying negative is the proliferation of Powerful Vassals. These individuals can demand a seat on their liege’s council or otherwise sulk for eternity, lowering their devotion and personal contribution to the realm’s success.
Honored to Serve is a perk that offsets the negatives of hiring these vassals to the council, even if they are very bad at their job. The perk increases those Powerful Vassals’ tax and levy contribution, and as they are ‘Powerful’ to begin with this bonus is likely to be quite hefty.
5 Detailed Ledgers
It is no secret that in Crusader Kings 3, republics are rich. Republican rulers are likely no stranger to the many perks contained within the Stewardship Lifestyle and they are not afraid to use them.
The Detailed Ledgers perk is one way a feudal ruler can turn republican avariciousness to their advantage, increasing their tax contribution and their opinion. Add this to the prerequisite perk Heregeld, which also increases vassal tax contribution, and these republican vassals become even more vital to a realm’s economic health.
4 Divided Attention
The only thing better than a county under the control of a loyal vassal is a county under the control of the player (and the only thing better than that is a toddler in crusader garb). Divided Attention provides a flat +2 to a character’s Domain Limit, allowing them to personally hold two more counties.
Characters gain much larger benefits from holding counties personally than by going through a vassal, so Divided Attention is a perfect perk for players who wish to micromanage their income and levies.
3 Likable
There isn’t really much to say about this perk that the title of it does anyway. The Likable perk simply makes the character who takes it more likable, providing a +10 to direct vassal opinion and an even nicer +20 to liege opinion.
Opinion is king when it comes to personal diplomacy, and it is important for players to stay in the good books of the characters who surround them. Currying favor with their liege is also a nice way to receive gifts of money or land, and happier vassals contribute more. There really is no downside – it even just feels nice to be called likable.
2 Meritocracy
Keeping your liege happy is one strategy you can utilize when playing this game. On the flipside, usurping their throne and taking over the whole realm is another perfectly viable strategy, and the Meritocracy perk makes it even more feasible.
This perk unlocks access to the ‘Claim Throne’ scheme, which can take a while to be successful but will end up with a permanent claim on the liege of the schemer’s title. Proper timing must be used to make sure this strategy pays off for the schemer, but if successful it can propel a character through the ranks rather quickly.
1 Toe the Line
On the other side of the coin, once you have usurped, warred, or married your way to the top, you're very likely to want to do all you can to stay there. Toe the Line is a perk that can help magnificently with this endeavor as it discourages vassals from joining Independence Factions.
Not having to worry so much about vassals rising up to take the throne that you worked hard to take is a very nice benefit of this perk. It lets players focus on other areas of the game and prevents the mass buildup of stress when the game deals you a less-than-perfect hand.