Simone Lawson
Diplomacy in Empire: Total War is a complex system that players can use to navigate relationships with other factions and pursue their strategic goals. The game's diplomacy screen allows players to negotiate, form alliances, and make counter-offers, with the outcome depending on the power balance and each faction's feelings towards one another. Players must consider the impact of their actions, such as declaring war or taking over territories, which can incur diplomatic penalties with other factions. The First Minister plays a crucial role in providing diplomatic bonuses and prestige. Trade agreements and state gifts can improve relationships, while breaking alliances or failing in assassination attempts can have negative consequences. Players can also use military access, blockades, and other strategies to influence the game without direct conflict. Understanding and effectively utilising diplomacy is essential for players to succeed in Empire: Total War.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Diplomacy Mechanic | Allows the player faction to interact with other factions |
| Map | Shades provinces white if the selected faction owns it, grey if the controlling faction is indifferent, red if it dislikes the selected faction, and green if it likes the selected faction |
| Historical Grievances/Friendship | Varies depending on faction history before 1700/1783 in the Warpath/United States Campaign |
| Government Type | Absolute Monarchies and Republics distrust each other the most |
| Religion | Positive if the same, negative if different |
| National Leaders Command Respect | Varies depending on the leader's number of stars |
| Diplomacy Actions | Sweeten the deal with money, technology, regions, or military access, or make a threat |
| Trade Agreements | Base bonus between 20 and 40 on the turn they are created, then gain a +1 modifier |
| State Gifts | +100 modifier, reduced by one each turn |
| War | -70 to -200 modifier |
| Territorial Expansion | -10 modifier per territory taken over |
| Alliances | Can entangle you in war but can also keep you out of it |
| Non-Aggression Pact | Can be used to gain gold |
| Defensive Alliance | If one ally attacks another, you will suffer a negative hit to your reliability |
| First Minister | Provides diplomatic bonuses and prestige |
| Head of State | Affects diplomacy but cannot be changed |
| Development | Always do diplomacy before development, as the CAI will adjust counteroffers depending on your funds |
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What You'll Learn
Understanding the campaign map
The campaign map is an essential tool for understanding the lay of the land and navigating your diplomatic strategy in Empire: Total War. The map provides a bird's-eye view of the world, with each province shaded to indicate its relationship with your faction. Provinces owned by your faction are shaded white, while those indifferent to your faction are grey, and those that dislike or like your faction are shaded red or green, respectively. This visual representation allows players to quickly assess their standing with different provinces and make informed decisions about their diplomatic approach.
Hovering over a province reveals the owner's feelings towards your faction, along with the reasons behind those sentiments. This information is crucial for navigating the complex web of alliances and rivalries that exist between factions. It also helps players understand the potential consequences of their actions, as certain decisions can improve or deteriorate relationships over time. For example, declaring war may result in a -10 modifier per territory taken, impacting your diplomatic relations with other factions.
The campaign map is not just about the present; it also helps players shape the future. By paying attention to the news section and keeping track of other factions' actions, players can identify potential allies or enemies. Forming alliances and confederations can provide much-needed support, especially when facing stronger opponents. However, it's important to remember that alliances can also entangle you in wars, so choosing the right allies and maintaining positive relations is vital.
Additionally, the campaign map allows players to view existing treaties, trading possibilities, and the overall attitude of other factions. This information can guide strategic decisions, such as offering gifts or demanding payments to improve relations or requesting allies to join a war against a common enemy. Understanding the relative strength of factions is also key to making informed diplomatic choices, as it indicates which factions may be more open to negotiation or susceptible to influence.
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The importance of your First Minister
Diplomacy is a huge factor in Empire: Total War, and your First Minister plays a critical role in this. Your First Minister is responsible for providing you with any diplomatic bonuses and prestige you may receive. Therefore, it is essential to appoint your best candidate to this position on the first turn of your campaign. Remember to replace them if someone better comes along during the game.
The First Minister's importance extends beyond just diplomatic bonuses. They also influence your agreements and treaties, which are vital to your success. On your first turn, after selecting your First Minister, head to the Diplomatic Menu to arrange as many Trade Agreements as possible. Remember that land routes do not count against your ports, and the more regions a faction has, the more lucrative the trade will be. Be mindful of the modifiers that can impact your diplomacy, such as war, historical grievances, and territorial expansion. For example, taking over Europe will likely anger every faction.
Your First Minister's skills will be crucial in navigating these modifiers and maintaining positive relationships with other factions. They can help you secure alliances, which can be beneficial, but be cautious as they may also entangle you in wars. Assess your situation and use your First Minister's expertise to decide whether to form alliances or remain independent. Remember that certain factions always have their ports blocked early in the game, so consider forming alliances with minor factions that typically avoid wars.
Additionally, your First Minister can advise on the timing of your diplomatic actions. For example, if you plan to refuse to join an ally in war and then declare war on them yourself, you will suffer a massive blow to your reliability. However, you can reduce the impact by waiting a few turns between ending agreements and declaring war. A skilled First Minister will help you navigate these complexities and ensure your diplomatic endeavours are successful.
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Trade agreements and treaties
When forming trade agreements, it is important to consider the number of regions a faction controls, as this directly impacts the benefits gained through trade. Players should aim to arrange as many trade agreements as possible, especially with factions that have a large number of regions. Additionally, players should be mindful of the impact of their actions on their reliability rating. Breaking treaties, refusing to join allies in war, and cancelling alliances, military access, or trade agreements can result in significant penalties to reliability, affecting future diplomatic relations.
It is worth noting that some factions may have their ports blocked early in the game, so players should consider forming alliances with minor factions that are less likely to get involved in wars. Alliances can provide benefits, such as avoiding entanglement in wars, but players should be cautious as certain actions, like refusing to join allies in war, can strain these relationships.
Diplomacy in Empire: Total War also involves managing historical grievances and territorial expansion. For example, playing as Great Britain, historical grievances with France will impact diplomatic relations. Additionally, conquering territories can affect relationships with other factions; taking over Europe, for instance, is likely to anger almost everyone. Therefore, players should carefully consider the potential consequences of their expansionist policies on their diplomatic standing.
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Using diplomacy before development
When playing Empire: Total War, diplomacy is a key gameplay mechanic that allows your faction to interact with other factions. It is important to always do your diplomacy before development, as the AI knows how much cash you have and will adjust its counteroffers accordingly.
For example, if you delay a farm upgrade for a year, you may be able to secure a valuable trade deal, rather than having the AI refuse your offer because you don't have enough cash to make it worthwhile. The AI will also ask for more provinces if you have a lot of cash, which may be provinces that you are not willing to part with.
There are several modifiers that can affect how diplomacy plays out. For instance, if you declare war as Prussia and then rampage across the continent, you will receive a -10 modifier for each territory you take over. This also applies to other factions; taking a territory from another faction will result in a -60 modifier, while taking a territory in India will give Indian factions a -10 modifier. It is important to note that some factions, such as the Ottoman Empire and Native American factions, do not receive modifiers for territorial expansion.
Diplomatic actions can be successful if they are sweetened with money, technology, regions, or military access, or if a threat is made. Additionally, factions with friendly relations are more likely to have successful diplomatic interactions. It is also worth noting that diplomatic relations tend to deteriorate over time, and penalties for territorial expansion can increase indefinitely, especially for factions being annexed by the player.
Another important aspect of diplomacy is the cabinet. Your First Minister is crucial, as they provide any diplomatic bonuses and prestige you may receive. Your Head of State also influences diplomacy, but there is usually little you can do about them. It is advisable to appoint your best man as First Minister on the first turn of the campaign, and exchange them if someone better comes along.
Agreements and treaties are also essential in diplomacy. On your first turn, after choosing your First Minister, go to the Diplomatic Menu and arrange as many trade agreements as possible. Remember that land routes do not count against your ports, and that the more regions a faction has, the more you will make in trade.
Alliances can be beneficial, but they can also entangle you in wars. It is often a good idea to reach agreements with factions that have many bordering factions, as this can turn them into staunch allies or disinterested bystanders. State gifts can also be effective, especially for factions like Spain that need to court minors. While it is no longer easy to make protectorates, cultivating alliances can help you maintain better income levels and avoid trading regions away.
In conclusion, diplomacy in Empire: Total War requires careful consideration of modifiers, diplomatic actions, cabinet appointments, agreements, treaties, alliances, and state gifts. By utilising these tools effectively and always doing your diplomacy before development, you can succeed in your diplomatic endeavours and build strong relationships with other factions.
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How to use state gifts
State gifts are a great way to improve your relationship with a faction in Empire: Total War. They are a diplomatic gesture, and the more expensive the gift, the more it will improve your relations. For example, if you gift jewels to a faction with which you have a friendly relationship, you will then have a very friendly relationship.
State gifts can be used to avoid war with a faction. If you are playing as Italy, for example, and France is likely to go to war with you, you can give them a state gift to improve your relations and avoid conflict. You could also give them unimportant naval advancements, as the AI is greedy for tech, and this will help keep the French Navy in check.
The amount of money you send as a gift is important. If you send a small amount, you are unlikely to get a diplomatic bonus. However, sending a large amount of money at once can improve your relations. You can also send multiple gifts in one turn, which can be more effective than sending a single large gift.
State gifts can also be used to form alliances. If you give a state gift to a faction, they may become a staunch ally, which can help to keep you out of war. It is important to note that alliances can also entangle you in wars, so be mindful of who you ally with.
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Frequently asked questions
The campaign map shows every province and shades it with a colour that indicates how the faction that controls that province feels about your faction. White means the province is owned by your faction, grey means the controlling faction is indifferent, red means they dislike you, and green means they like you.
You can improve your relationship with another faction by arranging trade agreements, giving state gifts, or forming alliances.
It is not easy to make protectorates, but you can increase your chances by cultivating alliances, offering trade deals, and giving state gifts.
Generally, the more territories you conquer, the more factions you will anger. However, you can avoid angering other factions by taking over territories in a different region of the world or by conquering territories from factions that are not allied with other factions.
