Crusader Kings 3: How To Gain Influence

Administrative Governments, playable in the Roads To Power DLC for Crusader Kings 3, rely on Influence to determine who has power and authority. It's similar to Prestige and Piety, but you'll probably find yourself spending it like Gold to get ahead in the political mazes of the Byzantine Empire and beyond.

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Success as an aspiring Provicial Governor - or Basileus - requires knowing how to get as much Influence as you can, so that you can use it to secure important posts for yourself and your family members. If you need a little extra grease for the wheels of bureaucracy, read on.

Ways To Get More Influence

There are several ways to generate Influence each month, but each method only earns you a little at a time. Therefore, it's best to try fulfilling as many of the following as possible:

Improve Your Domicile

Your House Estate has several buildings available that can increase your Influence. Guest Chambers and their upgrades are particularly good for this, and Shrines let you trade Piety for Influence by hobnobbing with the clergy. It's usually a good idea to invest in your Estate before your Province Holdings as an Administrative Governor, since that can't be taken away from you.

Get Land For Yourself And Family Members

Being a Provincial Governor (the Administrative equivalent of a Duke) should be your goal whenever you're playing within Byzantium. Not only does it mean the usual benefits of holding land in CK3, but it also provides Influence each month. You also get Influence for each member of your House that holds a landed title, provided they have a positive opinion of you. Support your kin and keep them happy; not only will you gain Influence, but so will they, furthering your Dynasty as a whole.

Form Alliances With Powerful Nobles

Securing an alliance with the head of a powerful House within the same Administrative Empire earns a monthly Influence gain. If both allies are powerful, then they both get this benefit! As usual, political marriages are the easiest way to get a long-term alliance.

Serve On The Council

There aren't many seats on the Emperor's Council, but if you can get yourself onto one that's worth two Influence per month, plus all the other benefits of having your liege's ear. Having good stats and making sure your liege likes you are a good start, but if that doesn't work there's always bribery via gifts and extortion via Hooks to get you the job.

It takes an expensive gift to impress an Emperor, so be ready to spend if you're hoping to buy yourself a Council seat.

Take The Bureaucracy Dynasty Legacy

If you're the head of your Dynasty, you'll periodically have the option to choose Legacies for your bloodline. Bureaucracy is tailor-made for families with deep roots in Administrative Empires, and provides several ways to get more Influence.

Convert To Greek Culture

The majority of Byzantine nobility are Greek, so switching to their Culture if you somehow converted out of it will help keep you on the Imperial court's good side. Perhaps more importantly, the Cultural Sophistication Trait provides a ten percent bonus to Influence gains. If most of your competitors are Greek and you aren't, it's more like you're taking a penalty than they're getting a bonus.

If you form an Administrative Empire outside of Byzantium, you can reform your Culture to include Cultural Sophistication.

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What Is Influence Used For?

Influence can be used on other Administrative characters similarly to bribes when trying to persuade them to do something. By paying them a lump sum of Influence, you can increase their Acceptance for things like arranging marriages, inviting them to join Schemes, or anything else you might try to convince them to do.

Every five years, you can spend 100 Influence to Petition The Basileus, traveling to the capital and asking for an Imperial favor.

Influence is also used to affect succession of titles within an Administrative Empire. Each title keeps a running candidate score based on the Emperor's opinion, stats, and several other factors. You can move a candidate up the ranks by spending Influence on the title's succession menu. This is a good way to ensure that your family members get prestigious appointments, or even the Imperial Throne itself.

The candidate with the highest score at the moment of succession gets the title. If the holder of a title you want might die soon, keep an eye on the candidate rankings and spend Influence as needed.

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