Crusader Kings II, a game from Paradox Entertainment, the sequel to Crusader Kings, is a strategy-based video game. This game is not just about killing people and conquering their territory; it’s far more than that. Crusader Kings 2 gives you a new experience of running a kingdom first and then the battle. Well, the duty of an emperor does not limit him to fighting in battles.
So well, if you are a lover of this game, this article is totally for you. Here, we will be going on with a lot of exciting things in the game. So, let us get started.
Crusader Kings 2 Artifacts
CK2 Artifacts, as the name suggests, are unique items, other than the normal ones you have equipped in the game. The fact that these items have the power to grant the bearer with unique abilities and even special skills is what makes them unique.
Well, they indeed grant special abilities, but it is not easy to get an artifact. It requires particular practice in the game to get an object. In the same way, one doesn’t need to be able to equip any type of artifact. Every item has its own set of requirements, and if the player fails to meet all of them, he will not be able to equip the artifact. Artifacts can also be gifted to other players or Characters. Some objects have restrictions on who can receive them, but most can be gifted right away. Well, some artifacts cannot be gifted all. For instance, you cannot gift a skull trophy, magnum opus, or a Necronomicon.
Obtaining Artifacts
There are specific ways by which one can find an artifact in the game. Some of them are mentioned below.
- Using Character Finder
You can use your character finder to search the name of an artifact.
- Using Monks and Mystics
You can also steal these items from monastic society sieges. Councilors can easily hunt for objects. Raids can also provide you objects, just make sure you steal the sacking capital holdings.
- Either Monks and Mystics or Holy Fury
In warfare, sieging a capital holding will also grant you artifacts.
- Either Monks and Mystics or Jade Dragon
Using the ‘Search for a Smith’ can also help you in finding artifacts.
- Using Jade Dragon
In this way, use ‘Compose a Book’ decision to get an artifact.
Searching for Artifacts
It indeed is possible to search for an artifact first. Well, in such cases, the objects are better than the ones you are bound to get in raids and events. And well, every search, whether it is for an item, a piece of Armor, or even for a person, starts with a Rumour.
In Crusader Kings 2, if you are not a Zunist, your counselor is bound to hear the rumor of an Artifact. Selecting the same councilor or any other councilor for the search of artifact will be the best course of action here. There are typically three types of rumors: Minor, Medium, and Major. You need to have reached 8, 14 and 20 points respectively from an event to be able to acquire the artifact. Getting the rumor about an object majorly depends on the artifacts you are currently having. Having the same leveled artifacts will bind you from hearing any stories about another same leveled artifact. For instance, having all three bones of St. Peter, the staff of Moses, and even David’s harp in case you are a Christian will prevent you from hearing any major rumor.
The counselor will then choose a random skill based upon the type of rumor and the events to progress through the events in the search of the artifact. The councilor can use any type of power. He will report back to you about the quest progress in about every 80 days until either the object is found or he has lost his track. He will also stop reporting to you in case he dies.
Your counselor might also require help at any instant. You have the option of helping him. You can either help him or not. Both cases have different consequences. If you help him, you don’t have to help him as long as the modifier is on (probably for about five years). The modifier will also fade out if he dies, stops this quest, or even gets the artifact. Helping him will increase his perks while also affect yours. So, only help if you have enough on your end, enough to keep you in track in case of any emergency. Well, helping him will increase his perks, making the hunt even more comfortable.
But in the same way, declining to the help will create a bit problem on his end. In this case, the overall mission progress points will also decrease by 1. So, try to help him.
Your counselor might also need money. Well, this can also happen if he needs money or if he is just greedy and selfish. Well, he might run out with that money, but in either case, as long as he is on the quest, the modifier will be on, and he won’t require money for about ten years. He also can make a mistake. Well, this might degrade the progress of the quest by some points, but then he will not be able to make any mistakes again for about ten years. Well, you can always jail him, order to cancel the hunt and do many more things. Just make sure to get the best decision.
If your man gets jailed, dies, or even leaves the quest, you will lose all the quest progress. So, just make sure to get him his needs along with tracking his work. If also he leaves the council, your total quest progress will get lost.
So, it is essential to choose the right counselor. Well, make sure the one you are choosing has proper perks, traits, and even the appropriate skills. Having a total of 18 skill points with 8 points on each skill and no dumb skills will help a lot. Also, make sure that he is right with you.
Also Read: Best Of Crusader Kings II MODs
Losing Artifacts
Well, there is also a chance that you might miss an artifact. In case someone stoles your artifact as in a siege, you might lose your artifact. There is also a chance that you might die. Well, in the case of a ruler, the artifact destroys. In the case of a non-ruler, the object is inherited by its employer. But for the destructible objects, there is a 50% chance that it will get destroyed.
Artifacts after inheritance also require maintenance. In case you are holding an object, you need to make sure that the item you are currently holding is adequately maintained. In most cases, a Q1 artifact requires about 30% of yearly income, while a Q4+ artifact requires approximately 100% of annual revenue. All the other types of objects require some percentage in between them. So, make sure you have your income adequately used.
Crusader Kings 2 Bloodlines
CK2 Bloodlines, as the name suggests, are modifiers that are passed down the generations for one specific character, also known as the founder of the trait. Bloodlines grant special abilities, skills, and traits. Having a Bloodline in your character can be kind of really perky when it comes to gaming. There are many bloodlines in the game to be found (and also founded).
Some bloodlines in the game can also be acquired by doing some unique activities such as by building a Legend as a Warrior Lodge Hero. At the same time, others can also be unlocked by doing unique and impressive feats, such as being an advanced and extraordinary raider or a battle warrior. Well, in any case, we can conclude that acquiring a deadline can be a little difficult unless you have inherited it, but it is not impossible.
The only problem with the bloodline system is that it requires the ‘Holy Fury’ DLC in the game. So, grab it quickly and get back to this part of the article where we will be discussing Bloodlines in Crusader Kings 2.
Bloodline Effects
Again, as the name of the sub-heading suggests, having a bloodline yield special effects in the game. Effect’s such as personal combat skill gain or even monthly prestige skills are some effects that come with a special bloodline. As said earlier, there are many bloodlines in a game, all with different abilities and effects.
The game considers these special bloodline effects as flags. And so, having two or more of the same kind might yield no result at all. However, similar flags that are not a gift of the bloodline are to be dealt with separately, and the bloodline effect will have priority over them. In most cases, the bloodline special effect stacks other impacts of a similar kind.
Gaining a Bloodline
Like everything else, a bloodline can be obtained in two popular ways. The ways are inheritance and transfer.
- Inheritance
Although genetic, not entirely, a bloodline can be transferred to the characters by parents. In this case, too, it is not necessary that both parents can inherit it. The type of inheritance used and the bloodline acquired depends upon the gender of the founder of the said bloodline. It is believed that a specific gender can only inherit a particular type of blood. Well, if the bloodline is paternal, it can be inherited by all the offspring, but only from the father. In other cases, if the bloodline is maternal, the bloodline can be inherited by all the offspring, but only from the mother. In a particular instance where if a woman takes a consort, all her children are bound to inherit all her bloodlines. In the game, there are also two specialized types of bloodlines, them being the universal and the individual bloodlines. The universal bloodlines, as the name suggests, can inherit from both the father and the mother of the Child. While, conversely, the individual type of bloodline can not be inherited at all.
- Transfer
As a fundamental rule of the game, each child can only have one type of bloodline. And so, they can only pass on one of them. However, there is a way to get more bloodlines in a single character. Well, this can be done with the help of the transfer feature of bloodline in the game. This can be taken into account but considering the case where a marriage is in question. Well, in such a case, for example, if the marriage is matrilineal, that is, there are no known fathers to the children, all the bloodlines, in this case, will be temporarily treated as that of universal bloodlines. And as stated earlier for a universal bloodline, a bloodline that will get inherited from both father and mother, the children will get all the bloodlines from the mother. In such cases, things get a little problematic. As, in these cases, the children will have to go in matrilineal marriages as keeping all the bloodlines merged can be a bit problematic. But even if they didn’t do this task, the merged bloodlines in sons will be kept merged, and the merged ones in the daughter will remain combined. And well, in this case, it will become difficult to bring those of these merged bloodlines to get together.
Well, here is a simple table providing all the examples of these situations, which will help you understand the concepts of bloodlines in the game.
Conclusion
So, that was a little about getting to know about Tips and Tricks in Crusader Kings 2. Well, if you have not played it yet, why not give it a shot.