CK3 All Under Heaven – How to become Shogun by having lots of babies

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The political situation in Japan within Crusader Kings 3: All Under Heaven is historically accurate, and not a design flaw. Japan has an emperor, but they’re largely a figurehead. The real power lies with the Kampaku, a regent who controls the country. If you want to be the most powerful person in Japan, you should aim to become the Kampaku. Alternatively, focusing on building up the imperial family can be very rewarding, as each new family member generates extra Renown.

It’s tough to directly oppose the Kampaku at the beginning, as they control a huge army that no regional lord can hope to defeat. Success requires a strategic, long-term approach, and skillfully using the alliances within Japan’s Bloc system.

Blocs are basically unofficial groups formed by noble families who share common goals – you can choose from options like focusing on Ceremony, Honor, Strength, or Prosperity. Becoming the leader of a powerful Bloc is the easiest path to taking control of the government and ultimately establishing a Shogunate.

Okay, so I’ve been playing CK3: All Under Heaven, and let me tell you, if you want to really dominate Japan, forget just conquering land or making alliances. The real key is having a ton of kids! Seriously, expanding your family and building up your dynasty is way more important than anything else. That’s how you actually get ahead in this game.

How to grow your Bloc in CK3

Okay, so building up my Bloc is actually pretty straightforward. The easiest thing to do is just use the ‘Invite to Bloc’ option when I’m looking at another house. Of course, whether they actually join depends on a bunch of stuff – it’s not always a guaranteed yes!

When you’re starting a Bloc, it’s best to invite houses that share your government type and goals. For example, if you’ve built a feudal province focused on prosperity, only invite houses that are also feudal and prioritize prosperity. This makes them more likely to join and strengthens your Bloc’s unity, which provides benefits and prevents it from collapsing.

Adding houses with different governments, goals, or those you’re on bad terms with weakens your alliance and could cause it to fall apart. Once you have a solid group of houses that agree with you, it’s okay to include a few that are different, as long as your alliance’s strength continues to grow.

As a fan, I’m really excited about the Festivals! They’re a cool Japanese-inspired activity where you can really build up your Bloc. You can hang out and improve how well your team works together, find new people to join, or even stir up trouble for your rivals – imagine the drama of a good betrayal! It’s a great way to add some extra strategy and fun to the game.

The most effective way to expand your Bloc is by both having children and winning wars against neighboring realms. Joining a Bloc grants you a reason to declare war specifically to increase its size. If you win, you can give the conquered lands to a member of your court or family, who will then become the new ruler of that territory and automatically join your Bloc, sharing your goals and type of government.

This strategy helps maintain strong family unity, keeps new family members from becoming too powerful and threatening your position, and expands your control within the country. When family members acquire land, it boosts your dynasty’s prestige and creates useful allies for warfare. Having more family branches also means more births, and a larger family overall increases your house’s power and influence.

This is essentially a political scheme where people are encouraged to have children and bring relatives to a territory, regardless of how small the contribution each person makes. The idea is that sheer numbers can eventually create a significant force.

So, what’s the ultimate goal? Blocs aren’t about joining offensive wars alongside each other, but they will support you if you rebel against your ruler – for example, if you’re trying to become the new Kampaku. If you’ve built a strong and unified Bloc, the current regent might even step down peacefully. But even if they fight back, your combined forces should be enough to win.

This strategy is most effective if you’ve become a Feudal Soryo, operating outside the usual system of appointed governors, as it helps ensure your family keeps its lands. However, becoming a Soryo is considered a crime against the Kampaku (regent), giving them a reason to declare war on you. Therefore, it’s important to either appease the Kampaku or distract them while you grow your power. Once you control the Kampaku position, taking control of the Shogunate becomes much easier.

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2025-10-28 20:19