Victoria 3: Warfare – Land Battles

If your diplomatic plays got you in a war with other countries then you’ll have to prepare your military and then the fronts for the battles will be created for both of the countries. The land battles are the key battles in warfare that’ll win you land by winning the war.

In this guide, we’ll tell you about land battles in Victoria 3.

Land Battles

With every conflict in Victoria 3, a front is automatically created between opposing countries’ borders. This is how land warfare in Victoria 3 is conducted. Instead of moving around armies on a map, you control a front or potentially a number of fronts, and your success in a war depends on pushing the front line into the opposing side’s territory. There are three orders you can give to a general:

• Stand By
• Defend Front
• Advance Front

Stand-by orders the general to remain idle without joining a front. Their troops will be garrisoned to try their best to prevent enemy incursion. Defend Front orders tell your general to gather their troops and defend against enemy advances along the targeted front line without trying to advance themselves. Their focus will be on intercepting advancing opposing armies and repelling enemy forces. Advance Front orders tell a general to gather their troops and try to attack to make incursions into enemy territory along the targeted front line. Defend and Advance orders both carry significant attrition risk with them as most troops of the time simply died of causes outside of battle while on the campaign, so make sure you’re prepared to face losses.

Depending on the traits of your generals and your army composition, the exact effects of these orders may vary. Reckless generals will increase offensive attack power at the cost of more casualties. Additionally, the war goals of territory and even terrain will modify how the front progresses throughout the course of the war.

During the war, when an Advance order is initiated by at least one general on one side of a front, a “time to battle” meter will fill up that will start a battle. Both sides will automatically select a leading general and a province will be automatically picked. A number of units will be brought in, both from the participating generals and other nearby generals in garrisons along the front line.

Once the fighting starts, each side’s strength will be calculated by a balance of power, and in each progressive round, the stronger side will inflict damage on the other until one side’s morale reaches 0 which will end the battle. When a land battle ends, depending on how decisive it is, an army captures a number of provinces along the front line. If a defending general wins the battle, they can only retake their own territory. If an attacking general wins the battle, they can advance their front line into the enemy territory which will win them the lands.