CK3: Best Cultural Traditions

There are many different cultures in Crusader Kings 3 depicting the breadth and variety of the Middle Ages in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Each culture comprises several Traditions that grant various effects that are mostly positive, but sometimes with negative elements. These cultural Traditions define how members of a particular culture act in Crusader Kings 3 and in the case of the player, open up new ways to play the game.

While all cultures start with established Traditions, these can be replaced or expanded on at the cost of Prestige. Naturally, all Traditions in CK3 have their uses and fit better with particular goals, however, some Traditions are simply stronger than the rest. This list will not rank Regional Traditions, as these are only available to cultures of specific heritages. Nor will it rank other Traditions that are gated in other ways that prevent them from being picked up in most playthroughs.

Updated on February 5, 2024, by Joe Grantham: There are many cultural Traditions available to players, and each DLC for Crusader Kings 3 usually introduces some new ones for players to unlock and utilize in unique ways. To unlock Traditions certain obligatory requirements must be met, and sometimes players will find that their culture is locked out of some Traditions. Each Tradition will cost 2000 less Prestige if the culture has the Tradition’s preferred ethos, and it will cost 3000 less Prestige if certain optional requirements are met. At the end of the day, CK3’s best Traditions are not only strong but also create unique gameplay.

13 Culture Blending

Form Hybrid Cultures More Easily & Learn More Languages

When players are looking at the Traditions they want for their culture, they will soon see that not all are available to just take on. Some are locked behind specific regions or cultural heritages. However, if players are in close proximity to a culture that has the Traditions they want, there is a way to easily acquire them; form a Hybrid Culture. When a Hybrid Culture is formed, the player can choose between the Traditions of the two cultures, mixing and matching as they please.

To make this process even easier, players could first take the Culture Blending Tradition, which massively lowers the Prestige cost. Outside of forming Hybrid Cultures, the increase in cultural acceptance makes ruling large realms of various cultures even easier. By taking advantage of the bonuses to learn different languages, players will also have an easier time with diplomacy.

12 Family Business

Appointing Family Members To Positions Provides Bonuses

In general, family members in CK3 are more likely to have a positive opinion of each other, which means related vassals are happy vassals. With the Family Business cultural Tradition, players will then be further rewarded for appointing these closely related vassals or even non-vassals to their Council. This is because Councilor Tasks will be 10% more effective, allowing players to bring in more taxes or restore control in counties faster.

On top of this, close family members appointed to court positions will perform better, bringing in a wide array of bonuses. This makes it a particularly great Tradition for players who own the Royal Court DLC which unlocks more court positions.

11 Castle Keepers

Castles Get Defensive Bonuses And Provide Prestige & Renown

Castle Keepers is easily one of the best cultural Traditions in CK3, especially for new players as it ties into one of the simpler ways to play the game. First of all, castles will receive bonuses to the Defender Advantage when battles are fought within their vicinity, making rebellions or foreign invasions much easier to put down. Foreign invasions in particular will be easier to desist, as with the Castle Keepers Traditions, players’ vassals will be more likely to improve their castles.

Players will also receive Prestige and Renown from castles, both of which are highly valuable resources, with Prestige being used for countless actions such as declaring wars, and Renown unlocking the best dynasty Legacies in CK3.

10 Noble Adoption

Enable Adoption Allowing Players To Choose The Best Heirs

Noble Adoption is one of the newest cultural Traditions in CK3 and while it might not appear strong at first, if players take advantage of adoption, they can reach new heights. This is because instead of having to accept weak heirs with bad stats, they can adopt children with the best congenital traits that make them giant geniuses, for example.

These prodigies who were adopted without spending Prestige or Renown can then be given the best education which will be even more effective thanks to Noble Adoption. With overpowered characters in line for the throne, players will have an easy time achieving their goals down the line.

9 Hereditary Hierarchy

Improves The Bonus For Long Reigns & Vassals Pay More Taxes

Long reigns in Crusader Kings 3 are desired by most players as they allow time for growth and consolidation. The Hereditary Hierarchy Tradition makes long reigns even better, first of all, thanks to the opinion boost from vassals, but also because of the reduced cost of building castles.

While players must have a feudal government to get Hereditary Hierarchy, the +10% boost to feudal vassal tax contribution is huge and will help rake in plenty of extra gold throughout a playthrough.

8 Parochialism

Cities Are Better & Cheaper To Build

Parochialism is a cultural Tradition with lots of small benefits that all add up, especially over a long playthrough. In general, Parochialism is all about helping cities grow and helping rulers reap more rewards from their cities. First of all, cities and their buildings are cheaper to construct and this not only goes for the player, but all characters of the culture in question, meaning AI vassals will also build for cheaper prices.

City holdings will then give more taxes and levies while developing at a faster rate. The fact that Parochial vassals are also more common and provide more tax and levies means players can expect plenty more of both. The only downsides to Parochialism are a small loss of control and the opinions of Parochial and Minor Landholder vassals.

7 Loyal Subjects

Vassals Will Be More Loyal & Happy With Their Liege

Keeping vassals and the populace happy is key to realm stability in Crusader Kings 3 and the Loyal Subjects Tradition helps out massively with avoiding problems from within such as rebellions.

Loyal Subjects does this in many small ways which all add up, and unlike other Cultural Traditions, it has no downsides. As vassals are more likely to have the Loyal trait and speak the language of their liege on top of the flat +10 increase to opinion, players won’t have to handle factions in CK3 as frequently.

6 Malleable Invaders

Adapting To The Local Culture Is Easier When Invading

One of the most fun playthroughs in Crusader Kings 3 involves playing as an adventurer such as Jarl Haesteinn and invading faraway lands. Players can then create a unique hybrid culture, combining cultural practices that would rarely have interacted at this time.

The Malleable Invaders Tradition is naturally perfect for players with this goal in mind as it vastly reduces the requirements and cost of forming a hybrid culture. It also makes converting faith easier, or alternatively lessens the penalties of having a different faith to the populace, making for a more stable reign.

5 Religious Patronage

Gain Renown & Piety From Building Temples

Piety can be an extremely useful resource to accrue in Crusader Kings 3, although the benefits of it very much depend on which faith the player’s character belongs to. The Religious Patronage Tradition can significantly help with gaining Piety, both from building Temple Holdings and from those that are already in use.

As a bonus, players will also gain the much rarer resource of Renown from either constructing or upgrading Temples, which can then be used to unlock the best Dynasty Legacies in CK3​​​.

4 Industrious

Building Is Faster & Helps Development Growth

Playing tall is a popular strategy in Crusader Kings 3 where players focus on the lands they have and instead of trying to expand their borders through war or more diplomatic means, focusing instead on building up their holdings and economy.

The Industrious Tradition is perfect for this playstyle or any player who wants to build and progress through the ages, as buildings can be constructed faster, and when they are complete they provide development growth. However, as this Tradition inflicts more stress gain, players will need to be proficient at managing their stress levels in CK3​.

3 By The Sword

Holy Wars Are Easier To Start

Waging holy wars is an easy way to conquer land in regions where many faiths exist as players won’t need to gain claims to these titles. However, to keep things from getting out of hand, characters can normally only wage one kingdom-level holy war in their lifetime, and higher levels of devotion are required for bigger targets.

This can be bypassed with the By The Sword Tradition which makes declaring holy wars much easier, though at the cost of monthly Piety and a few other things.

2 Legalistic

Necessary For Ruling Large Realms

When players have already amassed a large realm and are looking to consolidate their new power, they will need to level up their rule in CK3, and unlocking the Legalistic Tradition is one of the easiest ways to do this. As it increases the vassal limit and reduces the cost of new laws for bigger realms, it is perfect for ruling over vast swathes of land.

Cheaper title creation costs also help with setting up a more stable realm made up of plenty of duchies or even kingdoms if the player rules an Empire. However, this is not the Tradition for players looking to rule through dread in CK3, as tyranny is an injustice and has even more negatives.

1 Strength In Numbers

Increases The Size Of Armies At The Cost Of Heavy Units

Battles both in the real Middle Ages and in CK3 aren’t necessarily won by the side with more men, but the buffs provided by the Strength In Numbers Tradition are so great that they simply cannot be overlooked. The biggest of these is the significant increase in levy size which will swell the numbers of any army.

If players then focus on lighter regiments of archers, skirmishers, and light cavalry they will be able to get more of these, and at a cheaper price. When combined with other traditions such as Longbow Competitions, which enable better archers to be recruited, Strength In Numbers can become rather overpowered. Having bigger and better armies is one of the easiest ways to win more wars in Crusader Kings 3.