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There’s no denying that money and military power are both extremely important inCrusader Kings 3. A character’s reputation, however, proves to be just as important in the medieval world. As such, players should never discount Prestige when formulating their calculations. A ruler who fails to generate sufficient Prestige is doomed to the dustbin of history inCrusader Kings 3.
As with gold, garnering large amounts of Prestige relatively quickly is the ultimate strategy. Nevertheless, pulling it off can often be easier said than done. Characters who are already well-equipped to lead their country should find that accumulating substantial Prestige in their lifetime is a highly achievable goal. Just use the following strategies to accomplish the task.
Prestige is especially important for Tribal rulers, as it is how the player will invest in Men-At-Arms.
Updated June 22, 2025 by Ritwik Mitra:InCrusader Kings 3,players must try their hardest to make their dynasty as affluent as possible by any means necessary. There are several metrics players need to keep track of to ensure this. One way players can ensure that they enjoy a great rule is by increasing their Prestige as much as possible. This measure of renown helps elevate their dynasty, and also lets players carry out certain acts that require a certain amount of Prestige.
13Marry As Many Affluent Women As Possible
Empires That Support Polygamy Are Great For Increasing Prestige
Marriage is a crucial part ofCrusader Kings 3. These bonds help forge alliances that can help players if the going gets tough. Another benefit of marriage is directly related to Prestige, something that will excite most players.
If an alliance isn’t of the utmost importance, then players in polygamous societies can take multiple wives who have a better standing. This leads to a steady inflow of Prestige that players can cash in with ease.
12Sponsor A Ton Of Artifacts
A Simple, Easy Way To Net Prestige
Players can display lots of artifacts in the Royal Court as status symbols. Finding these artifacts can take some gold and resources, but it’s made all the more worthwhile if expeditions to find artifacts end up bearing fruit.
11Don’t Shy Away From A Duel
Winning Duels Does Wonders For Prestige
Duels have become pretty commonplace inCrusader Kings 3, and rulers with a high Martial stat shouldn’t shy away from these confrontations. If worst comes to worst, players can engage in the act of savescumming and pretend that their ruler never initiated a duel that they were destined to lose.
Winning duels is a matter of both skill and luck, and the increase to the winner’s Prestige is impressive. As long as players are willing to take the risk, their ruler will be able to get a one-up over their rival and become more renowned in the process.
10Create New Titles
With Enough Gold, It’s Easy To Create Titles And Gain Prestige
Depending on the player character’s starting position,creating new titlescan be done quite early in a game. Adding new titles to a ruler’s resumeguarantees a significant increase in Prestige. It will cost some gold, but a new title is well worth the price.
Loftier titles grant more Prestige to the person creating them. Obviously,kingdom and empire-tier titles are more prestigious than counties and duchies. Players should amass as many titles as are within their means. A word of warning, though. Be sure to grantsometitles to one’s vassals, in order to avoid penalties and general resentment. Keeping the vassals happy is important.
9Call Hunts & Hold Feasts
Wealthy Players Can Organize These Expensive Events
One of the most straightforward ways of garnering Prestige is throughDecisions. Once players havea bit of gold saved up, they should get into the habit ofenacting regular Hunts and Feasts. Doing so will fire some event chains, after which the player stands to gain easy Prestige.
It’s worth noting, however, thatthese events don’t guarantee success every time. Players can actually lose Prestige if things don’t pan out well. The cooldown period for both these events is5 years, so a little bit of patience is required for this method.
8Winning Wars & Raiding Lands
Raids Are Useful For Tribes, While Wars Are Expensive But Worth It
Unsurprisingly,winning wars can do a lot for a ruler’s public image. Whether offensive or defensive,emerging victorious from a conflictis a great way to boost Prestige and potentially expand the realm at the same time. By a similar token,coming to the aid of an ally in their war will also boost Prestige, assuming the player character actually contributes something to the war effort.
Forcultures that are allowed to do it,raiding also offers a simple method of gaining Prestige. The best part is that players can raid foreign lands without having to resort to full-scale war. Besiege a holding, plunder the loot, and skedaddle before the enemy knows what hit him. Not only does this boost Prestige, but nets riches as well.
7Join & Win Crusades
A Justified Reason To Join Holy Wars
The name of the game isCrusader Kingsafter all! Although secular wars represent the ideal way to expand one’s realm and increase Prestige at the same time, it’s important not to forget about holy wars. Players who start their game in 1066 don’t have to wait long before Crusades become available. The Pope typically calls a Crusade for Jerusalem in thelate 1090s/early 1100s, which represents an ideal opportunity to net some Prestige (and money).
Catholic rulers are heavily encouraged to join a Crusade. Every ruler who decides to join contributes to aWar Chest, which is comprised of both gold and Prestige. If a Crusade is successful, all the participantsget a share of the War Chest based on their contribution to the war. Rulers who prove themselves decisive in the outcome of the Crusade areentitled to a larger share of the booty.
As such, players should seriously consider applying significant effort in a Crusade, especially if they already rule a powerful realm. Being a worthwhile contributorguarantees a greater reward than opposed to being a passive participant. Players may even win the contested title for themselves or their designated benefactor. Hundreds of Prestige points can potentially be netted if players execute an active campaign, assuming the Crusade ends successfully.
6Romance Prospective Love Interests
Romancing Above The Player Character’s Station Nets Prestige
In a world where one’s social standing counts for a lot, romancing the right people can be a great way to earn Prestige through the ages. However, not every character is necessarily cut out for it! Romancing a character is one of the game’s many Schemes, and thus tied to a character’s attributes, specificallyDiplomacy. Traits also play a role, as certain characters are considered more attractive than others. If one’s character has the requisite attributes/traits, why not put those skills to good us?
TheRomance schemeis all about falling in love with another character. If successful,one of the rewards is a nice chunk of Prestige, though the value varies depending on the ranks of the characters involved. Romancing someoneabove one’s player character’s station is always worth more. Of course, these endeavors can always fail, so there’s some risk involved. Both characters must also be compatible with each other first. Nevertheless, a successful Cassanova can experience a nice windfall in terms of Prestige if their endeavors bear fruit.
It’s also worth mentioning that the “Gallant” branch of theMartial Lifestylecontains perks that can substantially increase the success of a Romance scheme. Specifically, the “Courtship” perk can really come in handy.
5Focus On Fashion At The Royal Court
At The Highest Level, Prestige Gain Is Boosted By 8%
Crusader Kings 3’s Royal Court DLC, as its name suggests, overhauls a king/emperor’s court. Along with it come new opportunities to increase one’s Prestige. A Royal Court can be customized in several ways, one of which is through variousAmenities.
Focusing on Fashion at the court grants a bonus to Monthly Prestige gain. AtLevel 5, this buff translates into a+8% Monthly Prestige gain! Granted, fans will have to put some work into achieving this outcome, but the rewards can be worth it for players hungry for ever more Prestige.
4Construct Buildings That Grant Prestige
Focus On Lands The Player Owns, and Construct Buildings Here
Players whoprove thrifty with their financeswill have plenty of extra gold for construction projects. Upgrading a county’s structures, as well as building brand-new ones at regular intervals, is highly recommended. Prioritizing buildings that grant furtherincreases to Monthly Prestige gainis a sound strategy in this regard.
Many buildings grant Monthly Prestige bonuses. A player’s options will often depend on researched Innovations, Culture, Religion, and other relevant metrics. However, if fans are willing to make the requisite investments in time and gold, they will find that every little bonus to Monthly Prestige quickly adds up.
