Game rules

Game rules are configuration choices available when starting a new game that can slightly alter some mechanics. Some options will disable Achievements. Game rules can be saved as presets.

Game rules can be changed at any point during a game, unless the game was started in Ironman Mode.

Player Difficulty

The Player Difficulty game rule will give either bonuses or penalties to human countries. Setting it to Easy or Very Easy disables achievements.

Very Easy	Easy	Normal	Hard	Very Hard
−25% Army Maintenance +25% Efficiency of Our Cabinet +25% Crown Power +0.5% Estates Satisfaction Recovery +25% Army Morale +25% Legislative Efficiency +25% Navy Morale +25% Tax Efficiency +10% Trade Efficiency	−10% Army Maintenance +10% Efficiency of Our Cabinet +10% Crown Power +0.2% Estates Satisfaction Recovery +10% Army Morale +10% Legislative Efficiency +10% Navy Morale +10% Tax Efficiency +5% Trade Efficiency	No effects	−5% Estates Satisfaction Equilibrium	−10% Estates Satisfaction Equilibrium

AI Difficulty

The AI Difficulty game rule will give either penalties or bonuses to AI countries. Setting it to Easy or Very Easy disables achievements.

Very Easy	Easy	Normal	Hard	Very Hard
−50% Army Morale −50% Navy Morale	−25% Army Morale −25% Navy Morale	No effects	+10% Discipline +0.2% Estates Satisfaction Recovery +10% Estates Satisfaction Equilibrium −10% Pop Food Consumption +0.05% Population Growth +10% Naval Damage Done −10% Naval Damage Taken +10% Monthly Research Progress % +10% Tax Efficiency +5% Trade Efficiency	+20% Discipline +0.3% Estates Satisfaction Recovery +25% Estates Satisfaction Equilibrium −20% Pop Food Consumption +0.1% Population Growth +20% Naval Damage Done −20% Naval Damage Taken +20% Monthly Research Progress % +20% Tax Efficiency +10% Trade Efficiency

Country Change

The Country Change game rule allows switching the player country after the game has started. If set to Country Change Prohibited, the button to switch countries will still appear in the pause menu, but the option to play as another country will be greyed out. If set to Country Change Allowed, achievements will be disabled and Ironman Mode cannot be enabled.

Other general game rules

Game rule	Setting	Effects
Historical AI	Historical	The AI will always choose the historical options in dynamic historical events.
	Weighted	The AI will pick event options dependent on its situation.
	Random	The AI will pick event options completely at random.
Tooltip Tutorials	Tutorial Tooltipping Active	This setting enables additional tutorial-like tooltips which might feel like handholding. Events and other UI objects give additional tooltipping to highlight what mechanics can be used to resolve certain tasks and difficulties.
	Additional Tooltipping Inactive	This setting deactivates the additional tutorial-like tooltips. This might increase immersion and make the experience feel less handholding.
Mission Packs	Missions Enabled	This setting will allow full access to Missions.
	Missions Disabled	This setting will disable all Missions, making it impossible to complete any in the game.
Mission Rewards	Every Task Rewards	Every mission task will provide a reward.
	Only Mission End Rewards	The Missions have only a reward at the end of the mission. Mission tasks as such have no rewards on completion.
	No Rewards	The Missions have no game altering rewards on completion whatsoever.
Ledger Information	Show All	All information is displayed in the ledger.
	Hide Country and Goods	Country and goods information is hidden in the ledger.

Multiplayer game rules

The following game rules only have an effect in multiplayer games. None of them disables achievements.

Game rule	Setting	Effects
Victory Cards	Victory Cards Disabled	Countries will not get victory cards for score.
	Victory Cards Enabled	Countries will occasionally get victory cards for score.
Multiplayer Pause Settings	Block clients pause/unpause	Clients are NOT able to pause or unpause the game.
	Block clients unpause from host/system	Clients are able to pause and unpause the game, but they are NOT able to unpause if the host or the system paused the game.
	Allow clients pause/unpause	Clients are able to pause and unpause the game always.
Multiplayer Unpause Timeout	0	All players are able to unpause the game at all times.
	30	The host and the client who paused the game can unpause always. The rest of the clients must wait 30 seconds to be able to unpause the game.
	60	The host and the client who paused the game can unpause always. The rest of the clients must wait 60 seconds to be able to unpause the game.
	120	The host and the client who paused the game can unpause always. The rest of the clients must wait 120 seconds to be able to unpause the game.
Go to Lobby after Hotjoin	Yes	All players will be forced into the lobby when a client hotjoins.
	No	All players will remain in-game when a client hotjoins.
Pause when a player leaves the game	Yes	The game will be paused when a player leaves the game.
	No	The game will not be paused when a player leaves the game.
Change speed in multiplayer wars	Yes	Slow down speed when a war starts with at least 2 players.
	No	Keep the current speed when a war starts with at least 2 players.
Change Countries Dynastic Naming	Yes	Countries named after dynasties will change their name and flag according to the ruler's dynasty if that changes.
	No	Countries named after dynasties will not change their name and flag, regardless of the dynasty they are ruled by.

Flavor game rules

Flavor game rules are used to make the game more or less historical.

Game rule	Setting	Effects	Achievements
Formable Countries	Only Historical	Only countries that were formed in history are allowed to be formed.
	Allow Plausible	Allow the formation of ahistorical countries which creation would have been historically plausible.
	Allow Ahistorical	All countries can be formed, including those that are ahistorical and may be immersion-breaking.
AI Colonization	All countries	All AI countries can Colonize.
	Only Western Countries	AI countries can only Colonize if their capital is in Europe.
AI Exploration	All countries	All AI countries can Explore.
	Only Western Countries	AI countries can only Explore if their capital is in Europe.
Culture Conversions	Dynamic rules	Countries can convert Culture if visible criteria are filled.
	Inside Culture Group only	Countries can only convert Culture to other cultures belonging to the same culture group.
	Present in Country	Countries can convert Culture to any culture present in the country.
	Any Culture	Countries can convert Culture to any culture unrestricted.
Religion Conversions	Dynamic rules	Countries can convert Religion if visible criteria are filled.
	Inside Religion Group only	Countries can only convert Religion to other religions belonging to the same religion group.
	Present in Country	Countries can convert Religion to any religion present in the country.
	Any Culture	Countries can convert Religion to any religion unrestricted.
Black Death Outbreak Year	1346	The Bubonic Plague Disease and the Black Death Situation will emerge in the historical year, 1346.
	Random	The Bubonic Plague Disease and the Black Death Situation has a 0.5% monthly chance to emerge in the Age of Renaissance. The Bubonic Plague Disease and the Black Death Situation has a 1% monthly chance to emerge in the Age of Discovery. The Bubonic Plague Disease and the Black Death Situation will emerge at the beginning of the Age of Reformation if it hasn't emerged already.
	Disabled	The Bubonic Plague Disease and the Black Death Situation will never emerge.
Black Death Origin	Central Asia	The Bubonic Plague Disease and the Black Death Situation will emerge from a random location anywhere in the Desht-i Kipchak, Astrakhan, or Lower Yik areas.
	Random	The Bubonic Plague Disease and the Black Death Situation will emerge from a random location anywhere in Asia, Europe, or North Africa.
Institution Spawn	Dynamic	Institutions will spawn in locations dynamically depending on what circumstances would have spawned them historically. Institutions will spread at a fast rate to locations that met the spawning requirements but weren't picked as the institution spawn location.
	Historical	Institutions will spawn in the exact historical location they spawned in history.
	Random City	Institutions will spawn in a random city.
Byzantium Name	Default	The Greek Country centered around Byzantion will be known as the Byzantine Empire.
	Eastern Roman Empire	The Greek Country centered around Byzantion will be known as the Eastern Roman Empire, even though they are about one thousand Roman miles from the city of Rome.

Ironman Mode

Ironman Mode is a special game rule that disables manual saving and changing game rules after the game has started. The game is saved automatically once every 6 months, as well as when exiting the game. Ironman mode can only be enabled before the game has started, and only if the Country Change game rule is set to prohibited.

References

Europa Universalis V