Crusader Kings 3 isn't just about running a kingdom or empire, it's also about playing a medieval character (or dynasty of characters) and adding some personality to what would otherwise be an ordinary grand strategy game. That's the main reason why Paradox Interactive has added the Stress mechanic to the game.
Stress is a stat that every character in the game has. If it goes up too high, characters will suffer mental breaks and usually gain negative traits and suffer other bad consequences. If it stays high, characters can even die from stress. That's why players of Crusader Kings 3 should know where stress comes from, how to track it, and (most importantly) how to get rid of it.
The Stress Meter
Without any menus, players will find the Stress Meter in the lower-left corner of the screen. It's right next to the player ruler's portrait, between the Inventory menu and the Dynasty menu. If a character's Stress reaches 100, they'll reach a new Stress level and suffer a mental break. If a character still has at least one Stress level 5 years later, they'll suffer another mental break. Also, if a character reaches a total of 400 Stress, they'll drop to 300 and suffer a mental break immediately.
On their own, here's what each Stress level does:
|
Stress Level |
Effect |
|---|---|
|
0 |
Nothing, the character is feeling fine |
|
1 |
-10 percent Fertility |
|
2 |
-30 Percent Fertility, Severe Health Penalty |
|
3 |
-50 percent Fertility, Severe Health Penalty |
Gaining Stress
Stress comes from a variety of sources. Some decisions will cause player rulers to gain stress, while other decisions allow rulers to lose stress. The character's personality plays a big role in which decisions are which.
Almost every character in Crusader Kings 3 has three Personality Traits. These appear as the character grows into an adult, and their guardian has a chance to replace these traits with one of two others.
Many events in the game have decisions that interact with Personality Traits. For instance, when a player ruler goes on a pilgrimage, they can run into a group of pilgrims who are in the middle of mocking the ruler. Normally, sitting down and listening is a way to reduce Stress, but characters with the Vengeful or Arrogant traits may gain Stress by doing so, and a Sadistic character might reduce Stress by whipping the peasants.
Player rulers can also gain Stress from regular game mechanics. If a ruler is Ambitious, they'll gain Stress every time they give away counties that would put them below their domain limit. On the other hand, Generous rulers lose Stress by granting counties to others. Compassionate rulers gain Stress when they execute prisoners (including traitors and murderers), while Callous rulers gain Stress when they let prisoners go without ransoming them.
There are also ways to gain Stress that have nothing to do with Personality Traits, such as:
- A close relative, lover, soulmate, or friend dies.
- The character is imprisoned or tortured.
- The character chooses to change a ward's Personality Trait.
Mental Breaks
When a mental break strikes a player ruler, an event will start, and players will have to choose an option. If the ruler is at level 1 Stress, one of the options is usually to gain a little more Stress and do nothing else. This is fine if players know they can reduce Stress quickly, but the options get worse if the next mental break strikes while the Stress level is higher.
A mental break can let players choose between two Coping Mechanism Traits. Most of these traits are negative, but a few of them are actually positive. Choosing a Coping Mechanism will add the trait to the ruler, and it'll also give the character a new decision they can take to reduce Stress. Unfortunately, these decisions have a three-year cooldown period, so Stress is still a factor.
|
Coping Mechanism |
Trait Effects |
Decision Effects |
|---|---|---|
|
Athletic |
+1 Prowess +20% Stress Loss Small Health Boost |
Work off Some Stress: gain Sweaty Stench, -5 General Opinion for 1 year |
|
Comfort Eater |
-1 Stewardship +20% Stress Loss |
Indulge in Food: lose scaled Gold, gain Weight |
|
Confider |
+1 Diplomacy +20% Stress Loss |
Talk to Confidant: -10 Opinion with every courtier except confidant (Envy) |
|
Contrite |
-2 Intrigue +20% Stress Loss |
Confess: gain Disturbing Confession, -5 General Opinion for 2 years |
|
Drunkard |
-2 Stewardship -2 Prowess Tiny Health Penalty +20% Stress Loss -10 Travel Safety +10 Opinion with other Drunkards |
Indulge in Drink: -150 Prestige |
|
Flagellant |
-2 Prowess Tiny Health Penalty +20% Stress Loss |
Flagellate: gain Wounded |
|
Hashishiyah |
-2 Stewardship -2 Learning +20% Stress Loss +10 Opinion with other Hashishiyahs |
Consume Hashish Cakes: gain Hashish Stupor, -1 Stewardship, and -2 Learning for 2 years |
|
Improvident |
+1 Diplomacy -15% monthly Income +20% Stress Loss +10 Opinion with Zealot vassals |
Donate to Charity: lose scaled gold |
|
Inappetetic |
-1 Diplomacy -3 Prowess +20% Stress Loss |
Shun Food: gain Famished, -1 Prowess, Moderate Health Penalty, Weight loss for 3 years |
|
Irritable |
-2 Diplomacy -1 Martial +2 Prowess +20% Stress Loss +10% Dread Gain -5 Opinion (Attraction) |
Lash Out: equal odds of insulting random vassal, gaining Lashing Out, a -10 Opinion with Direct Vassals for 1 year Release your Anger: a special hostile interaction; can target anyone at Stress level 1 or higher and challenge them to a duel |
|
Journaller |
+1 Learning +20% Stress Loss |
Write Thoughts Down: gain Occupied Writing, -2 Diplomacy for 1 year |
|
Profligate |
-10% monthly Income +0.5 Prestige +20% Stress Loss +10 Opinion with Courtly Vassals |
|
|
Rakish |
-1 Diplomacy +1 Intrigue +20% Stress Loss -5 Opinion (Attraction) +5 Opinion with other Rakes |
Visit a Brothel: lose scaled Gold; chance of disease |
|
Reclusive |
-2 Diplomacy -1 Stewardship +20% Stress Loss |
"Scaled Gold" means that rulers who control bigger economies will have to pay more to use these decisions.
NPC characters also have to worry about stress, and they also gain coping mechanisms after mental breaks. This is worth knowing because coping mechanisms can affect an NPC's personality, and the player ruler's heir may have several coping traits if they've had a rough life.
If a mental break happens when a character's Stress level is 2 or 3, some of the options may be even worse than a coping mechanism. Possibilities include:
- Replacing a Personality Trait with Arbitrary
- Replacing a Personality Trait with Wrathful
- Losing a Fame level
- Getting the Witch Trait (which is good or bad depending on the ruler's Faith)
- Getting the Lunatic Trait
- Getting the Melancholic Trait
- Murdering someone in public
- Abdication or Death
How to Lose Stress and Gain Less Stress in the Future
If the player ruler's Stress is spiking, one good option is to start an Activity. The three basic Activities, Feast, Hunt, and Pilgrimage, are all good ways to lose Stress. This Stress loss doesn't take place immediately as of the Lance (1.9) Update, but in exchange, Activities can reduce a lot more Stress than before, especially if players choose the Recreation Intent.
Rulers can also lose Stress by playing to their personalities. Generous rulers can give things away, Sadistic rulers can torture prisoners, Arrogant rulers can insult peasants, and so on.
However, something that's even more valuable than losing Stress is never gaining any in the first place. Crusader Kings 3 has several ways rulers can reduce Stress gain, such as the Carefree perk in the Learning Lifestyle tree and the Whole of Body trait from the same tree. Both of these abilities reduce Stress gain by 20 percent, for a total reduction of 40 percent. If players can find enough perks, traits, and other benefits to reach 100 percent, their ruler will never gain Stress from any source for the rest of their life.
Crusader Kings 3 is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.