
In Europa Universalis IV, players can change their nation's religion, which will confer specific benefits, enable different mechanics, and affect diplomatic actions. Converting to Catholicism can be achieved through various methods, including the use of missionaries, religious decisions, and in-game events. One strategy is to capture territories of the desired religion and allow them to demand a change in the state religion. Additionally, provinces with neighbouring provinces of the same religion are more likely to convert. Players can also gain Catholic rebellion events, which can force-convert provinces.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ways to convert to Catholicism | Use of missionaries, taking over territories of desired religion, letting them take over some territories and giving into their demands of changing the state religion, using the Religion panel at a cost of 100 prestige, using the change_religion command |
| Minimum number of provinces that need to be Catholic | 50% |
| Time taken by missionaries to convert a province | Each month, the effective missionary strength in that province is added as ongoing progress, and when it reaches 100% the province is converted |
| Effect of insufficient missionary strength | If strength is less than 0%, the province will never convert |
| Effect of an active missionary in a province | Increase in unrest by +6% |
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What You'll Learn

Use missionaries to convert provinces
The most common way to convert provinces is to use missionaries. Missionaries are envoys that can convert a province to a nation's official religion. Each country has one missionary by default. Missionaries slowly convert provinces over time: each month, the effective missionary strength in that province is added as ongoing progress, and when it reaches 100% the province is converted. For example, if the state religion is Catholic, the religion group is Christian, and provinces that are Protestant, Reformed, Coptic, Orthodox, Anglican, or Hussite will use this tolerance value.
If strength is insufficient (less than 0%), the province will never convert (although the missionary will not lose progress). An active missionary in a province will increase the unrest there by +6%. If you have the Cradle of Civilization DLC, you have the ability to directly convert your subjects' provinces to your subjects' state religion.
Colonies will convert to their owner's religion and culture in certain circumstances, most requiring the involvement of a colonist. Conversion by this method will give +10% missionary strength against heretics for ten years, making conversion of provinces of the old faith quite rapid.
Additionally, some religions may convert among certain heresies/sects via the Religion panel, at a cost of 100 prestige. This can be done once every 10 years for Catholics, Protestants, Reformed Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs.
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Take over territories with the desired religion
Taking over territories with the desired religion is a key strategy in Europa Universalis IV for players looking to convert their nation to a specific religion. Here are some detailed tips and strategies to achieve this:
Understanding Religious Dynamics
Diplomatic relations are heavily influenced by religious alignment in EU4. Nations following mutually accepted religions are more likely to reach agreements and maintain stable relations. Therefore, identifying nations with your desired religion and fostering positive relations with them is crucial.
Expansion and Territory Acquisition
The primary goal is to acquire territories that follow your desired religion, which can be achieved through various means. Diplomatic negotiations, alliances, and strategic marriages can lead to peaceful acquisitions. Alternatively, military campaigns and conquests can force desired-religion territories to submit to your rule.
Managing Unrest and Rebellion
Provinces with non-tolerated religions tend to be more rebellious. When taking over territories, be prepared to deal with potential unrest and rebellions. One strategy is to set your vassals to "snooze" within your territories to prevent accidental engagement with rebels. Carefully manage your borders and block straits with ships to control the movement of rebels and prevent them from strengthening their positions.
Religious Conversion Strategies
Once you have control over territories with your desired religion, you can employ various strategies to convert your nation:
- Missionaries: Each country starts with one missionary that can be sent to a province to slowly convert it to the desired religion. This process takes time, and insufficient missionary strength may result in failure.
- Religious Decisions: Certain decisions can be made to convert to a specific religion. For example, Japanese daimyos can decide to convert to Catholicism if the majority of their territories follow that religion.
- Religion Panel Conversion: Some religions can be converted via the Religion panel at a cost of 100 prestige, but this can only be done once every 10 years.
- Defender of the Faith: Becoming a Tier 5 Defender of the Faith allows nations to convert to specific religions, although this option is not available to Defenders of the Faith themselves.
- DLC Abilities: Certain DLCs provide unique abilities. For example, the Cradle of Civilization DLC lets you directly convert your subjects' provinces to your desired religion.
Cheats and Console Commands
If you're comfortable using cheats, the "change_religion" command can be used to instantly change the religion of a country or province. This bypasses the need for the territory takeover but still requires knowledge of religion and province/country IDs.
Remember, each religion in EU4 offers unique benefits and mechanics. Plan your expansion and conversion strategies accordingly, and always be mindful of the potential consequences on a diplomatic and unrest management level.
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Use the Religion panel to convert
To convert to Catholicism in Europa Universalis IV, one method is to use the Religion panel. This method involves incurring a cost of 100 prestige and can only be done once every 10 years. Conversion by this method will grant a bonus of +10% missionary strength against heretics for ten years, facilitating the rapid conversion of provinces to the old faith.
To access the Religion panel, click on the icon of a Catholic cross with an arrow in the top left corner of the religion tab. From there, you can select Catholicism as your desired religion. It is important to note that Defenders of the Faith cannot utilise this conversion method.
Additionally, you can employ missionaries to convert provinces to Catholicism. Each country starts with one missionary by default, and they slowly convert provinces over time. Every month, the effective missionary strength in a province contributes to ongoing progress, and once it reaches 100%, the province is converted. However, if the missionary strength is insufficient (less than 0%), the province will never convert, although the missionary's progress will be retained.
Another strategy is to capture territories of the desired religion and allow them to exert influence over your nation. This can involve ceding to their demands of changing the state religion once they constitute a significant portion of your population.
Furthermore, certain events or rebellions can trigger conversion opportunities. For example, in the context of converting Japan to Catholicism, there are events like the Kirishitan event and Catholic rebellion events that can facilitate the process.
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Convert via in-game decisions
Converting to Catholicism in Europa Universalis IV can be done through various in-game decisions and actions. One way is to utilize the Religion panel, which allows conversion among certain heresies and sects within a religious group. For example, if your state religion is Catholic, the religion group is Christian, and provinces that are Protestant, Reformed, Coptic, Orthodox, Anglican, or Hussite fall within this tolerance value. Conversion through the Religion panel incurs a cost of 100 prestige and can only be done once every 10 years. It also provides a bonus of +10% missionary strength against heretics for the following decade, facilitating faster conversion of provinces to the old faith.
Another method is to employ missionaries, who can be sent to convert provinces to the state religion. Each country starts with one missionary by default, and they work by gradually converting provinces over time. Each month, the missionary's strength in a province contributes to ongoing progress, and once it reaches 100%, the province is converted. However, if the missionary's strength is insufficient (less than 0%), the province will never convert, although the progress made is retained. It is important to note that an active missionary in a province increases unrest by +6%.
Additionally, certain events and decisions in the game can trigger conversion opportunities. For example, Japan has an event for converting to a Christian faith, where players may need to \"Welcome Christianity\" in the corresponding incident. In some cases, conversion through decisions can cause a -4 stability hit, although this varies depending on the specific religious conversion.
A strategic approach to conversion involves capturing territories of the desired religion and allowing them to exert influence. This can be done by ceding to their demands, which may include changing the state religion. Players should be mindful that provinces of non-tolerated religions tend to be more rebellious, impacting the overall unrest in the game.
Lastly, achieving Tier 5 Defender of the Faith as a nation that is neither Catholic nor Sunni can pave the way for conversion. While this method may not be as direct as the others, it showcases the diverse options available for players aiming to adopt Catholicism in Europa Universalis IV.
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Use the change_religion command
To convert to Catholicism in Europa Universalis 4, one method players can use is the "change_religion" command. This method involves using console commands to directly alter the game's code and change the religion of a country or province.
To use the "change_religion" command, players must first understand its syntax. The command takes two arguments: the country tag or province ID of the entity whose religion is to be changed, and the religion ID of the desired religion. An example of the command's usage would be "change_religion GER catholic", where "GER" is the country tag for Germany, and "catholic" is the religion ID for the Catholic religion.
It is important to note that the "change_religion" command may not work for changing the state religion of a nation. Some players have reported that while they can change the religion of provinces using this command, altering the state religion does not seem to work. This limitation may be due to the game's mechanics or the specific requirements needed to trigger a state religion change.
To work around this restriction, players can employ an alternative method involving save file editing. By saving the game as a non-compressed save file, players can open the file using a text editor such as Notepad++. Within the file, players can search for their nation by locating the line containing "human=yes". Nearby, there should be an entry for religion, which can be modified to the desired religion. This method directly edits the save file and allows players to change their nation's state religion without relying on console commands.
While the "change_religion" command and save file editing provide direct ways to convert to Catholicism, players should also be aware of other in-game methods. These include using missionaries to convert provinces, taking over territories with the desired religion, and making diplomatic decisions that can influence religious conversion. Each method has its own advantages and considerations, contributing to the strategic depth of religion in Europa Universalis 4.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several ways to convert your country to Catholicism in Europa Universalis IV. The most common way is to use missionaries, which can be used to convert provinces to your nation's official religion. You can also capture a province of the desired religion from a neighbouring opponent. If more than 50% of your provinces are Catholic, you can accept demands to convert.
Missionaries slowly convert provinces over time. Each month, the effective missionary strength in that province is added as ongoing progress, and conversion occurs when it reaches 100%. Each country has one missionary by default, and they can increase unrest in the province by 6%.
Yes, some religions can convert to Catholicism via the Religion panel at a cost of 100 prestige. This can be done once every 10 years and will give a bonus to missionary strength against heretics for the next decade.











































