Victoria 3 Cape Colony: Best Tips And Strategies

Out of many nations available in the game to start from, Cape Colony is an interesting pick. The area is neither too hard to control nor too easy to manage. Although the Colony is not as strong in itself, it will give you considerable benefits as compared to other African Nations. If you’re here, we are assuming that you have decided to pick Cape Colony as a Starting Nation in Victoria 3 or thinking of doing so. So, stick with us to know more about the location along with some interesting tips on how to grow it suspiciously.

Cape Colony: An Overview

Cape Colony, originally a Dutch trading post later under British rule, is classified as a Minor Power and ranks 33rd in colonial rankings. It lacks exceptional resources but boasts a relatively high GDP of €577K in the region.

You can develop Cape Colony in two main ways. Strengthen the nation by investing in infrastructure and growth factors. Once powerful enough, you can seek independence from British rule.

Independence requires extra effort and preparation. Alternatively, you can choose to ally with the British, focusing on economic growth while enjoying their support. With a strong regional presence, you can start expanding into neighboring nations, aided by the backup of Great Britain, making this strategy more manageable.

Strategies To Become A Powerful Nation

Once you’ve selected Cape Colony as your starting Nation, you need to adopt the right strategies and follow the perfect tactics to grow your area and become powerful in the region. So, let’s discuss about how you can make Cape Colony a powerful land in Victoria 3.

Infrastructure 

To establish a dominant nation in Cape Colony, focus on developing a strong infrastructure. Start by building Construction Centers and other key establishments to support trade and the economy.

Access the production lens center at the bottom of the screen to select and work on your desired buildings.

In the Agriculture sector, construct Livestock and Wheatfarms and manage them effectively. Additionally, issue decrees like Road Maintenance, Increase Resources Extraction, and Enlistment efforts to bolster your nation’s foundation.

Use Your Arable Land

Leverage Cape Colony’s arable land effectively, given its coastal location. Boost farming production by constructing more Rye Farms and Livestock Ranches based on your budget.

As you use the available arable land, any untouched areas will become Subsistence Farms. These farms produce various goods for peasants’ needs and sell surplus items in the National Market. However, Subsistence Farms offer limited profits and resource fulfillment.

For a more profitable approach, focus on converting more peasants into productive employees. To maximize revenue, make the most of the available arable land.

Regulate The Budget

When you will start working on Cape Colony you will get very few resources that regulate the budget of the nation. Most of the sectors are controlled by the landowners, which is bad as their contribution rate to the economy is very low.

You can start by revising the taxation rates and increasing them a bit in a few industries. While you’re regulating the budget, make sure to increase or decrease the taxation wisely as increasing the tax or lowering the wages too much will not end up good either. 

Increase Market Access

One of the best ways to work on your economy is by increasing your market access as more trade will result in more revenue generation. In the starting phase, the Eastern Cape and Northern Cape are below their maximum market access in the British Market, so you need to fix that.

Start building some ports as it will give a boost to Convoys and Urbanization while making your infrastructure strong. Also, make sure to increase the production rate of resources that have high demand in your regional market. Start building some Coal mines and Logging camps as the market has a high demand for wood and coal. 

Increase Resources Production

If your nation produces a considerable amount of resources, more parties will be interested in your region, which will result in migration and an increase in population to build a more stable economy. You can work on your resource production by investing in gold and iron mines.

Although these mines are a bit costly to set up, they give more benefits in the longer run. Once your mines are set up, keep them regulated and make sure that the workers and the utilities are working fine for the production of resources. 

Colonization

When your nation is stable, consider colonization to expand your territory and access valuable overseas resources.

Unlock the Colonial Ability by enacting a law for the Colonial Affairs Institution. You have two choices: Colonial Resettlement or Colonial Exploitation.

With Colonial Resettlement, targeting unincorporated states for Migration Attraction provides a bonus, strengthening your colonies over time. Although Colonial Exploitation makes maintaining colonies easier and cheaper in the short term, Resettlement offers greater long-term benefits. Choose wisely to shape your colonial strategy.

War With Sahrawi

To assert your position in the region, consider declaring war on neighboring states to expand your colony. During wartime, prioritize building infrastructure and providing backup to your troops. Keep in mind that warfare can drain your resources, so it’s important to manage your finances wisely.

Having a skilled army chief with advantageous traits can significantly improve your chances of victory. You can also adopt an aggressive approach against Sahrawi, launching attacks before their allies join the conflict. Push forward relentlessly and aim to capture as much territory as possible until you achieve your invasion goals.

Build Urban And Trade Centers

Unlock the Urban Centre by building a sufficient number of Urban buildings in your state. These centers boost the level of Urbanization in your states. To increase Urban Centre capacity, invest in Urbanization-promoting infrastructure like Power Plants, Government Administration, and Motor and Electronic Industries.

Trade Centers, on the other hand, don’t require direct construction. They emerge as trade routes advance and will establish themselves automatically in states with more trade activity. While Trade Centers don’t produce or use goods, they employ a significant number of Pops and contribute to the economy by promoting trade.

Build More Ports And Railways

Ports and Railways are two main infrastructures that are crucial for maintaining a decent economy and assisting the supply chains. Building more Ports will give a fair advantage to your states as it significantly increases the number of Convoys, which will boost overseas trade and help the economy of the Nation.

Building Railway routes, on the other hand, will help in improving the transportation sector and increasing the infrastructure of the state.

Conclusion

If you’re starting with Cape Colony in Victoria 3, you can go with the northern route for colonization without penalty. So, get a head start on the European nations by expanding your territory in a practical way. Also, try to incorporate your states and go for strategies that stabilize your economy. Once your goldmines and other resource production units are in action, the conditions will start to get fairly better.

After that, try to manage your economy within the British market and take more interest in the trade market. If you want to choose the independence option, you need to damage your relations with the British and start developing relations with their foes. France is a good option to make an ally as it can help you throughout your journey. 

If you are facing difficulties in establishing a good trade center, you can check our detailed guide on Trade Center to get some help. As you will be going through a lot of wars during your progression make sure to check out Victoria 3 Wars: How To Start & Win guide to dominate the region.