EU5 How to Increase Prestige | Europa Universalis V
Original Guide by GamerBlurb.com | Published on 11/08/2025 at 1:31 AM CST
Prestige fades fast in Europa Universalis 5, and early on it feels impossible to keep it from hitting zero. The game constantly throws events and penalties at you, but with the right setup you can keep it stable and even push it higher.
How to Get Prestige
Prestige measures how respected your country is. It naturally decays by about ten percent each year, so you need constant sources of gain to stay ahead.
The best ways to increase prestige are:
Win wars using the Humiliate peace deal option
Maintain royal marriages for small monthly growth
Unlock Patron of the Arts during the Renaissance Era and invest under cultural spending
Build Royal Gardens in your capital when available
Keep the nobility estate near one hundred satisfaction for ticking prestige
Enforce religion on heretic or heathen nations to earn twenty prestige per conversion
Why Prestige Drops So Fast
Prestige loss usually comes from random events and bad estate relations. Diplomatic scandals, dishonored alliances, or certain decisions can cut it by five to twenty points at once. The higher your prestige, the faster it decays, so hovering around forty or fifty is easier than trying to stay at one hundred.
Late Game Prestige Growth
Once your nation grows stronger, prestige becomes easier to manage. The Patron of the Arts tech adds cultural investment to your economy tab, giving a steady trickle of prestige gain. Reforms, higher government ranks, and royal buildings like the Royal Court or Gardens also help offset decay.
Large empires with centralized values and satisfied estates will rarely see prestige drop below fifty unless major events hit.
Final Blurb
Prestige in EU5 is a long game. You can’t hoard it forever, but you can keep it flowing. Win clean wars, treat your nobles well, and fund a few artists to brag about it. Do that and your name stays remembered long after your rivals are dust.
FAQ
What causes prestige decay
It naturally decays by about ten percent every year.
What gives the most prestige fast
Humiliating rivals and forcing religion in peace deals.
When does Patron of the Arts unlock
In the Renaissance Era under the cultural investment section of the economy tab.
Do royal marriages help
Yes, they give a slow but steady monthly increase.
Does low prestige matter
Yes, it hurts diplomacy, weakens legitimacy, and slows your rank progress.
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