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Across the globe, there are thousands upon thousands of different cultures that are composed of individuals with regionally appreciated values, opinions, and ways of life. WhileCrusader Kings 3is extremelydetailed and complex, there is nowhere near this number of cultures in the game.
Despite this being the case, there are still dozens of different cultures inCrusader Kings 3that players can experience through their character, though, sometimes one’s culture can change, either willfully or as a result of some great paradigm shift. Knowing about one’s own culture and that of one’s neighboring rulers is essential for conquering and ruling successfully, as there are many mechanics revolving around them.
Updated August 10, 2025 by Mark Hospodar:Crusader Kings 3 gets more complex with every DLC, which isn’t a bad thing by any stretch. With Royal Court, players can bask in the grandeur of their dynasties by collecting/commissioning artifacts and customizing their throne rooms.
The culture system was also revamped with the introduction of Royal Court. Fans now have more options when it comes to changing their culture in new and creative ways. This guide has been updated to give players a broad outline of how the Royal Court DLC affects culture in CK3.
Culture In Crusader Kings 3 Explained
Culture Overview
Culture in the game, much like in real life, is composed of the languages, local customs, and technological methods of a particular population. Additionally,there are different cultural groupsas well, meaning that a few different cultures can belong to the same group, and, as a result, people dislike each other less than those of completely foreign cultures and cultural groups.
Crusader Kings 3 Culture Groups & Culture Opinion Modifiers
Effect Of Culture On A Ruler
Rulers will have an easier time managing a realm full of people who share the same culture and culture group.This is primarily because people will be able to relate to and trust an individual who upholds the same values as the common folk. It is especially important to make sure that all of one’s vassals are the same culture and cultural group if one wants a smoother, less revolt-ready rule.
Cultural Acceptance
Cultures also possess a Cultural Acceptance rating, similar to the Opinionrating between characters. A high Cultural Acceptance rating between two groups defines how much they like each other. This score is important if players intend on hybridizing two different cultures (more on that below).
The single fastest way to boost Cultural Acceptance with a certain Culture is tohand out titlesto individuals from the target Culture. If you plan to hybridize, keep in mind that the target Culture must be present in your realm.
Royal Court & The Culture System
TheRoyal CourtDLC, along with its corresponding free update, implements a host of new changes when it comes to the culture system. Now, cultures are composed of5 Cultural Pillars, as well as a collection ofTraditions. A full list of Traditionscan be found here. The Cultural Pillars are composed of:
The final Cultural Pillar,Ethos, is quite important. It defines, broadly, a particular culture’s values and principles. Since Ethos is critical to a culture’s core identity, they are broken up into 7 “traits,” of which every culture will possess one. The7 types of Ethosare:
Each Ethos bestows a different benefit to its culture. For example,Bellicoseaids in the recruitment of mercenary companies, Men-at-Arms, and establishes a larger levy size.Courtlybuffs monthly Prestige gain,reduces title creation costs, and increases House Opinion and Court Grandeur. As such, certain cultures are more warlike, spiritual, scholarly, etc. based on their Ethos.
Divergent & Hybrid Cultures
New cultures can form in a variety of ways, one of which is through Divergence. ADivergent Culturesplits from its parent culture and forms its own identity. At least1 Cultural Pillarmust be changed to diverge. Traditions can be altered as well. The more players wish to deviate from their parent culture,the more Prestige it will cost to implement.
AHybrid Cultureis essentially a combination of two cultures. Players canmix and match the Cultural Pillars and Traditionsof their parent cultures to form something entirely unique. It’s worth noting, however, that adifferent Heritage, along with ahigh Cultural Acceptance ratebetween the two groups needs to be in effect before hybridization occurs.
Other Ways To Change Culture In Crusader Kings 3
Changing Culture With A Minor Decision
Once in a character’s life, the player can choose to convert to the local culture if they are not already part of it. On the vertical menu bar on the right side of the screen, near the top, there is a brown icon that looks like a quill and bottle of ink. To reach the “Convert to local culture” decision, click this button to open up this small menu and take action. The minor decision to “Have the realm embrace local traditions” is also available through this tab and will allow players to convert their entire realm.
Changing To A Specific Culture With A Major Decision
Landed characters who possess a court can take important actions while ruling their lands in the form of many specific major decisions that only appear if the player meets one of the more significant requirements to make them.There are 4 major decisions that can be taken to change one’s culture to that of a specific group:
- Must be an adult
Must own theKingdom of England title
Must have one’s capital in the Kingdom of England
Must be of the Frankish culture group
Character or liege must be of a Christian faith
Must form the Outremer Empire decision
Must have one’s capital is in the region of Africa, the Middle-East, or Persia
Must possess or have a liege that possesses the Empire of Outremer title
Must be at peace
Must own and fully control the Duchy of Neustria
Must be of the Norse culture group
Must have at least one county de jure part of the Duchy of Neustria that has French culture
Norman culture must not exist yet
Must have capital in the region of Burgundy
Must control the region of Burgundy
Liege must own the Holy Roman Empire, Empire of Francia, or Kingdom of France title
Level of Fame is at least Illustrious
Changing Culture As A Result Of A Demand
On occasion, populist factions can rise up and become a problem if the population of one’s lands does not match that of the ruler, and,if such a populist faction defeats the player in battle, they can demand their liege’s cultural (and sometimes faith) conversion.
Changing The Culture Of A Child
If the player has the power to do so, they can assign a child (either themselves, their heir, or other kids) to a guardian of a different culture. While doing so,one can select the “Convert culture” option when setting up the new ward and guardian relationship.
Changing The Culture Of A County
The most tried and true method of converting decent chunks of the population at a time is to utilize one’s steward.In the Council menu, take note of the 3 icons in the portrait of one’s active steward to find the one that looks like the top of a lit candle.This button is to get one’s steward to perform the “Promote Culture” action in the county that one can select after clicking the small candle button.
Reforming A Culture
Players aren’t locked into their decisions when it comes to the details of their culture. ACultural Head can reform their culturewithout resorting to Divergence/Hybridization. Things likeTraditions,Ethos, etc. can be changed at thecost of Prestige. Alterations, however, willneed time to take effect, with more major changes taking longer to implement.
List Of Cultures In Crusader Kings 3
There are close to 40 cultural groups in total withinCrusader Kings 3, and most have multiple cultures under them. While it is moreuseful to keep trackof them by their names, players should also note the differences in each group’s names for their rulers and champions, as this can give players an indication of the kind of cultural group they are from without having to check a specific character’s profile.
Appearances between cultural groups will also vary, as can be seen in the changes of clothing as well as the different looks of a nation’s armies and coat of arms. These features are all important to properly represent the different people players will encounter throughout their crusades and (hopefully) long years of reigning supreme. Here’s a two-part alphabetic breakdown of each cultural group and the cultures within them to use as a reference.
Aragonese, Asturleonese, Basque, Castilian, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Suebi, Visigothic
Indo-Aryan
Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindustani, Kashmiri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Rajput, Sindhi, Sinhala
Tocharian
Turkic
Avar, Bashkir, Bolghar, Chuvash, Cuman, Karluk, Khazar, Kimek, Kipchak, Kirghiz, Laktan, Oghuz, Ongud, Pecheneg, Shatuo, Uriankhai, Uyghur, Yughur
Cultural Shifts & What They Do
About Culture Splits
There are a few specific Cultures that will likely split if neither the player nor another ruler in the game does something about it–mainly uniting certain regions.
Between 850 and 920
Between 850 and 950
Between 950 and 990
About Melting Pots
The only true Melting Pot in-game is the one that takes place in the Mediterranean. The south of what is now Italy can have much of its Cultures melted into Sicilian over time. However, like with many things inCK3, there are criteria that need to be met in order for this to happen.Here are the duchies that Sicilian can emerge from:
In order for Sicilian to appear in any of the above-mentioned duchies, one of the following Cultures must be present:
In addition to the previous criteria, a much more specific one must be in place for the Melting Pot to occur. The ruler of any country in the mentioned duchies must be one of the mentioned Cultures, however, must not be the same Culture as the county they are ruling.
For example, for Sicilian to appear as a Culture resulting from the Melting Pot effect, a ruler of a county in Benevento could be of Greek Culture, but the county they are ruling from in the Benevento duchy must be any of the other mentioned Cultures except Greek.
Crusader Kings 3is currently available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Crusader Kings 3
WHERE TO PLAY
Your legacy awaits. Choose your noble house and lead your dynasty to greatness in a Middle Ages epic that spans generations. War is but one of many tools to establish your reign, as real strategy requires expert diplomatic skill, mastery of your realm, and truecunning.Crusader Kings IIIcontinues the popular series made by Paradox Development Studio, featuring the widely acclaimed marriage of immersive grand strategy and deep, dramatic medieval roleplaying.Take command of your house and expand your dynasty through a meticulously researched Middle Ages. Begin in 867 or 1066 and claim lands, titles, and vassals to secure a realm worthy of your royal blood. Your death is only a footnote as your lineage continues with new playable heirs, either planned… or not.Discover a sprawling simulated world teeming with peasants and knights, courtiers, spies, knaves and jesters, and secret love affairs. An extensive cast of historical characters can be romanced, betrayed, executed, or subtly influenced.Explore a vast medieval map stretching from the snowswept Nordic lands to the Horn of Africa, and the British Isles in the west to the exotic riches of Burma in the east. Claim, conquer, and rule thousands of unique counties, duchies, kingdoms, and empires.
