Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Pilgrimage in Crusader Kings 3

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Crusader Kings 3's latest expansion, "Tours and Tournaments," not only introduces exciting new features but also comes with an overhaul of the base game in the form of the Lance update (1.9). This update brings significant changes to activities like feasts, hunts, and pilgrimages. Rather than a few random events, players must now plan their route and decide how to spend their gold, making pilgrimages more complex but also more rewarding than ever before.

Setting Off

One of the first steps for players planning a pilgrimage is to verify their ruler's religion. With the Lance update, a new doctrine called "Pilgrimage Attitude" has been introduced. This doctrine offers four options: Forbidden, Encouraged, Mandatory, and Hajj. "Forbidden" makes pilgrimages a sinful activity, and as a result, it may not even appear in the Activities menu. In return, followers gain extra Piety and can fight more effectively against members of the same religion.

Followers of the "Mandatory" faith, or the Muslim variant "Hajj," receive Piety and Opinion penalties from members of the same faith, which can be cancelled out by the Pilgrim trait. However, participating in pilgrimages provides additional faith and bonuses for the Pilgrim trait.

To embark on a pilgrimage, players can select "Pilgrimage" from the Activities menu, then choose from any of the holy sites their faith recognizes. Even hostile or evil faith-controlled sites are valid options, but may present more danger during the journey. If the chosen site is outside the ruler's realm, a regency must be established before departure.

Players have the option of a "Pious Pilgrimage," which includes events that increase Piety and a special "Piousness" stat, or a "Worldly Pilgrimage," which includes events about meeting people from other cultures and a "Worldliness" stat that boosts the ruler's opinion of other cultures and faiths and lowers stress gain.

Players should carefully consider their travel route when embarking on a pilgrimage, as each pilgrimage only allows for one holy site to be visited. While detours are possible, players should aim for a safe and efficient journey. The good news is that player rulers can now undertake pilgrimages more frequently, without having to wait 15 years between each trip.

Players have a few options to choose from when planning their pilgrimage, each with its own potential cost. The Intent list is shorter than for other events, with options including Reflection, Altruism, and Zealotry. Reflection is a stress-reducing choice, while Altruism can boost Opinion and Prestige. Zealotry, on the other hand, offers more opportunities to increase Piety.

The Fidelity option allows for faster travel but less Piety gain, or vice versa. However, this choice is only available to qualified player rulers. Contemplative travel is slower but more pious, and requires the Patient trait or Pilgrim status. Obligatory travel is faster but less pious, and is reserved for Impatient rulers or those belonging to a faith with Mandatory pilgrimages.

The Pomp option determines the entourage that accompanies the player ruler on their pilgrimage. By default, the Appropriate option offers a few bodyguards, a friend, and some random pilgrims. Opting for Humble is more cost-effective and provides greater Piety, but it means traveling alone with seven random pilgrims. If you choose Ceremonial, expect to pay more for increased Piety and additional courtiers, as well as up to 10 random pilgrims. Throng is the most expensive option, but it also offers the highest level of Piety and involves bringing the entire court and 20 random pilgrims to the holy site.

Enjoying the Destination

During the holy site tour, the player ruler spends several months and encounters random events every 7 days that can add Piety, Prestige, boost relationships, or add Glory to acclaimed knights. Although some events require the player's attention, others do not. The decisions made during the tour can impact the pilgrimage's final piousness or worldliness level, but once the ruler leaves the site, this stat remains unchanged.

Pilgrimages offer an efficient way to gain a substantial amount of Piety in a short span of time. With the ability to choose a pious pilgrimage, players can focus on increasing piousness and Piety, resulting in over 1000 Piety in a single event. Additionally, the removal of a cooldown period means that rulers living near a holy site can obtain all the Piety they require in no time at all.

Crusader Kings 3 is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.