Buildings & Urbanization Guide
Master EU5's development system — from capital placement to urbanization timing. Learn the building priority that maximizes your control multiplier and economic output.
The Control Multiplier Principle
Everything in EU5 is multiplied by your control percentage. If you have 50% control, you only receive 50% of tax, manpower, and sailors. Buildings that increase control (roads, forts, marketplaces) provide exponential returns because they boost everything else.
Capital Placement
- Capital determines proximity cost — every province's control is affected by distance from your capital
- Best harbor location wins — capitals with good harbors get massive maritime presence bonuses (control bonuses for coastal provinces)
- Move capital early if needed — moving later becomes expensive (costs scale with development)
- Capital gets unique buildings — Royal Palace, Great Library, etc. only available in capital province
Road Network Priority
- Roads are the #1 priority building — they reduce proximity cost by 20% each, directly increasing control in all connected provinces
- Build outward from capital — start from your capital and extend roads toward distant provinces for maximum control gain
- Skip wastelands and seas — roads only help land-connected provinces; island and overseas provinces need maritime presence instead
- Use parliament for road discount — "Expand Gravel Road Network" debate provides cheaper roads + centralization push
Urbanization Strategy
- Rural buildings are cheaper and often better early game — don't urbanize everything immediately
- Urbanization provides: More building slots, higher population cap, better production output
- Urbanization costs: Reduces available farmland, requires more food imports, higher building costs
- Prioritize urbanizing: Capital first, then provinces with trade goods that benefit from processing (wool→textiles, iron→tools)
Building Priority Order
Build in this order for maximum early game efficiency. Control-boosting buildings come first because they multiply the value of everything else.
| Priority | Building | Why | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roads | -20% proximity cost per road, massive control increase | Always |
| 2 | Lumber Mills | Lumber reduces all building costs; surplus sells for profit | Early |
| 3 | Marketplaces | Increase trade capacity, enable more trade routes | Early |
| 4 | Forts (Provincial Capital) | +10 control in province, defensive bonus | Strategic |
| 5 | Food RGOs | Support population growth, sell surplus for income | Mid |
| 6 | Guilds | Provide construction inputs when market has shortages | Mid |
| 7 | Specialty RGOs | Based on market demand (silk, dyes, iron, etc.) | Late |
Production Methods
- Production methods affect building output — choose based on available inputs and labor
- Check input availability first — advanced production methods require specific goods that may not be in your market
- Labor-intensive methods work early — when you have population surplus but lack trade inputs
- Capital-intensive methods work late — when you have established trade networks and surplus goods
Estate Buildings
Estates autonomously build structures in their preferred provinces. These buildings help the estate, but you don't directly control their output. Here's what to do with them:
Keep These
- Lumber mills (benefit construction)
- Farms in food-deficit regions
- Buildings that match your economy
- Infrastructure in strategic locations
Consider Destroying
- Buildings in provinces you want to urbanize
- Duplicate RGOs flooding your market
- Buildings blocking better uses of the slot
- Inefficient production in high-control areas
The Bailiff Building
Bailiffs are a unique building that provides both control bonus AND production bonus. They're extremely powerful but situational.
- Best on premium trade goods — silk, dyes, iron, copper give huge returns with bailiff production bonus
- Provides control increase — useful in low-control provinces that also have valuable goods
- Skip in grain/food provinces — the production bonus on cheap goods isn't worth the building slot
- Timing matters — build after roads are done, when you're optimizing specific provinces
Opening Month Building Checklist
What to build in the first month of any campaign for optimal economic start:
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Building before roads
Production buildings in 20% control provinces waste 80% of their output. Build roads first to increase control, then add production.
Urbanizing everything immediately
Urban provinces need more food and have higher costs. Keep food-producing provinces rural until you have stable food trade.
Ignoring lumber mills
Lumber reduces all building costs. Early lumber mill investment pays dividends throughout the entire campaign.
Building specialty RGOs without market demand
Check your market's demand tab before building. Producing goods nobody wants just crashes prices.
Destroying all estate buildings
Estate buildings provide production even if you don't control the output directly. Only destroy when you have immediate plans for the slot.
Forgetting capital-only buildings
Royal Palace, Great Library, and other capital buildings provide unique bonuses. Don't neglect them for generic buildings.
Not using parliament for road discounts
The 'Expand Gravel Road Network' debate reduces road costs. Always try to pass this before major road-building phases.
Building forts everywhere
Forts cost maintenance. Only build forts in provincial capitals and strategic chokepoints, not in every province.
