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Hearts of Iron IV, a compelling World War 2 grand strategy game crafted by the visionary minds at Paradox Interactive, places players at the helm of a nation with the monumental responsibility of steering it toward either greatness or downfall. As the storm clouds of conflict loom on the horizon, nations must brace for the impending war, making strategic decisions that will determine their survival and success. In this article, we embark on an in-depth exploration of the intricacies of wars in Hearts of Iron IV, uncovering the mechanics and tactics that pave the way to victory. From marshaling military forces to crafting diplomatic alliances, we unveil the best strategies for triumph in the crucible of war. Here is how to win wars in HOI4.
How to Win Wars in HOI4
In nearly all wars in HOI4, there is only total war; meaning an opponent will not surrender unless they lose control of most of their victory points i.e. capitulation. For example, China goes to war with the United Kingdom for Hong Kong. They take Hong Kong but the British will not surrender as they still control their victory points in their mainland.
As a result of this mechanic, limited wars are not possible though some attempts like the Soviet Civil War are being made to remedy this. In most cases, you would need a mod to enact a limited war or small-scale conflict.
To win a war in HOI4, you will need to capitulate all of the major powers in the war, which you can see by opening the war menu. The countries with a golden border around their flag are the main powers of the war, which you will need to defeat to win the overall war.
How Capitulation Works in HOI4
To win wars in HOI4, you need to make your enemies capitulate. Capitulation occurs when a nation loses control of more victory points than its surrender limit. The default surrender limit is set at 80% but this can be reduced by the following:
- Having less than 50% war support will reduce the surrender limit by 30%.
- Having certain national focuses like France’s Disjointed Government which lowers the surrender limit by a whopping 50%.
In most cases, the surrender limit cannot go below 20% but Japan is a unique exception to this rule. To successfully bring Japan’s surrender limit below 20%, one must follow the historical route to forcing the Japanese to surrender.
- Japan must not control Okinawa and Iwo Jima.
- Japan must have less than 40 ships in its navy.
- Two nuclear bombs must have been dropped in the Japanese heartland.
When a nation capitulates, they lose control of their territories and army units to the nation with the highest war score. Any allied forces by this point will have to fight their way out of enemy-controlled territory to escape.
Capitulation does not mean a defeat for a nation right away. If they are part of an alliance and a major power is still fighting, the war will still go on. The capitulated nation will become a Government-in-Exile under the protection of its strongest partner. Some nations, such as Ethiopia, have built mechanisms around this feature.
Consequently, if all major powers in an alliance surrender, minor powers will have to follow suit regardless if their troops still control their territory or not.
How to Force Capitulation
Only a single path exists for forcing an enemy capitulation to win wars in HOI4: taking their victory points. By taking these victory points, the enemy can be forced to surrender and if possible, a peace conference will begin shortly after.
Victory points are both major and minor cities in a nation. The more important the city, the higher its victory points. For example, Berlin itself is worth 50 victory points due to it being the capital of Germany but on the opposite spectrum, the City of Weimar is only worth 3 victory points.
Another new mechanic that’s being introduced is scripted events like the Soviet Civil War. Gaining high popular support before and during the war and then capturing victory points will cause the Soviet Union under Stalin to lose war support and lower their surrender limit, thereby reducing the duration of the war.
And that’s about it. Capture as many victory points as possible to force the enemy to surrender and end the war quickly.
And that is all you need to know about how to win wars in HOI4. Check out other interesting HOI4 guides and articles:
- HOI4 (Hearts of Iron IV): How to Release Puppets
- HOI4 (Hearts of Iron IV): Romania Guide – Dominate the USSR
- HOI4 (Hearts of Iron IV): How to Use the Reseach on Click Cheat
