Best CK3 Start: 5 Best Starting Characters Ranked for Beginners (Patch 1.20)
Updated October 2026 for patch 1.20.1. The 1.20 religious rework did not touch the 867 or 1066 bookmarks, so every pick below plays exactly as described.
Picking the best CK3 start for your first campaign matters more than most beginners expect. Pick someone too weak and you will spend your first ten hours getting crushed without understanding why. Pick someone too powerful and the game throws forty mechanics at you at once. The sweet spot is a character strong enough to survive your mistakes but small enough that you actually learn the game. These are the five best starting characters for beginners, ranked.
Not sure which one fits you? Try the interactive CK3 Start Selector tool, which asks you three questions, plots the same five starts on a map, and hands you a recommendation with difficulty and a first goal.
The Five Best CK3 Starts, Ranked
| Rank | Character | Start date | Difficulty | Your first goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Murchad, Duke of Munster | 1066 | Easy | Unite Ireland |
| 2 | Duke William of Normandy | 1066 | Medium | Win the English throne |
| 3 | King Sancho II of Castile | 1066 | Medium | Survive the Jimena brothers, then push south |
| 4 | Count Eudes of Anjou | 867 | Medium-Hard | Climb from count to king of France |
| 5 | Emperor Basil I of Byzantium | 867 | Hard | Hold the empire together and expand east |
Source: Paradox Interactive, official Crusader Kings III Steam screenshot
1. Murchad, Duke of Munster (Ireland, 1066): the Tutorial Pick
Murchad is the game’s recommended starting character, and for good reason. He is the Duke of Munster in southern Ireland, holding Thomond directly with Ormond under his control, and his situation is close to perfect for learning:
- No strong neighbors. Ireland in 1066 is a patchwork of small counts and dukes. Nobody can crush you in the first decade.
- Room to expand. The other Irish rulers are weak enough that you can conquer them one by one and learn warfare at your own pace.
- No major threats. You are far from England, France, and the worst of the Viking raiders. You set the tempo.
The classic first campaign is to unite Ireland as Murchad, which teaches you claims, warfare, vassal management, and title creation in that order. Once Ireland is yours, push into Scotland or England when you feel ready. If you only remember one recommendation from this list, make it this one.
2. Duke William of Normandy (France, 1066): the Strong Pick
William is the famous one. William the Conqueror. He starts as the Duke of Normandy with a claim on the English throne, and he is the best CK3 start for beginners who want action from day one:
- A clear goal. You have a claim on England. Press it, win the war, and you are the King of England.
- Strong military. William has excellent stats and a strong army. The invasion is winnable if you manage your troops, your fleet, and your timing.
- A powerful position. Once you hold England, you have the income and levies to experiment with the rest of the game safely.
Source: Paradox Interactive, official Crusader Kings III Steam screenshot
The war for England is a genuine challenge and a great teacher. You will learn naval transport, alliances, and war score the hard way, which is the fast way. One warning: do not sail straight at Harold. Land, regroup, and pick your battles.
3. King Sancho II of Castile (Spain, 1066): the Relaxed Pick
Sancho is the King of Castile, one of the Christian kingdoms in northern Spain, and a good pick for beginners who want a kingdom-tier start without empire-tier headaches:
- Strong position. Castile is one of the more powerful Christian kingdoms in Iberia, with good income and solid knights.
- Clear expansion path. Push south against the Muslim taifas, or turn on your Jimena brothers to unite the northern crowns.
- Manageable flavor. The Iberian struggle adds story and mechanics, but it will not overwhelm you the way a crusade or a succession crisis can.
Spain in 1066 has more moving parts than Ireland, which is exactly why it works as a second campaign. You already know the basics, and now you get diplomacy, holy wars, and a proper dynasty to manage. Our CK3 culture and faith mechanics guide pairs well with this start.
Source: Paradox Interactive, official Crusader Kings III Steam screenshot
4. Count Eudes of Anjou (France, 867): the Climber Pick
Eudes is a single-county count in 867 France, and he is the best CK3 start for learning how power actually works in this game:
- Small start. One county means you learn the fundamentals: your council, your court, your heir, your money.
- Room to grow. France in 867 is fragmented. There is land, there are weak neighbors, and there is a king who needs capable vassals.
- A real arc. The achievement tied to this start says it all: take Eudes from count to King of France. That is a full campaign with a beginning, middle, and end.
A single-county start is harder than the picks above. You will need to manage your liege, build alliances through marriage, and expand one careful war at a time. It is the most rewarding start on this list once you know the basics, which is why it sits at rank 4 and not rank 1.
5. Emperor Basil I of Byzantium (867): the Power Pick
Basil is the Byzantine Emperor in 867, founder of the Macedonian dynasty, with excellent stewardship and martial stats. He is one of the most powerful starting characters in the game, and that is exactly the problem for a first campaign:
- Massive realm. The empire is huge, rich, and militarily strong. You will not be conquered.
- Massive management. Dozens of vassals, factions, religious tension, and court politics from the first month.
- The wrong teacher. Playing Basil first is like learning to drive in a racing car. You will go fast and learn nothing about the pedals.
Save Basil for your second or third campaign. Once you understand vassals and succession from the smaller starts, running the empire becomes the most fun start in CK3 instead of the most confusing. Read our CK3 succession laws guide before you touch the imperial throne; Byzantine succession will test everything you learned.
What to Look For in a First Character
If none of these five appeal to you, here is the checklist I use:
- A clear goal. Uniting Ireland, taking England, climbing to a crown. A goal gives every decision a direction.
- A manageable realm. A duchy or kingdom is easier to run than an empire. Save the empire for later.
- No immediate existential threat. You want room to make mistakes without losing everything in year two.
- Good stats. A ruler with decent martial and stewardship makes the early game dramatically smoother.
Source: Paradox Interactive, official Crusader Kings III Steam screenshot
For your first campaign, pick Murchad of Munster and unite Ireland. It is the classic beginner experience for a reason: it teaches you the game without punishing you for learning it. Then try William of Normandy for action, Sancho of Castile for a relaxed kingdom run, or Eudes of Anjou when you are ready to climb.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should a beginner pick the 867 or 1066 start date? 1066. It is more developed, more stable, and closer to the history most players know. The 867 start has more chaos (Vikings everywhere, weaker realms) and more mechanics to trip over. Three of the five picks above are 1066 for exactly this reason.
Who is the easiest CK3 starting character? Murchad, Duke of Munster in 1066. He is the game’s suggested tutorial character: a safe corner of the map, weak neighbors, and a clear first goal in uniting Ireland.
Can I switch characters mid-campaign? Yes, outside Ironman mode you can switch to any other ruler from the pause menu. It is a legitimate way to save a ruined campaign or to try a different perspective, though achievements require Ironman with no switching.
Do I need DLC for these starts? No. All five characters are playable in the base game with no DLC. DLCs add mechanics around them (struggles, travel, legends), but none of these starts require any purchase.
What should I do first as Murchad? Fabricate a claim on your weakest Irish neighbor, raise your levies, and take one county at a time. Do not rush. Build your domain income, keep your vassals happy, and form the Kingdom of Ireland once you hold enough land. Patience wins Irish campaigns.
Tracking your dynasty across campaigns? I made a physical journal for exactly this, Blood & Crown, a logbook designed for tracking CK3 campaigns reign by reign.
What to read next: once you have picked your start, learn how CK3 succession laws actually work so your first great ruler does not split the realm between four sons, and skim how renown and prestige shape your dynasty for the long game.