Summary
Highlights
Hearts of Iron IV is a grand strategy war game by Paradox Interactive where players command a nation during World War II. The guide recommends starting with the 1936 start date and playing as Italy due to its beginner-friendly nature and early war with Ethiopia for combat practice. It also covers difficulty settings, Iron Man mode for achievements, and the historical focuses option, recommending the latter for initial playthroughs.
The video explains the main UI elements, starting with political power (PP) as a crucial resource for national changes. It details stability for public support, war support for national readiness, manpower for recruitment, and factory/fuel/logistics/convoy counts. Command power, Army XP, Navy XP, and Air XP are introduced as resources for generals, division templates, equipment variants, and doctrines.
The political menu allows players to appoint advisors (e.g., solid workhorse for PP, captain of industry for construction speed, financial expert for consumer goods reduction), designers, and military staff, all costing political power. National spirits and political party status are also visible. National focuses, unique to each country, provide bonuses, buffs, or changes and are crucial for guiding national development, including industry, military branches, and political paths. Decisions are temporary or constant events that can cost political power or command power, influencing stability or offering strategic advantages, with options for notification management.
The research menu is where players unlock modern equipment and troop bonuses. Italy starts with four research slots that should always be active. Technologies are categorized into infantry, support companies, tanks, artillery, naval ships, aircraft, engineering, and industry. Industry and electronics techs are recommended early in the game to boost production and research speed. Researching ahead of time incurs penalties, so aligning research with the year guide is advisable. Political focuses can also provide research boosts.
The diplomacy menu facilitates interaction with other nations. To initiate war, a war goal is necessary, obtainable through focus trees or manual justification if playing as a fascist or communist government. Justifying a war goal costs political power and takes time. Players must be aware of guarantees from other nations, as these can significantly expand a conflict. Right-clicking on countries reveals available diplomatic actions.
Civilian factories build infrastructure, airports, anti-air, radar, civilian/military factories, and dockyards. Shared buildings (civilian, military factories, dockyards) have a state-level limit. Province buildings include supply hubs, railways, ports, and forts. Civilian factories are prioritized in the early game. Construction queue management involves selecting building types and locations, with keyboard shortcuts for efficiency. The 'consumer goods line' indicates factories allocated to civilian production, which can be reduced through advisors or focuses to free up factories for other uses.
Military factories and dockyards produce equipment. Production lines for specific equipment can be adjusted by assigning factories. Production efficiency increases with consistent production of the same equipment type, boosting output. Dockyards do not have production efficiency but ship progress is lost if the production line is deleted or altered midway. Resources are vital for production, and shortages can slow or halt output. Resources can be gained by seizing territory, changing economy laws, or trading with other countries. Trading costs civilian factories.
Army units are called divisions. New divisions are trained from templates, costing equipment and manpower. Divisions gain experience levels (Green, Trained, Regular, Seasoned, Veteran) with varying combat modifiers. Divisions can be deployed once 20% trained, either instantly or automatically upon 100% completion. Division templates can be edited using Army XP to adjust battalions, support companies, and stats. Key stats for beginners include organization (how long units last), soft/hard attack (damage against enemy hardness), and combat width (effectiveness in terrain). Recommended starting division designs are provided for infantry, tanks, and garrison units.
The logistics tab shows equipment stockpiles and deficits, useful for guiding factory allocation. The officer corps allows recruiting high command officers and chiefs for Army, Navy, and Air Force, providing bonuses and XP. Doctrines are upgraded using XP for each military branch, offering bonuses to areas like armored divisions (Mobile Warfare), infantry (Superior Firepower), defense (Grand Battle Plan), or large manpower (Mass Assault). Naval doctrines include Fleet in Being (heavy ships), Trade Interdiction (submarines), and Base Strike (carriers). Air Force doctrines are Strategic Destruction (bombers/fighters), Battlefield Support (close air support), and Operational Integrity (tactical/heavy fighters).
Players enter Army map mode to manage divisions. Divisions are grouped into armies under generals, and armies can be commanded by a field marshal. Orders include front line orders to position armies, and offensive lines to initiate attacks. Combat is detailed through 'combat bubbles' showing terrain, combatants, general skill, and combat width. Exceeding combat width incurs penalties. Attacking from multiple directions increases available combat width. Terrain and weather affect combat. Winning battles causes enemy retreats, while encirclements (no retreat path) destroy divisions. Manual movement and aggressive/careful battle plans are discussed. Fallback lines are used for strategic redeployments. Garrison orders allow automatic defense of specific areas like ports.
Air Force map mode manages planes in air wings (max 100 planes per wing) based out of airports. Aircraft are categorized (Close Air Support, Fighter, Naval Bomber, Heavy Fighter, Tactical Bomber, Strategic Bomber) and have different missions. Fighters perform air superiority or interception. Close air support and tactical bombers provide ground attack. Naval bombers target ships. Strategic bombers conduct strategic bombing. Tactical bombers are versatile. Air wings are assigned to air zones and missions, with color coding indicating air superiority (green: full, yellow: contested, red: losing). Airport capacity can be upgraded to avoid penalties. Planes can be set to follow armies for automated deployment and missions.
Navy map mode manages ships like destroyers, cruisers, battleships, carriers, and submarines. Ships are designated as screens (destroyers, light cruisers) or capital ships (heavier ships). Fleets are organized into task forces, led by admirals. Best practice separates submarines from surface ships. A 4:1 screen to capital ship ratio is recommended for protection. Missions include Patrol (search and engage), Strike Force (respond to detected enemies), Convoy Raiding (attack enemy shipping, ideal for subs), and Convoy Escort (protect friendly convoys). Damaged ships automatically return to port for repairs, with dockyards assigned to repair tasks. Naval supremacy (over 50%) is required for naval invasions.
The supply map mode illustrates supply flow from the capital via train lines and convoy routes to supply hubs, which then distribute to troops. Supply hubs need rail or sea connections to the mainland. Blue areas indicate sufficient supply, while yellow/red signify worsening supply and combat penalties. Supply can be improved by building more supply hubs, upgrading railways and ports, and ensuring sufficient trains, trucks, and convoys. Motorization levels extend supply hub radius. Fuel management is crucial for efficient engine-powered units. Fuel can be acquired through trade, reduced by changing missions, boosted by research techs, and produced by refineries.
Victory points (stars and dots on the map) contribute to enemy capitulation. Hovering over the capitulation bar in the war menu shows progress. Capturing victory points helps win wars faster with fewer casualties. After winning, the peace deal screen offers options like annexing territory, liberating nations, or puppeting (forcing tribute, manpower, and control of divisions). Puppets come in different levels based on ideology. The guide concludes with a step-by-step setup for Italy at the start of the game, including research, construction, production, military organization, and decision management, emphasizing the use of the spacebar to pause and regroup.