How to avoid and stop Black Death and the Plague in Crusader Kings 3

In Crusader Kings 3, your attempt to claim greatness comes up against numerous obstacles, man-made and otherwise. Death by disease can throw a real spanner in the works, so here is how to avoid and stop the Black Death and the Plague in Crusader Kings 3.

Crusader Kings 3 – How to avoid and stop Black Death and the Plague

Crusader Kings 3 offers a world full of historical violence and intrigue. With the release of its Legends of the Dead expansion, the game has introduced a variety of new diseases, including the Black Death. This new disaster waiting to happen joins the Bubonic Plague, which has existed within the game for much longer.

Black Death and the Plague in Crusader Kings 3 are based on those real diseases, which had a devastating effect throughout Europe. They can hit your growing empire with similar effects if you don’t plan for them. The best way to avoid and stop the Black Death and the Plague is to practice seclusion, improve medical knowledge, and construct hospices and burial sites.

Fight plagues with medicine

In Crusader Kings 3, the presence of a Court Physician offers protection against a variety of bad developments, including the Black Death and the Plague. They even have a menu option to Control Plagues. Make sure to activate it and increase your Plague Resistance when the time comes. The more proficient your physician, the better the protection offered.

As you look for capable physicians, work on your skills from the Whole of Body Lifestyle Tree. Available perks increase your resistance to the Plague. They also make it easier to acquire affordable and skilled physicians.

Construct hospices and burial sites

When the people of your kingdom start dropping like flies, you must take swift action to stop the bleeding. In Legends of the Dead, you have access to a couple of new building types: Hospices and Burial Sites.

You can develop a hospice when you sufficiently improve Pilgrims Quarters. A hospice adds Gold and Piety and also improves Plague Resistance.

Do note that Burial Sites are a type of Duchy Building. They add more resistance than hospices, along with some other nice perks. However, they also tie up resources you might prefer to devote elsewhere. The game starts imposing penalties if you have more than two duchies, or if you place too many Duchy Buildings within them. Depending on various factors, those penalties can add up quickly. Unless you constantly find yourself battling the effects of the Plague and Black Death, I suggest relying on hospices instead.

Introverts need not fear the Black Death

Black Death and the Plague had such an easy time spreading throughout most of Europe because people were packed into confined and dirty spaces. In Crusader Kings 3, you can fight the issue by turning your favorite rulers into hermits.

One good step in this direction is to Enter Seclusion. Doing so adds the Secluded stat for five in-game years, unless the affected characters travel. While secluded, characters have a much lower risk of contact with the Plague. However, their stats drop by two points for most stats. For Diplomacy, they drop three points. That’s bad news, but I figure it’s better than losing a member of your court you really love.

A related option is to Isolate Capital. If you have control of your realm well in hand, this can be an effective fix. You’ll lose some of your power, but live to rule another day. If you isolate, make sure to end your isolation once the Black Death and the Plague have ceased to be concerns. Otherwise, you’ll continue to take a hit for no good reason.

Finally, you can always build your empire in Poland, which historically didn’t suffer as much from the Black Death as other regions. If you play with all historical settings applied, you’ll enjoy greater resistance for just that reason. Plus, they have amazing sausages.

Black Death and the Plague add some intriguing new elements to Crusader Kings 3. They may very well keep you busy for dozens more hours. But if you’re looking for something to try afterward, consider trying some of the other 15 best PC games to play.