Summary at a glance
Goal: Build profitable production chains by understanding buildings, production methods, and employment systems.
Do this first:
- Build food production and housing first
- Focus on 2-3 production chains, not everything
- Staff buildings before building new ones
Pitfall to avoid: Building without checking input availability or staffing leads to wasted money and idle buildings.
Buildings are the foundation of EU5's economy. Unlike EU4's static buildings, EU5 buildings use dynamic Production Methods that transform inputs into outputs, creating complex production chains.
Building Basics
Building Categories
- Common Buildings: Available in all locations (e.g., farms, workshops, markets)
- Urban Buildings: Require Town or City rank (e.g., universities, stock exchanges)
- Unique Buildings: Nation-specific or location-specific (e.g., Dutch Wind Mills, Venetian Arsenal)
- Infrastructure Buildings: Roads, harbors, defenses
Building Levels
Most buildings can be constructed multiple times in a location. Maximum levels scale with:
- Population: Larger populations support more buildings
- Location Rank: Rural < Town < City
- Development: Higher development = more building slots
Building Level Capacity
- Rural: 5-15 buildings
- Town: 30-50 buildings
- City: 105-150 buildings
Over-Capacity Penalty: Each building above cap increases construction cost by +5% in that location.
Production Methods
Production Methods determine what inputs a building needs and what outputs it produces.
How Production Methods Work
Every building has 1-3 Production Method Slots. Each slot offers 2-5 different methods.
Example: Paper Mill
Slot 1 - Paper Type:
- Animal Parchment: Requires Hides + Timber → Produces Paper (expensive)
- Rag Paper: Requires Textiles + Timber → Produces Paper (moderate)
- Fiber Pulp Paper: Requires Fiber + Timber → Produces Paper (moderate)
- Wood Pulp Paper: Requires Timber only → Produces Paper (cheap, efficient)
Slot 2 - Labor Type (if available):
- Manual Labor: Low efficiency, low cost
- Guild Labor: Medium efficiency, medium cost
- Mechanized: High efficiency, high cost (requires advances)
Production Efficiency
Buildings produce at 100% efficiency only when ALL inputs are available:
- 100% Input Availability: 100% output
- 75% Input Availability: 75% output
- 50% Input Availability: 50% output
- 0% Input Availability: 0% output (building idle)
Production Chains
EU5's economy revolves around production chains:
Basic Chain Example: Textiles
- Sheep Farm (RGO): Produces Wool (no inputs)
- Textile Workshop: Wool → Textiles
- Clothing Manufactory: Textiles → Clothes
- Export: Sell Clothes to other markets for profit
Advanced Chain Example: Military Equipment
- Iron Mine (RGO): Produces Iron Ore
- Blast Furnace: Iron Ore + Coal → Iron
- Weaponsmith: Iron + Timber → Weapons
- Armory: Weapons → Military Equipment
- Army Maintenance: Consumes Military Equipment
Profitable Production Strategy
- Source Raw Materials Cheaply: Build RGOs in provinces with terrain bonuses (e.g., Iron mines in mountain provinces get +20% efficiency)
- Process Raw Materials Locally: Build processing buildings near raw material sources to reduce trade route costs
- Produce High-Value Finished Goods: Processed goods have higher profit margins than raw materials
- Manage Market Capacity: Ensure sufficient market capacity for all goods by building marketplaces
Building Employment
Buildings require Pops (population) to work:
Employment System
You can choose one of four employment systems (in Production tab):
- Equality: Fill all buildings equally - Best for: Balanced economies, preventing shortages
- First Come, First Serve: Fill buildings in construction order - Best for: Prioritizing essential buildings (food, housing)
- Most Profitable First: Fill most profitable buildings first - Best for: Maximizing income, trade-focused economies
- Infrastructure, then Most Profitable: Fill infrastructure first, then by profit - Best for: Most players (balanced approach)
Employment Tips
Staffing Priority
- Food production (prevents starvation)
- Housing (enables population growth)
- Infrastructure (roads, harbors)
- Profitable industry (income generation)
- Low-profit or loss-making buildings (last or subsidize)
Profit vs. Subsidy:
- Profitable buildings: Hire workers automatically
- Unprofitable buildings: Fire workers unless subsidized
- Subsidy cost: Deducts negative profit from your income
When to Subsidize:
- Strategic goods production (weapons, ships)
- Infrastructure buildings (roads, harbors)
- Essential services (universities, government buildings)
Key Building Types
Food Production
Examples: Grain Farms, Livestock Ranches, Fishing Wharves
Importance: CRITICAL - without food, population declines and economy collapses
Priority: Build first, always keep staffed
Tip: Overbuild food capacity by 20% for growth buffer
Housing
Examples: Basic Housing, Urban Housing, Apartments
Importance: HIGH - limits maximum population and growth
Priority: Build alongside food production
Tip: Match housing capacity to population + 10-15% growth room
Infrastructure
Examples: Roads, Harbors, Marketplaces
- Roads: Improve control, trade routes, military movement (+20% to +50% efficiency)
- Harbors: Enable naval trade, improve coastal control, faster troop transport
- Marketplaces: Increase trade capacity (+50 to +100 capacity per level)
Priority: Build after food/housing, before advanced industry
Industry & Manufactories
Examples: Textile Mills, Iron Works, Paper Mills, Weaponsmiths
Function: Transform raw materials into valuable finished goods
Profitability: HIGH (if inputs are available)
Strategy: Focus on 2-3 production chains, not every possible good
Trade & Finance
Examples: Marketplaces, Trade Posts, Stock Exchanges, Banks
- Marketplaces: Expand trade capacity (ESSENTIAL)
- Trade Posts: Increase trade range and maritime presence
- Stock Exchanges: Advanced finance, available in Age of Discovery
- Banks: Improve loan efficiency, financial management
Priority: Marketplaces early, others mid-to-late game
Education & Culture
Examples: Schools, Universities, Libraries, Theaters
- Universities: +0.2 advance points/month, +2% literacy growth
- Schools: +1% literacy growth in location
- Libraries: Cultural bonuses, minor advance points
- Theaters: Prestige, cultural influence
Priority: Mid-game investment, high long-term value
Military
Examples: Barracks, Fortifications, Arsenals, Shipyards
- Barracks: Reduce army maintenance, increase recruitment speed
- Fortifications: Defensive bonuses, increase siege time
- Arsenals: Produce military equipment efficiently
- Shipyards: Build and repair ships
Priority: Build as needed for military campaigns
Building Cost
Base costs vary by age:
- Age of Traditions: 50 gold
- Age of Renaissance: 100 gold
- Age of Discovery: 200 gold
- Age of Reformation: 400 gold
- Age of Absolutism: 800 gold
- Age of Revolutions: 1200 gold
Modified by:
- Construction goods market prices (can double or halve cost)
- Over-capacity penalty (+5% per building over cap)
- Location development
- Technology modifiers
Construction Time: 120-365 days depending on building type
Automation
You can automate building construction:
Settings:
- Minimum gold threshold (don't build if below X gold)
- Priority buildings (always build these first)
- Forbidden buildings (never build these)
Common Mistakes
- Building Without Staffing: Don't build new structures before filling existing jobs. Check employment first.
- Ignoring Input Availability: Building a textile mill without wool sources wastes money. Check production chains.
- Over-Building Low-Profit Industry: 15 different building types producing a little of everything is worse than 5 building types producing a lot. Focus your economy.
- Neglecting Infrastructure: Roads and harbors seem boring but provide massive efficiency bonuses. Build them early.
- Wrong Production Methods: Default production methods are often suboptimal. Manually select methods based on your resource availability.
- Building in Wrong Locations: Some buildings benefit from terrain (e.g., mines in mountains, farms in farmland). Check location modifiers.
Advanced Strategy: Building Synergies
- Industrial Clusters: Group related buildings in one location (e.g., Iron Mine + Blast Furnace + Weaponsmith). Benefit: Reduced trade costs, easier management.
- Market Center Specialization: Make your market center your industrial hub. Maximizes market access (100% in center), reduces trade route inefficiencies.
- Border Infrastructure: Build roads and forts in border provinces. Improves military logistics, faster troop movement, better defensive position.
- Capital Investment: Your capital has 100% control and best access. Build universities and cultural buildings here first for maximum efficiency.
Quick Reference Table
| Building Type | Priority | Typical Cost | Best Production Method Selection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Production | CRITICAL | 50-200 gold | Highest output method available |
| Housing | HIGH | 50-150 gold | Matches population class needs |
| Marketplaces | HIGH | 100-200 gold | N/A (no production methods) |
| Roads | HIGH | 200-400 gold | N/A (infrastructure) |
| Industry | MEDIUM | 100-400 gold | Most profitable with available inputs |
| Universities | MEDIUM | 200-500 gold | N/A (education) |
| Military | CONTEXTUAL | 200-800 gold | Based on military needs |
| Luxury Goods | LOW | 200-600 gold | Export markets only |
Building Order: Food → Housing → Marketplace → Roads → Industry → Everything Else