The Ultimate Hearts of Iron 4 Beginner’s Guide

In Hearts of Iron IV, you take on the role of a state power and intervene in the Second World War. Change the course of history in the process! In our Hearts of Iron 4 beginner’s guide, we’ll explain the user interface, give you tips on which nation to choose, cover the different map modes, and more.

The User Interface: Values and Numbers

The user interface in Hearts of Iron IV displays various content and facts. Initially, this display can be pretty confusing and difficult to follow. Generally, the interface provides information about your selected power or country, especially when you’re going to war. The data is categorized into twelve subcategories.

• The first one is Manpower, which shows how many soldiers you have available for the war. The value applies to land, air, and naval forces.
• Stability reflects your people’s support for their government. The higher the Stability, the longer your nation will endure in war, especially during intense battles and when facing enemy superiority. Certain government officials can positively influence this value. Additionally, you can improve the underlying national spirit trait by adding specific people, traits, and other factors, which can also help increase stability.
• The War Support value shows how strongly your people back a war, including whether they support it and to what extent.
• Political Power, shown in points, can be used for diplomacy and creating laws. Your leader in the party or faction earns two points daily. You can also use it to set national priorities and hire advisors at the same time.
• In the factories, which are categorized as civil, military, and shipyard facilities, you can accept orders for your country.
• Convoys in Hearts of Iron 4 can transport your military units and raw materials.
• The Military Experience tab provides a more detailed breakdown of your military service.
• Whether you need to act diplomatically or consider a military operation, you can gauge this by looking at the World Tension. It is shown as a percentage and is affected by factors such as war declarations or civil unrest.
• Your nation has a maximum fuel capacity based on available oil, research, and economic conditions. This is shown in the Fuel menu.
• Command Power refers to your government’s capacity to directly influence the military. Having high Command Power can be beneficial for military missions, as it allows the chain of command to be bypassed.
• Logistics Capacity (Fulfillment) reflects your supply lines and their ability to meet demand. This helps you determine if you can adequately supply your population and troops.
• If you are researching nuclear weapons, an icon representing such a weapon will display, along with the current number of nuclear bombs available.

Which Countries Can You Choose?

Hearts of Iron IV starts in 1936, three years before the war begins. At this point, the seven strongest powers in the world are France, the German Empire, Italy, the United States, Great Britain, Japan, and the Soviet Union.

• France’s government is weakened and divided by communist influences at the start of the game. However, they are regarded as a victorious power in World War I and possess a large colonial empire in Africa alongside their European heartland. The military is somewhat outdated, so the country would not be very effective at defending itself against an enemy attack.
• The German Reich has been a fascist dictatorship since 1933 under the leadership of the NSDAP and Adolf Hitler. The government is preparing for a new war after eliminating opposition forces. Thus, Germany also triggers the Second World War with the invasion of Poland and leads some early war events through its technological developments.
• Italy, a southern European country, is considered important mainly because of its strong navy and colonies. However, both the military and colonies are only average when compared to France and especially the United Kingdom.
• In 1936, the USA is regarded as the only major power outside Europe and Asia and is one of the richest and largest countries in the world. However, at the start of the game, the USA remains heavily limited by its national spirit and laws. If they overcome these obstacles and expand their military power, they can rise to become the ultimate superpower.
• In 1939, the United Kingdom declared war on the German Reich after attacking Poland. They are considered the main power of the Allies during World War II. Therefore, after France’s military defeat, the United Kingdom was also the only Allied nation in Europe. The United Kingdom was militarily active in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
• Even before World War II began, Japan started a war with China in 1937 and seized much of eastern China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. They then took control of British Malaya, part of the British Empire, and the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). As the dominant power in the Pacific, the Japanese Empire entered World War II after bombing Pearl Harbor.
• The Soviet Union (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) is the largest country in the world and leads the Comintern faction. It has many natural and human resources. The USSR controls the entire northern third of Asia and the eastern parts of Europe.

Tips on the Hearts of Iron 4 Nations

To earn bonuses on passed laws in Hearts of Iron 4, you can assign up to three political advisors. Their areas of expertise are economics, trade, and conscription laws. You can also declare a military leader as the commander-in-chief of your forces, but he can only be assigned to one of three branches: Navy, Air Force, or Army.

You can access the national priorities through your nation’s flag after clicking on your leader’s portrait. After 70 days, you’ll complete one of these objectives. Think of the national focus as a technology tree.

Using the hammer in the user interface, open the Events and Decisions menu. Here, you can also make decisions for your nation. Your population in Hearts of Iron IV then carries out specific projects. Examples include changing ideology, waging border wars, banning political parties, censoring prices, or even digging for resources.

Such projects usually cost between 25 and 150 points of political power. You can improve your industry through the Production and Research tab. Research can be enhanced with the support of theorists. This will also provide bonuses on combat and weapon systems afterward.

Map Modes

Land map mode is the general term for the three other modes in Hearts of Iron IV. It’s the mode used in most of the game and is also called the default map mode.

Generally, nations define the borders of countries. There is diplomatic interaction between different nations. Each nation consists of various states or provinces. At the state level, upgrades are made to factories, infrastructure, and other areas such as civilian factories.

However, each state can only implement a limited number of these improvements. Large states are again divided into provinces, which interact through land units.

As mentioned earlier, there are three other map modes in Hearts of Iron IV, but these largely ignore the national borders of regions or territories. Therefore, they can include several states at the same time.

Among them is the naval map mode, which shows the sea regions and is used to give orders to fleets. Each sea region has its own name.

The Hearts of Iron IV air map mode overlaps with land and naval map modes. Air bases visible there are responsible for specific regions, and air squadrons receive missions and orders through them. The strategic regions serve as the framework for aircraft in missions.

The last point to mention is the supply map mode. The supply or resupply relies on the rail systems. The map also indicates whether supply nodes can be supported by your troops in each state. The colored map shows three regions, marked with blue, green, yellow, and red borders. These colors are used to represent the supply conditions in each region.

Hearts of Iron 4 Beginner’s Guide: Research Guide

In Hearts of Iron IV, you have three to four research slots available. You can unlock additional slots through the national focus. A total of eleven research categories can be explored, including infantry, artillery, support companies, armor, naval, air, engineering, and industry technology.

The Artillery category provides innovations for artillery, as well as tanks and air defense, while in the Aircraft section, you can research bombers or even fighters. Additionally, industry productivity can be increased, and all infantry types can be unlocked.

Combat bonuses can be earned through land, air, and naval doctrines. Tanks, warships, and submarines can be unlocked, and generally, technology can be upgraded. Support units like engineers and mechanics can also be hired.

How can you lead your nation to victory with PLITCH?

With our Hearts of Iron 4 beginner’s guide, it should no longer be hard for you to start the game successfully. It’s also very enjoyable to explore the game on your own and keep improving.

However, if you currently don’t have enough time to play or are simply too impatient, we have the perfect solution for you with PLITCH’s Hearts of Iron IV cheats. For example, you can increase your army experience by 50 points or your command power by 10 points. Furthermore, you can unlock instant national focuses or finish buildings immediately.

Check out our Hearts of Iron IV video and this blog if you want more info about PLITCH and our Hearts of Iron IV cheats.

Happy Gaming!