When you start building your settlement in Europa Universalis V, you will start off at the rural level. Ultimately, you get to upgrade it to Towns and further into Cities. In this guide, we have put up all the steps to upgrade a Town to the next level in EU5.
Upgrading Towns to Cities in Europa Universalis V
To upgrade your town into a city, head into your province map, select the area you wish to upgrade, then click on the star icon next to the province picture on the left side menu. This will show the current state of your settlement and the materials required for the next upgrade. If you don’t have the required materials, trading or building the right production structures will help meet the demands. Once you are ready, you will find a button within the new pop-up window that allows you to upgrade your settlement to the next level.
Settlement Ranks Explained
Cities are the highest tier a settlement can achieve, and you start your settlement as a Rural Village. Each settlement type offers different strengths, weaknesses, perks, and requirements, which we will detail below.
| Rank | Base cost (Gold) | Food capacity | Food production | Settlement effects | Upgrade time | Requirement |
Rural Settlement | 500 | 50 | +10% | +100% Maximum RGO size. +0.1% Population growth. | ||
Town | 500 | 300 | −20% | +25 Supported building levels. +5% Max control. −25% Speed of integration. | 1 year | 5000x Population 2x Masonry 1x Glass 1x Lumber |
City | 2000 | 550 | −33% | +100 Supported building levels. +10% Max control. −50% Speed of integration. +25% Pop promotion speed. +1 Constructions capacity. +25% Construction speed. | 2 years | 20000x Population 4x Masonry 2x Glass 2x Lumber 1x Marble |
Should You Upgrade Your Town?
Upgrading your town is a requirement as you progress through the game, as you get to unlock new resources, buildings, and new population types. As your population expands and advances, it will require better living conditions with newer facilities. Also, to unlock Trading and Burghers, advancing your settlement is a must.
You can always downgrade your settlement within the same menu, and downgrading a settlement just requires Gold and no other resources. But, you should keep a balance between Rural, Town, and Cities. Rurals are required for food production, whereas Towns and Cities unlock more buildings and resources.
If you still need help with some of the features within Europa Universalis V, check out some of our guides on How To Move Capital, How To Build Roads, and How To Get Casus Belli.
