Pasai
Pasai
Primary culture
Capital province
Government
State religion
Technology group
Traditions:
- +2% Missionary strength
- −10% Ship cost
Export Economy
- +10% Global trade power
Islamize Sumatra
- −25% Missionary maintenance cost
Rise of Aceh
- −10% Province war score cost
Military Adventures
- +15% Morale of navies
Porch of Mecca
- −10% Technology cost
Acehnese Moneylending
- −1 Interest per annum
Settle the Islands
- +20 Global settler increase
Ambition:
- +10% Production efficiency
Pasai is a medium-sized country on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. As a minor nation in Indonesia, with foot access to the mainland of Indochina and possessing ownership of a valuable Trade Center Province in the rich Malacca node at game start, Pasai is ideally suited to conquer and colonize Indonesia and form 
Malaya. They follow the 
Shafi'i school.
Decisions[edit | edit source]
Form Malaya
| Potential requirements
If the country is AI-controlled then it:
Playing with normal or historical nations |
Allow
The country:
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| Effects
The country:
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The AI will always take this decision.
Missions[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Pasai missions
Strategy[edit | edit source]
The below is one of many player suggested strategies for Pasai. Bear in mind, due to the dynamic nature of the game, it may unfold differently for other players.Pasai, Indonesia and the Far East[edit | edit source]
The nation of Pasai is one of the easier starts in the Indonesian island chain, having a slight edge in development over some of the other nations in the area. This makes the nation a good choice for players who are trying this area of the world for the first time. Naval warfare, trade, colonization and the inevitable threat of European incursion into the Far East can make for an entertaining game.
In Indonesia, the local nations of the area vie for supremacy:
Firstly, there are the major regional powers of 
Malacca, 
Brunei, and 
Khmer as well as 
Majapahit and 
Ayutthaya with their respective vassals. These nations pose a military and economic threat to Pasai and will be the player's main competition in the early game. Later on, there is also the looming threat of 
Ming intervention, as many nations in this area either start as, or can become, tributaries of the Empire of China.
Secondly, there are several minor powers on the islands of Borneo and Java, as well as a full dozen of Pasai's neighbors in Sumatra and the Malayan Peninsula, that may serve to tip the balance of a war or even rise to become regional powers themselves with luck and time.
Finally, there are the local OPMs or micronations on Sulawesi, the Philippines and the Moluccas as well as the mainland that, due to the their small sizes, will play only a minor role in the development of the area.
Geographically, Pasai occupies the northwestern end of the island of Sumatra, consisting of 3 provinces and a total of 37 development. In terms of military, Pasai begins the game with 5 regiments (5 Infantry and 1 Cavalry), 2 Light Ships, 6 Galleys and 5 Transports. These factors mean that Pasai is only slightly stronger than their local rivals. The Pasai government is a 
Sunni Monarchy and starts with the Mandala System reform.
As a Sunni nation, Pasai has four estates available: the Amir (Nobles), the Merchant Guilds, the Ulema (Clergy) and additionally the Dhimmi. The influence and loyalty of these estates, as always, must be carefully balanced in order to succeed. Focusing on Mysticism or Legalism, at the expense of the other, should also be done as the needs of your nation dictate, though as a general rule Legalism is more broadly useful.
Pasai's Acehnese national ideas focus mainly on naval and economic power, as well as religious conversion, ideal for an island-based power with a capital in one of the richest trade nodes in the world. Pasai's missions (shared with 
Aceh) focus on the Islamic religious conversion and conquest of all of Indonesia as well as control of various valuable trade goods.
Getting started[edit | edit source]
As Pasai, the player's first goal will likely be to form Malaya. Taking this decision will require the conquest (by land and sea) of many of the local nations in the area, so fulfilling this goal will serve to teach the player the playstyle of the Indonesian area as a whole.
As is standard for most nations, the Pasai player should build their army and navy up to the available force limits as soon as is affordable. However, unlike most nations with starting navies, it is not recommended to disband the starting Transport ships, as they can be essential for successful warfare in this area. The player should, of course, assign their Light Ships to protect trade in Malacca. Unfortunately, Pasai starts with three Merchants but cannot place them all at game start due to trade range limitations. As soon as conquest or technology allows, these Merchants should be assigned to Canton, the Philippines, Burma and eventually Hangzhou, as these are the only nodes with two exits that the player can reach locally for the moment.
Pasai directly borders the nations of Aceh and 
Deli and shares a sea zone with Malacca, 
Kedah and the Ayutthayan vassal, 
Ligor. In most cases, Aceh is the logical first target for Pasai; they share Pasai's culture, religion and starting state, can be rivaled by Pasai at game start, and are the focus of Pasai's initial conquest mission Unite Aceh, which when completed will grant further free claims on the Sumatran area. An early concern is that Aceh immediately allies with Malacca due to a mutual rivalry of Pasai, which may limit the player's options for initial warfare. If the alliance hasn't yet formed, it is a good idea for the player to strike as soon as possible. Otherwise, consider if the north side of Sumatra ( Deli, 
Siak and finally 
Jambi) is a manageable alternative conquest route. Unfortunately, this method ignores Pasai's mission tree, but may be the only option to gain strength in the short term.
Several small nations should be willing to ally with Pasai at game start, depending on rivalries. One notable option is Siak, as they control the Sumatran side of the Strait of Johor, though that alliance may be temporary at best, both due to your expanding borders and your missions to control Siak's provinces. A roadblock or distraction for Malacca on the Malayan Peninsula, such as 
Kelantan or 
Pattani, might also be an option. A good longer term ally is Brunei, assuming they are successful on their island. As always, look at your rival's rivals for alliances that may not otherwise be possible.
Assuming you do conquer Aceh in short order, following the religious conversion branch of the Pasai mission tree grants the powerful Sword of Islam Casus Belli, allowing easier expansion, first down the south side of Sumatra, then to Java and finally the Moluccas. As Pasai receives a Missionary Strength bonus in its traditions, you can conquer and convert Hindu and Buddhist territory with relative ease. The conquest branch of the tree focuses first on Sumatra and then the Malayan Peninsula. Remember that you don't need to follow the mission trees to the letter; instead, focus on targets of opportunity, especially if your next target is inconveniently strong or has unfortunate alliances.
Once Sumatra is under Pasai's control, the player will be faced with an interesting choice of how to proceed. The natural course of action is to destroy Malacca; in addition to being Sunni and being very likely to have rivaled Pasai, Malacca also controls a Center of Trade in the rich Malacca trade node. However, alliances with Brunei or a powerful mainland nation may prevent this temporarily. Unfortunately, Java may also present a hard target; due to its hardcoded disaster, Majapahit will have likely collapsed and allowed 
Sunda to take the entire island, making them a potentially tough fight, even alone. A third option is to take Exploration or Expansion ideas and proceed with colonization, using that method to expand into the Moluccas, the Philippines or even Australia.
Evolution of a nation[edit | edit source]
At this point, the player will likely control all of colonized Sumatra as well as a few provinces in other regions of Indonesia.
In order to form Malaya, the player must take control of five important provinces around Indonesia; Kutaraja (617) should already be under Pasai's control, but it also requires Melaka (596), owned by Malacca, Brunei province (636), owned by Brunei, Makassar province (641), owned by 
Makassar, and Demak (629), held by Majapahit. Another goal is to obtain 40 total provinces in Indonesia, but this should be very straightforward to complete, as the remaining target provinces are owned by the largest and most powerful nations in the area.
Thanks to the addition of new nations in this area and the readjustment of certain sea zones, claims can easily be forged on most islands in Indonesia if the player owns the correct provinces. In Sumatra, conquering at least one of 
Palembang's starting provinces gives the player access to both Java and Borneo. Colonization can also allow for convenient claims to be forged, but only after province colonization is complete. Using the Sword of Islam CB, if available from the mission tree, is also immensely useful.
Due to the distance involved, many nations in this area have difficulty forming alliances outside of Indonesia, so at a certain point, the player should be able to conquer the target provinces with impunity. However, alliances for the player may also be scarce, and vassal nations can be less than helpful due to the requirement, in many cases, of using transports to move around the area. Remember to hire mercenaries if you can afford the cost in order to save manpower, and keep your transport ships well protected. The entire Indonesia area now counts as Inland Sea, so Galleys are quite useful to obtain naval supremacy.
The player should also keep an eye on mainland Indochina. Be especially wary if Ayutthaya (or another local winner) has targeted provinces on the Malayan Peninsula for annexation, as they may strike while you are busy with another nation. If the player needs to wait for their finances or manpower to recover, colonization should be pursued, not only to take over the convenient local provinces, but also to later prevent encroaching European nations from doing the same. This requires taking Exploration (or Expansion) as Pasai's first or second idea group.
Once the final provinces are conquered, Pasai can form Malaya, which will grant the player permanent claims on any remaining unowned provinces in the local area, as well as some Prestige, autonomy reduction, a cultural union of the Malay culture group, and a fluorescent purple map colour for the player's enjoyment. You also have the option to change idea sets, with Malayan ideas focuses almost entirely on trade and naval power, at the expense of Pasai's religion conversion bonuses. Notably, you will also lose Pasai's -10% Technology Cost reduction, which can be very useful.
Please see the strategy guide on Malaya for further information.
The Age of Discovery and Splendor Goals[edit | edit source]
To acquire some of the useful Age of Discovery bonuses, the player must generate Splendor by fulfilling Age Objectives. Luckily, many Objectives in this Age are easy to fulfill for the Pasai player.
As a nation heavily incentivized to take Exploration Ideas anyways, Pasai is well positioned to Discover America.
The capital of Pasai, in Pasai province (2673), is a Centre of Trade that starts at 15 Development. If the player waits until 1450 when the Renaissance institute spawns in Italy, they can then develop this province to 30+ development in order to 'spawn' the institution in Pasai as well. This will fulfill the objective A Large City and shortly thereafter Embrace Renaissance as well. Don't forget to invite Kedah's Maliki scholar before developing if you can.
On two Continents can also be easily achieved by colonizing a province in Oceania, in either some part of Australia or in Papua New Guinea, if the player is willing to hold off on colonization of more important provinces to do this.
Humiliate a Rival requires the player to spare an early rival target and annex them once the truce expires, which is not ideal, but the extra Power Projection may make up for it.
Finally, there are exactly five Centres of Trade within easy reach of the Pasai player, in Melaka (596), Siak (620), Palembang (622), Kutaraja (617) and Pasai province itself. With all these options for Splendor, it is recommended the player ignore the objective Feudal Society.
Once enough Splendor is accumulated, the best Splendor Bonus to pick first for any Pasai player is Higher Developed Colonies, which will add +1 development of each type to every finished colony. The Pasai player should try to complete as many colonies as they can before the Age of Discovery is over, in order to take full advantage of this bonus. Other Splendor bonuses can be taken as circumstances permit, such as Adaptive Combat Terrain or Cavalry Armies if the player wants an extra edge in warfare.
Ideas and long-term strategy[edit | edit source]
Due to the amount of uncolonized provinces in Indonesia, the Exploration and Expansion idea groups are very highly recommended for Pasai. Colonizing as much territory as possible will also limit the power and influence of European colonizers in Indonesia in the later half of the game. The Exploration Idea Group is also useful in fulfilling certain Age of Discovery Objectives, as noted above, and will make Pasai eligible to spawn the Colonialism institution as well, should the player manage to colonize a province in North or South America in time.
Owning Colonial nations can sometimes bring wealth into Pasai depending on their location; in the Historical World, only colonial nations in the Australia, California, Mexico and Rio Grande trade nodes can route trade back to Malacca, due to the flow of trade in these areas. As well, significant control of at least the Japan and Hangzhou nodes will be required to receive any Trade Value from anywhere other than Australia. In a Random New World, significantly more or less trade from the New World may flow into (or out of) the Far East. In particular, Random New World trade routes sometimes flow into the Australia node (which is normally a source node), making a Colonial nation in this area even more valuable. Owning any Colonial nation can help spread Colonialism to Pasai if the institution spawned in another country (likely Europe).
Other useful idea groups for Pasai include the Religious, Trade, Economic, Maritime, Naval and Quality idea groups. Due to its anti-synergy with Pasai's national ideas and missions, the Humanism idea group should probably be avoided.
Regardless of the player's strategy, one or more of the European colonizer nations (
France, 
Portugal, 
Spain, 
Great Britain and 
Netherlands) will eventually make their way to Indonesia and will desire Pasai's territory. Attempts should be made to keep as current as possible with Military and Diplomatic technology, keep up with Institutions, as well as forming alliances with powerful defensive allies in Asia, such as Ming or a powerful Indian Sultanate. Naturally, the player should also conquer and colonize as much of Indonesia as they can, focusing on provinces in the Malacca, The Moluccas and The Philippines trade nodes, as well as an Australian colonial nation if possible.
The final branches of the Pasai mission tree
Future ages and institutions[edit | edit source]
In the Age of Reformation, the Pasai player may actually begin the Age with two or three bonuses, having perhaps converted both nations and provinces to Sunni as well as having completed the Religious idea group. As it is also a mission target, Pasai can also look towards gaining the Spices trading bonus. The Splendor bonuses Powerful Tradeships, Floating Batteries, Religious Wars, Institutional Spread and Prestigious Conversions should be of particular interest. Near the end of the Age, continued improvement and conquest around the Malacca Trade node may make Pasai eligible to spawn the Global Trade institution, as long as Malacca is the most valuable node in the world.
It may be difficult for Pasai to gain Splendor in The Age of Absolutism. Pasai is not eligible for Emperor of China (being a Sunni nation), and will (as Malaya) very likely be a cultural union of all Malayan cultures, making new cultures to promote somewhat difficult to find. Universities, Absolutism and force limit can be the player's source of Splendor due to Pasai's wealth. Useful Splendor bonuses can include Absolute Government and Administrative Efficiency. Spawning Manufactories is a possibility for Pasai, again due to the wealth of the Indonesian region, and Enlightenment can be contested, if you choose, by enacting the Tier 5 Government reform Parlimentarism, in conjunction with Pasai's university projects.
In the Age of Revolutions, large Colonial nations, further development of Pasai and its subjects, and a lot of luck with Institution spawning may make Pasai eligible for many objectives in this age. In terms of Splendor bonuses, of major interest is Anti-Revolutionary Zeal, Naval Engagement and Unrestricted Conquest.
Alternative playstyles[edit | edit source]
A player can choose to reform into an Eastern Plutocracy as soon as 50 reform progress is obtained, which unlocks the Merchant Republic mechanics, including Trade Cities. When combined with Pasai's strong trading ideas, this may be an interesting strategy for those players that prefer to play 'tall' instead of wide, especially due to the number of tiny nations that exist in the area that might want to join a Trade League.
If the mood suits you, Pasai can also reform into a Pirate Republic by decision.
Achievements[edit | edit source]
Eastern technology group 
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 Jerusalem  Karabakh
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Muslim technology group 
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 Afghanistan  Ajam  Arabia  Ardabil  Hisn Kayfa  Hormuz  Oman  Mushasha  Timurids  Qara Qoyunlu
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Indian technology group 
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 Assam  Bahmanis  Bengal  Orissa
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Chinese technology group 
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 Bali  Brunei  Dai Viet  Japan  Khmer  Korea  Majapahit  Malaya  Pagarruyung  Pasai  Sunda
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Nomadic technology group 
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 Jianzhou  Uzbek  Mongolia
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Central African technology group 
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 Kuba Mutapa
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East African technology group 
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 Ethiopia Mogadishu
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| Muslim technology group
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 Mamluks Morocco Tlemcen Tunis
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West African technology group 
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 Air Mali
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| Eastern technology group
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 Bosnia  Byzantium  Circassia  Cyprus  Georgia  Greece  Lithuania  Montenegro  Muscovy  Novgorod  Poland  Ragusa  Russia  Serbia  Theodoro  Trebizond  Tver  Wallachia
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Anatolian technology group 
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 Ottomans
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| Muslim technology group
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 Granada
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| Nomadic technology group
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Western technology group 
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 United States
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Mesoamerican technology group 
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 Maya
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North American technology group 
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 Caddo  Cherokee  Iroquois
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