Summary
In Paradox Interactive’s grand strategy game Hearts of Iron 4, you are tasked with leading a nation of your choice through one of history’s most tumultuous periods: The Second World War.You will manage everything about your country, from production to troop placement and even nuclear research.
To help facilitate these developments, many major and minor nations have been given focus trees for you to progress through. These focus trees offer nations a way to get ahead of their rivals, giving them major advantages and buffs and potentially sending them down an alternate path from historical fact. Not all focus trees are created equal, however, and some are clearly more potent than others.
10The United States
American Steel
The United States was a sleeping industrial giant in the months leading up to, and its inevitable involvement in, World War 2. This has been represented well with the nation’s focus tree, giving you powerful national spirit buffs and bonus research into things like armor and bombers.
If you wish to take history in a different direction, however, the United States has a few options, like choosing to side with the communists and choosing to ally yourself with either the Soviets or Communist China. Another option is to deny Franklin Roosevelt his third term as president, which allows you to do the focuses that bring back the Confederacy if you choose to go that route instead.
9Germany
Germany Above All
The Germans are a classic Hearts of Iron starting nation, being the ones who kicked off the war in Europe. Their focus tree sees you picking one of two major choices right at the beginning: Do you depose Hitler and go down one of the alt-history paths, or do you allow him to run the country and play a historical game?
Either option has its merits, though choosing to oppose Hitler allows you to revive the old Kaiserriech and bring back Wilhelm II, the former German Emperor. If you choose democracy instead of monarchism, you could even potentially form the European Union through an in-game decision.
8France
Be The Resistance
The French see themselves in a precarious position at the start of the game; their crumbling infrastructure from World War I and a rising communist movement will need to be addressed. Through their focus tree, you will take on those tasks as well as decide the country’s political future.
you’re able to form the popular front and choose to embrace the communist uprising or revive the national bloc and instead lead the country down a path of fascism. Either option also allows you to play a historical democratic game instead as well. More notably though, is that the national bloc also allows you to restore the French monarchy, even bringing back the empire under the leadership of Napoleon VI.
7The United Kingdom
British Intelligence
The British, much like the French, are still reeling from the aftereffects of World War I. Much of their now crumbling empire is slowly drifting away, out of their direct control. Their focus tree will force you to make a choice about whether to let the former colonies go their own way or if you will double down and reinforce the old empire, bringing them closer to your central control and possibly creating the Imperial Federation.
Their political tree also has options for either staying historical or choosing a change in course, giving you monarchist, fascist, or communist alt-history paths to choose from. An option within some of these paths is to unite the Anglosphere and bring all English-speaking countries back under the control of the UK, a lofty ambition.
6The Soviet Union
Soviet Blood
When thinking of the Soviets during World War 2, most people think of human wave tactics, and their focus tree readily builds and expands on that style of warfare. You will build up the Red Army over the course of your campaign and watch its effectiveness increase immensely.
When choosing the political future of the Soviet Union, there are only three options before you: Keep Stalin and play historical, attempt to overthrow him with other Soviet leaders like Trotsky or Bucharin, or leave communism altogether and bring back the Tzar and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
5Lithuania
Return Of The Commonwealth
Lithuania has been a fan-favorite nation to play since the No Step Back DLC gave them their own focus tree. The tree is incredibly powerful, giving this tiny nation in the Baltics the power to rival the major players on the world stage at this point in history.
Their focus tree will see you dealing with the ultimatum before them: restore the Soviet-backed Worker’s Republic and become communist, or face the threat of war for not complying. While democratic and fascist paths are options, the monarchist path sees Lithuania annexing Poland and many of the other Baltic States to reform the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
4Italy
Birthplace Of Fascism
One of the more recent nations to get an updated focus tree, the Italians now have one of the better trees in the game. Their mechanics now mostly hinge on how you deal with Mussolini and whether you let him have his way with the country or not. The war in Ethiopia also plays a significant role early on.
The paths you’re able to follow also give you options to turn away from Mussolini and depose him as well, leading Italy down another path entirely than the one they followed historically. It wouldn’t be a Paradox game, however, without a focus that gives you a decision to turn yourself into the Roman Empire if the right conditions are met. Mussolini even wears a laurel crown!
3Poland
Ground Zero
The Polish are mostly remembered for being the casus belli for the Germans to begin World War 2, but their focus tree allows you to change history and mount an incredible defense against both Hitler and Stalin when the Soviets also invade you.
The Polish tree will have you decide on who you want to run the country: the fascists, the communists, an eventual democracy, or four different candidates for the Polish throne. There is also a secret fifth candidate for the throne as well, available only if you reject all four other options.
2Argentina
Don’t Cry For Me
Hearts of Iron 4’s DLC, Trial of Allegiance, has added focus trees to certain South American nations, finally making the region more unique and fun to play. Argentina has been given a very fun tree with plenty of powerful buffs that make taking over the continent a breeze.
If you play with historical AI focuses off, you might also be able to unlock a secret path in Argentina where a strange mustachioed man who speaks great German and very poor Spanish shows up and can be given the reins of the Argentinian government and country.
1The Second Brazilian Republic
Come To Brazil
Just like with Argentina, Brazil has been given a new and improved focus tree with the DLC, Trial of Allegiance. There are many buffs to take advantage of and unifying the continent under Brazilian leadership is very possible and enjoyable to do.
The Brazilian tree will ultimately coalesce with the unification of South America in one of three different ways: A communist utopia by establishing the Union of Latin American Socialist Republics, conquering all nations and declaring the region America do Sul with the fascists, or building on the ideals of the United States and creating the United States of South America.
