Acquiring command stars is very difficult

[nein]

In EB you can acquire government traits easily with education structures... but earning command stars is very difficult. It seems like random selection, if you have a general with 3 command stars at the beginning of the game you feel blessed as otherwise it seems borderline impossible to earn them. The AI does not have this problem however, they can usually field generals with 5 or so stars whilst most of my guys have zero stars. I can understand the need to make it harder than vanilla but obtaining command stars seems unfairly difficult in EB. You can conquer massive swathes of land and still have nothing to show for it

[ooji]

The key is to attack enemy armies and settlements directly during your own turn. If you keep defending and fighting sallied enemies, your general won't get much better.

[nein]

I see, although it does seem a little silly. A battle is a battle at the end of the day? What happened to bonus defensive traits...

[QuintusSertorius]

The AI has scripted bonuses to make sure they have command stars, it's to do with the mechanics of auto-calculation.

In any case, why is it so important? You're the human player, it's not as if you need the massive defense and morale bonuses of extra command stars anyway.

[nein]

Well it does not seem that important battle-wise, but it is frustrating when a family member has conquered a lot of territory and still has zero stars.

[Casual Tactician]

Best way to gain command stars is fighting battles that are against your odds - ie. the auto-calc before a battle states AI will win. But that's not all...

One thing you should look out for, are the traits your character has in EB. Have a look at this (from my Beginner's Guide & Mod Overview - 'Beginner's Guide' section 3 > 'Traits & Ancillaries System'):

Command stars and traits

Command stars and primary traits Command stars: Primary Traits: Primary traits - example of best abilities: Primary traits - example of best personality:

Also keep in mind that some ancillaries grant command star bonuses.

One thing to remember is, that the full potential of your general (ie. his command stars) can be different from battle to battle. As some traits and ancillaries only take effect under certain circumstances. As there are traits/ancillaries that only grant command star bonuses under certain conditions, such as: if under siege, attacking, defending, fighting barbarians, using a cavalry/infantry-heavy army (= army with 50% or more cav/inf IIRC)...

So the command stars shown in a neutral environment (eg. general is in settlement) can be lower than in an actual battle. Always have a look at the pre-battle scroll, to check your generals de facto command stars for this battle.

[athanaric]

In my experience, generals of the more civilized factions gain intelligence-based command stars in well-developed settlements (AFAIK linked to academies, not sure if gymnasia play a role as well). Also, Nomadic generals tend to acquire command stars far more easily. I've had many multi-star generals (up to and including 10 stars IIRC) when playing Pahlava, Saka, or Sauromatae.