Hearts of Iron IV All Secret Easter Eggs & Hidden Features
Key Takeaways
- You can form the 'Holy Roman Empire' as Germany by making the Kaiser return then taking very specific focus tree paths. It's the rarest formable nation in the game.
- Poland has a secret King path: get a Habsburg monarch, then Wojtek the Bear can become an actual general.
- The 'Bearer of Artillery' achievement requires Wojtek to be a general AND have artillery units in his army.
- Every Paradox game has a 'Jan Mayen' easter egg. In HOI4, Jan Mayen (a tiny Arctic island) can become a polar bear-led superpower with console commands.
Secret Focus Tree Paths
Holy Roman Empire (Germany)
Requirements:
1. Oppose Hitler (civil war path)
2. Return the Kaiser (Wilhelm II or Wilhelm III)
3. Complete 'Focus on the True Enemy'
4. Take 'Rekindle Imperial Sentiment'
5. Take 'Return of the Kaiser'
6. After conquering required states, 'Proclaim the Greater German Reich'
7. Hidden decision: 'Restore the Holy Roman Empire' appears when Victoria (Wilhelm III's daughter) becomes ruler
Requires: Control of all German cores + Austria + Czechoslovakia + Luxembourg + Alsace-Lorraine + Netherlands.
Anarchist Spain (La Resistance)
During the Spanish Civil War, take the 'Regional Defense Council of Aragon' focus as Republican Spain. This unlocks the anarchist path — the only playable anarchist nation in any major strategy game.
Wojtek the Bear (Poland)
Poland's monarchist path can recruit Wojtek, an artillery-carrying bear from a true WW2 story. He becomes a general with unique traits:
- 'Artillery Expert' (+10% artillery attack)
- 'Bear Commander' (+5% division recovery rate)
Al-Andalus (Morocco/Arabia)
As Morocco, control all of Iberia to form Al-Andalus — the revival of medieval Muslim Spain. Unique flag and name.
Formable Nations (Most Obscure)
| Formable | Requirement | Difficulty |
| ---------- | ------------ | ----------- |
| Imperium Romanum | Italy: control all Mediterranean + historical empire borders | Extreme |
| Byzantine Empire | Greece: control Turkey + Balkans + Levant | Very Hard |
| Gran Colombia | Any South American nation with correct cores | Moderate |
| Polynesian Empire | Any Polynesian nation, control all Pacific islands | Hard |
| African Union | Any African nation, control all of Africa | Extreme |
| European Union | Any democratic European nation, unite the continent peacefully | Very Hard |
Rare Events
- Alien Invasion: A 0.01% chance event where a UFO crashes. Gives +10% research speed for 180 days.
- The Great Montreal Fire: Playing as Canada, a random event burns down Montreal (historical, 1760). Purely flavor.
- Emu War 2: As Australia, declare war on... emus. Yes, this is a real event. No, you can't win.
Developer Easter Eggs
- Paradox founder cameo: 'Johan Andersson' appears as a general in the Swedish officer pool (skill 5, always level 1).
- The difficulty selection screen has a 'Very Easy' option that makes AI nations send you gifts. It's a joke about gaming journalists.
- Console command 'jan mayen' changes a tiny Arctic island into a polar bear nation with max tech, max factories, and 10M manpower.
FAQ
Q: Can you form the HRE without DLCs?
A: No. Waking the Tiger DLC is required for the German monarchy path.
Q: Is Wojtek always available to Poland?
A: Only on the monarchist path + specific event choices. Most Poland playthroughs won't encounter him.
Q: Are formable nations just cosmetic?
A: No. Formable nations get cores on their new territory, giving manpower and factories. Byzantium is actually a strong playthrough.