危机系统是弱小国家将其人民从列强压迫下解放出来的一种方式。如果你引发了一场危机，你就有可能让整个世界在争夺你的土地的战争中崩溃，所以要小心。
危机是在《黑暗之心》扩展包中引入的新机制。
引发危机
危机会随机地在任何拥有100紧张度的动荡省份引发。如果一个甲国的省份上有乙国的核心，或者有属于乙国主流文化的人群，这个省份就可能成为动荡省份（flashpoint province）。紧张度由解放运动或统一运动带来，一国在不属于自己的核心省份上设置国家焦点也可以提升紧张度。只有非列强国家才能通过国家焦点提升紧张度。所以，举个例子，美国不能通过这种方式从墨西哥获得核心省份。
当两个国家殖民同一个省份时，也可能造成紧张度的上升。当双方都在这个省份投资了大量殖民点数，并且双方都不放弃时，该省份就会变成动荡省份，并产生紧张度的上升，直到任何一方放弃殖民或者危机被引发。
当一场危机被引发后，世界上所有省份的紧张度都会迅速减少到0。
Resolving a Crisis
When a crisis begins all great powers can attend, unless they are at war. Great powers on the same continent will suffer a prestige penalty of 20% of their current prestige for not attending, but others on different continents will have no obligation. The AI will always show interest in a crisis. Each side in the crisis must seek a great power to back it, unless one of them is a great power, in which case they will back themselves.
From there the other powers can pick a side. Picking a side is the best option if you do attend, otherwise there is a prestige penalty for not doing so. Nations played by the AI will be reluctant to involve themselves early in the crisis, so the first nations to take sides will likely be the stalwart allies of the side they take.
If a neutral nation does not lean heavily one way or the other, the leading nations may wish to offer them various concessions to induce them to participate. These concessions are available for the leaders of the two sides to offer starting from the beginning of the crisis and, if accepted, will be added to the goals of the side they join; if a nation does not get what they asked for out of a crisis, then relations with them met will suffer.
Crisis temperature
If the crisis goes on unresolved, the temperature of the crisis will increase. When it hits 100 it will end in a war. Right from the start the powers backing either side can make offers to solve the crisis, though a rejected offer will make the crisis "hotter" and therefore closer to war.
If this wheeling and dealing should fail then there is only one recourse: war. A war will be fought until one side or the other gives in and a peace is signed. This can bring all of the great powers in the world into a conflict without an alliance, so it is best to be vigilant and ensure good relations with anyone you want to particularly avoid fighting.
After a side succeeds in a crisis, the leader's relations with all nations which gained something they wanted, or joined without asking for anything, will increase. A leader's relations with nations which do not get what they want, or with all of their allied nations if they capitulated, will suffer.
Crisis wars
In the event that a crisis is not resolved diplomatically, the opposing sides fall into a crisis war. These wars function similarly to other wars, however in crisis wars no separate peace treaties can be signed, meaning that all belligerents in both factions must remain in the war until one side surrenders.
Crisis events
Several events can increase the temperature of a current crisis, potentially starting a war by surprise. There are also events, that adds tension to a province, when there is no ongoing crisis.
Here is a list of the events increasing tension:
Here is a list of the events increasing the temperature of a current crisis:
Common Crisis Locations
- The Balkans - All of these nationalities, Serbs, Bulgarians, Greeks, Bosniaks, and Albanians, languishing under the rule of the
Ottoman Empire can cause crises with alarming regularity. Particularly in the late game when militancy has built up. Liberation movements will spring up demanding freedom, and the Turks will be hard pressed to hold them back.
Poland - A relatively populous area, Poles have cores in 
Prussia (which will likely become Germany later), 
Austria, and 
Russia. This means that any large liberation movement can cause a crisis for any of these three countries. Fortunately for someone playing as any of these nations, you will probably be backed by the other two as they have no wish to see a resurgent Poland with cores and a culture CB on them.
Korea - In Heart of Darkness Korea begins as a free nation, opening them up to quick 
Japanese conquest. Beware however: the millions living there will resent your rule and with so many people the tensions rise awfully fast.
- Washington/Oregon - These two uncolonised provinces are both desired by the British and Americans. While the British will normally simply ignore Idaho, they will often send an expedition to Washington, and, if that is uncontested, to Oregon This can cause a crisis early on, so
USA players are advised to spend their diplomatic points seeking a backer on the continent, as a war with the British so early will go badly. Alternatively just withdraw, and claim it later as part of your Manifest Destiny.