Taking the War focus
increases a ruler's martial skill by 3 and personal combat skill by 10. It also allows challenging certain characters to duels.
The war focus can increase martial skill by up to +16:
- +3 from the focus itself
- +1 from the character modifier Student of Strategy or Adept of Strategy, one more if choose
lifestyle trait - +2 from the character modifier Great Warrior, one more if choose
lifestyle trait - +10 from triggering success in war focus:
- +3 from
- +3 from
- +2 from
- +2 from
- +3 from
Players may find it useful to gain the 
trait (e.g. from the Scholarship focus) before taking the War focus. The trait adds +2 martial, and it gives Christians and Muslims more valid duel targets.
Success in war focus
The success in war focus event gives you a random benefit:
| Weight | Requirement | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Level is none Isn't a nor |
Level up to Warrior (+1 martial, +10 personal combat) |
| 15 | Level is Warrior Isn't a nor |
Level up to Great Warrior (+2 martial, +20 personal combat) |
| 10 | Level is Great Warrior Has not declined Duelist No lifestyle trait |
Level up to (+3 martial, +30 personal combat) You can choose to decline instead, if you want to aim for another lifestyle trait |
| 30 | - | Gain 100 prestige |
| 30 | Not already Wroth | Gain (or lose  )
|
| 30 | Not already Brave | Gain (or lose  )
|
| 5 | Not already Brawny or Strong | Gain (or lose  and  )
|
When the requirement for an outcome is not met, it is removed from the list of possibilities. So once you are already a wroth brave strong duelist, the outcome will always be to gain 100 prestige.
Event-triggered duels
Having the War focus increases the likelihood of the following event-triggered duels:
- A vassal is at your feast, and you both hate each other
- Holmgang, special duels for Germanic Pagans
- A "trait effect event" for , which requires having an eligible opponent in your court (martial = 10 or also Duelist)
Minor events
There is a MTTH of 36 months chance to fire several training events, war game event chain or upset about slothful courtier event. These events WON'T fire if the character is leading an army or is busy.
Training events fire Success in war focus as a result.
War game (has a 1095 day timer) allows you to progress toward trait if you win. You can level up to Student of Strategy or Adept of Strategy modifier even if you have a lifestyle trait (and even already ). For the major push in the center event, go for the classic retreat the center and collapse the flanks, or if OPFOR stands still, counterattack toward the center. For the rush toward high ground, rush yourself with all the forces, then attack the ambush force if there is one, otherwise try to flank your enemy.
Focus pulse random events
Random pulse events let you:
- Level up martial education. More likely with strategist, high martial skill, low level of military education.
- Choose from a set of leadership traits. More likely with strategist, high martial skill, high level of military education, and zero leadership traits.
- Teach your marshal or commander one of your leadership traits.
Ambition events
If your martial skill is below 8, the following events may occur to help improve it:
- Toy Army
- Street Ruffians
- Drunken Warrior (the above three events can only be done once per lifetime in total)
- Training with the Guard
- Horsemanship
- Alexander the Great / Ashoka the Great (the above three events can occur multiple times until any once per lifetime event mentioned above is completed)
These events also exist without 
Way of Life DLC. Without the DLC, they instead require the Improve Martial Ambition, which similarly requires having less than 8 martial skill.
The final event has special mechanics with Way of Life enabled. When characters with the War focus have no lifestyle trait, it can fires even with martial skill above 8 and once per lifetime event completed. When martial skill is above 8, rather than directly improving martial skill, it adds a character modifier, Student of Strategy (+1 martial). After 300–900 days, the character can become an Adept of Strategy (+1 martial, +1 stewardship), and can choose to advance further to gain the lifestyle trait (+2 martial, +1 stewardship) if already Adept of Strategy. The latter option is only available with continued War focus and no other lifestyle trait.