How difficult is it to take over a second NPC country? Took over my first just as the guide said but it's meant to get harder. What sort of opposition would I face?
If you don't have a premium account, that won't be possible. You will need a strong economy in both of your current countries to support a military once you have the premium account. Then you should read the game's documentation on that and look through some of the other threads others have posted about conquering C3 countries.
well not true, I was always able to go to war level 3 even with a free account many many times. you an do it, just do it the right way and of course its possible.
I think the question wasn't as much about going to war level 3 as it was about conquering C3 countries. Of course you can go to WL3 with a free account. The basic info and suggested reading was accurate based on the original question as it was asked.