Babylonians Strategy Guide

Learn how to conquer Humankind on the highest difficulty with this strategy guide. Focus on early game survival, trade, and scaling into the late game for victory.

Hey there! So you want to tackle Humankind on the hardest difficulty, huh? It's a wild ride, but totally doable. This guide is all about helping you get there, drawing from my own experiences beating the game on 'Humankind' difficulty. Keep in mind, the game's still pretty new when I'm writing this, so some things might change with updates, but the core ideas should stick around.

Humankind Difficulty and General Strategy

Alright, let's break down what makes 'Humankind' difficulty so tough and how to deal with it. The AI gets some sweet bonuses:

• +3 Food per Farmer in all Cities
• +3 Industry per Worker in all Cities
• +3 Money per Trader in all Cities
• +3 Science per Researcher in all Cities
• +60 Stability on all Cities
• +2 Combat Strength on all Units

See those FIMS bonuses? They're flat numbers. That means early on, they're a *huge* deal. Imagine needing 3+ Industry Districts just to match the AI's bonus from a few workers! But later in the game, when cities get massive, that bonus doesn't scale as well. A big AI city might get +45 Industry, which is easily countered by just one or two specialized districts. So, the early game is tough, but it should get easier as you progress.

That +2 Combat Strength bonus is no joke, either. It's like giving their basic units the power of a unique unit. You absolutely cannot compete in combat during the Neolithic and Ancient eras. Seriously, avoid fights until at least the Classical era, and usually the Medieval is safer. Later on, picking the 'Professional Soldiers' Civic and leaning towards the 'Homeland' ideology can help balance this out.

The stability bonus is a bit harder to pin down, but it likely decreases as the game goes on and you get more ways to boost stability. Your best bet to counter this is to focus on trading for luxury resources.

So, the overall game plan is:

1. Avoid early wars: Seriously, don't fight until the Classical era at the earliest, and preferably wait for Medieval.
2. Trade for luxuries: This is key for stability and other benefits.
3. Go wide, not tall: Pick Agrarian and Builder cultures early on. Expanding your empire is the best way to overcome the AI's FIMS bonuses as the game progresses.
4. Aim for stars/fame: The goal is to rack up as many stars as possible to win the game.