Modern Warfare & Nuclear Deterrence

Learn how to overcome the AI's early-game advantages in Humankind's highest difficulty. Master trade, culture, and combat strategies to secure victory.

Alright, let's talk about tackling Humankind on the highest difficulty, where the AI gets some serious buffs right out of the gate. It's a tough start, but totally doable if you know the tricks!

Basically, the AI gets some pretty hefty bonuses to Food, Industry, Money, Science, Stability, and Combat Strength. Here's the lowdown:

• AI Bonuses: +3 Food per Farmer, +3 Industry per Worker, +3 Money per Trader, +3 Science per Researcher, +60 Stability, and +2 Combat Strength on all units.

Now, this sounds scary, but here's the cool part: those FIMS (Food, Industry, Money, Science) bonuses are flat. What that means is they're super powerful early on when your cities are small, but they don't scale as well later in the game when your cities grow huge. An early +9 industry bonus is a big deal, but a late-game AI city with +45 industry? That's something you can totally counter with a couple of well-placed districts.

The +2 Combat Strength bonus is also a big deal, especially early on. Trying to fight the AI head-to-head in the Neolithic or Ancient eras is usually a losing battle. Your best bet is to avoid combat until at least the Classical era, and ideally, hold off until the Medieval era.

So, what's the game plan?

1. Avoid Early Wars: Seriously, don't pick fights in the first couple of eras. Let the AI waste its early advantages elsewhere.
2. Master Trade: Focus on establishing trade routes, especially for luxury resources. These are key to keeping your stability high and your empire happy.
3. Culture is Key: Grab Agrarian and Builder cultures early. They help you expand and develop your infrastructure efficiently. Then, transition into cultures that help you scale into the late game, where the AI's bonuses become less impactful. Building wide (lots of cities) is generally better than building tall (one or two huge cities) on this difficulty because it helps you leverage those flat AI bonuses more effectively as you grow.
4. Aim for Stars: Ultimately, you win by getting the most stars (Fame). Keep an eye on your objectives and focus on earning them throughout the game.

The combat bonus can be offset later on by using the Professional Soldiers Civic and leaning into the Homeland ideology axis. It's all about playing the long game and using the game's mechanics to your advantage!