Romans Strategy Guide

Learn how to conquer Humankind on the highest difficulty! This guide breaks down AI bonuses, early-game strategies, and how to leverage cultures for a dominant late-game victory.

Hey there! So you're diving into Humankind and want to tackle the toughest challenge, the 'Humankind' difficulty? Awesome! This guide is going to walk you through how to not just survive, but thrive, even when the AI gets some serious boosts. Think of me as your co-pilot here, sharing what I've learned from beating the game on its hardest setting.

First off, let's talk about what the AI gets on 'Humankind' difficulty. It's not just a little nudge; they get some pretty significant advantages:

• +3 Food per Farmer in all their cities.
• +3 Industry per Worker in all their cities.
• +3 Money per Trader in all their cities.
• +3 Science per Researcher in all their cities.
• +60 Stability in all their cities.
• +2 Combat Strength on all their units.

Now, this might sound scary, especially those FIMS (Food, Industry, Money, Science) bonuses. The key thing to remember is that these are *flat* bonuses. Early in the game, when your cities are small, these bonuses give the AI a huge leg up. For example, an early AI city with 9 population and 3 workers gets a +9 Industry bonus. That's a lot to overcome with just a few Industry Districts! But as the game progresses and AI cities grow to, say, 60 population with 15 workers, that +45 Industry bonus becomes much easier to manage. A single Jama Masjid or half a Strip Mine can often offset it. So, the takeaway here is: you're going to feel the pressure early on, but the game *should* get easier for you as time goes on.

That +2 Combat Strength bonus is no joke, either. It's like giving every AI unit a special, stronger version of a normal unit. Trying to fight them head-on in the early eras (Neolithic and Ancient) is basically a recipe for disaster. Your best bet is to avoid combat entirely until at least the Classical era, and usually, it's safer to wait until the Medieval era.

The stability bonus is a bit harder to quantify, but it definitely helps the AI keep their cities happy and productive. The best way to counter this is by focusing on trading for luxury resources. More on that in a bit.

So, with all that in mind, here's the general game plan:

1. Avoid Early Wars: Seriously, don't pick fights until at least the Classical era, and often the Medieval is a safer bet.
2. Trade for Luxuries: Make establishing trade routes for luxury resources a top priority.
3. Culture Picks Matter: Aim for Agrarian and Builder cultures early on. These will help you scale efficiently into the late game when the AI's FIMS bonuses start to lose their punch. To really make the most of this scaling, focus on building *wide* (more cities) rather than *tall* (fewer, larger cities).
4. Fame is Your Goal: The ultimate way to win is by accumulating the most stars and fame. Remember, the AI's bonuses are significant, but they don't directly translate into more fame for them.

This strategy focuses on weathering the early storm and then out-scaling the AI. It might take a few tries, but by understanding these AI bonuses and focusing on smart expansion and trade, you'll be well on your way to victory!