Civilization V: Understand Catherine's Russia

AntMag.NET

Hey there! So, you're diving into Civilization V and want to know about Catherine's Russia? Let's break down what makes her tick so you can handle her, whether you're playing as her or against her.

Catherine's Russia is all about rapid expansion and a strong focus on science. She's known for building a ton of cities, often way more than other leaders by the mid-game. This aggressive expansion means she's also likely to be a major player in tech, which can be tough if you're not keeping pace. Her AI tendencies lean towards building lots of infrastructure and expanding quickly, so if you're near her at the start, you might want to consider hitting her early to snag some of those settlers before she gets too big.

Leader Scales

Catherine scores pretty well in most competitive areas:

Victory Competitiveness: 6/10
Wonder Competitiveness: 7/10
City State Competitiveness: 7/10
Boldness: 3/10 (She's not usually the first to charge in without reason)

Playing as her neighbor, I found she's competitive but not overly chatty with annoying messages, especially if you show you can defend yourself. She's still tough to fight, though.

Diplomacy Scales

When it comes to diplomacy, Catherine is a bit of a mixed bag:

War: 4/10
Hostile: 6/10
Deceptive: 7/10
Guarded: 5/10
Afraid: 5/10
Friendly: 7/10
Neutral: 5/10

She's generally more friendly than warlike, but don't push her. Denying her a treaty or parking units near her border can quickly turn her hostile. While her 'War' score is low, she won't hesitate to declare war if she sees an opportunity, especially if you're isolated.

City State Scales

Her interaction with City-States is also notable:

Ignore Others: 4/10
Friendly: 6/10
Protective: 6/10
Conquest: 7/10

Catherine is quite likely to try and take over city-states, but she also has a tendency to protect them. This can be annoying if you're trying to influence a city-state she's guarding.

Ground Military Scales

Her military focus is pretty balanced:

Offensive: 6/10
Defensive: 6/10
City Defence: 6/10
Military Training: 5/10
Reconnaissance: 5/10
Ranged: 5/10
Mounted: 6/10

She tends to use a mix of units, often favoring cheaper infantry but also incorporating mounted units. These scales are more about her bias than a strict rule, so expect a well-rounded army.

Naval Scales

Don't expect much naval action from Catherine:

Naval: 3/10
Naval Reconnaissance: 3/10
Naval Growth: 3/10
Naval Tile Improvement: 3/10

Just like Russia historically wasn't a major sea power during her era, Catherine doesn't invest much in her navy. She might use it for transporting land units, so your best bet is to intercept those transports if you need to counter her at sea.

Air Scale

Her air game is also weak:

Air Power: 3/10

If she doesn't care about the sea, she likely won't focus on air power either. While this means you might have more freedom with your air units, be prepared for her to pack more anti-air (AA) units on the ground to compensate.

Growth Scales

This is where Catherine really shines and can be a challenge:

Expansion: 8/10
Growth: 3/10 (This seems counter-intuitive given her expansion, but might refer to city population growth)
Tile Improvement: 5/10
Infrastructure: 5/10
Production: 6/10
Gold: 5/10
Science: 8/10
Culture: 6/10

Catherine will expand incredibly fast, often having double the cities of her neighbors. If you're close to her at the start, consider an early war to capture settlers. She'll also tech up quickly, which fuels her expansion and military potential. To counter her, you'll want to take her cities early to wear her down.

Civilisation Scales

Her overall civilization focus is interesting:

Happiness: 3/10
Great People: 6/10
Wonder: 5/10
Diplomacy: 6/10
Spaceship: 9/10

She has a massive bias towards a Spaceship victory. Interestingly, she doesn't prioritize happiness, which can lead to unhappy cities, stunted growth, and reduced science output – a potential weakness you can exploit.

So, to sum it up: Catherine's Russia is an aggressive, science-focused empire that expands rapidly. Keep an eye on her city count and tech progress, and don't be afraid to strike early if you're neighbors. Exploit her potential happiness issues and focus on keeping pace scientifically, and you'll be well-equipped to handle her!