Economic Strategies

Learn how to overcome AI bonuses on Humankind difficulty by focusing on early game expansion, luxury resource trading, and scaling into the late game. This guide covers optimal map settings and strategic choices.

This guide provides strategies for playing Humankind on the highest difficulty, focusing on economic and military approaches to overcome AI advantages.

Humankind Difficulty and General Strategy

On Humankind difficulty, AI receive significant bonuses: +3 Food per Farmer, +3 Industry per Worker, +3 Money per Trader, +3 Science per Researcher, +60 Stability, and +2 Combat Strength per Unit. These bonuses are flat and scale less effectively over time, meaning the player has a severe disadvantage early on. Combat should generally be avoided until the Classical or Medieval eras. The strategy involves:

• Avoiding early war.
• Establishing trade for luxury resources.
• Choosing Agrarian and Builder cultures early to scale into the late game.
• Expanding widely rather than focusing on a few large cities.
• Prioritizing Fame acquisition to win the game, as ending the game without sufficient Fame can lead to a loss.
• Triggering the end game condition, often through the science ending or by eliminating/vassalizing other cultures.

Map Settings

Optimal map settings to support this strategy include:

• World Size: Huge, to allow for more expansion and easier spawning of minor cultures.
• World Shape: Large Pangea, for easier scouting and access to trading partners.
• Land Percentage: 70-80%, to ensure sufficient land while maintaining accessible sea trade routes.
• Climate: New World, to ensure diverse starting conditions.