Mughals Strategy Guide

Learn how to conquer Humankind on the highest difficulty. This guide covers AI bonuses, early game survival, and late-game dominance with the Mughals.

Alright, so you want to tackle Humankind on the hardest setting, huh? Smart move wanting to get a handle on the Mughals. This guide is going to walk you through how to not just survive, but thrive, even when the AI is getting a serious leg up.

First off, let's talk about what you're up against. On the highest difficulty, the AI gets some pretty sweet bonuses:

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

Now, these FIMS (Food, Industry, Money, Science) bonuses might sound huge, especially early on. The key thing to remember is that they're flat bonuses. This means they don't scale as well later in the game. An early +9 industry bonus from a few workers in a small city is way more impactful than a +45 bonus in a massive late-game AI city. You can often offset those later bonuses with just one or two well-placed districts. The combat bonus, though? That's a different story. It's significant, especially early on, and you'll want to avoid direct conflict for the first couple of eras. Later on, civics like 'Professional Soldiers' and leaning into the 'Homeland' ideology can help balance this out.

So, what's the game plan? It boils down to a few key points:

1. Avoid early wars: Seriously, don't pick fights until at least the Classical era, and usually, it's safer to wait until the Medieval era.
2. Trade for luxuries: This is your secret weapon for keeping stability high, especially when the AI is getting that massive +60 bonus.
3. Go wide, not tall: Expanding your empire is generally more effective than focusing on just a few super-cities. This helps you leverage those scaling FIMS bonuses as the game progresses.
4. Focus on Stars/Fame: Ultimately, you win by getting the most stars. Build wide, secure those objectives, and outpace the AI in overall achievement.

The Mughals, with their focus on industry and trade, can be a really strong choice for this strategy. You'll want to grab cultures that boost your builders and farmers early on, setting you up for that sweet late-game scaling. Hang in there during the early eras, build smart, and you'll be well on your way to victory!