Combat System Overview

Learn how to overcome the AI's early-game advantages in Humankind combat. Discover strategies for leveraging FIMS bonuses and unit strength to secure victory.

Alright, let's talk about combat in Humankind. It can feel a bit rough at first, especially on higher difficulties, but don't worry, we'll get you through it. The AI gets some pretty sweet bonuses right out of the gate, which can make early fights feel impossible. But, there's a strategy to it, and thankfully, those bonuses start to even out as the game progresses.

Here's the deal with the AI's advantages on the highest difficulty:

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

Now, those FIMS (Food, Industry, Money, Science) bonuses might seem huge early on, and they are! For example, that extra industry means you'll need more districts to keep up. But here's the kicker: these bonuses are flat. As your cities grow and you get more workers, those flat bonuses become less impactful compared to your overall production. So, while you're at a disadvantage early, it should get easier over time.

That +2 Combat Strength bonus is no joke, either. It's basically like giving their units a free upgrade. Trying to fight head-on in the early eras (Neolithic and Ancient) is usually a bad idea. You'll want to avoid direct conflict until at least the Classical era, and often, waiting until the Medieval era is even better.

The bonus stability is a bit harder to quantify, but it definitely helps the AI keep their cities happy. A good way to counter this is by trading for luxury resources – they're great for boosting your own stability.

So, what's the game plan?

1. Avoid early wars: Seriously, don't pick fights until the Classical era, or even later if you can manage it.
2. Trade for luxuries: Get those luxury resources coming in to keep your own cities stable.
3. Go wide, not tall: Building lots of cities (going wide) is usually better than focusing on just a few big ones (going tall) for scaling into the late game. Grab those Agrarian and Builder cultures early to help with this.
4. Focus on Stars/Fame: Ultimately, you win by getting the most stars and fame.

The key takeaway is to be patient, build up your empire, and leverage trade. Once the AI's early bonuses start to fade in significance, you'll be in a much stronger position to take them on.