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Contents
America
Arabia
Aztec
China
Egypt
England
France
Germany
Greece
India
Iroquois
Japan
Ottoman
Empire
Persia
Rome
Russia
Siam
Songhai
Regardless of Leadership or
nationality, all rival civilizations in the Civilization 5 are
dangerous. Civilization 5's take on world politics is decidedly
bloodier in nature than its recent prequels. Some civilizations act
more aggressively than others, but any of them will attack you if they
smell weakness. Beware.
America
George Washington is a treacherous waffler. He can go from your best friend to your worst enemy in about ten turns. This guy can be helpful for a while, but in the long run he's 100% Manifest Destiny, and generally attacks with a well-prepared army.
Diplomacy is possible with America early in the game, and good relations can sometimes last quite a while once established. Create trade pacts and Research Agreements with Washington, but never trust him.
The Americans use both colonialism and conquest to grow big in the mid-game. If you have managed a hundred Turns of peace with America, pat yourself on the back and then invade their core Cities as soon as possible.
When fighting Renaissance and
Industrial Era America, prioritize Rifling to counter the advantage of
Minutemen.
If fighting a Modern Era America, build Fighters and AA Assets
aplenty. The B-17 is like the Hammer of Thor and must be intercepted to
prevent dominating the game.
Arabia
The Arabs generate a lot of Gold and grow quickly mid-game. They tend to be expansive but not always vicious. Thanks to the Bazaar, they usually have trade goods available. Partner with them and use their surplus goods to fuel your own progress..
The best way to exploit Arabia is to kill them with kindness. Make them a friend for as long as you can, and prepare for war with them by stacking your Happiness with other sources. When conflict does come, you're likely to lose some trade goods and your Happiness will suffer if you're not prepared.
Their Camel Archers are annoying little
suckers capable of shoot-and-scoot attacks which are difficult to
counter. When warring with Medieval Arabia, try and keep fast horsemen
handy to chase the snipers off your flanks. Also note that the Arabs
have no Knights, so when forced into a stand-up battle they can usually
be beaten down. Don't chase distant Camel Archers with Knights. It
often ends badly.
Aztec
Montezuma is pure evil. Do not trust
him, do not come to depend on him for goods, and do not approach him
without a loaded gun.
Aztec Jaguars are a vicious early-game asset. They fight well relative to their cost and gain health and culture when they kill. The Aztec Cities seem to spawn near fertile ground, so there tend to be a lot of them. Counter them with massed, guarded archers.
Fortunately for you, Montezuma usually
ticks off enough neighbors that the Aztecs are weakened or wiped out
near mid-game. You should rarely have difficulty building Alliances
against him.
China
China enjoys a technical proficiency that ensures their economy and military remain consistently competitive. They have a fair chance of inaugurating the Apollo Program or the first Manhattan Project.
Chinese Chu-Ko-Nu are among the most dangerous Units in the game. When fighting China, choose your battlefields carefully. Build fast cavalry on your flanks and get in among the Chu-Ko-Nu even if it means sacrificing horsemen to do so.
You'll need to commit more Units than typical when assulting Chinese cities. The ranged weapons they stock their metropolitan areas with are devastating against besiegers.
You can befriend China for a time, but
it rarely lasts.
Egypt
Egypt uses it's advantage in Wonders to the fullest. Keeping pace with Egypt's building projects is a challenge in any game they take part in.
If you locate Egypt in the Ancient or
Classical Eras, allocate your Citizens to Production-oriented Terrain
and develop Autocracy early to compete.
Thanks to Burial Tombs, Egyptian Cities are full of Gold after the
mid-game and make appealing targets for conquest.
Because of their skill in Building
Wonders, Egypt is a late game threat to develop the Manhattan Project,
Apollo Program or United Nations.
England
England tends to be imperialistic but can be reasoned with on occasion and makes a decent trading partner.
Britannia rules the waves. Stay out of British sea-lanes. Counter old world naval power by going after their ports from inland attacks. Never, ever embark ground Units against them. Their ships are just too fast. Don't go toe-to-toe with their vessels.
In the modern age, out-plane the English. Bomb their proud ships into dust.
Beware the range and power of the
Longbowman. Attack these Units with a 3-1 numerical advantage and be
prepared for high losses. If your Cities are besieged by Longbowmen,
relieve them immediately or they will fall.
France
Napoleon likes conquest...no surprise there. The French Military tends to be modern, well-equipped, experienced and aggressive in every Era.
When Napoleon is a neighbor and you find yourself in the Renaissance era, push your technology toward Riflemen immediately. You'll need them to counter French Musketeers, which will flat outfight your Musketmen.
Later in the game, treat Foreign Legion troops with respect. They're murderous outside of French territory.
Negotiate with Napoleon, but understand
that he views you as a potential vassal.
Germany
Bismark is a conqueror. He's a really
dangerous foe that swallows up other Civilizations. Bismark cannot be
reasoned with in the long run, and you should cripple
him
at
the
first
opportunity. Try to make him irrelevant by
mid-game.
If he survives to the Modern Era you may find yourself facing the
Panzer, a nightmare Unit. Deflect the Panzers with AT Guns protected by
layered Infantry, and develop Bombers to deal with the threat. Don't
try to match them Tank-for-Tank. They're tough.
Greece
The Greeks like to get buddy-buddy with City-States. Don't even try subverting their Allies - you simply can't keep up with the huge Influence benefit Alexander holds. A hearty application of the mailed fist against their satellite City-States is recommended.
Alexander has no hesitation about riding straight through City-State territory, so watch your flanks. He's pretty aggressive.
Greek Hopilites are tough little
suckers. Never attack them with cavalry. Build your own shield wall on
high ground and let lose your archers, or use massed Swordsmen. Greek
Companion Cavalry are the best horsemen in the early game and can be a
real pain. Again, protected Archers are the best solution.
India
India is composed of big, often peaceful Cities. Ghandi can usually provide a few decent trading goods. He tends not to be too conquest-minded, and can sometimes be reasoned with.
Indian War Elephants are not all that
dangerous. Treat them as tougher Archers. The Indian Cities tend to
build fortifications, so besiege them with large, well-prepared forces
when forced to fight.
Iroquois
The ability of Iroquois Units to move effortlessly through rough Terrain can not be underestimated. Forests and Jungles act like roads for all Iroquois. This means that they are moving three times as fast or more than your Units on the same Terrain. Iroquois Units can appear from outside your scope of vision and attack your Units before you ever get a chance to respond.
Couple this with the fact that Civilization 5 seems to start the Iroquois in wooded areas and you have a real problem. Newly built Units come screaming to the front, and wounded ones often retreat too quickly to be finished off.
Also beware Mohawk Warriors. Bombard them or fight them in the open. In Forest, these guys gain combat bonuses.
To beat the Iroquois, fight on your own turf whenever you can and stick to the clear. Stay away from the edges of wooded land, and take more trouble than normal protecting your artillery from infantry attack.
Attack their Cities with 50% more
soldiers than you normally would to counter their ability to move
troops quickly.
Japan
Throw away the book on Civilization
tactics when you fight Japan. Unlike every other civilization, their
Units retain full Combat Strength when wounded. Japanese Units must be
wiped out the turn they are first engaged, or else they will
reciprocate with crippling (often fatal) suicide counter-charges.
Focusing multiple attacks on a single healthy Japanese Unit is
essential. Don't engage the Japanese without either a numerical or
terrain advantage at the point of contact. Playing fair, their Units
will beat yours.
Nobunaga tends to be polite, obey the forms and act in a trustworthy
manner. He can be warlike but usually telegraphs a changing mood
against you. He can be traded with.
Ottoman Empire
The Turks are a resourceful, happy bunch. They tend to get embroiled in conflicts alongside Allies, so try to get them on your side as often as possible.
The Ottoman Empire fields the Sipahi, probably the best horse Unit in Civilization 5. They are lightning fast and can tear your flanks to shreds if the catch you enfilade. The Ottoman Janissary is tougher than a Musketman and heals much like a Jaguar.
To beat the Turks, try joining them.
They really seem to have a thing for partnering up. Failing in that,
they have a lot of trouble with massed, protected artillery in tight
formations that negates their Units' mobility.
Persia
Persia gets beat up a lot. Their
powerful Immortals are poorly used by the AI, and the empire tends to
be weakened by the time their wonderful Satrip's Court comes into play.
Darius is kind of a jerk. He can be traded with but tends to get greedy.
Persia often launches wars in concert with other powers, so be wary of
changing attitudes. If you sense the wind shifting, attack them first.
Rome
The Romans are politely imperialistic. They will out-build you if allowed to do so, and their early game Units have a lot of offensive punch.
Counter their aggressiveness with your own. If Rome is a neighbor, keep a strong, modern military.
Rome's quick Building powers give them a strong advantage in long games. It is best to cripple or defeat Rome early, as the more Buildings they generate, the more their margin of advantage grows.
If forced into a Late-Game conflict
with Rome, try to build an alliance against them. Failing in that,
methodically reduce intervening Cities and make your way to Rome
proper. The loss of the Capital usually takes the fight out of them.
Don't rush toward late-game Rome. It's too well defended for quick
victory.
Russia
Catherine is land-hungry. She's usually peaceful enough until there's no more free real-estate nearby. Then she'll come after yours.
As long as Catherine has other matters to attend to, she can be traded with. She often has more Strategic Resources than she can use.
Cossacks feast on wounded Units. Rotate
injured troops away from them or counter their advantage with flanking
and terrain bonuses.
Siam
The Siamese are a diplomatic lot. They cultivate friendship with City-States and often make good trading partners.
Do not field cavalry against Naresuan
Elephants, not even Knights. Engage them with infantry and artillery
only. They can be beaten with relative ease when treated with respect.
Songhai
Askia talks a friendly talk, but like George Washington he's a wishy-washy backstabber with a mind for conquest.
Songhai embarked Units can shoot back. Never, ever forget this! Unlike all other Civilizations, Askia's transports are not defenseless against attackers. While they are still no match for dedicated battle wagons, they can give weaker assailants trouble.