Traditional medicine

Civilization 5 which nation to choose. Unique properties of civilizations in Civilization V

Calm, just calm! By studying this material, you will learn what is good or bad about each nation and how its characteristics affect the overall strategy. Pacifists, hardcore hawks, builders, traders or diplomats - everyone will find a civilization to their taste.

It is useless to play as the Greeks on a map where the city-states cannot be found during the day with fire.

The main difference between civilizations is their “unique abilities” that strengthen one of the areas. Often it is this ability that determines the most profitable strategy for the development of our empire. It must always be taken into account. It is useless to play as the Greeks on a map where the city-states cannot be found during the day with fire. A peaceful China will lose all its advantages. And if you take India and build a dozen and a half cities, things could end badly. The second and usually less important difference is unique units or buildings. We will tell you about all this now.

For convenience, we have divided civilizations into several large groups- those that are suitable for playing “from diplomacy”, to military, construction, “money” or designed for the quick seizure of territories. We gave each of them a rating from one to five. The higher the score, the more interesting and more useful feature civilization in her area. An average rating means that it is difficult to come up with uses for traits or units. On the other hand, you can choose any strategy for such countries, without any remorse.

And finally, at the end of the article, civilizations with the most useless and poorly understood abilities and units are collected. It’s worth playing for them only for other reasons not related to the choice of strategy. But we will start, of course, with the best of the best.

First thing's first - diplomacy!

Diplomatic civilizations

Diplomatic civilizations are designed to interact with city-states. The more of these small but proud settlements on the map, the better the life of the diplomatic civilization.

Siam (ruler - Ramkamhaeng)

Unique ability - "The father rules the children." The amount of food and culture received from friendly city-states has been increased by 50%.

“A strong friendship will not break-
Xia” - the capital of Siam has gorged itself heavily on gift grub and culture.

Unique building: wat (replaces university).

Unique squad: Neresuan elephant (replaces knights).

Who would have thought that Thailand, aka Siam, would be one of best countries in the game? Thanks to the effective “exhaust” from relations with city-states, Thais can forget about farms and museums - there will be plenty of food and culture. The freed up cells and construction capacity should be used to make money, because friendship with city-states is not a cheap matter. However, the “Patronage” social policy branch will help here - develop it!

The abundance of food can become a problem if it leads to uncontrolled urban growth and increased discontent. But... everyone would have such problems, right? The “Piety” social policy branch will help compensate for dissatisfaction. It is not compatible with “scientific” social policies, but the Wat, a Khmer Buddhist temple, will help here. Vat provides not only science, but also a decent amount of culture, and costs a little less than a university - we recommend it. But with elephants things are not the same. Elephants are slightly stronger than knightly units and cope well with cavalry. But they will do little against the pikemen, and the low speed of the elephants exposes them to the danger of counterattacks.

Greece (Alexander the Great)

Fear the Danaans, Achaeans, Argives, Cretans, Mycenaeans and Mixolydians.

Hellenic Union. Influence on city-states decreases half as fast and recovers twice as fast.

Squads: hetaira (replace cavalry) and hoplites (replace spearmen).

We distribute money to everyone; as a result, an improvement in the nature of diplomatic relations and a wonderful appetite.

It’s not for nothing that we praised Greece so much in our review. The ability to negotiate with city-states for half the money is priceless, especially in combination with the Patronage branch. If Siam is worth choosing on maps where city-states are in short supply, so that two friends are worth three, then Greece is an ideal choice on extensive maps, where there are people to make friends with. We distribute money to everyone; as a consequence - an improvement in the nature of diplomatic relations and a wonderful appetite.

Alexander the Great, alas, did not have his own buildings. But the set of units provided by the developers is difficult to overestimate. Hoplites are a stronger version of spearmen. They are, however, more expensive, but they are excellent for waging early wars and repelling barbarian attacks. Macedonian cavalry is an excellent replacement for regular cavalry. Its advantages are numerous:

It is stronger than ordinary cavalry;

It does not require horses as a resource (this is not only great in itself, but also allows you to safely trade horses if you do have them);

Fighting Macedonian cavalry spawns great generals faster (priceless).

Economic civilizations

Here we will write down civilizations whose abilities allow them to earn a lot, a lot of money, which helps smooth out many problems in other areas.

Persia (Darius I)

Legacy of the Achaemenids. The Golden Age lasts 50% longer. During the Golden Age, units' attack power increases by 10% and speed by one.

The Persians are better than others at achieving the favor of the golden calf.

Building: courtyard of the satrap (replaces the bank).

Squad: immortals (replace spearmen)

What is the "Golden Age"? This is a period when cities are churning out buildings, units and Wonders of the World at almost double the speed, and the treasury is bursting with gold coins.

Who are the Persians? These are the guys who suffer from a chronic Golden Age.

Who are the Persians? These are the guys who suffer from a chronic Golden Age. Literally. In general, it is very pleasant when periods of well-being last longer than usual. But Persia is especially good if you use the "permanent golden age" strategy. As you might guess, it allows, with the help of simple manipulations with culture, Wonders of the World and the high-speed production of great people, to make the Golden Age, once started, didn't end. We will describe this strategy in more detail next time, but for now just know that it exists.

The satrap’s court can help with happiness - a special “motivating bank” that adds not only to the financial well-being of the country, but also to its happiness. The troops of the “immortals”, glorified in the battle at Thermopylae, will form an excellent army. Not only are they stronger than spearmen, but they also heal twice as fast, which is especially useful when playing defensively. Remember that accelerated treatment(like many abilities of unique units in the game) remains after modernization - right up to motorized infantry.

Arabs (Harun al-Rashid)

Trade caravans.+2 gold coins per trade route and double oil output.

Building: bazaar (replaces the market).

Squad: archer on a camel (replaces the knight).

Arabia is a typical example of weak specialization. An extra two gold from each trade route (that is, at least from each city connected to the capital) is nice, but not enough for strategizing. "Trade caravans" are just a pleasant relief financial problems. The same applies to doubled oil reserves. If you have a resource, it’s good, you can sell it. No, we won't cry. The Arabian Bazaar doubles the luxury resource if there is one near the city. There is only one point - to sell the surplus to the outside and make money.

The camel shooter is a unit of dubious quality. This is the "shooting" version of the knight. It cannot fight in close combat, but it is good for beating up the enemy from afar and escaping.

It turns out that Harun al-Rashid - in best case scenario"average". He, of course, will have a little more coins than the average hospital, but compared to the Persian skills he pales.

Construction civilizations

As you might have guessed, they are the best builders. But it should be noted that construction is not always a useful thing, since almost all buildings place a burden on the country’s budget. Another thing is the Wonders of the World.

Rome (Caesar Augustus)

Roman glory.+25% to the speed of construction of buildings that already exist in the capital.

Squads: ballista (replaces the catapult) and legion (replaces the swordsmen).

Accelerated construction is, of course, “Super!”, but not “Super-super-super!”

Roman cities are quickly rebuilt if the building they are building is already in Rome itself. Accelerated construction is, of course, “Super!”, but not “Super-super-super!”, because the speed of construction is not that great big problem. It is much more difficult to find money to maintain extensive infrastructure. Of course, for rapid expansion it is very good when you can quickly build what you need in cities. But this approach provokes the construction of unnecessary buildings, which can become a big burden towards the end of the game. But you can’t destroy and sell extra buildings - sad, but true.

Things are quite sad with the troops in Rome. The Ballista is an unremarkable, slightly beefed-up version of the Catapult. Legionnaires are a stronger version of swordsmen (and they also consume valuable iron). Of course, legionnaires can build roads, which is funny. But when legionnaires are retrained to use long swords (and so on), this ability completely disappears.

Egypt (Ramses II)

Monumental construction.+20% to the construction speed of all Wonders of the World.

Building: tomb (replaces temple).

Squad: war chariot (replaces the archer on the chariot).

Barbarian settlements are a source of gold that should not be underestimated.

The Egyptians always have a head start when it comes to building a pyramid or two or a UN building.

Miracles are not a big deal, and some of them are very important to build on time, ahead of other civilizations. For example, the Egyptians always have a head start when it comes to building a pyramid or two or a UN building.

But this ability itself is worth a maximum of three. Tombs are what additionally helps the Egyptians! They replace temples. True, each tomb gives not three portions of culture, but two. But it additionally increases happiness by two units and saves two gold, since it does not require annual maintenance. It's hard to imagine a more useful building! Tombs are also useful when you are not playing as the Egyptians, but are fighting with them. Each captured city with a tomb gives double the amount of loot (the tomb itself is destroyed).

A war chariot is a good replacement for a regular one. It moves faster and does not require horses as a resource.

The most interesting thing about Egypt is that you can come up with your own strategy for the accelerated construction of the Wonders of the World, and the tombs will simultaneously support the economy, culture and happiness. Very convenient.

Iroquois (Hiawatha)

Warpath. Units move through forests and jungles in friendly territory at the same speed as on roads.

Building: long house (replaces the workshop).

Squad: Mohawk (replaces swordsmen).

If there is a forest or jungle on the globe, then the computer will put the Iroquois there first.

The Warpath ability is not related to production. It allows troops to sneak back and forth through the forests, connecting cities with forests, obtaining trade routes and saving on roads. Naturally, this only works in wooded areas. However, there is no need to fear that the Indians will end up in the desert. If there is a forest or jungle on the globe, then the computer will put the Iroquois there first.

Mohawks (forest swordsmen) are also not involved in production. For us, only the long house, the Iroquois version of the workshop, is important. With its help, you can implement the unusual strategy of the “Factory City” - an Iroquois settlement surrounded by forests with a production power that other civilizations, in principle, cannot achieve. Only a properly developed Iroquois city can spit out troops and Wonders of the World at great speed. We will tell you more about the strategy of the “Factory City” another time, but its essence is to build a long house and all the production buildings, and fill the forests around with sawmills.

Without the longhouse, the Iroquois would not be worthy of attention at all. And so they can be safely attributed to construction civilizations and given a solid C grade.

Expansionist civilizations

These civilizations are designed so that it is easier for them to seize lands and increase the territory of the country. The quality is good. There is never too much land, and the larger the territory, the easier it is to reach resources.

France (Napoleon)

Old order. Before the invention of the steam engine, each city provides an additional +2 crops.

Squads: French Musketeer (replaces Musketeer) and Foreign Legion (replaces Infantry).

An army without an escort in the ocean is very vulnerable. But there is a way to secure such movements.

France is, first and foremost, culture. And culture is a quick discovery social policies And accelerated growth urban areas. Both are used in the so-called “Rapid Development Strategy”. Its essence is an attempt to take as much as possible in the opening more territory and social policies in as few cities as possible.

The French d'Artagnans are noticeably stronger in battle than their counterparts from other civilizations.

An increase in culture allows even a large empire to receive new social discoveries without relying on city-states. Thus, when playing as France, we have a lot of opportunities to specialize if we don't miss out on early advantages.

The French d'Artagnans are noticeably stronger in battle than their counterparts from other civilizations. This allows the tactics of "Rapid Gunpowder Development" to be used to wage wars of conquest during the Renaissance. However, no one is stopping you from using musketeers in defense. Another thing - foreign legion, a replacement for infantry in the industrial era, it fights better outside of France, and this is also useful for those Napoleons who dream of conquests.

But detachments are a secondary matter. A huge increase in culture and the rapid seizure of territory is why we love France so much.

Russia (Catherine II)

Riches of Siberia. The number of horses, iron and uranium has been doubled. Other resources have been increased by one.

Building: fortress (replaces barracks).

Squad: Cossack (replaces cavalry).

When playing for Russia from its western
Uranus themselves will have no problem showing the barbarians such Kuzka’s mother.

In the modern era, uranium sells for good money and political concessions (especially if it is delivered in warheads nuclear missiles).

If you play for Russia, then by default you will not have any problems with nuclear bombs, cavalry and weapons in general. True, there is not very much oil, but from each field we get an additional portion, sufficient to build one plane or ship. The same applies to aluminum and coal. We will not be lost, but if something happens we will sell it, especially uranium - in the modern era, uranium fetch good money and political concessions (especially if it is delivered in the warheads of nuclear missiles).

But, oddly enough, the “resource curse” is not Russia’s main advantage. A fortress replacing barracks is what makes our country a good choice for expansionist development. Regular barracks cost gold every year and give each unit created in the city 15 XP, allowing you to specialize them immediately. The fortress gives all the same things with one tiny addition - it halves the amount of culture required for the city to capture each cell. The result is that the territory around Russian cities with barracks is expanding very quickly! And you already know why this is useful. Resources, resources and more resources!

As for the Cossacks, they have only one difference with cavalry - they are much more effective against already “knocked out” units. This “Uvarov-Platov” property is not very useful, but if there is already a war going on, and it is going on in the Renaissance, then it would be a sin not to take advantage of it!

Military civilizations

And even though today armies are no longer so large, but war, gentlemen, is... war!

To hell with culture, ballet and ceramics! Let the diplomats fail! Who is interested in these ancient pyramids? From time immemorial, “Civilization” has been a game about war and global domination! And even though today’s armies are no longer so large, but war, gentlemen, is... war!

Knowing this, the developers “sharpened” most civilizations for military action. True - with varying degrees of success. Even the best “fighting” qualities can hardly compare in usefulness with the best economic and even construction ones. Why? Yes, because war is an episodic affair, and economics, construction and culture are important from the first to the last move. If the country is protected by the Great Wall, if there is always gold in the treasury, there is no need to fear for the outcome of any war. Loot conquers evil! So don't be surprised that not a single civilization received the highest rating.

China (Wu Zetian)

The Art of War. Generals appear faster and provide an additional +20% to unit strength.

Building: paper workshop (replaces the library)

Squad: Chokonu (replaces crossbowmen).

China is an ideal military civilization. Of course, if I were the Chinese, I would be offended that such ancient culture- and far from being the most militant - they were assigned to the “combat” category. But what can you do? That's what the developers decided.

Generals strengthen their units on campaigns. Generals build excellent defensive fortresses that strengthen the units around them. Finally, if there are a lot of them, then one or two generals can always be spent on the Golden Age. So there is no need to worry about China’s military power - it will repel an attack and, if necessary, conquer another state.

A couple of crossbowmen - and any invading army is immediately mowed down on its approach.

The paper workshop replaces the library and, in addition to science, adds four gold per turn (count three if you subtract depreciation). Since war requires money, money and more money, the building is extremely useful.

Chokonu is the Chinese version of the crossbowman. He is slightly weaker than his alternative in battle, but he can shoot twice per turn. Do you understand what this smells like? Twice per turn! This is death to everything! A couple of crossbowmen - and any invading army is immediately mowed down on its approach.

It is worth remembering that Chinese crossbowmen retain their ability when modernized. Riflemen, infantry, mechanized infantry... If they were not built from scratch, but were converted from chokon, they will be able to attack twice per turn. It’s a pity, though, that when upgrading, crossbowmen lose their ranged attack. But two attacks per turn against obviously weaker opponents is a high-speed blitzkrieg, which can be countered with little.

Germany (Otto von Bismarck)

Teutonic rage. When a barbarian settlement is destroyed, there is a 50% chance that the unit defending it will come over to your side and give you an additional 25 gold.

Squads: Landsknecht (replaces pikemen) and Panzer (replaces tank).

Landsknechts are a kind of “instant” medieval army.

Germany can recruit barbarians to its side. This is interesting because barbarians appear on the map in any era, as long as there are lands on the planet behind the fog of war (and they are almost always there). Recruitment occurs in half the cases. The barbarian detachment that came over to our side gives us 25 gold pieces in addition to the twenty-five that we already took from the camp we devastated. Best results“Hunting for recruits” gives, naturally, with an open branch of “Honor” (an increase in strength against barbarians and operational information about each new settlement in the immediate vicinity).

There will always be barbarians - even if only in South Pole.

Landsknechts are not particularly strong
We are in battle. But there are always a lot of them.

Of course, it is sometimes useful to get a free unit without spending effort on creating it. But what do we need it for? It is by no means always possible to come up with a use for it, and the budget will suffer the very next move. What happens - the peculiarity of Germany is good only when conducting early wars of conquest? In general, yes. However, the barbarian can be sold for gold or donated to an ally, having been sold off. At least some benefit.

But the Landsknechts are an interesting troop from the medieval era. They are no different from pikemen, but their creation costs half as much. Thus, the Landsknechts are a kind of “instant” medieval army.

But the “Shushpanzer”, although faster and stronger than our “thirty-four”, is not very useful, like all the unique units of later eras. During the endgame period, one detachment cannot change the course of the war - in the industrial and modern eras, the economy is much more important.

Songhai (Askia)

River leader. Doubles the amount of gold from captured cities and barbarian settlements. While swimming, units can repel attacks.

Building: pyramidal mosque (replaces the temple).

Squad: Mandekalu cavalry (replaces knights).

Songhai can earn good money - but only through robbery.

The Songhai are probably the strangest civilization in the game. The developers clearly couldn’t decide whether to make them merchants or cool warriors. As a result, the Songhai can earn good money - but only through robbery. In short, lock the floors.

Songhai even looks strange. An unusual landscape for a trading river power, isn’t it?

At the very beginning of the game, the Songhai, having taken “Honor” for themselves and clearing barbarian settlements, can rise well. Fifty coins from each barbarian camp is not a bad addition to the budget. Later, wars of conquest can become a good source of income. As you can see, the developers really wanted the Songhai to fight and capture cities. They even provided a replacement for the knights - the Mandekal cavalry, whose main difference was a special passion for capturing cities.

Against the backdrop of all this, the Songhai clay mosque looks unexpectedly interesting - not only does it not require repairs, but it also gives five units of culture instead of three. Cultured people, therefore!

One should not underestimate another amazing skill of the Songhai - the ability to defend themselves in swimming. Any Songhai detachment can load into boats and sail to the ends of the world to discover distant islands, without fear that the first pirate trireme they encounter will sink it. And how difficult it is to prevent the landing of Songhai troops - no need to say. At sea, this civilization is almost stronger than England, and this is strange - I have never heard of the Songhai being conquerors of the oceans (however, I have never heard of them at all).

It turns out that in general the Songhai are rather weak. But in the early game and in the seas, they can give their neighbors a light. Therefore, on island maps they deserve a solid three. Until then - two.

England (Elizabeth I)

The sun never sets.+2 to the speed of all ships.

Squads: longbowmen (replace crossbowmen) and a battleship (replaces frigate).

Oh, Britain, mistress of the seas! Own your seas, keep your head down and listen to “Valenki”!

Oh, Britain, mistress of the seas! Own your seas, keep your head down and listen to “Valenki”! This is what the developers decided, because apart from an accelerated fleet and a battleship (cheaper than a frigate, shoots more powerfully and can see further), England has nothing. However, no, I’m lying - there are still longbowmen. This unit is interesting because it shoots a square further than ordinary archers and crossbowmen. This is useful, especially in defense. But this ability disappears with the first modernization.

Plus two turns for each ship - this, of course, is nice. But battleships and archers will sooner or later become obsolete, and countries with stronger economies will be able to roll out a fleet better than the British one. So unless you're going to fight early on the island map, better than England do not touch. The child is sunk and will become ours. But it’s hardly worth playing for Turkey just for this reason. The war with Japan is terrible headache even in ancient times.

On the one hand, the developers flattered the Japanese by making their units incredibly resilient. Their attack and defense parameters do not drop if the unit is damaged. Even if a unit is knocked out by nine-tenths, it will inflict full damage and give the enemy a good beating before dying.

There is no point in playing for the Country Rising Sun, unless you're into suicidal attacks.

On the other hand, the Japanese developers were slightly insulted because they didn’t give anything more. There is no point in playing for the Land of the Rising Sun unless you are a fan of suicidal attacks. And, I’ll add, useless attacks, because the units in the game must be protected in every possible way.

The result is a strange situation. On the one hand, fighting the computer Nobunaga is still torture. On the other hand, if you play as him and play by the rules, bushido will not be useful at all!

With the Zeros, everything is clear - they are useless both on their own (the same fighters, just more effective against other fighters), and as a unique unit of our time. Samurai aren't very interesting either. They consume iron, and their only advantage is increased speed"production" of generals in battle.

Just civilizations

This list includes those civilizations that were frankly unlucky. Their skills are insignificant, useless and sometimes downright absurd - as they say, neither borscht nor the Red Army. Of course, they also have useful buildings and units. But even these are not enough to seriously consider playing for these countries for strategic reasons.

Aztecs (Montezuma)

Sacrifices. Increase in culture for each enemy killed.

Building: floating gardens (replaces the mill).

Squad: jaguars (replaces warriors).

Floating gardens are an interesting replacement for a mill and a good addition to food if there is a lake near the city. But you can’t build it everywhere, and lakes aren’t found everywhere. So we cross out floating gardens. We also cross out sacrifices. Getting an increase in culture only during wars (and successful wars) is a joke.

India (Gandhi)

Population growth. Dissatisfaction from the number of cities is doubled, but dissatisfaction from the population as a whole is halved.

Building: Mughal fort (replaces the fortress).

Squad: war elephant (replaces chariot shooters).

The war elephant is just a slightly stronger and faster version of the chariot archer. The Mughal Fort is an awkward defensive structure that provides culture and costs an insane three gold per turn. True, after the invention of airplanes, the fort, on the contrary, begins to make a profit - but the damage to the budget has already been done.

Squads: Minuteman (replaces the musketeer) and the B-17 bomber (replaces the regular bomber).

Let's talk about America. The developers managed to make this country the most useless in the game. I suspect sabotage.

And finally, let's talk about America. The developers managed to make this country the most useless in the game. I suspect sabotage, since it’s difficult to do something like this on purpose.

Can the units see further? So what of this? They are destroyed in the same way as the less vigilant ones, and the mountains block their field of vision in the same way as for other units. Discounts for purchasing city territory? What are you talking about? Saving a couple of dozen coins to buy a cage that we will still get in ten years is incredibly valuable.

B-17 bomber? Really? An extremely useful thing in an era when victory is just a stone's throw away and the economy is a hundred times more important than all military units. And the Minutemen... they're a total laugh. These are such specific musketeers who, although they run briskly through the hills and forests, don't know how to use the roads!

This is what America is like in Civilization V—the weakest civilization of all. And her assessment is appropriate.

Review in LKI: No. 11 2010

It is useless to play as the Greeks on a map where the city-states cannot be found during the day with fire.

For convenience, we have divided civilizations into several large groups - those that are suitable for the game "from diplomacy", to military, construction, "money" or designed for the quick capture of territories. We gave each of them a rating from one to five. The higher the score, the more interesting and useful the feature of the civilization in its area. An average rating means that it is difficult to come up with uses for traits or units. On the other hand, you can choose any strategy for such countries, without any remorse.

First thing's first - diplomacy!

Diplomatic civilizations

Diplomatic civilizations are designed to interact with city-states. The more of these small but proud settlements on the map, the better the life of the diplomatic civilization.

Siam (ruler - Ramkamhaeng)

Unique ability - "The father rules the children." The amount of food and culture received from friendly city-states has been increased by 50%.

“A strong friendship will not break-
Xia” - the capital of Siam has gorged itself heavily on gift grub and culture.

Unique building: wat (replaces university).

Unique squad: Neresuan elephant (replaces knights).

Who would have thought that Thailand, aka Siam, would be one of the best countries in the game? Thanks to the effective “exhaust” from relations with city-states, Thais can forget about farms and museums - there will be plenty of food and culture. The freed up cells and construction capacity should be used to make money, because friendship with city-states is not a cheap matter. However, the “Patronage” social policy branch will help here - develop it!

Greece (Alexander the Great)

Fear the Danaans, Achaeans, Argives, Cretans, Mycenaeans and Mixolydians.

Hellenic Union. Influence on city-states decreases half as fast and recovers twice as fast.

Squads: hetaira (replace cavalry) and hoplites (replace spearmen).

We distribute money to everyone; as a result, an improvement in the nature of diplomatic relations and a wonderful appetite.

It is stronger than ordinary cavalry;

It does not require horses as a resource (this is not only great in itself, but also allows you to safely trade horses if you do have them);

Macedonian cavalry fighting produces great generals faster (invaluable).

Economic civilizations

Here we will write down civilizations whose abilities allow them to earn a lot, a lot of money, which helps smooth out many problems in other areas.

Persia (Darius I)

Legacy of the Achaemenids. The Golden Age lasts 50% longer. During the Golden Age, units' attack power increases by 10% and speed by one.

The Persians are better than others at achieving the favor of the golden calf.

Building: courtyard of the satrap (replaces the bank).

Squad: immortals (replace spearmen)

What is the "Golden Age"? This is a period when cities are churning out buildings, units and Wonders of the World at almost double the speed, and the treasury is bursting with gold coins.

Who are the Persians? These are the guys who suffer from a chronic Golden Age.

The satrap’s court can help with happiness - a special “motivating bank” that adds not only to the financial well-being of the country, but also to its happiness. The troops of the “immortals”, glorified in the battle at Thermopylae, will form an excellent army. Not only are they stronger than spearmen, but they also heal twice as fast, which is especially useful when playing defensively. Remember that accelerated healing (like many abilities of unique units in the game) remains after modernization - right up to motorized infantry.

Arabs (Harun al-Rashid)

Trade caravans.+2 gold coins per trade route and double oil output.

Building: bazaar (replaces the market).

Squad: archer on a camel (replaces the knight).

Arabia is a typical example of weak specialization. An extra two gold from each trade route (that is, at least from each city connected to the capital) is nice, but not enough for strategizing. “Trade caravans” are just a pleasant relief from financial problems. The same applies to doubled oil reserves. If you have a resource, it’s good, you can sell it. No, we won't cry. The Arabian Bazaar doubles the luxury resource if there is one near the city. There is only one point - to sell the surplus to the outside and make money.

The camel shooter is a unit of dubious quality. This is the "shooting" version of the knight. It cannot fight in close combat, but it is good for beating up the enemy from afar and escaping.

It turns out that Harun al-Rashid is, at best, “average.” He, of course, will have a little more coins than the average hospital, but compared to the Persian skills he pales.

Construction civilizations

Rome (Caesar Augustus)

Roman glory.+25% to the speed of construction of buildings that already exist in the capital.

Squads: ballista (replaces the catapult) and legion (replaces the swordsmen).

Accelerated construction is, of course, “Super!”, but not “Super-super-super!”

Roman cities are quickly rebuilt if the building they are building is already in Rome itself. Accelerated construction is, of course, “Super!”, but not “Super-super-super!”, because the speed of construction is not such a big problem. It is much more difficult to find money to maintain extensive infrastructure. Of course, for rapid expansion it is very good when you can quickly build what you need in cities. But this approach provokes the construction of unnecessary buildings, which can become a big burden towards the end of the game. But you can’t destroy and sell extra buildings - sad, but true.

Egypt (Ramses II)

Monumental construction.+20% to the construction speed of all Wonders of the World.

Building: tomb (replaces temple).

Squad: war chariot (replaces the archer on the chariot).

Barbarian settlements are a source of gold that should not be underestimated.

The Egyptians always have a head start when it comes to building a pyramid or two or a UN building.

A war chariot is a good replacement for a regular one. It moves faster and does not require horses as a resource.

Iroquois (Hiawatha)

Warpath. Units move through forests and jungles in friendly territory at the same speed as on roads.

Building: long house (replaces the workshop).

Squad: Mohawk (replaces swordsmen).

If there is a forest or jungle on the globe, then the computer will put the Iroquois there first.

Without the longhouse, the Iroquois would not be worthy of attention at all. And so they can be safely attributed to construction civilizations and given a solid C grade.

Expansionist civilizations

France (Napoleon)

Old order. Before the invention of the steam engine, each city provides an additional +2 crops.

Squads: French Musketeer (replaces Musketeer) and Foreign Legion (replaces Infantry).

An army without an escort in the ocean is very vulnerable. But there is a way to secure such movements.

France is, first and foremost, culture. And culture means the rapid opening of social policies and the accelerated growth of urban areas. Both are used in the so-called “Rapid Development Strategy”. Its essence is an attempt in the debut to take as much territory and social policies as possible with as few cities as possible.

The French d'Artagnans are noticeably stronger in battle than their counterparts from other civilizations.

The French d'Artagnans are noticeably stronger in battle than their counterparts from other civilizations. This allows the tactics of "Rapid Gunpowder Development" to be used to wage wars of conquest during the Renaissance. However, no one is stopping you from using musketeers in defense. Another thing is the foreign legion, a replacement for infantry in the industrial era - it fights better outside of France, and this is also useful for those Napoleons who dream of conquests.

But detachments are a secondary matter. A huge increase in culture and the rapid seizure of territory is why we love France so much.

Russia (Catherine II)

Riches of Siberia. The number of horses, iron and uranium has been doubled. Other resources have been increased by one.

Building: fortress (replaces barracks).

Squad: Cossack (replaces cavalry).

When playing for Russia from its western
Uranus themselves will have no problem showing the barbarians such Kuzka’s mother.

In the modern era, uranium sells for good money and political concessions (especially if it is delivered in the warheads of nuclear missiles).

Military civilizations

And even though today armies are no longer so large, but war, gentlemen, is... war!

China (Wu Zetian)

The Art of War. Generals appear faster and provide an additional +20% to unit strength.

Building: paper workshop (replaces the library)

Squad: Chokonu (replaces crossbowmen).

China is an ideal military civilization. Of course, if I were the Chinese, I would be offended that such an ancient culture—and far from the most warlike—was classified as “militant.” But what can you do? That's what the developers decided.

A couple of crossbowmen - and any invading army is immediately mowed down on its approach.

Germany (Otto von Bismarck)

Teutonic rage. When a barbarian settlement is destroyed, there is a 50% chance that the unit defending it will come over to your side and give you an additional 25 gold.

Squads: Landsknecht (replaces pikemen) and Panzer (replaces tank).

Landsknechts are a kind of “instant” medieval army.

Germany can recruit barbarians to its side. This is interesting because barbarians appear on the map in any era, as long as there are lands on the planet behind the fog of war (and they are almost always there). Recruitment occurs in half the cases. The barbarian detachment that came over to our side gives us 25 gold pieces in addition to the twenty-five that we already took from the camp we devastated. The “hunt for recruits” gives the best results, naturally, with the “Honor” branch open (an increase in strength against barbarians and operational information about each new settlement in the immediate vicinity).

There will always be barbarians - even at the South Pole.

Landsknechts are not particularly strong
We are in battle. But there are always a lot of them.

Songhai (Askia)

River leader. Doubles the amount of gold from captured cities and barbarian settlements. While swimming, units can repel attacks.

Building: pyramidal mosque (replaces the temple).

Squad: Mandekalu cavalry (replaces knights).

Songhai can earn good money - but only through robbery.

Songhai even looks strange. An unusual landscape for a trading river power, isn’t it?

England (Elizabeth I)

The sun never sets.+2 to the speed of all ships.

Squads: longbowmen (replace crossbowmen) and a battleship (replaces frigate).

Oh, Britain, mistress of the seas! Own your seas, keep your head down and listen to “Valenki”!

Türkiye (Suleiman I)

Barbary corsairs. When a barbarian ship is destroyed, there is a 50% chance that the ship will come over to your side and give out 25 gold.

Squads: Janissaries (replace the musketeers) and Sipahis (replace the lancers).

Sailing the sea, sinking a barbarian trireme and having it at your disposal is not God knows what happiness. Of course, you can sell it later, but even taking this into account, the unique ability is one of the weakest in the game.

Sipahi are also boring - a cavalry troop that sees further, rides faster and can instantly destroy the outskirts of enemy cities, if such a need suddenly arises. At least somehow, only the Janissaries, the musketeers, who are treated (replenished) when they destroy the enemy squad, help Turkey out.

The war with Japan is a terrible headache even in ancient times.

There is no point in playing for the Land of the Rising Sun unless you are a fan of suicidal attacks.

The result is a strange situation. On the one hand, fighting the computer Nobunaga is still torture. On the other hand, if you play as him and play by the rules, bushido will not be useful at all!

Sacrifices. Increase in culture for each enemy killed.

Building: floating gardens (replaces the mill).

Squad: jaguars (replaces warriors).

India (Gandhi)

Population growth. Dissatisfaction from the number of cities is doubled, but dissatisfaction from the population as a whole is halved.

Building: Mughal fort (replaces the fortress).

Squad: war elephant (replaces chariot shooters).

Finally, the dissatisfaction of the population with the number of cities will not make it possible to make a large empire out of India. If there are few cities, the people will be happier than in other civilizations - but will this make the player happier? Hardly. While other countries provide opportunities, India limits. We cross it out.

Increases the field of view of units by one and gives a discount on the purchase of additional cells in cities.

Squads: Minuteman (replaces the musketeer) and the B-17 bomber (replaces the regular bomber).

Let's talk about America. The developers managed to make this country the most useless in the game. I suspect sabotage.

And finally, let's talk about America. The developers managed to make this country the most useless in the game. I suspect sabotage, since it’s difficult to do something like this on purpose.

This is what America is like in Civilization V—the weakest civilization of all. And her assessment is appropriate.

Preface

It is useless to play as the Greeks on a map where the city-states cannot be found during the day with fire.
The main difference between civilizations is their “unique abilities” that strengthen one of the areas. Often it is this ability that determines the most profitable strategy for the development of our empire. It must always be taken into account. It is useless to play as the Greeks on a map where the city-states cannot be found during the day with fire. A peaceful China will lose all its advantages. And if you take India and build a dozen and a half cities, things could end badly. The second and usually less important difference is unique units or buildings. We will tell you about all this now.
For convenience, we have divided civilizations into several large groups - those that are suitable for playing “from diplomacy”, to military, construction, “money” or designed for the quick capture of territories. We gave each of them a rating from one to five. The higher the score, the more interesting and useful the feature of the civilization in its area. An average rating means that it is difficult to come up with uses for traits or units. On the other hand, you can choose any strategy for such countries, without any remorse.
And finally, at the end of the article, civilizations with the most useless and poorly understood abilities and units are collected. It’s worth playing for them only for other reasons not related to the choice of strategy. But we will start, of course, with the best of the best.
First thing's first - diplomacy!

Diplomatic civilizations

Diplomatic civilizations are designed to interact with city-states. The more of these small but proud settlements on the map, the better the life of the diplomatic civilization.

Siam (ruler - Ramkamhaeng)

Unique ability - "The father rules the children." The amount of food and culture received from friendly city-states has been increased by 50%.
Sid Meier's Civilization V, screenshot, 311KB
Unique building: wat (replaces the university).
Unique unit: Neresuan elephant (replaces knights).
Who would have thought that Thailand, aka Siam, would be one of the best countries in the game? Thanks to the effective “exhaust” from relations with city-states, Thais can forget about farms and museums - there will be plenty of food and culture. The freed up cells and construction capacity should be used to make money, because friendship with city-states is not a cheap matter. However, the “Patronage” social policy branch will help here - develop it!
The abundance of food can become a problem if it leads to uncontrolled urban growth and increased discontent. But... everyone would have such problems, right? The “Piety” social policy branch will help compensate for dissatisfaction. It is not compatible with “scientific” social policies, but the Wat Khmer Buddhist temple will help here. Vat provides not only science, but also a decent amount of culture, and costs a little less than a university - we recommend it. But with elephants things are not the same. Elephants are slightly stronger than knightly units and cope well with cavalry. But they will do little against the pikemen, and the low speed of the elephants exposes them to the danger of counterattacks.

Greece (Alexander the Great)

Hellenic Union. Influence on city-states decreases half as fast and recovers twice as fast.
Units: hetaira (replace cavalry) and hoplites (replace spearmen).
We distribute money to everyone; as a result - an improvement in the nature of diplomatic relations and a wonderful appetite.
It’s not for nothing that we praised Greece so much in our review. The ability to negotiate with city-states for half the money is priceless, especially in combination with the Patronage branch. If Siam is worth choosing on maps where city-states are in short supply, so that two friends are worth three, then Greece is an ideal choice on extensive maps, where there is someone to make friends with. We distribute money to everyone; as a result - an improvement in the nature of diplomatic relations and a wonderful appetite.
Alexander the Great, alas, did not have his own buildings. But the set of units provided by the developers is difficult to overestimate. Hoplites are a stronger version of spearmen. They are, however, more expensive, but they are excellent for waging early wars and repelling barbarian attacks. Macedonian cavalry is an excellent replacement for regular cavalry. Its advantages are numerous:
It is stronger than ordinary cavalry;
It does not require horses as a resource (this is not only great in itself, but also allows you to safely trade horses if you do have them);
Macedonian cavalry fighting produces great generals faster (invaluable).

Economic civilizations

Here we will write down civilizations whose abilities allow them to earn a lot, a lot of money, which helps smooth out many problems in other areas.

Persia (Darius I)

Legacy of the Achaemenids. The Golden Age lasts 50% longer. During the Golden Age, units' attack power increases by 10% and speed by one.
The Persians are better than others at achieving the favor of the golden calf.
Building: satrap's courtyard (replaces the bank).
Squad: immortals (replace spearmen)
What is the "Golden Age"? This is a period when cities are churning out buildings, units and Wonders of the World at almost double the speed, and the treasury is bursting with gold coins.
Who are the Persians? These are the guys who suffer from a chronic Golden Age.
Who are the Persians? These are the guys who suffer from a chronic Golden Age. Literally. In general, it is very pleasant when periods of well-being last longer than usual. But Persia is especially good if you use the "permanent golden age" strategy. As you might guess, it allows, with the help of simple manipulations with culture, Wonders of the World and the high-speed production of great people, to ensure that the Golden Age, once started, does not end. We will describe this strategy in more detail next time, but for now just know that it exists.
The satrap’s court is able to help with happiness - a special “motivating bank” that adds not only to the financial well-being of the country, but also to its happiness. The troops of the “immortals”, glorified in the battle at Thermopylae, will form an excellent army. Not only are they stronger than spearmen, but they also heal twice as fast, which is especially useful when playing defensively. Remember that accelerated healing (like many abilities of unique units in the game) remains after modernization - right up to motorized infantry.

Arabs (Harun al-Rashid)

Trade caravans. +2 gold coins per trade route and double oil output.
Building: bazaar (replaces the market).
Squad: archer on a camel (replaces a knight).
Arabia is a typical example of weak specialization. An extra two gold from each trade route (that is, at least from each city connected to the capital) is not bad, but not enough for strategizing. “Trading caravans” are just a pleasant relief from financial problems. The same applies to doubled oil reserves. There is a resource - good, you can sell it. No, we won't cry. The Arabian Bazaar doubles the luxury resource if there is one near the city. There is only one point - to sell the surplus to the outside and make money.
The camel shooter is a unit of dubious quality. This is the "shooting" version of the knight. It cannot fight in close combat, but it is good for beating up the enemy from afar and escaping.
It turns out that Harun al-Rashid is, at best, “average.” He, of course, will have a little more coins than the average hospital, but compared to the Persian skills he pales.

Construction civilizations

Rome (Caesar Augustus)

Roman glory. +25% to the speed of construction of buildings that already exist in the capital.
Units: ballista (replaces the catapult) and legion (replaces the swordsmen).
Accelerated construction is, of course, “Super!”, but not “Super-super-super!”
Roman cities are quickly rebuilt if the building they are building is already in Rome itself. Accelerated construction is, of course, “Super!”, but not “Super-super-super!”, because the speed of construction is not such a big problem. It is much more difficult to find money to maintain extensive infrastructure. Of course, for rapid expansion it is very good when you can quickly build what you need in cities. But this approach provokes the construction of unnecessary buildings, which can become a big burden towards the end of the game. But you can’t destroy and sell extra buildings - sad, but true.
Things are quite sad with the troops in Rome. The ballista is an unremarkable, slightly enhanced version of the catapult. Legionnaires are a stronger version of swordsmen (and they also consume valuable iron). Of course, legionnaires can build roads, which is funny. But when legionnaires are retrained to use long swords (and so on), this ability completely disappears.

Egypt (Ramses II)

Monumental construction. +20% to the construction speed of all Wonders of the World.
Building: tomb (replaces the temple).
Squad: war chariot (replaces the archer on the chariot).
Barbarian settlements are a source of gold that should not be underestimated.
The Egyptians always have a head start when it comes to building a pyramid or two or a UN building.
Miracles are not a big deal, and some of them are very important to build on time, ahead of other civilizations. For example, the Egyptians always have a head start when it comes to building a pyramid or two or a UN building.
But this ability itself is worth a maximum of three. Tombs are what additionally helps the Egyptians! They replace temples. True, each tomb gives not three portions of culture, but two. But it additionally increases happiness by two units and saves two gold, since it does not require annual maintenance. It's hard to imagine a more useful building! Tombs are also useful when you are not playing as the Egyptians, but are fighting with them. Each captured city with a tomb gives double the amount of loot (the tomb itself is destroyed).
A war chariot is a good replacement for a regular one. It moves faster and does not require horses as a resource.
The most interesting thing about Egypt is that you can come up with your own strategy for the accelerated construction of the Wonders of the World, and the tombs will simultaneously support the economy, culture and happiness. Very convenient.

Iroquois (Hiawatha)

Warpath. Units move through forests and jungles in friendly territory at the same speed as on roads.
Building: long house (replaces the workshop).
Squad: Mohawk (replaces swordsmen).
If there is a forest or jungle on the globe, then the computer will put the Iroquois there first.
The Warpath ability is not related to production. It allows troops to sneak back and forth through the forests, connecting cities with forests, obtaining trade routes and saving on roads. Naturally, this only works in wooded areas. However, there is no need to fear that the Indians will end up in the desert. If there is a forest or jungle on the globe, then the computer will put the Iroquois there first.
Mohawks (forest swordsmen) are also not involved in production. For us, only the long house, the Iroquois version of the workshop, is important. With its help, it is possible to implement the unusual strategy of the “Factory City” - an Iroquois settlement surrounded by forests with a production power that other civilizations, in principle, cannot achieve. Only a properly developed Iroquois city can spit out troops and Wonders of the World at great speed. We will tell you more about the strategy of the “Factory City” another time, but its essence is to build a long house and all the production buildings, and fill the forests around with sawmills.
Without the longhouse, the Iroquois would not be worthy of attention at all. And so they can be safely attributed to construction civilizations and given a solid C grade.

Gating 3 out of 5

Expansionist civilizations

France (Napoleon)

Old order. Before the invention of the steam engine, each city provides an additional +2 crops.
Units: French Musketeer (replaces the musketeer) and Foreign Legion (replaces the infantry).
France is, above all, culture. And culture means the rapid opening of social policies and the accelerated growth of urban areas. Both are used in the so-called “Rapid Development Strategy”. Its essence is an attempt in the debut to take as much territory and social policies as possible with as few cities as possible.
The French d'Artagnans are noticeably stronger in battle than their counterparts from other civilizations.
An increase in culture allows even a large empire to receive new social discoveries without relying on city-states. Thus, when playing as France, we have a lot of opportunities to specialize if we don't miss out on early advantages.
The French d'Artagnans are noticeably stronger in battle than their counterparts from other civilizations. This allows the tactics of "Rapid Gunpowder Development" to be used to wage wars of conquest during the Renaissance. However, no one is stopping you from using musketeers in defense. Another thing is the foreign legion, a replacement for infantry in the industrial era - it fights better outside of France, and this is also useful for those Napoleons who dream of conquests.
But detachments are a secondary matter. A huge increase in culture and the rapid seizure of territory - that’s why we love France so much

Russia (Catherine II)

Riches of Siberia. The number of horses, iron and uranium has been doubled. Other resources have been increased by one.
Building: fortress (replaces barracks).
Unit: Cossack (replaces cavalry).
When playing as Russia with its uranium reserves, there will be no problems in showing the barbarians such a Kuzka mother.
In the modern era, uranium sells for good money and political concessions (especially if it is delivered in the warheads of nuclear missiles).
If you play for Russia, then by default you will not have any problems with nuclear bombs, cavalry and weapons in general. True, there is not very much oil, but from each field we get an additional portion, sufficient to build one plane or ship. The same applies to aluminum and coal. We will not be lost, but if something happens we will sell it, especially uranium - in the modern era, uranium fetch good money and political concessions (especially if it is delivered in the warheads of nuclear missiles).
But, oddly enough, the “resource curse” is not Russia’s main advantage. A fortress replacing barracks is what makes our country a good choice for expansionist development. Regular barracks cost gold every year and give each unit created in the city 15 XP, allowing you to specialize them immediately. The fortress gives all the same things with one small addition - it halves the amount of culture necessary for the city to capture each cell. The result is that the territory around Russian cities with barracks is expanding very quickly! And you already know why this is useful. Resources, resources and more resources!
As for the Cossacks, they have only one difference with cavalry - they are much more effective against already “knocked out” units. This “Uvarov-Platov” property is not very useful, but if there is already a war going on, and it is going on in the Renaissance, then it would be a sin not to take advantage of it!

Military civilizations

And even though today armies are no longer so large, but war, gentlemen, is... war!
To hell with culture, ballet and ceramics! Let the diplomats fail! Who is interested in these ancient pyramids? From time immemorial, “Civilization” has been a game about war and global domination! And even though today’s armies are no longer so large, but war, gentlemen, is... war!
Knowing this, the developers “sharpened” most civilizations for military action. True - with varying degrees of success. Even the best “fighting” qualities can hardly compare in usefulness with the best economic and even construction ones. Why? Yes, because war is an episodic affair, and economics, construction and culture are important from the first to the last move. If the country is protected by the Great Wall, if there is always gold in the treasury, there is no need to fear for the outcome of any war. Loot conquers evil! So don't be surprised that not a single civilization received the highest rating.

China (Wu Zetian)

The Art of War. Generals appear faster and provide an additional +20% to unit strength.
Building: paper workshop (replaces the library)
Squad: Chokonu (replaces crossbowmen).
China is an ideal military civilization. Of course, if I were the Chinese, I would be offended that such an ancient culture - and far from the most warlike - was classified as “militant”. But what can you do? That's what the developers decided.
Generals strengthen their units on campaigns. Generals build excellent defensive fortresses that strengthen the units around them. Finally, if there are a lot of them, then one or two generals can always be spent on the Golden Age. So there is no need to worry about China’s military power - it will repel an attack and, if necessary, conquer another state.
A couple of crossbowmen - and any invading army is immediately mowed down on its approach.
The paper workshop replaces the library and, in addition to science, adds four gold per turn (count three if you subtract depreciation). Since war requires money, money and more money, the building is extremely useful.
Chokonu is the Chinese version of the crossbowman. He is slightly weaker than his alternative in battle, but he can shoot twice per turn. Do you understand what this smells like? Twice per turn! This is death to everything! A couple of crossbowmen - and any invading army is immediately mowed down on its approach.
It is worth remembering that Chinese crossbowmen retain their ability when modernized. Riflemen, infantry, mechanized infantry... If they were not built from scratch, but were converted from chokon, they will be able to attack twice per turn. It’s a pity, though, that when upgrading, crossbowmen lose their ranged attack. But two attacks per turn against obviously weaker opponents is a high-speed blitzkrieg, which can be countered with little.

Germany (Otto von Bismarck)

Teutonic rage. When a barbarian settlement is destroyed, there is a 50% chance that the unit defending it will come over to your side and give you an additional 25 gold.
Units: Landsknecht (replaces pikemen) and “Panzer” (replaces tank).
Landsknechts are a kind of “instant” medieval army.
Germany can recruit barbarians to its side. This is interesting because barbarians appear on the map in any era, as long as there are lands on the planet behind the fog of war (and they are almost always there). Recruitment occurs in half the cases. The barbarian detachment that came over to our side gives us 25 gold pieces in addition to the twenty-five that we already took from the camp we devastated. The “hunt for recruits” gives the best results, naturally, with the “Honor” branch open (an increase in strength against barbarians and operational information about each new settlement in the immediate vicinity).
There will always be barbarians - even at the South Pole.
Landsknechts are not particularly strong
We are in battle. But there are always a lot of them.
Of course, it is sometimes useful to get a free unit without spending effort on creating it. But what do we need it for? It is by no means always possible to come up with a use for it, and the budget will suffer the very next move. What happens - the peculiarity of Germany is good only when conducting early wars of conquest? In general, yes. However, the barbarian can be sold for gold or donated to an ally, having been sold off. At least some benefit.
But the Landsknechts are interesting - a detachment of the medieval era. They are no different from pikemen, but their creation costs half as much. Thus, the Landsknechts are a kind of “instant” medieval army.
But the “Shushpanzer”, although faster and stronger than our “thirty-four”, is not very useful, like all the unique units of later eras. During the endgame period, one detachment cannot change the course of the war - in the industrial and modern eras, the economy is much more important.

Songhai (Askia)

River leader. Doubles the amount of gold from captured cities and barbarian settlements. While swimming, units can repel attacks.
Building: pyramidal mosque (replaces the temple).
Unit: Mandekalu cavalry (replaces knights).
The Songhai can earn good money - but only through robbery.
The Songhai are probably the strangest civilization in the game. The developers clearly couldn’t decide whether to make them merchants or cool warriors. As a result, the Songhai can earn good money - but only through robbery. In short, lock the floors.
Songhai even looks strange. An unusual landscape for a trading river power, isn’t it?
At the very beginning of the game, the Songhai, having taken “Honor” for themselves and clearing barbarian settlements, can rise well. Fifty coins from each barbarian camp is not a bad addition to the budget. Later, wars of conquest can become a good source of income. As you can see, the developers really wanted the Songhai to fight and capture cities. They even provided for a replacement for the knights - the Mandekal cavalry, whose main difference was a special passion for capturing cities.
Against the backdrop of all this, the Songhai clay mosque looks unexpectedly interesting - it not only does not require repairs, but also gives five units of culture instead of three. Cultured people, therefore!
One should not underestimate another amazing skill of the Songhai - the ability to defend themselves in swimming. Any Songhai detachment can load into boats and sail to the ends of the world to discover distant islands, without fear that the first pirate trireme they encounter will sink it. And how difficult it is to prevent the landing of Songhai troops - no need to say. At sea, this civilization is almost stronger than England, and this is strange - I have never heard of the Songhai being conquerors of the oceans (however, I have never heard of them at all).
It turns out that in general the Songhai are rather weak. But in the early game and in the seas, they can give their neighbors a light. Therefore, on island maps they deserve a solid three. Until then - two.

England (Elizabeth I)

the sun never sets. +2 to the speed of all ships.
Units: long archers (replaces crossbowmen) and a battleship (replaces a frigate).
Oh, Britain, mistress of the seas! Own your seas, keep your head down and listen to “Valenki”!
Oh, Britain, mistress of the seas! Own your seas, keep your head down and listen to “Valenki”! This is what the developers decided, because apart from an accelerated fleet and a battleship (cheaper than a frigate, shoots more powerfully and can see further), England has nothing. However, no, I’m lying - there are still long archers. This unit is interesting because it shoots a square further than ordinary archers and crossbowmen. This is useful, especially in defense. But this ability disappears with the first modernization.
Plus two turns for each ship - this, of course, is nice. But battleships and archers will sooner or later become obsolete, and countries with stronger economies will be able to roll out a better fleet than the British one. So, if you are not going to fight early on the island map, it is better not to touch England.

Sipahi are also boring - a cavalry troop that sees further, rides faster and can instantly destroy the outskirts of enemy cities, if such a need suddenly arises. At least somehow the only ones who help Turkey out are the Janissaries - the musketeers who are healed (replenished) when they destroy the enemy squad. There is no point in playing for the Land of the Rising Sun, unless you are a fan of suicidal attacks.
On the other hand, the Japanese developers were slightly insulted because they didn’t give anything more. And, I’ll add, useless attacks, because the units in the game must be protected in every possible way.
The result is a strange situation. On the one hand, fighting the computer Nobunaga is still torture. On the other hand, if you play as him and play by the rules, bushido will not be useful at all!
With the “Zeros” everything is clear - they are useless both on their own (the same fighters, just more effective against other fighters), and as a unique unit of our time. Samurai aren't very interesting either. They consume iron, and their only advantage is the increased speed of “production” of generals in battle.

Just civilizations

The only people of at least some interest are the jaguars - forest warriors who are healed by two units after destroying the enemy. But they are of any use only in the ancient era, which tends to end quickly. Finally, the dissatisfaction of the population with the number of cities will not allow making a large empire out of India. If there are few cities, the people will be happier than in other civilizations - but will this make the player happier? Hardly. While other countries provide opportunities, India limits. We cross out. Can the units see further? So what of this? They are destroyed in the same way as the less vigilant ones, and the mountains block their field of vision in the same way as for other units. Discounts for purchasing city territory? What are you talking about? Saving a couple of dozen coins to buy a cage that we will still get in ten years is incredibly valuable.
B-17 bomber? Really? An extremely useful thing in an era when victory is just a stone's throw away and the economy is a hundred times more important than all military units. And the Minutemen... they're a total laugh. These are such specific musketeers who, although they run briskly through the hills and forests, do not know how to use the roads!
This is what America is like in Civilization V - the weakest civilization of all. And her assessment is appropriate.

Conclusion

Sid Meier’s Civilization V offers us eighteen countries to choose from. Eighteen stern leaders look at us from the diplomacy screens. It’s easy to get confused in their differences, abilities, unique units and buildings. Which civilization to choose? And, most importantly, what to do with it later?
Calm, just calm! By studying this material, you will learn what is good or bad about each nation and how its characteristics affect the overall strategy. Pacifists, inveterate "hawks", builders, traders or diplomats - everyone will find a civilization to their taste.

August 7, 2010 — NeverMind

The effect of all the unique properties of civilizations in Civilization 5. Below they are presented in table form.

Civilization		Unique property	Effect
1	America	Manifest Destiny	All ground military units have 1 tile more vision radius. Purchasing tiles is 25% cheaper.
2	England	The sun never sets	All ships receive +2 movement per turn
3	Arabs	Trade caravans	+1 gold from each Trade Route. Oil fields provide twice as many resources.
4	Aztecs	Sacrifice	Destroying each enemy unit gives an increase to culture
5	Germany	Teutonic Fury	When you defeat barbarians in their camp, there is a 50% chance that they will come over to your side and also give 25 gold
6	Greece	Hellenic Union	Influence on city-states decreases 2 times slower and recovers 2 times faster
7	Egypt	Monumental construction	+20% bonus when building Wonders
8	India	Population growth	Misfortune from the number of cities doubles, misfortune from the population is reduced by 2 times
9	Iroquois	Warpath	Units only spend 1 movement point when moving through Forests
10	China	The Art of War	Increased efficiency and spawn rate of Great Generals
11	Persia	Achaemenid Legacy	The duration of the Golden Age has been increased by 50%. During the Golden Age, units receive 1 additional movement per turn and a +10% combat bonus
12	Rome	Roman glory	+25% bonus when constructing buildings that already exist in the capital
13	Russia	Riches of Siberia	Strategic resources provide additional hammer (production). The amount of resources from each source of Horses, Iron and Uranium doubles.
14	Siam	The father rules the children	By 50% more food and culture from friendly city-states
15	Songhai	River Chief	3 times more gold when capturing barbarian camps and foreign cities. Units at a sea crossing can defend themselves.
16	Türkiye	Barbary corsairs	When you defeat a barbarian ship, there is a 50% chance that it will come over to your side and also bring 25 gold
17	France	Old order	+1 culture per turn from each city until Steam Power is discovered
18	Japan	Bushido	Damage to units does not reduce their strength in battles

15 comments to “Unique properties of civilizations in Civilization V”

OArtem3 Says:

Japan: Damage to units does not reduce their strength in battle.
I didn’t understand something, or like, even if a Japanese with a club is beaten by a Roman Legionnaire, but the Japanese survives, then he doesn’t care?
It can't be like that. Probably they separated the concepts of strength and integrity (life, HP), and made them dependent on each other.

Rkt Says:

Somehow there is a very weak sense of balance. Some have very strong buns (America, Arabs, Russia, Japan), and some have complete garbage (Germany, Songhai).

Avpavlov Says:
It seemed to me that Rome and America were somehow completely unbalanced. Well, Russia is in the top three to the heap.

Shukfir Says:
Ay, Manifest Destiny is correctly translated not as Manifest Destiny, but as Manifest Destiny. This is an expression to justify American expansionism. And this ability really justifies it: if there is money (the United States can’t do anything without money), the area of the states will increase 25% faster.

Shukfir Says:
Regarding Japan:
I think this ability would mean the following:
Let’s say the samurai has 4/10 units left after the battle. strength.
The enemy has 7/8 units. strength.
The enemy, having 7 units. strength, attacks a samurai who has 4 units. The samurai is defeated (7>4).
At the same time, the samurai, having 10 units. strength, attacks an enemy who has 7 units. strength. The enemy is also defeated! (10>7)
Roughly speaking, it turns out that there will be battles in which the Japanese, without sparing themselves, kill the enemy and themselves die from their wounds. Real samurai!

Shukfir Says:
Regarding imbalance:

- Germany and Songhai: their features seem insignificant, but this is only because we think that the influence of the barbarians on our empires will be minimal. Somewhere, it seems, there was information that the barbarians would receive a very large increase compared to part 4. (Remember who destroyed the Roman Empire and because of whom the Great Wall of China was built).

— America: Its advantages seem enormous. An increased viewing radius will give additional information about an approaching enemy... but, judging by the screenshots, the viewing radius of ordinary troops is also not small and 1 additional tile will not often affect the outcome of the war. About buying tiles 25% cheaper: large number tiles only provide more options. This means that if the US has 25% more tiles, it does not necessarily have 25% more food, produce, and gold. After all, it’s not enough to buy hexes; you also need to put population on them for processing and workers for building improvements.

— Arabs: +1 gold from each trade route... Does anyone know how much gold trade routes will bring in general? Agree, 2+1 and 10+1 are different things. Oil is good, but it is only 1 of 6 strategic resources. What if Harun al-Rashid’s troops find no oil at all? You'll have to buy (by God, it's funny: the Arabs buy oil). And the Trade Caravans bonus does not apply to purchased oil.

— Russia: with “Riches of Siberia” it seems that the tactics will be simple - seize more resources and territory - and forward to outer space. But it’s not for nothing that the developers completely redesigned the happiness system. The big empires are now very unhappy. Luxury makes people happier, but even 10 gold resources and 20 fur resources will not make them happier than 1 gold and 1 fur resource. And the unfortunate empires, if you remember, have a decrease in combat effectiveness and population growth.

— Japan: Bushido (if I correctly stated the concept in the post above) is just something. Now there is no need to be afraid of damage - wounded kamikazes will be able to protect the Emperor no worse than healthy ones. In fact, it only changes your tactics in the war against Japan. Now we will have to strive to destroy the samurai completely; it will be useless to attack them only with the aim of reducing their health. Remember: is it ordinary treatment units did not provide much greater advantages. It must have been a shame when you reduced the knight’s health to 1 point, and he jumped away and returned safe and sound.

— Rome: +25% bonus for the construction of buildings similar to those in the capital. So what? Well, you built a building not in 20 moves, but in 16. You will have to pay for its maintenance at 100% of the price. And if we add to this the Roman legionnaires capable of building roads (they are now also expensive), then if we abuse Roman bonuses, we will get the most expensive empire on Earth.

Many of these bonuses not only give advantages to empires, but also tell the enemy how to deprive them: do not approach America's borders with large armies; do not fight with England at sea; deprive the Arabs of oil, the Russians of horses, iron and uranium, the Egyptians of all production resources; against Japan or the Aztecs it is stupid to go with colossal armies with weak units; do not allow Germany or Songhai to defeat the barbarians - capture the barbarian cities yourself; destroy the city-states near Greece, and cut down the forests near the Iroquois; wars with China should be lightning fast, with Persia - unacceptable during their golden age; do not buy resources from Rome for money - with money Rome will be able to maintain more buildings; don’t wait for France to take over your territories with its culture - destroy it; and India... Give and sell more small towns to the Indians until they completely stop growing due to misfortune!