Civ V Handbook for Despots & Dictators

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Note: This handbook supports the Gods & Kings version of Civilization V. If you do not own this expansion, the information below will not be entirely accurate to your version of the game.

See Nebular's unofficial Online Civilopedia for additional on-the-go information!

America
President George Washington
(1732 - 1799)
Protestantism

America is the Civ to pick for a big yet flexible empire. Their bonuses are very straightforward so if it's your first time playing, this might be a good Civ for you. Manifest Destiny's Sight bonus allows you to scout locations for early-game expansion much faster. It will also help keep you from accidentally bumping into a barbarian encampment, or a rival's army. The discount to buying tiles can be great if you give more elbow room between your cities.

The Minuteman has a great ability that will help you beat Civs like the Incas and Iroquois that habitually settle near rough terrain. They shine the most on defense, but don't discount their offensive potential. Paired with America's Sight bonus, they’re like scouts on steroids. And don't forget about America's unique Bomber. Their bonus against Cities makes late-game conquest a snap. Honoring the B17's nickname, the “flying fortress,” their defense bonus VS Interception means you don't really need Fighters to sweep for interceptors.

America's ticket to victory is left mostly blank. The B17 suggests, after several eras of fast expansion and skirmishing, late-game domination is a good way to go. All those cities will probably net you a lot of gold and science, too, so diplomacy or space race isn't a bad option either. Really, it's up to you.

Suggested Policies: Liberty, Rationalism, Order
Suggested Wonders: Forbidden Palace, Machu Picchu, Pentagon
Suggested Beliefs: Tithe, Feed the World, Just War

• Manifest Destiny
  Land Military Units gain +1 Sight
  Gold costs for expanding borders reduced by 50%
• Minuteman (Renaissance Era Gunpowder Unit, replaces Musketman)
  Cost 150
  Strength 24
  Move 2
  +15% combat bonus in Rough Terrain (Drill I)
  Ignore Terrain Movement costs
• B17 (Atomic Era Air Unit, replaces Bomber)
  Cost 375
  Requires Oil
  Strength 70, not 65
  Range 10
  +25% combat bonus VS Cities (Siege I)
  +50% combat bonus VS Interception (Evasion)

Arabia
Abbashid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid
(763 - 809)
Islam

Arabia has a great economy and good boosts to wide growth. Their gold bonus from Trade Routes can get you a modest chunk of change if you can expand to over twenty cities. Bonus copies of luxuries acquired from the Bazaar can get you a huge amount of money from trading with Happiness-hungry rivals. Also, the bonus to Oasis tiles makes settling in less-favorable Desert areas much more viable, so you may not have to fight for territory as much as you may think. These features combined means Arabia has the potential for a very impressive economy.

It’s not a bad idea to use that extra gold to buy favor with City-States, since they can supplement what you need and eventually lead to a Diplomatic victory. Just be sure to pick which ones you befriend wisely, so you get the best bang for your buck: will they give you extra Culture you need? Do they have a Luxury Resource you want? Is their location strategically advantageous?

The Camel Archer has completely re-purposed the Knight into a mobile Crossbowman. It's a very strong unit, and perfect for harrying enemy armies: move 'em in, fire, then run away. The Camel Archer's Melee Strength is nearly half of the Knights, so they cannot be left vulnerable, but their superior speed shouldn't make this too hard to accomplish.

Suggested Policies: Liberty, Commerce, Order
Suggested Wonders: Big Ben, Machu Picchu, Petra
Suggested Beliefs: Church Property, Pagodas, Religious Texts

• Trade Caravan
  Trade Routes yield a bonus +1 Gold
  Oil Tiles provide double quantities
• Bazaar (Medieval Era Building, replaces Market)
  Cost 120
  Maintenance 0
  Specialist 1 Merchant
  +2 Gold
  +25% Gold
  Provides an additional 'stock' of Improved Luxuries near the City
  Oil and Oasis Tiles yield a bonus +2 Gold
• Camel Archer (Medieval Era Mounted Archery Unit, replaces Knight)*
  Cost 120
  Requires Horses
  Strength 17/21, not 20
  Range 2
  Move 4
  Can move after attacking
  No defensive bonuses
  Cannot Melee attack
  -33% combat penalty VS Cities removed

* The Camel Archer is doubly unique in that it is a Mounted Archery Unit. However, it still upgrades to the Cavalry.


Assyria
Ashurbanipal
(668 – c. 627 BCE)
Ashurism

Requires the Brave New World Expansion Pack

Write-up coming soon!

• Treasures of Nineveh
  When you conquer a rival City, you steal one of that Civ's Technologies
• Royal Library (Ancient Era Building, replaces Library)
  Cost 75
  Maintenance 1
  +1 Science for every 2 Citizens
  Great Work 1 Writing
  +15 XP to all Military Units, while its Great Work slot is filled
• Siege Tower (Classical Era Siege Unit, replaces Catapult)
  Cost 75
  Strength 7/8
  Range 2
  Move 2
  +200% combat bonus VS Cities
  Nearby Units gain a +50% combat bonus VS Cities
  No defensive bonuses
  Cannot Melee attack
  Must set up to attack
  Limited visibility

Austria
Kaiserin Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina
(1717 - 1780)
Catholicism

Requires the Gods & Kings Expansion Pack

If you're in the habit of spending all your Gold soon as it comes in, don't! If the City-State calls for investors, you could ally and marry them for around 1,000 gold easy, especially after taking the Patronage Policy. Trade away extra luxuries as often as you can for gold, and it should be easy to keep your coffers full. When you Marry a City-State, it does not count as an aggressive act: no buildings or citizens are lost, all their units are handed over to you, and the City-State wasn't technically 'conquered' so it won't require a Courthouse if you decide to Annex it. Consider Marrying a City-State just for their troops, effectively buying a standing army at a bargain, but don't buy everyone: the population of the City is untouched so Marrying a City-State can really hurt your Happiness.

The Coffee House's boost to building production is great, since Austria is all about sweet, sweet marriage. You could go an entire game without personally building any more than a Scout, so it's not a detriment at all that the building's Production boost only helps infrastructure. The extra Great Person generation is great for keeping a constant flow of Great Merchants.

If your neighbors are getting rowdy mid-game, or if they've just been particularly annoying through the middle ages, your Hussar can put things to rights. The extra Move makes flanking really very easy, and once they have a +45% boost, on top of probably a Great General and some promotions, it's all over.

Suggested Policies: Tradition, Commerce, Order
Suggested Wonders: Big Ben, Forbidden Palace, Machu Picchu
Suggested Beliefs: Papal Primacy, Swords to Plowshares, Holy Order

• Diplomatic Marriage
  Pay 500 gold* to Puppet or Annex a City-State that is Allied with you†
• Coffee House (Renaissance Era Building, replaces Windmill)
  Cost 250
  Does not require Open Terrain
  Maintenance 2
  Specialist 1 Engineer
  Production +2
  +5% Production, not +10% Production only when constructing Buildings
  +25% Great Person generation
• Hussar (Industrial Era Mounted Unit, replaces Cavalry)
  Cost 225
  Requires Horses
  Strength 34
  Move 5, not 4
  +15% combat bonus for each Flanking Unit, not +10% (Enhanced Flanking)
  +1 Sight (Extra Sight)
  Can move after attacking
  No defensive bonuses
  -33% combat penalty VS Cities

* The price changes depending on your speed setting for the game, and how many units the City-State controls.
† You must have been Allied with the City-State for at least 5 turns. Because the City-State was not 'Conquered,' no buildings or citizens are lost and, if Annexed, the City will not generate additional Unhappiness. You gain control of all of the City-State's units. If you Marry a Mercantile City-State, you gain ownership and therefore may trade their unique Luxury even though it has no corresponding Tile. Married City-States cannot be 'Liberated' and the amount of Votes needed to win diplomatically will be recalculated as if the City-State was never in the game.


Aztec
Tlatoani Moctezuma I
(1398 - 1469)
Teotlism

Aztecs are about upfront benefits: both the Jaguar and the Floating Gardens are unlocked in the Ancient era. This Civ doesn't want to take their time, so keep moving and be efficient, always. Jaguars are odd units, but very fierce. When going for the kill, remember they'll get healed a bit immediately after, so strikes that may be risky with other units are less so with the Jaguar. They're very handy to build and level early on, because they retain their unique traits once promoted.

Your cities will build up very fast with Floating Gardens; be sure you can deal with the amount of Unhappiness that will generate. Gaining bonus food from Lake tiles is great, but Lakes are kind of rare. You have to take what you're given. Don't get so determined to have a lake that you fail to expand.

Remember, if you're not killing someone, you're not taking advantage of Sacrificial Captives. With Honor, killing a Barbarian gives double the unit's Strength in Culture, so that's 12 for a Warrior and 42 for a Longswordsman, so Aztec has a lot to gain from creeping. Especially after you get the Honor tree finisher, you get gold on top of Culture for making a kill. If Barbarians dry up, make war with a neighbor. Try to nab an early Domination victory but if this proves too difficult, dig in, sweat your neighbors and push Culture.

Suggested Policies: Honor, Piety, Freedom
Suggested Wonders: Alhambra, Statue of Zeus, Brandenburg Gate
Suggested Beliefs: World Church, Holy Warriors, Just War

• Sacrificial Captives
  Destroying enemy units provides a one-time Culture bonus equal to the Strength of the destroyed unit*
• Jaguar (Ancient Era Melee Unit, replaces Warrior)
  Cost 40
  Strength 8
  Move 2
  Ignore Terrain costs from Forest and Jungle Tiles (Woodsman)
  +33% combat bonus in Forest and Jungle Tiles
  Heals 25 damage when it destroys an enemy Unit
• Floating Gardens (Ancient Era Building, replaces Water Mill)
  Cost 75
  Requires River or Lake
  Maintenance 1, not 2
  +2 Food
  +1 Production
  +15% Food
  Lake Tiles yield a bonus +2 Food

* This Culture reward stacks with the Honor Policy opener.


Babylon
Sarru-Kinu Nebuchadnezzar II
(634 - 562 BCE)
Mardukism

Requires the Civilization Pack: Babylon

Obviously, Babylon leans towards the Sciences, which is funny because both their Bowmen and their Walls of Babylon come in the Ancient Era. The Walls of Babylon are obviously to give your cities some added security, since most of your focus won’t be towards units. The Bowman is also a defensive unit. They field just as strong as Warriors, but hit even harder from a distance. Once you have them, there’s no reason to make a Warrior, unless you want to take out a city.

Neither of these Uniques are show-stoppers, so don't sweat it. It's all about Great Scientists, but you can't set Scientist Specialists until Education, so tech fast to Universities. You'll also want to nab any Ancient and Classical Wonder that has Scientist points, and that will probably net you a handful of Great Scientists before the Medieval Era's out. It might be tempting but don't rush techs with these guys. Making Academies early on will net you far more science in the long run.

Science benefits greatly from population, so Babylon will want to expand—but where to? Mountains will get you Observatories and Jungles are boosted by Universities. Trading Posts will net you even more Beakers with Rationalism’s Free Thought, so favor Grasslands over Plains. You can spend your gold on Maritime City States to further inflate your population; Patronage’s Scholasticism will make City-States even more beneficial. Once you finish the Apollo Program, you’ve got to build the rocket. Great Engineers can't rush spaceship parts, but they can rush a Spaceship Factory, so keep at least one on hand.

Suggested Policies: Liberty, Rationalism, Freedom
Suggested Wonders: Porcelain Tower, Statue of Liberty, Tower of Pisa
Suggested Beliefs: Interfaith Dialogue, Guruship, Reliquary

• Ingenuity
  Birth rate of Great Scientists increased by 50%
  A free Great Scientist appears at your Capital after you research Writing*
• Bowman (Ancient Era Archery Unit, replaces Archer)
  Cost 40
  Strength 7/9, not 5/7
  Range 2
  Move 2
  Cannot Melee attack
• Walls of Babylon (Ancient Era Building, replaces Walls)
  Cost 65, not 75
  Maintenance 0
  +6 City Strength, not +5
  +100 City HP, not +50

* Unlike other 'free' Great People, Babylon's free Great Scientist does not increase the cost to produce your next Great Scientist.


Brazil
Imperador Dom Pedro II Bragança o Magnânimo
(1825 – 1891)
Catholicism

Requires the Brave New World Expansion Pack

Write-up coming soon!

• Carnival
  Golden Ages double your Tourism and increase Great Artist production by 50%
• Brazilwood Camp (Classical Era Tile Improvement)
  Unlocks with Construction (?)
  Adds +1 Gold to Jungle Tile yields
  Adds an additional +1 Culture to Tile yields after you finish researching Acoustics
  Adds an additional +1 Gold to Tile yields after you finish researching Economics (?)
• Pracinha (Modern Era Gunpowder Unit, replaces Infantry)
  Cost 375
  Strength 70
  Move 2
  Destroying enemy units provides a one-time Happiness bonus equal to half(?) the Strength of the destroyed unit*

* More precise details on this feature coming soon.


Byzantium
Hagios Theodora I
(c. 500 - 548)
Orthodoxy

Requires the Gods & Kings Expansion Pack

This Civ is defined most by what it doesn't have. You get a bonus belief when founding your religion, but no unique bonuses to Faith generation. This means obviously that you need to be spamming Shrines and Temples quickly to enjoy your bonus as soon as possible. Nearly always you'll find yourself taking a second Founder or Enhancer Belief as your bonus Belief: you normally only ever get one of each, Enhancer beliefs come the latest and are very strong, and Founder Beliefs only benefit you.

The Cataphract is not the swift army killer you normally expect from your Horsemen. While true it has a slightly lower penalty VS Cities, its effective Strength VS Cities is roughly equal to a Spearman's so, if you do take them on the offensive, don't expect it to be an exceptionally good siege unit. What they have is a higher natural Strength than Swordsmen and the ability to Fortify so, if you can't get to Iron, Cataphracts will easily be able to keep you safe against invaders.

The Dromon is similarly defensive. It can shoot down enemy Triremes quite quickly but can also target enemy units near the coast. Unfortunately this means you won't get melee Naval Units until the Caravel in the Renaissance, so your potential for an offensive coastal attack is lessened quite a bit. Try leaving the offense to your Missionaries; they'll be able to win you more gold and culture than you think.

Suggested Policies: Tradition, Piety, Freedom
Suggested Wonders: Hagia Sophia, Great Mosque at Djenne, Leaning Tower of Pisa
Suggested Beliefs: World Church, Religious Texts, Itinerant Preachers

• Patriarchate of Constantinople
  Choose a bonus Belief when founding your Religion*
• Dromon (Ancient Era Ranged Naval Unit, replaces Trireme)†
  Cost 56, not 45
  Strength 8/10, not 10
  Range 2
  Move 4
  +50% combat bonus VS Naval units
  Cannot Melee attack
• Cataphract (Classical Era Mounted Unit, replaces Horseman)
  Cost 75
  Strength 15, not 12
  Move 3, not 4
  -25% combat penalty VS Cities, not -33%
  Can move after attacking
  Benefits from defensive bonuses

* You may choose your bonus Belief from any category, even Enhancer, so long as it's still available.
† The Dromon is doubly unique in that it is a Naval Ranged unit, not Melee. It upgrades to the Galleass instead of the Caravel.