Unique Ability Elimination Thread

Roof - to make Furor Teutonicus even somewhat decent you need to be playing on very restrictive biased settings. (Marathon - lower terrain - Raging Barbs).

Click to expand...

I only play standard or quick if I want to test something, but marathon isn't needed for Germany to do well. Barbs spawn very slowly on marathon. On a recent quick game (I normally do quick when moving up a level to get my feet wet, since I find it easier), my plans were nearly foiled when I was taken off guard at the rate of barb spawning. I'm used to clearing a camp leaving that area without barbs for upwards of 50 turns.

I don't know how much of a difference raging barbs makes. I've never used it, but my games with Germany have done well without them.

However, I do think Germany is strangely made, having a UA and one UU from before it actually existed.

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 17
Diplomatic Marriage 15
Sacrificial Captives 22
Ingenuity 11 (-2)
Patriarchate of Constantinople 10
Phoenician Heritage 30 (+1)
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 14
Monument Builders 22
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 8
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 10
Great Andean Road 23
The Great Warpath 16
Bushido 13
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 19
Mongol Terror 13
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 24
Wayfinding 16
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 19
Father Governs Children 23
Seven Cities of Gold 10
Nobel Prize 20

Ingenuity is perfectly good, but I just like pretty much everything else more.

I'll go back to upvoting Phoenician Heritage, mostly based on free harbors.

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 17
Diplomatic Marriage 15
Sacrificial Captives 22
Ingenuity 12 (+1)
Patriarchate of Constantinople 10
Phoenician Heritage 30
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 14
Monument Builders 22
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 8
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 10
Great Andean Road 23
The Great Warpath 16
Bushido 11 (-2)
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 19
Mongol Terror 13
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 24
Wayfinding 16
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 19
Father Governs Children 23
Seven Cities of Gold 10
Nobel Prize 20

Ingenuity is perfectly good. Babylon has a huge early advantage because of this and the research freedom it provides. Science and early advantage being the name of the game makes this perk shine - everytime.


Bushido: hardy units make this not what it used to be.

I do like the stronger units in GK, it certainly makes things better as far as combat is concerned. (i.e: no archer taking 1/10 of a mech infs HP on bombardment)

However Bushido would need to be altered for it to be great with GK.

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 17
Diplomatic Marriage 15
Sacrificial Captives 22
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 8
Phoenician Heritage 30
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 14
Monument Builders 22
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 8
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 10
Great Andean Road 23
The Great Warpath 16
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 19
Mongol Terror 13
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 24
Wayfinding 16
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 19
Father Governs Children 23
Seven Cities of Gold 10
Nobel Prize 20

Ingenuity +1. Not the most exciting UA, sure, but extremely effective, yes.
PoC -2. Same reasons as before; no synergy, no help in actually getting a religion to use the ability. I will have Theodora's head on a pike.

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 17
Diplomatic Marriage 15
Sacrificial Captives 23 (+1) Really fun UA in the early game. Gives a great incentive to warmonger or at least barbhunt. I don't know how well it scales, but it adds a lot of flavor early on. A slightly-better-than-average UA.
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 8
Phoenician Heritage 30
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 14
Monument Builders 22
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 8
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 10
Great Andean Road 23
The Great Warpath 14 (-2) Ughhhh. Why can't all forests count as roads? This UA annoys me more than any other. Plop your second city 6 tiles from your capital, and its like this UA doesnt even exist. Of course, if Iroquois got Mainfest Destiny's cheap tiles as well...
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 19
Mongol Terror 13
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 24
Wayfinding 16
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 19
Father Governs Children 23
Seven Cities of Gold 10
Nobel Prize 20

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 17
Diplomatic Marriage 15
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 6 (-2)
Phoenician Heritage 30
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 14
Monument Builders 22
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 8
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 10
Great Andean Road 23
The Great Warpath 14
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 19
Mongol Terror 13
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 24
Wayfinding 16
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 19
Father Governs Children 23
Seven Cities of Gold 11 (+1)
Nobel Prize 20

PoC relies on the accumulation of faith -- for which Byzantium has absolutely no advantages -- to have any effect. It's also worthless until you get your first prophet, and it's likely to be subpar unless your first prophet arrives really early.

I'm going to give Seven Cities of Gold a rare and controversial bump. Does it depend on luck? Yes! Can it be an absolute garbage UA in some situations? Yes! Does it deserve to make it to the top 5? No! But is it really fun and unique racing around the map trying to find and capture natural wonders? Hell yeah! I urge people to give SCG a chance on an islands map. You'll find that it's less of a luck crapshoot and it's much more viable to string together a nation of natural wonders than on a land-heavy map.

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 17
Diplomatic Marriage 15
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 6
Phoenician Heritage 31 +1
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 14
Monument Builders 22
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 8
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 10
Great Andean Road 23
The Great Warpath 14
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 19
Mongol Terror 11 -2
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 24
Wayfinding 16
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 19
Father Governs Children 23
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20

Phoenician Heritage -- Free harbors, and free trade routes make early advances easier. Works well with +2 science pantheon

Mongol Terror -- Very rarely do I fight with the city states, so this would be pretty useless for me.

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 15
Diplomatic Marriage 15
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 6
Phoenician Heritage 31 +1
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 14
Monument Builders 22
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 8
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 10
Great Andean Road 23
The Great Warpath 14
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 19
Mongol Terror 12
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 24
Wayfinding 16
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 19
Father Governs Children 23
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20


while arabia is a great civ, their ua is pretty lame, even with a large empire the +1 gold isn't much, the extra oil isn't all that useful either as by the time i need oil ive usually conquered a large empire with the camel archers so am not lacking oil even a little.

plus to the mongol ua. while i have been a critic of it in the past, lately since moving up to playing exclusively on deity i have found just how annoying it is to have city states which build massive modern armies and then get bought by your enemy and attack you in the flank while the bulk of your army is waging war against another civ on the other side of the continent.. so, extra speed to protect a large empire and a massive 30% bonus against city states is wonderful

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 15
Diplomatic Marriage 16
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 6
Phoenician Heritage 31
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 14
Monument Builders 22
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 6
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 10
Great Andean Road 23
The Great Warpath 14
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 19
Mongol Terror 12
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 24
Wayfinding 16
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 19
Father Governs Children 23
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20

Diplomatic Marriage : If you know how to generate fast and ally cs as well this is the perfect UA for you. Killer UA in mp games if the train is rolling fast.

Spirit of Adwa : I rarely playing OCC

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 15
Diplomatic Marriage 16
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 6
Phoenician Heritage 31
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 14
Monument Builders 23
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 6
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 10
Great Andean Road 23
The Great Warpath 14
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 19
Mongol Terror 10
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 24
Wayfinding 16
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 19
Father Governs Children 23
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20

Monument Builders: Ensure every wonder in lower difficulty and help you get a few wonders in higher difficulty.

Mongol Terror: city states are easy to crack without the bonus.

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 15
Diplomatic Marriage 16
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 6
Phoenician Heritage 31
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 14
Monument Builders 23
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 6
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 10
Great Andean Road 24
The Great Warpath 12
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 19
Mongol Terror 10
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 24
Wayfinding 16
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 19
Father Governs Children 23
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20

Great Andean Road: Good for both warmongering and the economy. Makes the Inca better at playing wide, which adds to their versatility.

The Great Warpath: This makes me sad because I love playing the Iroquois, and it goes well with the UU and UB, but as it stands, Great Andean Road is almost strictly better.

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 15
Diplomatic Marriage 16
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 6
Phoenician Heritage 31
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 14
Monument Builders 23
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 6
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 8
Great Andean Road 24
The Great Warpath 12
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 19
Mongol Terror 10
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 24
Wayfinding 16
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 19
Father Governs Children 24
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20

Father Governs Children : 150% gains from each CS, and 4 or 5 CS allies with Parthonage tree can boost everything in any country especially Siam.

Scourge of God : Free tech and production boost is nice. But I knows I could name Hunnic city better than "Portland"

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 15
Diplomatic Marriage 16
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 6
Phoenician Heritage 31
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 14
Monument Builders 23
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 6
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 8
Great Andean Road 24
The Great Warpath 12
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 19
Mongol Terror 10
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 24
Wayfinding 16
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 19
Father Governs Children 24
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20
River Warlord 21

River Warlord has been missing since post #98.

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 15
Diplomatic Marriage 16
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 6
Phoenician Heritage 31
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 14
Monument Builders 23
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 6
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 8
Great Andean Road 24
The Great Warpath 12
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 19
Mongol Terror 10
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 24
Wayfinding 16
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 20 (+1)
Father Governs Children 24
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20
River Warlord 18 (-3)

DOWNVOTE: River Warlord has been missing since post #98 and nobody missed it until crawf0rd pointed it out.

UPVOTE: Siberian Riches. Cool name, extra production useful in any situation, powerful when low on resources, or when wanting a massive military, or merely when trading. And think of all the nukes!

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 15
Diplomatic Marriage 16
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 6
Phoenician Heritage 31
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 14
Monument Builders 23
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 6
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 8
Great Andean Road 24
The Great Warpath 12
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 19
Mongol Terror 10
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 25
Wayfinding 14
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 20
Father Governs Children 24
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20
River Warlord 18

Wayfinding. I don't think I've ever used the Moai. 10% combat strength is simply not enough to bother most of the time, and the embarking buff is kind of meh too. I usually only play the lower difficulty though (Emperor/King).

Achaemenid Legacy. With Happiness now easier to accrue, there are more opportunities to go on conquests. The +1 movement is the key, as it means you can out run/maneuver the closet civ, and start taking cities without suffering as much damage.

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 15
Diplomatic Marriage 16
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 6
Phoenician Heritage 31
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 22
Viking Fury 15
Monument Builders 23
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 6
Ancien Regime 23
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 8
Great Andean Road 24
The Great Warpath 12
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 17
Mongol Terror 10
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 25
Wayfinding 14
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 20
Father Governs Children 24
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20
River Warlord 18


with the new patch coming out, viking fury looks to become a powerhouse, much as i think the vikings are outshone for naval assaults by songhai the new pillage-heal rules will make this ua shine.

long count isn't a *bad* ua, but for some reason i feel it's kind of 'cheap', if you compare it with for instance nobel prize, nobel prize requires some creativity and effort to make use of, where long count just gives freely.. sort of the difference in why i prefer aztecs over france, they both give extra culture but with the aztecs you have to work for it.

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 15
Diplomatic Marriage 16
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 6
Phoenician Heritage 31
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 20 warmongering at emperor and even immortal is easy enough without these bonuses. Would rather be helped somewhere else.
Viking Fury 15
Monument Builders 23
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 6
Ancien Regime 24 This gives such flexibility do pursue whatever VC you want to go for
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 8
Great Andean Road 24
The Great Warpath 12
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 17
Mongol Terror 10
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 25
Wayfinding 14
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 20
Father Governs Children 24
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20
River Warlord 18

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 15
Diplomatic Marriage 16
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 6
Phoenician Heritage 31
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 20
Viking Fury 15
Monument Builders 23
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 6
Ancien Regime 24 This gives such flexibility do pursue whatever VC you want to go for
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 8
Great Andean Road 24
The Great Warpath 12
Bushido 11
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 17
Mongol Terror 10
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 25
Wayfinding 14
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 20
Father Governs Children 24
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20
River Warlord 19

Votes are still only -2, got a -3 immediately.

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 15
Diplomatic Marriage 16
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 6
Phoenician Heritage 31
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 20
Viking Fury 16 (+1) Quite arguably the best combat UA in gameMonument Builders 23
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 6
Ancien Regime 24
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 8
Great Andean Road 24
The Great Warpath 12
Bushido 9 (-2) On the other hand - this is the worst combat UA now in GK
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 17
Mongol Terror 10
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 25
Wayfinding 14
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 20
Father Governs Children 24
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20
River Warlord 19

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 15
Diplomatic Marriage 16
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 7
Phoenician Heritage 29
Druidic Lore 12
Art of War 20
Viking Fury 16
Monument Builders 23
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 6
Ancien Regime 24
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 8
Great Andean Road 24
The Great Warpath 12
Bushido 9
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 17
Mongol Terror 10
Dutch East India Company 23
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 25
Wayfinding 14
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 20
Father Governs Children 24
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20
River Warlord 19

Not the weakest here, but i don't think Phoenicia deserves the score. Firstly, water only, and if you spawn (even on water) with your resources on land (I find this common) it takes a second or third city before you start benefitting, not always the great start it's billed up to be. Loses a little pace later on. I like it (especially for puppets), but there are others on the list that deserve the top spot a lot more.

Extra belief I think underrated is. I don't think Byzantium is balanced cos It has both UU's both exactly when you need to invest in making your UA work, but as a UA on it's own, it's very versatile, and potentially game breaking. On a big map the double enhancer spread and tithe/c prop is pretty much a win button. I like that it takes some effort to make work but is both powerful and versatlie. Go wide/ICS, sacrifice the pantheon for faith and look for a religious CS/NW etc., and liberty GE on HS. 3 GP's in BC (just) will not only get great benefits but crush the benefits of others. Don't even need to sacrifice rationalism. I think the grand temple in the patch has the potential to make catching up to ethiopia/maya for the best pick easier.

Manifest Destiny 16
Trade Caravans 15
Diplomatic Marriage 16
Sacrificial Captives 23
Ingenuity 13
Patriarchate of Constantinople 7
Phoenician Heritage 29
Druidic Lore 10 (-2) I thought this UA gave +1 or 2 faith per forest tile... not per city. Kinda lame. Gets you a pantheon but nothing else. Also discourages lumbermills and TPs
Art of War 20
Viking Fury 16
Monument Builders 23
Sun Never Sets 22
Spirit of Adwa 6
Ancien Regime 24
Hellenic League 20
Scourge of God 8
Great Andean Road 24
The Great Warpath 12
Bushido 9
Scholars of the Jade Hall 21
The Long Count 17
Mongol Terror 10
Dutch East India Company 24 (+1) More happiness means more cities which means more luxes which means more happiness. A top 10 UA. Also, a question. Should the polder be considered as part of this UA? I know its technically an improvement, but only the Dutch have the ability to build it. If so, this is top 5.
Barbary Corsairs 14
Achaemenid Legacy 25
Wayfinding 14
The Glory of Rome 28
Siberian Riches 20
Father Governs Children 24
Seven Cities of Gold 11
Nobel Prize 20
River Warlord 19