Civilization 5 Promotions - Complete list

This is a nice start but one of you smart folks who win Diety games in your sleep should write an in depth intro article on the strategy of combat experience promotions. (Or link one if I missed it)

It was somewhat disappointing to see my elite crossbows with logistics and range turned into riflemen who had neither an extra attack nor extra range. Or to waste logistics on Chu-ko-nus who were frozen at two attacks. And how counterintuitive is it that crossbows can shoot over mountains with indirect fire but rifles are not ranged?
 
Not sure about other people, using instant heal and taking cities earlier works pretty well. Even for pacifist fighting defensive war. Taking AI cities is the fastest way to get AI to sign peace treaty. Attack window is smaller on higher level. Usually don't have that much time saving units to be promoted. This would be best leveraged at Marathon speed, where healing time and travel time are disproportionally shorter.
 
And how counterintuitive is it that crossbows can shoot over mountains with indirect fire but rifles are not ranged?

Thanks, as your statement shows, that I'm not the only one feeling that way.

@devs: No prob, if you make it even harder to get those promotions, but pls don't keep it that sophisticated, which ones to optimally take at an early stage!

PS.: Trickster7135 started such a section in his 'CiV-Guide', but evidently didn't have enough time to progress it, since I looked last.
 
And how counterintuitive is it that crossbows can shoot over mountains with indirect fire but rifles are not ranged?

Bows can usually shoot in an arc. Rifles not. So it is not that counterintuitive. Only problem is that shots from crossbows are pretty straight as well. But obviously there are game reasons to see riflemen as melee units and bowmen as ranged units.

One could choose to keep crossbowmen until infantry arrives. They can do a reasonable job until then because of their range and promotions.
 
ok guys, if you haven't turned your brains off re: rifles being melee vs. ranged units, then you'll not get into the game to enjoy it. yeah it's annoying, but that's what we have at the moment. (changes pending)

anywhom... As one of those Deity players who bothers hanging out in modern era from time to time: (cleaning up some random comment in this thread)

a) Both Bombers and fighters/Jet Fighters can be based on carriers.

b) No they do not have multiple 'moves' per turn. Air units get 1 rebase and that's it.
- you can in crease the operational range; which is the distance from their current base. This means either attack/defense (you get 1 base) or rebase. Rebase distance and operational range distance are, generally, not the same. Ie, Nukes can be dropped x distance away, but their rebase distance is huge.

c) A reason for 3 air units in a carrier is that Air units only require two upgrades pre-multiple attacks. All else requires 3. So in a very short life span, those three aircraft become effectively 6.

d) Even on Huge maps, given the rebase ranges, you can get aircraft anywhere in the world if you use carriers as midpoint bases. (this also counts for missiles if you use nuclear subs/missile cruisers)

e) Best bet for carrier setup: (assuming enemy has flight/radar)
1 Jet fighter set for air sweep. The fighter goes in and takes the hit from an AA battery or defending fighter.
2 bombers set for whatever you're using them for. (specialization helps - so all city attack or all ground attack. Never naval attack)

f) carrier group:
2+ carriers configured as above in e
2-3 destroyers (for AA defence and anti-naval promotions)
1+ Battleships (for bombardment promotion)
anything else you want to toss in there.

I can't say enough how much AA defense is (via fighters and destroyers) important late game. The AI spams crap fighters and will launch them all at one target at a time. even if only taking 1 hit/attack, a GDR will die if enough of them get through. I've saved a helicopter (at 3 health) from 5 attacks/turn by fighters by having 2 jet fighters on intercept, 2 destroyers sitting next to the helicopter (coast) and my CS ally having an AA battery there. The interceptors (air) take away the damage from the target! That's huge.

anywhom...

promotions (from a deity player)
- no insta heal unless no other choice. (Ie, gonna die otherwise or you really need to instaheal to take a city as all your other units have to heal as well)
edit: Don't forget that you can abuse insta-heal for melee units by having the promotion available at the beginning of the turn, attacking, then using the promotion on the same turn. Ranged units don't get this option for some reason. (and I think melee units weren't supposed to either)

- Melee units: Always straight up terrain promotions to blitz (they change the name all the time - multiple attacks). I might stop at siege if it's worth it (CS of city getting higher than I like) or amphib assault (if I'm constantly crossing rivers/using naval units for the bombardment)
- sometimes will grab medic for a limited number of units if the war will be fought away from cities against mass units.

siege units: pick a terrain promotion, pick siege, back to terrain until logistics. then range, then march, then... game likely over as this unit is likely a Rocket artillery by now.

archers/crossbow... I used to got for multi attacks, but given the upgrade path, I now pick barrage, siege, cover, etc etc... and stay away from the ranged terrain promotions unless I run out of promotions.

naval:
Caravels->D's anti-naval
Frigates->D's anti-land
Keep them both going up the line to logistics, then range, then healing, etc etc. Logistics lets you move/attack/attack/move, so you'll never be within range of getting attacked by land units once you have destroyers.
Erm... the rest don't really matter. (battleships - anti-land as their normal attack vs ships is already really strong)

Air units:

These are the units that are the most promotion configurable units in the game. I'd almost cry if they moved this form of configuration to other units types in the game.

You can set up fighters/jet fighters for 1) air domination, 2) close combat support, 3) long range interceptors, 4) mixed roles, etc - just like real air units!

Same for bombers (anti-city, anti-ground, maybe anti-naval but bombers suck against naval, increased defense against interception, etc)
 
ok guys, if you haven't turned your brains off re: rifles being melee vs. ranged units, then you'll not get into the game to enjoy it. yeah it's annoying, but that's what we have at the moment. (changes pending)

anywhom... As one of those Deity players who bothers hanging out in modern era from time to time: (cleaning up some random comment in this thread)

a) Both Bombers and fighters/Jet Fighters can be based on carriers.

b) No they do not have multiple 'moves' per turn. Air units get 1 rebase and that's it.
- you can in crease the operational range; which is the distance from their current base. This means either attack/defense (you get 1 base) or rebase. Rebase distance and operational range distance are, generally, not the same. Ie, Nukes can be dropped x distance away, but their rebase distance is huge.
what does Mobility do for an Aircraft then?
 
what does Mobility do for an Aircraft then?

I barely remember

Mobility+ increase rebase radius (how far you can relocate the aircraft)
Range+ increase operational distance (how far you can attack)

I could be wrong though...modern goes by really fast

I can't say enough how much AA defense is (via fighters and destroyers) important late game. The AI spams crap fighters and will launch them all at one target at a time. even if only taking 1 hit/attack

AI finally does 1 thing right

promotions (from a deity player)
- no insta heal unless no other choice. (Ie, gonna die otherwise or you really need to instaheal to take a city as all your other units have to heal as well)

Ya, instant heal is only for taking early Cities. Leveraging short term goal. With walls/castle later on and city heal per turn, taking early AI city with instant heal is a tradeoff. Trying to save promo requires fielding larger initial army (5+), which delays 1st DOW, thus giving AI time to wall/castle up. Earlier capital capture prompts earlier AI peace treaty = more early money to leverage infrastructure or military.

Option to gift these "old unpromoted" units to distance CS to delay late game AI (distant) assults.
With more hammer capability post medieval, military bonus buildings are worthwhile
to rushbuy/build 2, 3 level promo units out of the the box.

On top of MadDjinn's detail explanation, Bibor's new video is up for more info on modern warfare.
 
- Melee units: Always straight up terrain promotions to blitz (they change the name all the time - multiple attacks).

i tend to play on marathon so i have plenty of time to get really high level so this may not apply as well, but i always get march before blitz. healing every turn seems a lot more important initially than double attacks but i guess it depends what you're going for.

i also get air repair before logistics.
some other notes:
air unit healing is just like regular unit healing, on a carrier in open water they heal 1, in friendly they heal 2, in a city they heal 3, and medics adjacent to the city work. so i tend to just use carriers as a midpoint.
stealth bombers have 100% evasion (but promotions are bugged for them), so leveling up a regular bomber with siege 3 or bombardment 3 (or both), air repair, and logistics before upgrading to stealth is really useful.
 
Great list! But when I was playing the other day I saw another promotion for my Infantry, Woodsman! It gives you double movement in forests, and maybe jungles? But I haven't found it in the civipedia yet. Anyone know anything else about this?
 
Great list! But when I was playing the other day I saw another promotion for my Infantry, Woodsman! It gives you double movement in forests, and maybe jungles? But I haven't found it in the civipedia yet. Anyone know anything else about this?

I've seen it before. It's deep into the promotion tree, would have to go check what it requires again, but I think it might be a rough terrain x 3 + something else promotion. I'm reasonably sure that it's meant to allow you to take blitz and still use it for rough terrain units. (blitz + attacking in rough terrain = 1 attack not 2 without woodsman)
 
Great list! But when I was playing the other day I saw another promotion for my Infantry, Woodsman! It gives you double movement in forests, and maybe jungles? But I haven't found it in the civipedia yet. Anyone know anything else about this?

I've seen it before. It's deep into the promotion tree, would have to go check what it requires again, but I think it might be a rough terrain x 3 + something else promotion. I'm reasonably sure that it's meant to allow you to take blitz and still use it for rough terrain units. (blitz + attacking in rough terrain = 1 attack not 2 without woodsman)

played through a game and found that woodsman seems to open up at 3 terrain promotions; either through rough or open terrain. Or at least, that's when I noticed it.

It's definitely not in the ingame Civpedia though.
 
I've found a promotion saying can Enter rival territory, anyone knows more about it?
 
Curious, why is indirect fire under shared? had me worried the first time looking at ranged and navy as i like it a lot after getting +1 range. (logistics is great mind you, depending on what i need at that moment)
 
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