The Best Starting Tech Combination? (Poll)

Just curious what your thoughts are on the best starting tech combo. I went through, did a spreadsheet to try and isolate the tech combo pairs that are possible as of BtS leaders and the most recent patch, and came up with the following:

Depends of your starting position too. But Mysticism and Mining are always useful IMHO.

From a strictly tech standpoint, I think Mysticism/Fishing is probably the best combo, as it allows you to get an early jump on Buddhism, and fish coastal tiles for the extra gold needed to beat other civs with Mysticism to the punch. Additionally, assuming you start on a coastline, it allows your first improvement to be the workboat, widely considered to be among the best "first build" items when available.

The downside? Only leader that has this combo is Isabella, who has some of the worst UU and UB in the game.

Mining + Agriculture are the two most useful starting techs. You can go right for bronze working and animal husbandry.

On coastal starts with one or more seafood resources fishing is the best you can have, but I go for the agriculture+mining combo. I love mining because it lets you research BW straight away and agriculture, because then I build a worker first build and put him to farm everything around the capital.

I personally like hunting so I can start out with a scout. Mysticism is my second favorite so I can get a religion faster.

I said mining and agriculture. Bronze working is key early to start chopping and get those early units/wonders, and I more often than not find something to farm in my capital's fat cross, whether it be a resource or a river tile (if inland).

Mining + hunting.

Hunting for the scout, and mining because bronzeworking is almost always my first research project.

I consider Mysticism a complete waste as starting tech. I never go for early religion regardless of what civ or leader I get - not even if it's HC / WK with oasis (which I think should give me religion).

I voted for Mining + Agriculture, but it always depends. Agri + Wheel -> Pottery & worker first is one way to go. Coastal + seafood -> Fishing is excellent tech (otherwise wasted). Tundra start with deer and furs? Hunting is foodtech then, and also brings happiness and commerce. Mysticism is the only tech I can't find any use for at all..

Mining + wheel for early cottages.

Mining / Agriculture.

EDIT: Woops, doublepost. I've just completely forgotten how to delete my post can anyone refresh my memory?

mysticism/hunting you get an early religion (early culture)and a scout (chance for lots of goodies from huts.

My personaly favorite is either Hunting + Fishing or Hunting + Mining. Scouts are good for goody hut sprees, Fishing is good for work boats with a coastal capital, and Mining lets you research Bronze Working faster.

All around best I'd have to say is probably Hunting + Mysticism, since you may want to get an early religion.

bonafide11 said:

Mining + Agriculture are the two most useful starting techs. You can go right for bronze working and animal husbandry.

Click to expand...

I had thought about starting this poll recently as well. Great idea.

I agree with Bonafide's assessment. I would add that I like getting a worker out first or second, and both these techs allow my workers to get to the work on important improvements as quickly as possible and usually stay busy so as not to waste time. Also, if I am going for the Pyramids and/or the Great Wall, having Mining allows quick access to masonry as soon as needed. I play on Monarch level.

My second favorite is Hunting + Agriculture since I find Agriculture slightly more important than Mining as a starting tech, and it allows me to start with a scout for the chance at an early Goody Hut technology, etc.

Still though, having the Wheel is nice for early roads, and I have enjoyed that a little with the Sumerians. I may be wrong, but I tend to neglect the Wheel quite often while I am researching targeted techs, so starting with it absolves me of the responsibility of stopping what I am doing to research it at some point.

I've tried Romans as a civ starting with Fishing; and although the Praeotorian is fun, I find the Fishing start useful less often. Even if you happen to start with some seafood nearby, fishing is so fast to research that I still prefer Mining + Agriculture.

Mining and Agriculture is the best pairing, for reasons already stated. The worst, IMO...
Fishing+Hunting
Yuck. Especially if you're inland, in which case you kinda hope for livestock, deer, beavers, or jumbos.
Mysticism+Hunting
It really doesn't matter where you are, you have the weakest worker tech and Mysticism. You COULD go for a religion...but then you'd be putting off useful worker techs even further. I tend to shoot for a later religion with this pairing.

I think Hunting is my favorite single starting tech. I usually want it in all situations. The early scout is HUGE to me, and great in every situation, because it is always great to get more huts and have explored more of your surrounding territory to have a better idea of the best place to found your second city.

The rest of the techs, in my opinion, are basically situation specific. Fishing is obviously only good for if you are on a coast, mining for if you are in hills or trees and are going for early BW, etc.

bonafide11 said:

Mining + Agriculture are the two most useful starting techs. You can go right for bronze working and animal husbandry.

Click to expand...

Doesn't hunting go towards animal husbandry as well? If not, then I mis-voted! Oops! But if hunting is a prereq for AH, then I voted correctly. I rarely go for early religions, so I feel that being able to grab BW immediately is key to warring as early as possible. I like having hunting so that I can grab Archery early on as well, making for extremely early warring.

Mining + hunting.

Hunting itself sux but the scout is invaluable. On average a scout may grab you an additonal tech a game and some extra cash, plus knowing the whereabout of your neighbours and the strategic resources much earlier. It also opens up AH. So when I start I can pick between agriculture or AH depending on the resources available. Also when the barbarians go out of hand you can tech archery right away.

Mining leads to BW and there are almost always some hills to mine.

Still it sort of depending on the map type and difficulty level. At lower levels mysticism is definitely great for early religion. Fishing is certainly helpful for coastal starts, so it still depends.

It is all about your start, and what your initial plan is.

Mining has to be one of them because getting BW early to chop and/or whip is so critical. Then your best bet is probably Agriculture because you are nost likely going to be able to help your growth with an early farm. But if you are on the Coast next to clams/fish/crabs you would rather have Fishing.

If you plan to discover early religions, perhaps with an eye to a cultural victory, or early shrine, you would love to have Mysticism and try for Hindu/Buddism. Mostly I find I can found later religions and count on others to spread early ones enough where founding an early religion is not that big a deal, at least as far as getting the prerequisite 3 religions in your civ for an attempt at a cultural win.

You can also argue Hunting for the early Scout. This varies a lot on your luck with huts and the surroundings. I do appreciate it a lot when I play Darius, but I like to start with a worker and sometimes he can get left with nothing useful to do to start the game.