Early worker strategy

[InFlux5]

Hi all,

I feel like I'm still making the transition from Civ 4 to Civ 5, even though I've been playing 5 for a while now.

Probably the one area that I still feel shaky when it comes to the new version is early Worker building. I was hoping to open up a discussion on what you do.

First, the consensus seems to be that you should steal Workers where possible. I understand the value of a "free" Worker, and it is essentially risk free as well since you can make peace on the same turn.

However, there are situations where stealing a Worker is either not possible or won't be possible for quite some time because the available city-state(s) are doing other things (particularly if on the coast.)

So when, or how often, do you hard-build Workers as part of your early build order? What are the circumstances that would make you do this?

Or do you usually purchase your first Worker? If you do this, is it in addition to stealing?

I'm really curious what people's go-to strategies are on this topic.

 

[JeSuisNapoleon]

Workers:
Stealing one is important at higher levels of difficulty. Stealing more than one can be an incredible early game boon, if you do it right or just get lucky. Barb camps are best, CS or enemy AI are next best.

Hard building / purchasing:
when you need to, do it. Happiness problems must be solved asap to keep growing early. You cant rely on being able to steal everything. At the beginning of the game you need ~1.3 workers per city. It really depends on the rate of borders expansion and how many tiles you must improve. Late game you can get away with less if your not expanding/warring.

You *MUST* get unique lux improved asap. You really should take advantage of chopping forests strategically, you need fresh water farms early. Early production from improvements like pastures is not to be underestimated.

 

[joncnunn]

I think your looking at very old threads.

Worker steal from a city state: Uses up your "free" DOW even if you make peace immediately.
Better to let barbs do your dirty work and then take it from the barbs.

Turning an AI's settler that's wondered too close to your territory into a worker though is a very good idea.

Best time to complete first worker : That depends a lot upon what techs your luxuries need.
(e.g. if you just need Mining you'll want it a lot sooner than if your luxuries are calendar resources that are covered up with jungle)

No, I wouldn't cash buy my first worker, at the time I'm saving up to cash buy my newest cities library so I can start construction of National College as soon as possible.

Once a worker is built, first priority to improve is unique luxaries
second is strategic resources
third is remaining luxuries
fourth is bonus resources

 

[CraigMak]

Workers are extremely important, I hard build at least one, steal one and usually buy one for a total of 3 while still on only 1 or 2 cities. A pyramids rush also works like a charm.

You should get workers up ASAP and steal as many as possible. If you have too many workers it's fine, you will make more cities and need them soon.

If there are no CS around to get money or steal from then I will probably rush for the pyramids or just hard build more workers than cities some times starting out new cities on a worker.

 

[ArguCa]

You can check Barbarian Camps. I just got a free worker today from a barbarian camp. They captured Russia's settler and I got them as workers.

 

[Moriarte]

Sometimes i hard build it. Before granary. Or after granary. Depends on the abundance of wheat, presence of salt and intuition. Most of the time i just save up cash to buy it before turn 30 and steal a couple along the way. One from AI, one from CS. I open with 2 scouts, always, (pangaea/continents) so, early cash tends to pile up pretty quickly. I will build one/two more between t.50-100, one before NC, another one - after. 1.5 workers per city is usually enough, provided your economy can support that many.

Btw, my way of starting up is improving the cap , growing to size 5-7, then quickly get 3 settlers out and build NC before turn 90. I like a good capital early in the game

 

[adwcta]

Hard build at least one, if you're not planning to war a neighbor early. Barb camps are unreliable without raging barbs, and sometimes too far (takes 15 turns to move worker to your city) to make a timely impact. Think of everything you don't build/Liberty/firstworkersteal as bonus workers.

Outside of Pangaea, it's also not 100% success that CS will produce a worker before the AI protects it. And, if a neighbor AI protects a CS, DoW-ing it is a surefire way to get a DoW yourself very quickly. Not worth it. Only steal from unprotected or far away CSs (unless you know the AI won't DoW you, for example, no red markers at all yet).