How to leverage the Aztecs for best effect?

[jackelgull]

I am playing on Prince, Huge Pangaea.

The Aztec seem to have alot of synergy. They have a jungle bias with a warrior that ignores terrain cost in jungle. Their culture per kill mechanic and warrior replacement that heals after a kill meshes well with an early barb hunting focus. The early culture gives them a slight early advantage, allowing them to finish their policy tree slightly faster. The jaguar itself is a great unit, but what makes it even more useful is that it upgrades with its unique promotions and the barb hunting will lead to experienced jaguars capable of upgrade. These upgraded jaguars combined with archers can help the Aztecs cement their early lead gained from culture earned through barbarian farming, into an army worthy of fear and respect. But how to best utilize this early synergy to reach my end goal?

I was thinking the left column of Honor might be a good idea for this for several reasons
1) 50% combat bonus: for a civ going on the war path, this would be useful
2) free great general: The combat bonus from the general again would help out conquest
3) knowledge of barbarian camps in explored territory: good idea to know where the barbs are when farming them for culture
4) extra culture per kill: Not really a big reason, but more culture is never a bad thing
5) 33% bonus against barbs: Again, not really necessary, but it certainly helps jaguars finish barbs faster.

Also, the points I don't put in honor I will put in tradition because before conquest. The extra food from tradition will go well from aztec's floating gardens, and conqueror's should take cities from other civilizations.

However, in what order should I go with these policies? Honor opener? Take everyhting I want from honor first then move onto tradition? Does anyone else have some suggestions.

 

[Tabarnak]

1-Riversided or lakes

2-Tradition

3-UB

I like 2 cities NC start with this civ. I like to build the UB in both cities before libraries(reason why i stay with 2 cities...more infrastructures needed). With 2 huge cities you can pump extra cities at a fast rate after the NC.

But at prince you can also let down the NC(pangea) and pump units like no tomorrow. Honor is for domination games. So yeah it's good but not as a opener. Even with Aztecs.

 

[stormtrooper412]

yeah the growth bonus and the lake buff is very underrated with this civ

 

[crabe]

There is pretty much no question, Tradition is the best tree (many people would say this post should end here) for Aztecs because it maximizes growth and Aztecs can grow faster/taller than anyone else due to Floating Garden.

However, the Honor opener is good, pretty underrated I'd say. Especially if you have lots of forest and jungle it's nice to get a heads up when barb camps spawn, especially if you have an Ancient Era UU and an incentive to hunt barbs anyway. If you're really deep in the jungle I find it almost a necessity to know immediately when barbs spawn anywhere near a caravan route. As long as you are killing units you should be able to get plenty of policies and still finish the Tradition tree before most other civs would.

On the other hand you want to finish Tradition as fast as possible to maximize the UB. So, you have to balance these considerations when making your policy choices.

 

[Olodune]

There is pretty much no question, Tradition is the best tree for Aztecs because it maximizes growth and Aztecs can grow faster/taller than anyone else due to Floating Garden.

I would say something slightly different: Tradition is the best for Aztecs because it maximizes happiness With giant cities you'll be looking around for happy sources in no time.

The fact that Firaxis put the best growth policies in the same tree as the best early happiness policies is, well, funny, and why Tradition is so forgiving to play.

 

[CraigMak]

Plant your capital touching a mountain and river or lake so you can make the floating gardens with observatory. Use full Tradition. Plant 1 or 2 cities. Get a floating gardens up in your cap ASAP. Possibly get hanging gardens. Run caravans to your cap.

Get NC ASAP and grow MASSIVE. The Aztec growth bonus is far better than their UU or culture bonus.

Get your cap huge with a NC and observatory with some jungle around and you are set.

Tabarnak's advice above is very solid.

2 city double caravan with floating gardens and NC is very strong with the Aztecs.

 

[consentient]

Honor works really well too. With the finisher you'll be earning gold and culture for every kill. Across the whole game this can really help speed up the progress of your conquest. OP, you don't say which VC you're pursuing, but if you're considering DomV or DiploV/CV with some war, then I'd go Honor-Commerce

 

[jackelgull]

Yeah I am considering domination/conquest. I feel the Aztecs have the potential to be really good warmongers

 

[CraigMak]

Yeah I am considering domination/conquest. I feel the Aztecs have the potential to be really good warmongers

They are a pretty good all around civ because war gives them extra culture and peace allows them to grow out of hand.

IMO their growth is far superior to their warmonger benefits and so I make efforts to stay at peace with them and obtain growth wonders such as HG and Artemis.