How to win multiplayer without building a city

Ok this new strategy expands on my previous method of turn 2 veteran dragoon using jose. And the title is misleading since you do make cities in this strategy but only cities that you defend for one turn so you can ship gold off or to spawn general.

Here are the steps:

1. sail to europe on turn 1.

2. move veteran soldier and pioneer onto dock window and double click pioneer to change profession to colonist. Change profession of veteran soldier to dragoon and load them back onto the caravel, sail to new world.

3. find land and drop off colonist to scout.

4. sail along shore looking for native village.

5. sail into village and use dragoon to talk to cheif hoping for promotion or gold. If you get promotion then give dragoon grenadier 2, if you get gold then request military aid from king and get cannon. (if you get cannon then attack the natives once and then sail to europe to pick up cannon)

6. attack from caravel to village with dragoon, you will earn 2 promotions with the first kill.

7. Give dragoon grenadier 2 and attack again, you will likely earn another promotion or will on the following attack.

8. give dragoon veteran 2.

9. if you capture city and get a convert and the treasure is enough to buy a cannon then make city to ship treasure back to europe and then request aid from king to buy cannon. (if you didnt get cannon already)

10. Keep sailing along coast killing native villages with dragoon and cannon.

11. whenever you find a players city just attack it as if it was an indian tribe, even if it is just your first trip back to the new world. But remember to attack with cannon first when you attack players to take out the strongest defender or weaken it before you attack with dragoon.

12. give dragoon amphibious with next promotion.

13. Kill more indians and players as you cruise along the coastline earning promotions veteran 3-5.

14. around this time you should have enough points to spawn a great general. With your next converted native you capture have him make a city so the general can spawn.

15. Attach general to dragoon with cannon in the same tile and no other units. Give dragoon grenadier 3 and veteran 6 promotions, give cannon bomb 2 and veteran promotions.

16. From here on its just more cruising along coastlines and razing every city you find until the enemy gives up or gets eliminated by settlement elimination limit.

keep in mind that if settlement elimination is set to 1 then this tactic will not work since you will have no real defense when you make a city to pop the general. But you could just keep giving normal promotions like formation, charge, and skirmish instead of grenadier 3 and veteran 6. If settlement elimination is set to two then you should only make one city just for the general and then let it die without ever making another city. And if settlement elimination is off then you can make cities to turn in treasures you find and for the general to spawn.

Im too lazy to do the math but with grenadier 3 and veteran 6 and amphibious you will be unstoppable.

Dont try this tactic against someone who likes to rush buy privateers or you will need to target them early on and hope they get eliminated.

The best counter to this strategy is to play dutch and trade with indians for massive piles of gold to rush buy a warship, i would say frigate or better since privateers have a chance to die even when fighting caravels but frigates will pretty much never die from a transport ship.

Try this against those players who like to kill you on turn 2-10 next time you see them.

 

Hah, Ampbibious Dragoon, imagine that!

Great guide!