Joint war: What's the point?

[Miserable Old Git]

The AI periodically offers a deal involving a joint war. Generally they expect you to pay more then they themselves offer. And we know how good the AI is at fighting. So why ever accept it???

It makes sense in multiplayer (which I don't play), but none in AI.

 

[iammaxhailme]

I never accept the requests, but sometimes I pay the AI to join me in a war just so I can make a military alliance to get the +5 combat strength...

 

[Buktu]

Apart from the bonus of a military alliance you can just use any neighbour of your current opponent to distract them. Even if the AIs attacks might be headless and bad they might do a little damage. Also your opponent might send a few units to deal with it. The AI that joins your war will likely lose alot of their troops so they might waiste some time to build military afterwards as well. And they are definitely not in shape to attack you once you conquered your foe.
If the other player hates your opponent you can buy them in for just a single gold alot of times. So why not?

 

[Archon_Wing]

I think it causes them to ignore some grievances you commit against the target, but don't exactly understand how it works.

But basically, some civs will have -10 against me for grievances against other players but my war ally may only have -2 or none.

 

[Linklite]

I'm not a fan of using it. More than once I've spent ages whittling down a city's defences, usually one that I really want, only to find that my "ally" swoops in at the last possible moment and captures it for themselves. Not too much of a problem because I can flip it, right? Nope, because they then raze the city because they can't keep it. Cue screams of frustration.

 

[Galvatron]

The AI periodically offers a deal involving a joint war. Generally they expect you to pay more then they themselves offer. And we know how good the AI is at fighting. So why ever accept it???

It makes sense in multiplayer (which I don't play), but none in AI.

I don't accept because the timing is poor, but i like the offer because i know that they're willing to fight, or even want to fight.

 

[Pfeffersack]

Since wars aren't the particular strength of Civ6 and the battlefield AI has severe deficits, join(t) war agreements have little value for battlefield purposes. So ironically this violent agreements have most impact on the economic side and usually the AI suffers here: A human play will just not accept any crazy demanding AI offers here...but the AI OTOH will often happily join wars for paying them one gold (which ruins there relations among each other and bleeds them out by units getting killed in stalemates) or even offering you tons of Gold ( https://forums.civfanatics.com/thre...hen-asking-them-for-a-cooperative-war.666486/ )

 

[jasper]

"Things are too peaceful in this game."
Ok so lets go fight someone bro.
"No"

 

[Victoria]

Joint wars are brilliant unless you just want to steamroller every civ in the same old way, even then joint wars have saved my bacon on deity.
So I have cleo and Cyrus next to me, not a promising start but if I see one forward settle the other, suggesting a joint war in revenge is great. They both have stronger armies than I do, lock horns, smash each other while I just pillage a bit and grow my strength to take them both out.
Then there is when you do not want to be a totally hated person and form some bonds and alliances not just with the partner in crime but in their friends and allies.
Joint wars often also cause loyalty flips to free which are also enjoyable gifts.
I am trying to work out why the hell you would not be part of a surprise war without the additional penalties where your opponents are useless at war.
This thread would have me lost apart from I have seen it every now and then from total warmongers who just cannot be bothered with anything but a blindfold and a direction to move which seems to be the only argument that is means nothing because “everyone already hates me”. But this one sounds a tad more innocent than most.

Of course when the AI offers it, it is often a poisoned chalice but normally you can smell the almonds. Suggesting it yourself is even worth a few gold more often than not.