Immortal Ace
Prince
I am sort of fond to Hannibal's Financial and Charismatic trait. Perhaps because I've always loved Carthage. But perhaps there is a better combination for leader?
Just got WarLords. Best Leader available?
- Thread starter Immortal Ace
- Start date
There is no single best leader.. People do have favourite leaders though, and some leaders have trait combinations well suited for some specific strategy.
That said, I do like Hannibal. Then again, I also like Mansa, Toku, Catherine, Napoleon, Washington, Qin, Shaka, ... OK, I probably like at least half the leaders
That said, I do like Hannibal. Then again, I also like Mansa, Toku, Catherine, Napoleon, Washington, Qin, Shaka, ... OK, I probably like at least half the leaders
Harald500
Chieftain
Try Elisabeth!
She do kick as with her finacial/philosophical/redcoat-combo!
She do kick as with her finacial/philosophical/redcoat-combo!
Sisiutil
All Leader Challenger
Just to expand on what Elendal said a bit...
If you mainly play as leaders with the Financial trait, you'll end up running a cottage-based economy. There's nothing wrong with that, but it can be fun to try a specialist or food-based economy sometimes, just for fun. With those economic strategies, Financial is wasted, so a leader with other traits are called for, especially those with Philosophical and Spiritual traits (many SE fans swear by Gandhi as the best leader in the game).
Other leaders also let you experiment not only with different traits but with other unique units, unique buildings, and approaches based upon the opening techs. Hannibal, for example, is not exactly well-suited to obtaining an early religion; that advantage goes to any leader who starts with Mysticism. Industrious leaders are fun for builders, while Aggressive is great for warmongers (meaning that with Stalin you'll have a case of split personality
). Rome has the best UU in the game, with Persia's, Russia's, England's, and Egypt's ranking close behind. England has one of the best UBs (especially combined with either Elizabeth's or Victoria's Financial trait), and the ones for Rome, Germany, Korea, Mali, and Mongolia are pretty slick as well. And so on.
Obviously I'm a big advocate of taking different leaders for a test drive.
Even so, I have my own favourites. In Warlords, Augustus and Ramesses are at the top of my list for my off-line games.
If you mainly play as leaders with the Financial trait, you'll end up running a cottage-based economy. There's nothing wrong with that, but it can be fun to try a specialist or food-based economy sometimes, just for fun. With those economic strategies, Financial is wasted, so a leader with other traits are called for, especially those with Philosophical and Spiritual traits (many SE fans swear by Gandhi as the best leader in the game).
Other leaders also let you experiment not only with different traits but with other unique units, unique buildings, and approaches based upon the opening techs. Hannibal, for example, is not exactly well-suited to obtaining an early religion; that advantage goes to any leader who starts with Mysticism. Industrious leaders are fun for builders, while Aggressive is great for warmongers (meaning that with Stalin you'll have a case of split personality
). Rome has the best UU in the game, with Persia's, Russia's, England's, and Egypt's ranking close behind. England has one of the best UBs (especially combined with either Elizabeth's or Victoria's Financial trait), and the ones for Rome, Germany, Korea, Mali, and Mongolia are pretty slick as well. And so on. Obviously I'm a big advocate of taking different leaders for a test drive.
Even so, I have my own favourites. In Warlords, Augustus and Ramesses are at the top of my list for my off-line games.gettingfat
Emperor
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2003
- Messages
- 1,417
Half of the leaders are very good, as long as you use them right.
I personally consider Augustus the best. When I said best I meant you can still do well regardless of the start location and map (well, for sure there are exceptions. If you start on a one-tile island than nobody except the Civ god, aka World builder, can help you). There are some leaders who only do well under specific conditions, not Augustus.
Both creative and organized traits of Augustus have been boosted up in Warlords. You want war? Research IW quick, the creative trait allows quick border expansion so there is a very good chance you will be connected to iron quite early. No sissy cultural buildings needed mean you can focus on military. Praets are still very strong. The new 50% bonus vs axes for chariots actually help indirectly because you can build some chariots to pick off the axes (the only legitimate counters vs Praets till crossbows) and the Praets can be practically invincible.
But if you love the build-&-tech style (or being forced to because of no iron), your cheap libraries will definitely help you. The cheap courts will further save you money for research. Creative gets you early stone and marble more easily, which mean quick Oracle, Great Wall and Pyramid. The forum UB is essentially a cheap, half-Panthenon that won't expire. Combined with the organized trait which mean you can play big cities and use specialist econ very cost-effectively. As if you don't have enough freebies, the game dev gives you the cheap factories, so don't worry about the late game slack-off.
Well, you can't go wrong with any financial leaders anyway. Hannibal is fantastic. Eliz is still my favorite. Mali with the Mint means tons of money. Huayna stole Qin's traits and are now a superbuilder. Ragnar is the king in Island map. Wang Kon is very easy to play.
If you get bored with the financial leaders. Go for the leaders with chariot UU for some early rush. Cyprus is an ultimate early rusher. The Egyptian war chariots also kick axx. Or if you don't like early war, get Medmen II. All his traits and UB have the synergy for building big cities early. Beeline to gunpowder for janissaries. In fact Medmen is a bit overpowered IMHO.
I personally consider Augustus the best. When I said best I meant you can still do well regardless of the start location and map (well, for sure there are exceptions. If you start on a one-tile island than nobody except the Civ god, aka World builder, can help you). There are some leaders who only do well under specific conditions, not Augustus.
Both creative and organized traits of Augustus have been boosted up in Warlords. You want war? Research IW quick, the creative trait allows quick border expansion so there is a very good chance you will be connected to iron quite early. No sissy cultural buildings needed mean you can focus on military. Praets are still very strong. The new 50% bonus vs axes for chariots actually help indirectly because you can build some chariots to pick off the axes (the only legitimate counters vs Praets till crossbows) and the Praets can be practically invincible.
But if you love the build-&-tech style (or being forced to because of no iron), your cheap libraries will definitely help you. The cheap courts will further save you money for research. Creative gets you early stone and marble more easily, which mean quick Oracle, Great Wall and Pyramid. The forum UB is essentially a cheap, half-Panthenon that won't expire. Combined with the organized trait which mean you can play big cities and use specialist econ very cost-effectively. As if you don't have enough freebies, the game dev gives you the cheap factories, so don't worry about the late game slack-off.
Well, you can't go wrong with any financial leaders anyway. Hannibal is fantastic. Eliz is still my favorite. Mali with the Mint means tons of money. Huayna stole Qin's traits and are now a superbuilder. Ragnar is the king in Island map. Wang Kon is very easy to play.
If you get bored with the financial leaders. Go for the leaders with chariot UU for some early rush. Cyprus is an ultimate early rusher. The Egyptian war chariots also kick axx. Or if you don't like early war, get Medmen II. All his traits and UB have the synergy for building big cities early. Beeline to gunpowder for janissaries. In fact Medmen is a bit overpowered IMHO.
One thing about this game is I get stuck on playing the same leader over and over again, which leads to playing the same game with the same situations over and over again. To tell you the truth, I spent 30 minutes on my first game deciding what leader I wanted to play because there were a few I could not choose from, haha. Just play on random and have fun trying new strategies.
P.S. carthage is da bomb diggity though.
P.S. carthage is da bomb diggity though.
I really like Hannibal too. His main problem is that unless you have a lot of coastal cities, his UB is useless.
Spammurabi
Chieftain
I prefer Augustus- with 2.08 Warlords, Creative and Organized are beastly powerful. The quick border expansion and the 1/2 price civics are nice, but where the traits *really* shine, in my opinion, is in their 1/2 priced buildings. With both Creative and Organized, all your Libraries, Lighthouses, Courthouses, Theaters, Colosseums, and Factories will be half the cost as they were previously.
Your science and coastal cities will get set up quicker due to the first two, you will have less maintenance costs from courthouses, newly conquered cities can very very quickly gain enough culture and happiness, and as you get into the industrial era, all your production cities will get online with Factories only slightly more expensive than Forges.
Plus, Praetorians are, by popular consensus, the best UUs in the game- Ancient Era warfare was never so easy to undertake. Cities fall like dominoes, even without Catapults (although those do make things go much faster).
The UB, for me, is the weak point of Rome. I don't leverage GPP very well, so aside having +25% GPP in my farm city, the Forum doesn't do very much for me.
I'm a recovering Financial addict- Elizabeth, Washington, and Qin were my leaders of choice in Vanilla. Turns out there are other good options out there.
Your science and coastal cities will get set up quicker due to the first two, you will have less maintenance costs from courthouses, newly conquered cities can very very quickly gain enough culture and happiness, and as you get into the industrial era, all your production cities will get online with Factories only slightly more expensive than Forges.
Plus, Praetorians are, by popular consensus, the best UUs in the game- Ancient Era warfare was never so easy to undertake. Cities fall like dominoes, even without Catapults (although those do make things go much faster).
The UB, for me, is the weak point of Rome. I don't leverage GPP very well, so aside having +25% GPP in my farm city, the Forum doesn't do very much for me.
I'm a recovering Financial addict- Elizabeth, Washington, and Qin were my leaders of choice in Vanilla. Turns out there are other good options out there.
The best depends entirely on your strategerie. War, Space or Culture.
The House of War:
Ghengis Khan is a real warwhore. He can be fun.
Anyone Roman, since they just kick so much ass with Praetorians.
Alexander, I've had a lot of success with but other people dont seem to like him (landgrab first then go for science win with weak enemies).
Science:
MUNSA or whatever his name is. He is a monster at this approach.
Wang Kong could probably be decent.
Elizibeth.
Culture:
Louis XIV
Anyone Egyptian
The House of War:
Ghengis Khan is a real warwhore. He can be fun.
Anyone Roman, since they just kick so much ass with Praetorians.
Alexander, I've had a lot of success with but other people dont seem to like him (landgrab first then go for science win with weak enemies).
Science:
MUNSA or whatever his name is. He is a monster at this approach.
Wang Kong could probably be decent.
Elizibeth.
Culture:
Louis XIV
Anyone Egyptian
I'd have to agree that Augustus is the best all-around leader, capable of doing a half-decent job at everything. And he's among the very best for early warfare.
For Domination wins I'm a big fan of Shaka. He has the cheap Ikhandas that are like a barracks and a weak courthouse rolled in to one. And Impis are an excellent UU for early warfare since they move quickly with or without roads over any terrains, start with Combat I, and are great at pillaging. So with Shaka you can not only capture a number of cities early but use the Ikhandas and large-scale pillaging to keep your economy running strong.
For Domination wins I'm a big fan of Shaka. He has the cheap Ikhandas that are like a barracks and a weak courthouse rolled in to one. And Impis are an excellent UU for early warfare since they move quickly with or without roads over any terrains, start with Combat I, and are great at pillaging. So with Shaka you can not only capture a number of cities early but use the Ikhandas and large-scale pillaging to keep your economy running strong.
Shawnosaurus
Esoteric Idiot
If there was a "best" leader it is likely that none of us would be playing
Amen!
The civ balance was brilliantly done in my opinion. I pick a leader to go with my intended victory type or to match the theme of a map or just to try someone new out. I do well with Julius for some reason though.
Rusty Edge
Deity
When playing I often think of what James Carvell said to Bill Clinton to help him focus...
"It's the economy, Stupid!"
With a big enough economy I can war & research, keep my people happy, & bribe the neutrals while I'm at it - in short, I can meet my wants and needs.
Financial makes that easier. Sometimes easier is more fun, at least while you're learning the ropes of Warlords.
"It's the economy, Stupid!"
With a big enough economy I can war & research, keep my people happy, & bribe the neutrals while I'm at it - in short, I can meet my wants and needs.
Financial makes that easier. Sometimes easier is more fun, at least while you're learning the ropes of Warlords.
Swein Forkbeard
Nintendo Fan
I'm sure every civilization has at least ONE weakness, but here are some challenge leaders
Winston Churchill (Charsimatic, Protective) is probably the leader with the toughest-to-break defenses, but he doesn't get a lot of big bonuses in areas like science or culture.
Josef Stalin (Aggressive, Industrious) has traits that I don't think get along very well. Also, his aggressive trait doesn't affect his unique unit, which has been toned down to 15 strength. His unique building comes very late, too. However, anybody who enjoyed playing as Napoleon would probably like this leader.
Saladin (Spiritual, Protective) is a yellow fever victim whose traits I also don't get along.
Mao Zedong (Expansive, Protective) also has traits that don't mix well, but his UU and UB are killers.
Shaka (Aggressive, Expansive) also has traits that might not mix well, but his UB his VERY overpowered (seriously, it's like a combination of barracks and courthouse that is only 25 shields and can be built from the start of the game, although it does remind me of the Russian blockhouse in Age of Empires 3, which was a combination of barracks and outpost/watch tower).
Winston Churchill (Charsimatic, Protective) is probably the leader with the toughest-to-break defenses, but he doesn't get a lot of big bonuses in areas like science or culture.
Josef Stalin (Aggressive, Industrious) has traits that I don't think get along very well. Also, his aggressive trait doesn't affect his unique unit, which has been toned down to 15 strength. His unique building comes very late, too. However, anybody who enjoyed playing as Napoleon would probably like this leader.
Saladin (Spiritual, Protective) is a yellow fever victim whose traits I also don't get along.
Mao Zedong (Expansive, Protective) also has traits that don't mix well, but his UU and UB are killers.
Shaka (Aggressive, Expansive) also has traits that might not mix well, but his UB his VERY overpowered (seriously, it's like a combination of barracks and courthouse that is only 25 shields and can be built from the start of the game, although it does remind me of the Russian blockhouse in Age of Empires 3, which was a combination of barracks and outpost/watch tower).
Mr. Civtastic
Prince
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2006
- Messages
- 488
Notice that out of the four leaders mentioned here, three of them are protective. I dont think that is coincidence at all.
Speed Of Sound
Cant. Mod. At all.
A culture monger like myself finds himself often hanging out with Ramesses II....
Snake Pliskeen
Warlord
I agree, financial trait is the easiest to play. But if you wanna go to war early in the game, Cyrus is the best: Immortal rules until Iron working, with his traits you can easily get expert units and some generals. At noble and prince levels I use to destroy 2-3 opponents in the early stages of the game. Aphotecary later is a great building giving money and health, so is my best leader.
Bongo-Bongo
The Master
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2005
- Messages
- 621
My personal favourite is Huayan Capac. You can't go wrong with the Financial trait, leading for a strong economy and a good boost for science, and with Industrious, those Wonders become just that bit easier to complete. This coupled with the Terrace as a his UB can make him a good candidate for a Cultural Victory. He also has a decent UU in the Quecha. This makes either a good, early city taker from rival civs (unless the bastard AI has the Protective trait) or a capable barb buster.
If you're into war, then Cyrus is definetley one of the best leaders. His traits, Charismatic and Imperialistic just have war written all over them, and his UU, the Immortal, helps make him an even stonger war leader. His UU, the Apothecary, doesn't really fit into the war leader idea behind Cyrus, but the +2 health that this gains over the Grocer is always a nice bonus, especially if your lacking health resources.
Other strong leaders are:
Mehmed: Good trait combo leading to strong economy and quicker growth. Solid UU and strong UB had to his strengths.
Elizabeth: Again, has a good trait combination, one of the best UU's and a decent UB.
Augustus. Another one with a strong trait combo. He also has one of the best UU's in the Praetorian. His UB will also let you churn those GP's out that little bit quicker as well.
If you're into war, then Cyrus is definetley one of the best leaders. His traits, Charismatic and Imperialistic just have war written all over them, and his UU, the Immortal, helps make him an even stonger war leader. His UU, the Apothecary, doesn't really fit into the war leader idea behind Cyrus, but the +2 health that this gains over the Grocer is always a nice bonus, especially if your lacking health resources.
Other strong leaders are:
Mehmed: Good trait combo leading to strong economy and quicker growth. Solid UU and strong UB had to his strengths.
Elizabeth: Again, has a good trait combination, one of the best UU's and a decent UB.
Augustus. Another one with a strong trait combo. He also has one of the best UU's in the Praetorian. His UB will also let you churn those GP's out that little bit quicker as well.
Rycheman
Warlord
I've just got Warlords too and decided to play as Ragnar against all the other new civs,plus Stalin.I picked a standard fractal map on Noble just to get a feel for Warlords.
I'm a warmonger so i'll be going for a conquest/domination victory.At the moment things seem to be going pretty well.It's around 1100/1200 and my Berserkers are rampaging across the map taking cities as they go.
I must say i love the Vikings UU as i've not yet had to use any catapults/trebs to capture cities,Berserkers + city raider promo's rock.I've not reached Astonomy yet to load up my Galleon's with Berserkers!!!
Shaka looks a bit scary though on his own continent with the great wall and his general!!Hopefully i might not have to go there.
After this game,i think i'll give Augustus or Shaka a go to see who warmongers the best.At the moment though "the Vikings are coming"
I'm a warmonger so i'll be going for a conquest/domination victory.At the moment things seem to be going pretty well.It's around 1100/1200 and my Berserkers are rampaging across the map taking cities as they go.
I must say i love the Vikings UU as i've not yet had to use any catapults/trebs to capture cities,Berserkers + city raider promo's rock.I've not reached Astonomy yet to load up my Galleon's with Berserkers!!!
Shaka looks a bit scary though on his own continent with the great wall and his general!!Hopefully i might not have to go there.
After this game,i think i'll give Augustus or Shaka a go to see who warmongers the best.At the moment though "the Vikings are coming"
Similar threads
