Kark
Mad berserker
My old friend Ragnar and I have once more sailed the seas together. Here’s one way to get a Domination Victory:
Ragnar is of course best played on an archipelago map. First I aim for
- Bronze Working (for chopping)
- Sailing (for Trading Post)
- Masonry (for the Great Lighthouse)
- Writing (for Library and beakers)
- Metal Casting (for the Colossus)
If I’m lucky, the Oracle gives me Metal Casting. Somebody may beat me to the Great Lighthouse or the Colossus. I’ve won with just the Colossus, but both wonders will give you a very strong economy and the possibility of early expansion. And they will produce Great Merchants which will give
to promote axemen to berserkers to grenadiers to infantry.
Next step is Machinery and Civil Service. Then I load up some galleys with Berserkers and start raiding my neighbors while researching Optics. This is partly to get the bonus for discovering that we’re not living on a flat surface inside the skull of Ymir, partly to use caravels to defend my galleys.
To make havoc all around the world you need galleons, but first I aim for Gunpowder. This has one important reason: A galleon with three berserkers (or better: two with six) can easily conquer cities, but when you get two on the same continent, you usually want to give them freedom as your loyal colony. If you have Astronomy but not Gunpowder, the defenders created in the new colony will be explorers. And they tend to run away to explore, rather than defend.
Next steps:
- Frigate (for bombardment)
- upgrading the berserkers to amphibious grenadiers
- Ship of the line (to sink enemy frigates)
- upgrading some berserkers to amphibious Rifleman (because the AI gets Military Tradition)
- upgrading to amphibious Infantry
An important part of the raiding strategy, is to only conquer two or three cities in each war. At this stage the enemy usually will want peace. Then you can make a new colony or give the cities to an existing one. And remember: Each colony gives you a
.
Most techs not mentioned here are acquired by trading. Or ignored. And remember: Vassals will research what you tell them to.
Ragnar is of course best played on an archipelago map. First I aim for
- Bronze Working (for chopping)
- Sailing (for Trading Post)
- Masonry (for the Great Lighthouse)
- Writing (for Library and beakers)
- Metal Casting (for the Colossus)
If I’m lucky, the Oracle gives me Metal Casting. Somebody may beat me to the Great Lighthouse or the Colossus. I’ve won with just the Colossus, but both wonders will give you a very strong economy and the possibility of early expansion. And they will produce Great Merchants which will give
to promote axemen to berserkers to grenadiers to infantry.Next step is Machinery and Civil Service. Then I load up some galleys with Berserkers and start raiding my neighbors while researching Optics. This is partly to get the bonus for discovering that we’re not living on a flat surface inside the skull of Ymir, partly to use caravels to defend my galleys.
To make havoc all around the world you need galleons, but first I aim for Gunpowder. This has one important reason: A galleon with three berserkers (or better: two with six) can easily conquer cities, but when you get two on the same continent, you usually want to give them freedom as your loyal colony. If you have Astronomy but not Gunpowder, the defenders created in the new colony will be explorers. And they tend to run away to explore, rather than defend.
Next steps:
- Frigate (for bombardment)
- upgrading the berserkers to amphibious grenadiers
- Ship of the line (to sink enemy frigates)
- upgrading some berserkers to amphibious Rifleman (because the AI gets Military Tradition)
- upgrading to amphibious Infantry
An important part of the raiding strategy, is to only conquer two or three cities in each war. At this stage the enemy usually will want peace. Then you can make a new colony or give the cities to an existing one. And remember: Each colony gives you a
.Most techs not mentioned here are acquired by trading. Or ignored. And remember: Vassals will research what you tell them to.
