civvver
Deity
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
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I thought it would be interesting to get everyone's opinion on the leaders controlled by the AI. Now obviously map has more to do with how strong an AI ends up, just as it's the biggest factor in your game. Also some AIs depend strongly on their neighbors, like an isolationist techer gets smacked down by a fanatic next door. But in general some AI leaders just seem to consistently rise to the top in every game and some are always a pain in the butt to deal with. So here is my ranking of all 52 leaders, starting with who I feel is the strongest in the hands of the AI, down to the weakest. Note that there really isn't a lot of difference between the #5 through #20 spots. All the middle civs are decent in different ways, but to me there are certainly a few standouts as best civs and worst. Obviously my opinions could be way off, so please comment away and set me straight!
1. Mehmed II. This guy is the epitome of balance. He builds gigantic empires, lots of units, and doesn't skimp on tech. He's also not fanatical so he can be harder to control, but he doesn't seem to backstab either. In general he just ends up being really big and powerful on most maps I've played him.
2. Suryavarman II. Ugh this guy is annoying. A huge rexxer, he's similar to Mehmed in that he builds big empires, but not quite as much military. However he's hyper aggressive and seems to backstab a lot. I hate starting next to him and he can seriously cramp your style. Late game he's not quite as bad, as he seems to fall behind in tech.
3. Willem van Orajne. For some reason I can't ever get this guy to like me, and he takes annoying tech paths. While I can usually go top tree like aesthetics and trade it around, this guy always seems to get there first. Supposedly he doesn't build units too often, but he's no slouch and somewhat of a backstabber. Creative also means I hate starting by him. Best to take him out early before financial cottages kick in.
4. DeGaulle. Pretty balanced leader here. Not hyper aggressive or huge rexxer, just builds good stuff and he will take you out if you're weak. He keeps me on my toes.
5. Julius Caesar. Maybe it's his UU, or the organized trait, I don't know, but he always seems to amass huge empires. He's not the greatest techer so I can usually pass him in the Renaissance with his praets are obsolete. But he definitely seems to use his UU well and get a large lead in land.
6. Augustus Caesar. Similar to Julius but doesn't seem to expand/conquer quite as much, builds a little more of his own stuff. He's hard to push over though.
7. Justinian I. This guy depends a lot on his neighbors it seems because he's not a very good techer. He loves his religions though so if he founds one and gets it to spread he usually gets pretty powerful. Expands pretty well, is strong militarily and just usually ends up being strong on my maps.
8. Gilgamesh. Man oh man. Sometimes this guy can be a monster! I've had some games where he's a total scrub, but others where he is easily the top dog. I guess it just depends on his start, but he's one of the most balanced civs out there, and the protective trait helps him a lot vs the human. Don't let this guy get big.
9. Hannibal. Builds a great economy if you let him. He's kind of like the techer version of Mehmed imo. He builds a few less units but is no pushover and will exert his strength and economic advantages once he gets ahead. Has really good traits and a strong UU.
10. Napoleon. Rated perhaps a little low because he doesn't seem to build a good economy if a good start isn't given to him. But if he gets that good start? Watch out, he builds the most units in game and knows how to use them. Fortunately he's not insane like some guys *cough* Alex *cough*, but he can build big empires if you let him.
11. Catherine. I debated rating her higher. She's pretty wily, you want to be her friend. She expands well and builds plenty of units. In general a balanced leader (noticing a trend here? Balanced leaders on top!)
12. Saladin. This guy is hard to rank. On some maps he's a total beast but he's really not that hard to take out yourself, other than his protective trait. If he gets an early religion and spreads it he usually has a lot of friends and gets pretty big and can be a pain to take on later, but he's not hyper aggressive so he can be avoided when necessary. He is one of the more balanced super spiritual leaders though.
13. Isabella. Completely depends on her start. Good rexxer, decent military, but she completely hinges on that early religion and spreading it. Will her religious economy take off or will she be the heathen and found and adopt a late Christianity, become the enemy of the world? Not much middle ground with her, but sometimes she's huge.
14. Suleiman. Similar to Mehmed, just not as strong. Doesn't build enough military imo, but he keeps up well with the other civs and doesn't get pushed around too much.
15. Stalin. Big builder, strong military. Let him get enough wonders and he can jump ahead. Plus I think he's hard to read.
16. Pericles. Strong techer and decent at growth. If a warmonger doesn't smack him down early he will take off and challenge you for a tech lead. The thing is he doesn't do much militarily and is quite peaceful so you can submit him by the sword when necessary.
17. Churchill. This guy always does well in my games and I don't know why. He doesn't do any one particular thing, he just gets big. He has late UU and UB, so that can't be it, he's not a huge warmonger, I don't know what it is, but often he challenges me for most pop because he seems to get his cities really big. Plus he's a pain to fight against, being protective and charismatic. Ugghh ultra promoted defenders.
18. Charlemagne. Strong early game but he seems to fade fast. Just doesn't keep up in tech most games. But he will often build huge empires and his UU and UB and both amazing. Watch out for him. He's also the hardest guy to rush, he always builds on hills and is protective. I really dislike starting next to him, but he's not bad to have on another island, especially if he's next to a warmonger because he will hold his own and basically force a stalemate. I've seen Genghis try to push this guy around and basically lose his whole army to protective archers in hills cities lol. Sometimes he founds an early religion but is bad at spreading it.
19. Victoria. To be honest I haven't played many games against her, but she always seems middle of the pack. She doesn't really exploit her financial trait, but sometimes will found a lot of cities.
20. Alexander. With Alex it isn't a question of will he declare war but a question of when. This guy is so dang annoying, you are never safe from him. I think he plans a war every turn, so unless your super best buds he's going to come for you at some point, and even if you are super best buds he still might come for you if there's no one he dislikes closer. The thing is, he usually falls woefully behind in tech so if you survive his early phalanx rushes he is chopped liver in most games. If you start on a different land mass he's a pretty good opponent to have because he'll make life miserable for your other enemies and won't be much of a challenge later once you build a tech lead.
21. Peter. His only flaw is he's ultra peaceful and kind of cowardly. Other than that, he builds well and techs well. Not someone you want to face late game. You either need to keep him in check or need to get another warmonger to do it.
22. Cyrus. Rates higher than other Persian royalty because he flexes his muscle a lot better. Dynamite UU but it goes obsolete fast. He builds big empires through the sword though, but probably won't challenge you for tech later and is unusually aggressive.
23. Darius I. One of the best techers, he will challenge you in the liberalism race. That is, if you let him. He doesn't build nearly enough military and is too peaceful. Any warmonger usually keeps him in line, but there's a few games where he will take off and be a total beast.
24. Hatshepsut. Probably should have her ranked higher, but there's nothing that stands out about her. Just some games she gets really, really big and I don't know why or how. Good civ, AI plays her well. Nice traits for a player too.
25. Joao II. Does one thing- expand like crazy! His traits are perfect for getting cities up fast. He's not very good other than that though, just builds a ton of cities. He's annoying to start next to though. One of the most annoying leaders to me, maybe it's the beard.
26. Shaka. He's probably the best of the super warmongers but warmongers in general aren't the greatest AI civs. They're awful to start next to, but this guy will never challenge you for a tech lead. Just don't let him rush you early, and he is a pain to go to war against if you have equal tech because I guarantee you he will have twice your units.
27. Ragnar. Shaka with a little more sense and better economy. Seems like he should be a great civ with the financial trait, but he doesn't seem to excel like ever. I know he's also super aggressive and builds a ton of units but I've never had a problem with him rushing me. Hard guy to judge.
28. Elizabeth. Ok she would be higher except she's probably the 2nd most peaceful civ in the game and gets pushed around nearly every game. I feel kind of bad for her because she has the potential to challenge for the win every game. Awesome economy, builds few cities but big ones and will challenge you for liberalism, that is if monty or shaka doesn't vassalize her first.
29. Zara Yaqob. Too peaceful to be very good but he is an awesome rexxer and has dynamite traits for doing so. Builds a good economy, but in general some warmonger is going to smack him down at some point. Much better in the hands of a human. His culture can big a HUGE problem though with that UB of his. If you start close, rush him.
30. Genghis Khan. He's a little more sensible than shaka, monty and alex, like he won't just all out dow you out of the blue. He builds a big army then comes, but if you keep favor with him he's likely to attack someone else. Hard to fight early though and his UU is amazing so make sure to get to pikes fast. I once had a game where he vassaled monty and they tried to tag team me... man that was fun lol. Thankfully I had just gotten crossbows and pikes.
31. Huayna Capac. Weird leader. Builds like crazy. But for some reason, doesn't seem to use his advantages to win. Often gets pushed around. If he's on an island, watch out, but in most games he's cannon fodder.
32. Wang Kon. None of the remaining leaders stand out so I put this guy here because he builds a good economy every game. Doesn't expand enough though and is usually weak military wise.
33. Asoka. Interesting dude. Sometimes he founds a religion and takes off, but more often than not he just capitulates to some warmonger and helps them tech. Blah what are you gonna do? Not a real threat on any map.
34. Boudica. She's different from the usual war monger. Seems to have more sense and doesn't actually seem as aggressive although the xml says she is. I usually keep her off my back easily with religion and she doesn't do much past the middle ages.
35. Brennus. He's kind of like a watered down Boudica. Builds a little better economy and a little worse army, but in general is never a threat.
36. Fredrick. Really depends on the game. He becomes a monster late game but often doesn't make it that far. Very similar to Elizabeth. Don't let him get to his UU and UB though or he'll be troublesome to conquer.
37. Bismark. Middle of the road, haven't played him enough to really know what he does.
38. Hammurabi. This guy I do not understand at all. He has perfect warmonger traits, a great UU so he's hard to rush, but he isn't a warmonger. He builds few cities and pumps them up, really poor use of both his traits. I think firaxis coded him wrong lol. He's usually a non factor in my games, easy to start by because he won't box you in.
39. Washington. Haven't played against him much but he seems to do alright. More military than the other americans.
40. Roosevelt. This guy usually gets walked all over.
41. Mansa Musa. Everyone's favorite little techer. Awesome trade partner, easy to get along with and exploit. Doesn't build much. Only problem is he gets pushed around, don't let him capitulate to other civs and provide them with tech the whole game.
42. Ghandi. Speaking of walkovers... man Ghandi really lives up to his real life namesake. You can do anything to this dude and he still likes you. If he founds a religion and techs away he's dangerous, but not because he'll challenge you but because he'll provide all those other AI with tech and eventually capitulate to them making them even more powerful. I love rushing him, hate when he's far away to double up one of my opponents.
43. Kublai Khan. Isn't that bad, but isn't good either. Doesn't seem aggressive enough for his traits. I haven't played him too much.
44. Louis XIV. He's just annoying because he'll beat you to every wonder. But he doesn't build big so you can take those wonders back whenever. He's not that good.
45. Montezuma. Monty would be a lot higher except he's frickin nuts. He'll love you if you adopt his religion and he's quite easy to manipulate. If he had a little more independence he'd easily make top 10 but as it is you have him do your bidding in the bronze age and he rarely techs past that without help.
46. Tokugawa. Toku suffers from his independence. He could be a monster, he's a very good warmonger, but his refusal to trade means his economy sucks. Awful guy to start by because he's impossible to rush with his ultra promotions and won't trade with you ever.
47. Pacal II. Ok I messed up, this guy should probably be in the top 30, but he always vassalizes to someone every game. He is basically just a techer for a warlord. He's a darn good little techer though, take him out so he can't provide for your enemies.
48. Sitting Bull. We're nearing the bottom of the barrel. It seems a little unfair to rate Bull this low, but he really does just, well, he sucks. He builds a ton of units but is super peaceful. He doesn't have much direction and usually gets pushed around. Only advantage for him is his protective trait and propensity to build a lot of units makes him a difficult early target.
49. Lincoln. He's a lot like Bull without the army. Gets mauled every game. The worst part is he looks like he knows he's going to get mauled, looks so distressed during negotiations.
50. Ramesses II. Maybe he should be higher because he's a decent builder, but he hasn't stood out in any game I've played.
51. Mao Zedong. Really passive, doesn't really do anything. Cannon fodder most games.
And now, the worst AI leader...
52. Qin Shi Huang. Complete coward, doesn't do ANYTHING. Just sits in his little walled cities crying for his mommy. The only map he is good on (and it amazes me he's good on any map) is earth 18 because he has the 2nd best land with by far the most room to expand. You can write this guy off early.
1. Mehmed II. This guy is the epitome of balance. He builds gigantic empires, lots of units, and doesn't skimp on tech. He's also not fanatical so he can be harder to control, but he doesn't seem to backstab either. In general he just ends up being really big and powerful on most maps I've played him.
2. Suryavarman II. Ugh this guy is annoying. A huge rexxer, he's similar to Mehmed in that he builds big empires, but not quite as much military. However he's hyper aggressive and seems to backstab a lot. I hate starting next to him and he can seriously cramp your style. Late game he's not quite as bad, as he seems to fall behind in tech.
3. Willem van Orajne. For some reason I can't ever get this guy to like me, and he takes annoying tech paths. While I can usually go top tree like aesthetics and trade it around, this guy always seems to get there first. Supposedly he doesn't build units too often, but he's no slouch and somewhat of a backstabber. Creative also means I hate starting by him. Best to take him out early before financial cottages kick in.
4. DeGaulle. Pretty balanced leader here. Not hyper aggressive or huge rexxer, just builds good stuff and he will take you out if you're weak. He keeps me on my toes.
5. Julius Caesar. Maybe it's his UU, or the organized trait, I don't know, but he always seems to amass huge empires. He's not the greatest techer so I can usually pass him in the Renaissance with his praets are obsolete. But he definitely seems to use his UU well and get a large lead in land.
6. Augustus Caesar. Similar to Julius but doesn't seem to expand/conquer quite as much, builds a little more of his own stuff. He's hard to push over though.
7. Justinian I. This guy depends a lot on his neighbors it seems because he's not a very good techer. He loves his religions though so if he founds one and gets it to spread he usually gets pretty powerful. Expands pretty well, is strong militarily and just usually ends up being strong on my maps.
8. Gilgamesh. Man oh man. Sometimes this guy can be a monster! I've had some games where he's a total scrub, but others where he is easily the top dog. I guess it just depends on his start, but he's one of the most balanced civs out there, and the protective trait helps him a lot vs the human. Don't let this guy get big.
9. Hannibal. Builds a great economy if you let him. He's kind of like the techer version of Mehmed imo. He builds a few less units but is no pushover and will exert his strength and economic advantages once he gets ahead. Has really good traits and a strong UU.
10. Napoleon. Rated perhaps a little low because he doesn't seem to build a good economy if a good start isn't given to him. But if he gets that good start? Watch out, he builds the most units in game and knows how to use them. Fortunately he's not insane like some guys *cough* Alex *cough*, but he can build big empires if you let him.
11. Catherine. I debated rating her higher. She's pretty wily, you want to be her friend. She expands well and builds plenty of units. In general a balanced leader (noticing a trend here? Balanced leaders on top!)
12. Saladin. This guy is hard to rank. On some maps he's a total beast but he's really not that hard to take out yourself, other than his protective trait. If he gets an early religion and spreads it he usually has a lot of friends and gets pretty big and can be a pain to take on later, but he's not hyper aggressive so he can be avoided when necessary. He is one of the more balanced super spiritual leaders though.
13. Isabella. Completely depends on her start. Good rexxer, decent military, but she completely hinges on that early religion and spreading it. Will her religious economy take off or will she be the heathen and found and adopt a late Christianity, become the enemy of the world? Not much middle ground with her, but sometimes she's huge.
14. Suleiman. Similar to Mehmed, just not as strong. Doesn't build enough military imo, but he keeps up well with the other civs and doesn't get pushed around too much.
15. Stalin. Big builder, strong military. Let him get enough wonders and he can jump ahead. Plus I think he's hard to read.
16. Pericles. Strong techer and decent at growth. If a warmonger doesn't smack him down early he will take off and challenge you for a tech lead. The thing is he doesn't do much militarily and is quite peaceful so you can submit him by the sword when necessary.
17. Churchill. This guy always does well in my games and I don't know why. He doesn't do any one particular thing, he just gets big. He has late UU and UB, so that can't be it, he's not a huge warmonger, I don't know what it is, but often he challenges me for most pop because he seems to get his cities really big. Plus he's a pain to fight against, being protective and charismatic. Ugghh ultra promoted defenders.
18. Charlemagne. Strong early game but he seems to fade fast. Just doesn't keep up in tech most games. But he will often build huge empires and his UU and UB and both amazing. Watch out for him. He's also the hardest guy to rush, he always builds on hills and is protective. I really dislike starting next to him, but he's not bad to have on another island, especially if he's next to a warmonger because he will hold his own and basically force a stalemate. I've seen Genghis try to push this guy around and basically lose his whole army to protective archers in hills cities lol. Sometimes he founds an early religion but is bad at spreading it.
19. Victoria. To be honest I haven't played many games against her, but she always seems middle of the pack. She doesn't really exploit her financial trait, but sometimes will found a lot of cities.
20. Alexander. With Alex it isn't a question of will he declare war but a question of when. This guy is so dang annoying, you are never safe from him. I think he plans a war every turn, so unless your super best buds he's going to come for you at some point, and even if you are super best buds he still might come for you if there's no one he dislikes closer. The thing is, he usually falls woefully behind in tech so if you survive his early phalanx rushes he is chopped liver in most games. If you start on a different land mass he's a pretty good opponent to have because he'll make life miserable for your other enemies and won't be much of a challenge later once you build a tech lead.
21. Peter. His only flaw is he's ultra peaceful and kind of cowardly. Other than that, he builds well and techs well. Not someone you want to face late game. You either need to keep him in check or need to get another warmonger to do it.
22. Cyrus. Rates higher than other Persian royalty because he flexes his muscle a lot better. Dynamite UU but it goes obsolete fast. He builds big empires through the sword though, but probably won't challenge you for tech later and is unusually aggressive.
23. Darius I. One of the best techers, he will challenge you in the liberalism race. That is, if you let him. He doesn't build nearly enough military and is too peaceful. Any warmonger usually keeps him in line, but there's a few games where he will take off and be a total beast.
24. Hatshepsut. Probably should have her ranked higher, but there's nothing that stands out about her. Just some games she gets really, really big and I don't know why or how. Good civ, AI plays her well. Nice traits for a player too.
25. Joao II. Does one thing- expand like crazy! His traits are perfect for getting cities up fast. He's not very good other than that though, just builds a ton of cities. He's annoying to start next to though. One of the most annoying leaders to me, maybe it's the beard.
26. Shaka. He's probably the best of the super warmongers but warmongers in general aren't the greatest AI civs. They're awful to start next to, but this guy will never challenge you for a tech lead. Just don't let him rush you early, and he is a pain to go to war against if you have equal tech because I guarantee you he will have twice your units.
27. Ragnar. Shaka with a little more sense and better economy. Seems like he should be a great civ with the financial trait, but he doesn't seem to excel like ever. I know he's also super aggressive and builds a ton of units but I've never had a problem with him rushing me. Hard guy to judge.
28. Elizabeth. Ok she would be higher except she's probably the 2nd most peaceful civ in the game and gets pushed around nearly every game. I feel kind of bad for her because she has the potential to challenge for the win every game. Awesome economy, builds few cities but big ones and will challenge you for liberalism, that is if monty or shaka doesn't vassalize her first.
29. Zara Yaqob. Too peaceful to be very good but he is an awesome rexxer and has dynamite traits for doing so. Builds a good economy, but in general some warmonger is going to smack him down at some point. Much better in the hands of a human. His culture can big a HUGE problem though with that UB of his. If you start close, rush him.
30. Genghis Khan. He's a little more sensible than shaka, monty and alex, like he won't just all out dow you out of the blue. He builds a big army then comes, but if you keep favor with him he's likely to attack someone else. Hard to fight early though and his UU is amazing so make sure to get to pikes fast. I once had a game where he vassaled monty and they tried to tag team me... man that was fun lol. Thankfully I had just gotten crossbows and pikes.
31. Huayna Capac. Weird leader. Builds like crazy. But for some reason, doesn't seem to use his advantages to win. Often gets pushed around. If he's on an island, watch out, but in most games he's cannon fodder.
32. Wang Kon. None of the remaining leaders stand out so I put this guy here because he builds a good economy every game. Doesn't expand enough though and is usually weak military wise.
33. Asoka. Interesting dude. Sometimes he founds a religion and takes off, but more often than not he just capitulates to some warmonger and helps them tech. Blah what are you gonna do? Not a real threat on any map.
34. Boudica. She's different from the usual war monger. Seems to have more sense and doesn't actually seem as aggressive although the xml says she is. I usually keep her off my back easily with religion and she doesn't do much past the middle ages.
35. Brennus. He's kind of like a watered down Boudica. Builds a little better economy and a little worse army, but in general is never a threat.
36. Fredrick. Really depends on the game. He becomes a monster late game but often doesn't make it that far. Very similar to Elizabeth. Don't let him get to his UU and UB though or he'll be troublesome to conquer.
37. Bismark. Middle of the road, haven't played him enough to really know what he does.
38. Hammurabi. This guy I do not understand at all. He has perfect warmonger traits, a great UU so he's hard to rush, but he isn't a warmonger. He builds few cities and pumps them up, really poor use of both his traits. I think firaxis coded him wrong lol. He's usually a non factor in my games, easy to start by because he won't box you in.
39. Washington. Haven't played against him much but he seems to do alright. More military than the other americans.
40. Roosevelt. This guy usually gets walked all over.
41. Mansa Musa. Everyone's favorite little techer. Awesome trade partner, easy to get along with and exploit. Doesn't build much. Only problem is he gets pushed around, don't let him capitulate to other civs and provide them with tech the whole game.
42. Ghandi. Speaking of walkovers... man Ghandi really lives up to his real life namesake. You can do anything to this dude and he still likes you. If he founds a religion and techs away he's dangerous, but not because he'll challenge you but because he'll provide all those other AI with tech and eventually capitulate to them making them even more powerful. I love rushing him, hate when he's far away to double up one of my opponents.
43. Kublai Khan. Isn't that bad, but isn't good either. Doesn't seem aggressive enough for his traits. I haven't played him too much.
44. Louis XIV. He's just annoying because he'll beat you to every wonder. But he doesn't build big so you can take those wonders back whenever. He's not that good.
45. Montezuma. Monty would be a lot higher except he's frickin nuts. He'll love you if you adopt his religion and he's quite easy to manipulate. If he had a little more independence he'd easily make top 10 but as it is you have him do your bidding in the bronze age and he rarely techs past that without help.
46. Tokugawa. Toku suffers from his independence. He could be a monster, he's a very good warmonger, but his refusal to trade means his economy sucks. Awful guy to start by because he's impossible to rush with his ultra promotions and won't trade with you ever.
47. Pacal II. Ok I messed up, this guy should probably be in the top 30, but he always vassalizes to someone every game. He is basically just a techer for a warlord. He's a darn good little techer though, take him out so he can't provide for your enemies.
48. Sitting Bull. We're nearing the bottom of the barrel. It seems a little unfair to rate Bull this low, but he really does just, well, he sucks. He builds a ton of units but is super peaceful. He doesn't have much direction and usually gets pushed around. Only advantage for him is his protective trait and propensity to build a lot of units makes him a difficult early target.
49. Lincoln. He's a lot like Bull without the army. Gets mauled every game. The worst part is he looks like he knows he's going to get mauled, looks so distressed during negotiations.
50. Ramesses II. Maybe he should be higher because he's a decent builder, but he hasn't stood out in any game I've played.
51. Mao Zedong. Really passive, doesn't really do anything. Cannon fodder most games.
And now, the worst AI leader...
52. Qin Shi Huang. Complete coward, doesn't do ANYTHING. Just sits in his little walled cities crying for his mommy. The only map he is good on (and it amazes me he's good on any map) is earth 18 because he has the 2nd best land with by far the most room to expand. You can write this guy off early.
... killed him off pre1000bc a couple of times that way (on monarch even)
