What is the first thing you build?

[Swiss Bezerker]

warrior, for sheer defense reasons(59 people agree)

 

[Thalassicus]

I sometimes experiment with building a Work Boat if I'm a Fishing civ and start next to a sea resource. It doesn't take time out of city growth.

Otherwise, I build a Scout (as Catherine).

 

[Grohan]

First I build few warriors (or scouts) to explore and defend. Then I build settler and worker.

 

[Danielos]

I think it´s tricky to choose between warriors and scouts for exploring purposes. Scouts are fast, better tribal relations and better stats against animals, but warriors are better against barbarians. I usually go with warriors, since they last longer.

 

[Giforian]

The warrior before anything else

 

[Danielos]

I usually build around three warriors (one for defence in city, the rest exploring) before I even start on my first worker. That might be a bit slow, but I like to explore as much as possible. I don´t build my first settler until the city has grown, is reasonably defended and the tiles around it has been improved a little. I need to build a warrior to send away with the settler too, so it usually takes some time before I´m ready for my second city.

 

[Oho]

Warrior then worker if city has grown to at least size 2 then chop rush for settler, occasionally even pop rush settler if locked in close race to a critical early resource, copper in particular. When escorting settler obelisk for culture expansion.

 

[Smeee]

Warrior - Warrior - Settler - Warrior - Settler - Archer - Wonder

 

[Danielos]

Smee: no workers?

 

[Bongo-Bongo]

I start with the barracks, and depending on if I find anything in a villager hut, I'll build either stonehenge, a settler or a worker. When I get archery I build an archer.

 

[Danielos]

I guess this depends on the type of map. I play on huge maps with 2-5 AI civs, so I prioritise exploring to rapid expansion, but if I played on smaller, more crowded maps I would need to have a different strategy.

 

[Smeee]

Smee: no workers?

I play a lot with raging Barbs, I find early workers are wasted in Barb overruns but my second and third cities are free for building them if i have a decent patch of defedable land. Very game specific.

 

[Lars_Domus]

I allways build a warrior first. I don't like leaving my capital unprotected.

 

[shadow2k]

Worker. Do the math. Or just try it.

You don't need defenses early on. AI's simply don't declare right off the bat anymore. Barbs won't cross your cultural boundaries for a while, and animals can't.

You need two things at the start. A way to up your production (a worker does this best), and a place for a second city, which your starting unit will scout for you.

If you could grow into improved tiles, that's one thing. But you can't, so it's a waste. You need improved tiles to make growing worthwhile.

Without going into the formulas, assuming you have 3 food tiles to work, and didn't settle on top of a food bonus, it takes you 14 turns to grow to size 3. You improve your build time on a worker by a mere 5 turns. This is because each new citizen has no tile better than 3 production (hammers + food) to work, but eats 2 food).

The only significant way to speed up your civ is to get a worker out early, or chop trees, which also requires a worker.

Worker all the way. But you need to research the appropriate techs to make him useful. This means skipping early religions, but I do that regardless.

 

[jar2574]

as the above poster noted, worker is (almost always) the best choice in SP. The AI will not attack. The animals can't hurt you.

In MP a warrior is probably a much better idea.

 

[Frostyboy]

If I have hunting - a Scout

 

[Lucas87]

animals are no threat to you inside your borders, the AI will never declare superearly war and the world seems to be barbless for the first little bit. As such I've never understood the need for any early game defence. Growth is IMO not very valuable in the very early game since your tiles are unimproved. Chopping gets things down way faster than any growth oriented production you could do. In my experience my capital has very quickly caught up from its initial worker-settler chop combo. I like to get my second city ASAP and find that the world is barbless enough for me to build this city without any defence.

 

[flytyer]

worker, archer, barrarcks