What is your opener and why?

[acluewithout]

@Victoria Spot on.

Early scout is very fun. I’ve never thought this but a second scout either. Very good idea.

 

[Troy Bruckner]

I have gone 4 scouts sometimes on huge maps. Getting those huts and the bonus first contact envoys make the difference between flopping like a fish and getting to Classic Republic w/ a Golden Age.

 

[DJ_Tanner]

As with most depends on the game. Usually always scout first, unless I think I may be on an island (Shuffle player). I am an expander at heart so I need to see my options, then its builder if I need improvements ASAP like not having a production starved city. Slinger if I think I need defense. Warrior if I have barbs that need clearin. Monument if I am isolated and think I can delay the others/can't improve more than a tile or two. Settler is early but almost never first/second as I need to explore and find that "perfect" second city spot.

 

[Timothy001]

Like everyone else said. Its highly situational. All things being equal, I go: Scout, Scout, Slinger, Builder, Warrior. If nothing changes this, I might go slinger/settler for a bit, to get some good cities. As cities are settled, I go Builder, (Water Mill if permitted). Ancient walls (when tech gotten), Best available district (from those available), and aqueduct

 

[Socrates99]

Scout, slinger, builder is how I set my queue. I'll often slip a settler in within a turn or two of my capital hitting 2 pop.

It's all about inspirations early on. The scout helps you get foreign trade and political philosophy. The settler helps get to early empire sooner. The builder is necessary for craftsmanship. Getting political philosophy asap is priority one for me.

The slinger generally travels with my warrior to get the archery eureka. I dont beeline archery like I used to but it's nice to have easily accessible when you need it.

 

[Nigel_Tufnel2]

Immortal usually: Scout, Builder, Settler, Scouts until Agoge. For the timings Socrates99 mentioned. A Monument is often a very low priority, either because I've met a Cultural CS first, I snagged a culture Pantheon, or have culture tiles. My 2nd city is often chosen for culture yields. By the time I get the 240g for a Monument in the city that needs it most, I have secured my area (or spent it on a unit if I haven't). Once in a while I buy a Galley, everything depends, of course...

 

[Bradypus]

Does anyone else buy their first builder? For a while my starting build has been scout->slinger->scout/slinger, at which point I can usually purchase a builder with $ from cleared barb camps or other sources.

I have done that often.

I used to always start out with a Scout, but I have since quit doing that realizing that there really isn't that much of a difference between a Warrior's movement and a Scout's. A second (to the free Warrior) Warrior lets me deal more easily with Barbarians and allows me to prepare for a potential early war. Because if I have a neighbor close to me, I will pump out more Warriors to take him out quickly. If it so happens that I don't have a nearby neighbor, I will instead opt for a Settler as soon as possible. There are a lot of variables to consider, but a Warrior opener is always a good choice. Even if there are no nearby neighbors they can still scout and take out barb camps netting you gold. That gold can be spent on just buying a builder.

I will never build a monument before a Settler either. I really think that Monuments are overrated. Taking out your neighbor or settling new cities more quickly is better.

 

[kryat]

Been playing immortal lately, and usually
Scout, builder, settler or settler, builder.
First purchase is often a slinger, but may wait for a warrior if the barbs overfloweth
I think monuments are underrated, but they can be a pain to get in place.

 

[lotrmith]

I play Multiplayer the most, but openings are pretty universal. I go scout > warrior > settler > settler/builder/district.

The first warrior sets out to find a barb camp and goodie huts, and continues exploring. Early era scores and inspirations, etc. The scout goes straight out on the path of least resistance (most possible movements only turning aside for huts) to try to find another continent (inspiration), wonders, and city states. The next warrior stays near home to clear newer/closer barb camps.

Use barb camp clears to buy a slinger or a builder, or a monument in the capital. I usually build a monument first in my second city. Getting to political philosophy fast is important for the strong governments and building Apandana. My build order helps achieve the most cultural boosts I can before I've out-paced them. It also sets up getting early empire before craftsmanship so I can Magnus established asap in my first expansion. It lets me research animal husbandry, mining, and irrigation (and maybe sailing depending on start location/ resources, potentially even revealing iron) so my first builder has the best tiles to improve to boost craftsmanship. It also leaves open the possibility for a goodie hut builder that saves me from wasting production on a builder that has no tiles to improve (or insufficient population yet to work those tiles).

I try for 3-4 cities before the age ends, and hopefully I have a golden classical age. Pump out promoted Magnus (population free settlers) from my 2nd city non-stop until the age ends, maybe even faith-buying if I have a religious civ. 2nd governor for me is always Pingala and almost always in the capital (hopefully highest pop) which hopefully becomes a wonder spammer to benefit from Apandana.

 

[racha]

I'm modded to start with a scout. Initial build order is builder > slinger > Stonehenge if there's enough tiles to warrant the builder, otherwise it's slinger > slinger > start on a settler > Stonehenge.

The NPCs seem to always go for the same handful of beliefs every single game, so I either get an early religion or get stuck with poor beliefs for the way I play.

 

[Abaxial]

Like a previous poster I use the expanded initial view mod, so I used not to start with a scout, but now I am persuaded of the advantage of looking for CSs early. So now it tends to be scout - slinger - builder - warrior - settler. I tend not to prioritise the monument.

 

[RealHuhn]

Since the June patch on Deity/standard/decent production start, I really like Warrior -> Settler -> Settler -> get free settler with pantheon ... buy slinger or scout as soon as you have 140/120 gold. If you have mining or AH luxuries, you can also go Warrior -> Builder -> sell luxuries -> buy first settler -> build second -> get third with pantheon.

Two warriors can easily scout 3 city locations and clear all barb camps near your capital. With this start, you have 4 cities on turn 40 or so.

 

[steveg700]

Weird to see folks throwing a builder out as part of a standard opener, unless it's for an early chop. You don't have the pops, you don't have techs unlocked yet, you can't remove jungles, your borders haven't expanded yet. A lot of reasons to focus on getting a settler out over a builder.

It's simply insane not to build a scout. Builder over scout? Exponentially insane, given that a free builder is a fairly common goody hut reward (gold is another, buy one). Always scout if the map offers enough land. Plus, city-states. Plus, natural wonders. Plus, opening the map up before choosing a pantheon. Plus, boosts to Astronomy, Political Philosophy, Writing, and Foreign Trade.

If I've got to settle flood plains, I chase Great Bath these days. Probably shouldn't. Waste of time, really, but I've gotten it enough times to feel encouraged.

Slingers are nice and cheap. Get a warrior and slinger out there to go wipe out barb camps. Get that gold, GA points, and boosts to Military Tradition, Bronze Working, and Archery.

Builders are usually the first thing I buy with gold.

I don't play no bully-boy early-rush crap.

 

[Archon_Wing]

The early builder is for the craftsmanship boost. You can also build farms by default. Usually given builder move time, the lost time spending to research a tech is generally irrelevant. You just have to research 1 tech on most starts.

Scout diminishes in power as difficulty increases due to barbs, and also the AI physically having more things than you and thus beating you to huts or w/e first. The AI is also more likely to find you first, so the boost just comes along.

Once craftsmanship is researched, warriors are cheaper than scouts, so....

Scout is good sometimes, but it is by no means a default. Many games I don't build scouts until the 2nd city.

 

[Kouvb593kdnuewnd]

A lot of reasons to focus on getting a settler out over a builder.

A settler is more expensive than a builder and a additional city may not increase your economy much more than the builder could do and the insperation to craftmanship is also not something to ignore.

 

[Kwami]

Ideally, two Scouts -> Warrior -> Settler. I try to get a Builder out in time to get the Craftsmanship inspiration, but there's no reason to rush one. On Island Plates, Small Continents, or Archipelago, I skip the second Scout and build a Monument. Once the first Settler is out, I might go for an early wonder if there's a good ToA location or something, or I might go for another 1-2 units to defend against Barbarians and aggressive AIs. Or, I might just start the Settler spam early.

Of course, random rewards change things. If I get a free Scout or a free Builder, or enough Gold to buy either, then I might build a Monument earlier or something.

But pretty much always two Scouts first, though.

 

[wige]

Scout - Slinger - Settler.

Scout is crucial, like others have said, for eurekas, scouting, goody huts etc. Also tend to go with double recon experience for them - with a bit of luck in terms of natural wonders/huts - you can get the hill/forest promotions quite early and really speed up exploration.

Slinger is in the queue to help the initial warrior clear barbs, hopefully get the archery eureka but mainly just to let the city grow so a settler can be built. I tend to buy my first builder, though can mean a delay to craftsmanship.

That's on emperor/normal settings.

I started a immortal/Marathon/large seven seas recently and that had to be changed around. I believe it was still scout/slinger/settler, builder had to be hard built. If I hadn't got lucky with my first city being on a different continent as Vicky - so a free warrior that probably would have been built ahead of either the builder or settler. Too many enemies both AI and barbs across too large an area to block/defend with just a warrior/slinger combo.

 

[Kwami]

Why do you all build so many Slingers? They're very weak. Warriors are much better against Barbarians and aggressive AI attackers. You'll want one Slinger at some point to get the Archery eureka, I suppose, but otherwise, I'm not seeing it.

 

[Scaramanga]

Why do you all build so many Slingers? They're very weak. Warriors are much better against Barbarians and aggressive AI attackers. You'll want one Slinger at some point to get the Archery eureka, I suppose, but otherwise, I'm not seeing it.

The more slingers the more chances of getting the Eureka and then upgrade them all to archers.

 

[AspyrRyan]

That's a lot of scout making!

Slinger > Slinger > Slinger > Worker > Settler

I'm usually playing on Emperor, so the slingers (and upgraded to archers) discourages early attacks. Plus, 3 archers and a Warrior is typically enough to siege a city early when needed.