You start with one Unit for free, what would it be?

[sylvanllewelyn]

Inspired by this post.

M

Thread 'You start with one Wonder for free. What do you pick?'

Aug 14, 2025

Imagine you could kick off the game in 4000 BC with any one wonder in the game pre-built in your capital.

United Nations and Apostolic Palace are on the table but their associated victory conditions are not.

Projects aren't on the table (no Internet, sadly. And no Manhattan Project, which would be the funniest option conceptually. "We did it! We figured out how to build nukes!" "Great! What's a nuke?" "No idea!").

Which wonder would you choose? (I'm thinking maybe the Kremlin?)

Also, which wonder would be the one that would have the least impact? We'll exclude Space Elevator and 3...

• MilesBeyond
• Replies: 13
• Forum: Civ4 - General Discussions

One free technology had already been done.

Choose one free starting unit.

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- no unique units
- settle in place, no moving settler in the beginning
- unit appears in starting city
- coastal start
- standard speed, deity difficulty, shuffle map, no tribal villages, no other optional settings chosen
- random leader
- choose before game starts

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- great persons solve economic problems
- siege can reduce defenses
- airplanes for support
- tanks can steal workers
- free settler for faster start
- ship for exploration
- ICBM for LOL's
- missionary for early religion

 

[AcaMetis]

Practical answer: Probably just some kind of Great Person to immediately settle. A tank to steal workers is cool and all, but on a Shuffle map you might be isolated, and against barbs a tank doesn't really do anything that two Warriors can't get done most of the time. Settler is also tempting, but honestly? Boring.

Funny answer, probably all null and void on Deity difficulty: Great Spy to use as an invisible scout/fogbuster, Privateer to loot and plunder some rival coastal city for literal millennia, a corporate executive if that would allow me to spread my corporation to other AIs and bankrupt their economies (until they inevitably adopt Mercantilism), or the real power play: A Bear. That's right barbarians, I'm the 3 crusher of all your hopes and dreams now! That settler isn't going to get sniped by any Wolf this time!

 

[Thrasybulos]

An Explorer, because a free Explorer is the only kind I'd consider getting.

Obviously, a Modern Armor would be GG (why are we talking about stealing workers?? Even Deity AIs would just die to an MA). Of course, if you're isolated, it won't do much for you, but the odds are you're not.

Wouldn't an ICBM make you immune to DoWs for quite some time?

Rather than which unit would give you the greatest advantage, it might be more interesting to consider whether there's an option which would change the way you play?
Early Corporation? (But it's doubtful than an early civ could handle the eco drain...).
On Deity you don't get to found an early religion, but would that be a game plan changer?
A Stealth Bomber would change the way you approach exploratin and early war, but again, would that make the game that different?

no unique units

So we get to choose more than one, then?