The Old World test branch has been updated and is now version 1.0.84257 test 2026-07-22

Patch notes can be found at

https://github.com/MohawkGames/test_buildnotes/blob/main/Old%20World%20Test%20update%202026.07.22

Hi guys, little help here. I've conquered almost all the world, only egytp missing, but even so, my stats on food, stones, iron, wood, remain with a huge defict. I guess I've built too many soldiers and they are consuming all my resources, but now I don't know what to do, if I delete the soldiers I will not have enough army to defeat egypt.

The only solution I see, is to defeat egypt and after that, dissolve the army, do you see any other solution?

thx!

it made sense to me do go with egypt and knufru here: glad I did, I think i'd have lost without literally every wonder

this is also somehow the first time I won an ambition victory, officially, it seems. I hope you will all allow me a small victory lap, it's all I've been doing since i got my doctorate

Trying out my first game on the Magnificent difficulty level. Pretty far behind on score heading into turn 100 I'm at least 20 points behind Rome which is leading. Generally also feels like a slower game compared to the lower difficulty levels.

One of the problems I'm facing is extremely low orders. With one of my longest rulers I was able to just about touch 20 but then as soon as the heir took over they drop down again to about 14-16.

Looking for advice on how to bump up early game orders and keep them high even when rulers transition.

Is this something new? I did "9 city sites per player" and "sparse" placement so maybe it was trying to show me all of my cities and I only get 4 instead of 9 because they are sparse? I don't think I've ever done "sparse" before.

Seems like a lot of the map revealed for turn 1. Very odd.

Is there any reason not to do this? As far as I can tell there's no penalty for having too many cities aside from potential luxuries to spread around

Talk to me about automating things. If you automate workers (or disciples, or explorers) what's the algorithm? Does it take into account your ambitions?

I've kind of assumed they would behave in particular ways, and I automated my explorers... Who then immediately went in the opposite direction of the undiscovered land that they were right next to. I had an ambition to reveal 80% of the land. I assumed they would naturally explore those areas, but after 10 years there was almost no new land reveal. As soon as I took direct control of them, I was able to reveal 2% of the land per year at least. So clearly... Something else was governing their actions.

So later on, when I had an ambition to build all of the legendary improvements, I wasn't about to automate my workers, because I didn't know what the heck they were going to build! :D

I know what it says in the game, 50% faster build on rural specialists… but it’s hard to verify or “feel“ the improvement . I compare to my other cities from other families, and it doesn’t seem like that farmer or miner EVER builds appreciably any faster in my Landowner city vs my Champ capital or Statesmen city. It’s always a few years. Am i crazy?? Also, I’m not entirely sure why costs go up city to city for the same specialist… culture level, I expect?

The Old World test branch has been updated and is now version 1.0.84169 test 2026-07-15

Patch notes can be found at

https://github.com/MohawkGames/test_buildnotes/blob/main/Old%20World%20Test%20update%202026.07.15

Next to Barracks and coast, shouldn't this be enough to satisfy the requirement?

I guess this should be better placed in the steam forum but I have the feeling it is pretty dead in contrast to here.

Is anyone else playing on the steam deck and gets pretty bad performances in the late game and the huge map? Until now I only played large and it crashed a few times but with the huge one it gets pretty often, every two to three turns. I play on high settings but somehow I refuse to believe that the deck can't handle a 5 year old game without hig end graphics. Any tips? Or should I get used to low settings?

Further Points:

It doesn't really crash. It just ends the game and I am back in the steam menu. And then it does this:

. it always change the resolution where the pointer doesn't align with the click. Its weirdly above on the fringes of the screen. And you have to manage to the menu to change it to the 800 resolution were they align again.

. sometimes the portraits get screwed to white sheets. Only restarting helps.

Much obliged

I love this game, but the text boxes color hurt my eyes. Is there any way to change it with mod?

When I move my units far away the game speed increases, is there a way i can disable it so they move at normal speed?

Hey guys,

shouldn't this event trigger the achievement? It did not...

Thank you!

hi guys, this worker seems to be losing health every turn, this happens to some soldiers as well, but not all, why is that? thnx!

why can't I spread budhism? what site he is talking about?

Other options I see:

So, if it already has budhism, there is nothing I can do to eliminate other religions? (I come from civ6).

thx!

Hi guys, I am trying to conquer Assyria with Rome, and it looks like it's only possible using military war or infiltration with spies to create political instability and generate revolts. In civ6, I remember you could use religion to make the conquering easier. Any thoughts? Thx!

Hey guys, companion video to the guide yesterday. As well as Siontific's commentary on my first match using it. Enjoy!

Guide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=216S5DLS3_s&list=PLdUk92hzNUpI

Live MP Tournament Match with Commentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeO3hrQ9FDo

The minor Religious objective for this scenario is to "Spread the Cult of Amun to 6 cities".

It's a pagan religion that doesn't have access to missionaries nor does it spread naturally, which means that under normal circumstances this will never happen and thus be an impossible objective.

There is also no guidance in the Scenario Info to explain how one can even possibly get around this problem.

Is this bugged or just terribly designed and there actually is an intended way to make it happen without ever saying so?

EDIT: it's building the Shrines of Amun apparently.

The Old World test branch has been updated and is now version 1.0.84111 test 2026-07-08

Patch notes can be found at

https://github.com/MohawkGames/test_buildnotes/blob/main/Old%20World%20Test%20update%202026.07.08

Hello Conquerors!

It’s been far too long! I’ve been bitten by the MP bug my fellow god kings. Swept up in the Third annual Multiplayer Community Tournament. I’ve thought I would take a swing at my old bread and butter and write out a few guides for some of the MP strategies that I have come to know and love. Dipping my toe back into the content creating pool, so bear with me as I get up to speed. Let’s start with my favorite strategy.

Greece: Law and Order

The top line here is we’re trying to punch your opponent in the mouth with 6-8 Phalangites and a handful of slingers turn 50-60. It’s just so very satisfying! Let’s get into it!

When to pick Greece

For all multiplayer games, you should be cognizant of what your starting city has access to before you pick your nation, let alone family. If you’re looking to pick strategies for your tool kit in general, make sure that you have variety. At least 1 pasture start nation, 1 camp start nation, and a flex nation that can work with farms or fish. Greece is my choice for that last one.

Greece I would also say is very map dependent. DO NOT TAKE GREECE ON EVERY MAP!

·       Wood

o   If the map type is wood poor like desert, you’re going to have a bad time.

§  The Bill

·       6 Hoplites hard built at 50 wood a pop = 300 wood

·       8 Hoplites (2 free) upgraded to Phalangites = 800 Wood

·       3 Biremes = 300 Wood

·       Farms Nets Patures Camps and Mines = ~ 300 Wood

·       TOTAL: 1700 Wood = 42 forest tiles worth of chops…

o   Now you will be buying wood often, but I just want to highlight that forest count to further express the need for wood in this strategy.

·       Water Movement

o   Greece is notorious for having a bad order economy. This is an aggressive strategy. WE WILL BE ON THE OFFENSE. If that is the case, we need a way to get to the enemy expressly. Naval coastal movement / anchoring movement really assists in this.

o   There are a lot of maps in the tournament that facilitate this well!

·       Avoid Counters

o   Rome: Hastati only beat out Hoplites in formation by a smidge. That’s not what you’re worried about. These are the punch you in the mouth turn 20-30 nation with just warriors. We don’t like them… lol

§  If you get counter picked with Rome. Make more quarries, make more slingers. Watch their power level. Try to keep them at similar or on the border of stronger.

§  Tech to ballista after 4 laws (three laws on the way to ballista already.) You will out econ Rome tech wise, even with 5 cities. Hold what you have and when you hit ballista and hoplites, there is literally nothing that they can bring to bear to beat that combo for a long time.

§  Don’t worry about 7 laws. This will be a longer game. Use your extra civics to rush out hoplites as early as you can. We need to defend and rebuild not aggress.

o   Babylon: Not really a counter, but they excel at scholar rushing ballista. A single ballista with a tactician can be a massive pain in the ass.

§   If you get “counter picked” with Babylon, and you see them pick up the constitution/tyranny law, expect ballista to be in every city by turn 50 when you go on the attack. Delay your attack until you have chariots in the mix to handle this threat.

§  This really goes for any nation that is staying competent to you in tech levels, and you see them with constitution/tyranny laws.

o   YOU ARE THE COUNTER KING

§  Every single mounted UU nation gets beat. The melee mounted UUs are completely screwed. Ranged can still compete with you on damage and threaten to kite you. That you’ll have to rely on tactics.

Phase One: Settlers and Science

·       Champion Capital

o   This will be the most controversial part of the guide! Hear me out.

§  Greece, faster than practically any other nation, can rush to 5 cities. They have the perfect set up for it.

·       Second city Artisans, start with a worker, so they can produce a settler as soon as they settle.

o   That’s 3 settlers hard built by turn 13!

·       They start with Drama as an opening tech, meaning that the Free Settler tech card is in the deck from turn 1. You can get this very early!

·       That means you may need 4 open city sites by turn 14!

§  Greece has a bad order economy

·       Founding these fast cities will not help at all with this. That means your site wipes must be efficient.

o   1 steadfast unit with a hero or zealot, besieger or warden, hell even without can more than handle the clear speed with proper militia tactics.

§  Free Units and Family Management

·       Your Champ seat will already be producing the majority of your UUs. Now they will also be the family tied to your Free Hoplite card. That simplifies your internal political situation by further concentrating the family opinion you need to keep friendly for combat bonus.

§  The Huns

·       We are fast expanding. We want 5 cities early. If you need to kick the Huns to make this happen, you will be happy that you have steadfast units coming out quickly.

·       Judge Leader

o   THE BEST LEADER FOR A 7 LAW RUSH

§  Stronghold/Citadel Upgrades

·       Why wait until you can hard build a stronghold, when you can immediately upgrade your garrison building line as soon you hit the 4 law and 7 law prerequisites?

§  Hold Court

·       Convert 100 training into 140 civics. You’ll never find you’re missing civics

§  Gold Rush Specialists

·       Your Champ cap wants to be building units! So don’t waste time on the specialists, just gold rush them when you have the citizens available and keep the slingers coming!

§  Upgrade Odeons, Baths, Courthouses

·       I don’t always build baths or courthouses. But your odeons, when you have the apprentice poet built, can be upgraded to a theatre, which ALSO UPGRADES YOUR POET to a master poet.

·       That’s extra civics in the city, extra science, extra culture. And you can do this again at strong culture!

·       Turn 1-5

o   Make yourself the governor of the cap.

§  Shaves a turn off your first settler

o   Tech Path

§  Divination opening tech

§  Highlight Mill Drill and Sovereignty

·       7 LAW STRATEGIES HAVE 3 PILLARS

o   Culture (built into Greece), Civics (Built into Judge) and science…

§  Divination gives you shrines which give you acolytes.

§  Aristocracy gives you Centralization (+4 science at developing culture cap, +6 at strong)

§  Rhetoric gives you exploration

·       Harvesting Fish gives you a chance at science events.

·       Sending kids exploring gives you a chance at science events.

§  Sovereignty gives you Constitution (+1 science for each urban specialist)

·       We will have many Poets, Acolytes, Officers.

§  Mill Drill gives you barracks which gives you officers.

·       The earlier you get your science up, the more impact it will have. Getting a huge science boost at turn 40 in this strategy doesn’t really help you much compared to scaling science gains starting from turn 8.

·       This tech path is 3 of your 4 laws to get to hoplites. Also gives you access to slingers, and barracks, so it’s not like you’re ignoring advancing your military tech.

o   Move your warrior towards your first target.

§  You need your warrior to get to its target by turn 2

·       Camps will produce a second unit on turn 5.

·       Doing 8 damage a turn with steadfast takes 3 swings to drop that first camp.

·       Get there ASAP

§  Feel free to completely ignore your worker for the first turn or two. This will cost you 4 growth and 28 food total in opportunity cost at most assuming you have the best barely tile available. A worthy cost to not have to slow your expansion by 3 turns to kill another unit and heal from that additional damage.

o   Scout out targets 2-4

§  This again is more important than getting your next farm online. It can be delayed a turn. Better to get all your cities settled turns earlier. That 1 turn delay in 1 worker, will be made up if you don’t have to delay settlers to start their worker build queues.

§  You don’t need to find each before you touch your worker! But always make sure the warrior has a target and is not just sitting around.

·       Turns 5-10

o   Econ up

§  Iron: 2 mines

·       You only need enough iron early to produce all the quarries that you need without having to dip into the bank

§  Food: 20/turn

·       You need this for the settlers (shout out to cheap Greek Settlers) and specialist (50 per urban specialist) But no need to over build food.

§  Stone: 50/turn

·       STONE STONE STONE you need this for so much on Greece

o   We have a lot to build.

§  5 odeons, 4 shrines, 5 garrisons, 10 barracks

§  Handful of slingers

o   We will take the free stone card if you can, also any early stone giving events. These however are NOT GARENTEED. If you get no events, if you get the stone card in the same hand as the free settler, you will need a decent economy to work this strategy.

o   Divination

§  You want your first two shrines in your first two cities at the same time as they are finishing settlers 2-3. So that they can immediately get out two acolytes.

·       Why are we going Zoro?

o   It’s a touch of extra culture. It can lead to more ambitions. And most importantly it denies Zoro from your opponent.

o   It will make internal politics more difficult. Just deal with it lol.

o   Monasticism will be the last tech we get before our attack. So if we are fended off after an all-in, we can at least start our recovery with spreading the religion, building monasteries, getting dualism to try and spring board to a new level of tech to counter whatever the opponent countered us with.

o   Have a settler move a settler.

§  Get your Sages cities down. I go cities 3-5 all sages. These 5 cities will be the only ones that get urban improvements.

·       They have extra civics and get extra science from specialists. Getting them up earlier is better.

·       Each settled city is another +2 science immediately.

§   Any subsequent cities are rural econ only. Artisans for mines and lumbermills. Champ cities will go on the front lines for border defense.

o   Clear camps 2-3

§  Warrior does 8 damage to the unit in the camp. Militia does 4. Open with attack from the warrior on the first turn. Follow up the next year with a militia attack and finish with warrior the next turn.

·       8+4+8=20 total health for a wipe.

o   Scout the enemy

§  Once you have 5 sites identified, go find out what the hell you’re dealing with.

o   Hold Court

§  You won’t always have the orders or the training for this. But when you have an extra 2 orders and 100 training, spam this. It’s XP, civics, courtiers, or just good events.

·       Turn 10-15

o   Finish your clears

o   New city build queue

§  Builder > Slinger > Settler / Specialist

·       AGE OF THE SLINGER

o   Warriors fill the same niche as your UU. No need for both. Until you have access to hoplites, we are making slingers exclusively for our military.

·       The Settler / Specialist choice is up to the map. How many sites, the sites’ strategic importance, how much growth you have in the city etc.

o   Infrastructure

§  Time your urban improvements with your population growth. Meaning have a new urban improvement ready every time you have a new citizen born so you can make the next specialist.

·       If you have many years until the next citizen, boost the rural econ first!

§  Priority of Urbans

·       Shrines: Get your families to drink the coolaid. Pop culture groves for a culture boost!

·       Garrison: As soon as you have your first law up get these orders online

·       Odeons: You’re looking for a turn 55 pace for strong level culture. Once you’re there, switch focus to officers.

·       Barracks: Try and arrange your barracks and garrisons in diamonds for the stronghold to maximize orders from adjacency.

§  USE THE EXISTING URBAN TILES

·       It saves you 10 stone when you build urban improvements on urban tiles!!!!

o   Scout Scout Scout

§  This is a major weakness of the strat. Not many extra orders. But when you can keep creeping towards the enemy, try and keep an eye on their expansion

o   Hold Court

·       Turn 15-20

o   Plan your next leg of expansion

o   Scout the enemy

o   DON’T FORGET TO UPGRADE YOUR ODEONS AFTER YOUR POETS

o   Groom the kids

§  Back up judge: Incase you die before getting to 7 laws and the instant citadel upgrade.

·       Kid One: philosophy, science short-term, chance at judge

·       Kid Two: Politics, heir and a spare. I will change succession if only the second kid is a Judge

·       Kids 3+: Exploring for potential science events.

o   Start to get your Iron econ up to par: 100/turn

·       Turn 20-35

o   Get to 4 laws – (Slavery is great here) Upgrade garrisons to strongholds

§  Immediately start producing Hoplites

·       Don’t worry if slow. Even a15 turn timer doesn’t matter. If its 1 more unit by the time you have 7 laws, it’s worth it.

o   Continue Expansion

§  Those champ units feel great huh? Lol

o   Push culture in cities so they are on par

§  Turn 55 strong culture level for a benchmark.

o   Boats

§  Out of new cities to help with assault

§  3 biremes. Each does 7 dmg to an enemy boat. 3 boats can one-shot an enemy boat. If you get the alpha strike on a 3v3, you outright win the naval war!

o   Consider OLYMPIADS

§  I’ve really changed my tune on this with Judges especially. The extra training feeds hold court, it lets you upgrade 1-2 hoplites fully. Helps you bank the training needed for upgrades (800 btw). Been using it more consistently and it feels awesome.

§  6-8 slingers is more than enough imo. Once you have that number, I would just pump Olympiads instead.

o   Rebuild garrisons

§  Yes, you have the upgrade, but if you finish that military infrastructure diamond that I spoke of earlier, that’s .7 orders per city. Greece needs what you can give them.

o   Consider the rip cord

§  If you see the opponent getting aggressive. Use the orders we are saving for the next 3 laws and state religion to rush out some units from the slowest cities for defense.

§  Defend yourself, and if you survive, aim for a longer game. Consider architecture for a massive science jump.

·       Turn 35-50

o   Order Techs/Laws!

§  Navigation Law Flip

·       Colonies first to buy any tiles you need for better naval travel.

·       Flip to Serfdom for 5 orders per turn

§  Divine Rule

·       4 orders per turn

·       Make paganism the state religion.

§  Monasticism Law Flip. This can all be done in 1 turn.

·       Adopt Polytheism.

·       Build shrines in all cities that don’t already have paganism.

·       Flip to Monotheism. Immediate 4 orders a turn. An additional order per city that’s building a fresh shrine.

o   Add Barracks, finish order diamonds in all cities you can afford

o   Chop Chop

§  You know how much wood you need. Go get it with what orders you can.

o   Scout and prepare

§  Where are they? Get your boats in position

o   7 Law = Upgrade Stronghold -> Citadel

§  MASS UPGRADE UNITS

o   Adjust laws after you have all 7 laws

§  Centralization to Vassalage

§  Constitution to Tyranny

·       The main drawback to the champ capital. You want it producing units, not running decree. I find that I have plenty of orders, and would prefer more units and econ. There is an argument that if you’re MUCH stronger, then you can keep constitution and go for more orders out of the cap.

·       Turn 50-60

o   IT IS TIME!!!!

o   You may be here earlier. I’m certain there are players that can get here by turn 45 with some luck. You may be here later, no shame. I had a weird run of this in my last game in the tournament! (didn’t get constitution early and suffered for it).

This is by far my favorite strategy. Mostly because others don’t really consider Greece a top tier choice. Funny enough, I only picked up this nation with the idea to beat Klass Koala, the champion of the last tournament. They had one tricked Hatti up until that point in the tournament, and I thought I would be clever and try and counter them. They ended up busting out Carthage instead and absolutely murdered my Rome. Excited to give this strategy more air in the new tournament. It’s been waiting since last year, let me know your thoughts! Companion video to come!

So I was playing Maurya, Nayanika dynasty. I decided to try the triple-military path. Boy was it a weird game overall (everyone hated me, families hated me, my units were all elite from fighting so many rebels so no nations attacked me...)! But that's tangential to the core story.

Nayanika herself lasted 66 years. It's always a blessing when the starting leader manages to become The Great! She had 3 children, all of whom died before she did. Among all 3 of her children, only one had any children of their own -- and that was a bastard. Good thing I had legitimized that one as a child and groomed it into being a great heir.

He lasted just over 10 turns and croaked, leaving a single just-of-age daughter on the throne. It was during her reign when everything happened -- wars, rebels, all the families hating me despite constant family gifts and synods.

She was an ascetic. No marrying. No children. She died without an heir. Her family was just infertile down the whole line. All dynasty, only 3 royals were born (the other two were dynasty starters).

This was my first time having no heir. I'm glad they changed the game so this wasn't the end. The scheming head of the Champions family took over (yay more rebels...). So I did what you have to do: Scheme! Across 3 turns, I spent a bunch of legitimacy adopting every kid in the empire from oldest to youngest so I didn't get any "bypass" issues (11 adoptions in total -- including 2 Ranjeets, 2 Shantanus, 2 Agnimitras, and 2 Kosalas). Oh, and had an illegitimate son on his deathbed after Doomed popped up. Of course I legitimized that bastard!

That schemer barely made it 6 years (it was a long severe illness, thanks RNG). The eldest adopted son inherited at 22 and saw me through to victory. He managed to make the families all happy for the first time in decades and get a foreign relationship positive. And he had a (singular) child.

Cursed royal line.

Scrolling screenshot of the family tree: https://i.imgur.com/FsEz0VZ.jpeg

I think my next game I'll try starting as a Schemer and blow all my early legitimacy on adoptions.

Me, king Shuma, being a prophet and insane, had a wife who was the head of the christian faith. Later it so happened that I also found a lover - who happened to be the head of manichaeism faith and offered to become my 2nd wife. My mother is also the head of the old pagan religion.
No wonder that with such religious influence my beloved heir princess Gashansunu decided to become chaste.
I am thinking to myself - are the gods of RNG smiling upon me, or is this family dynamic some scripted "holy dynasty"? Either way I'm lovin' it.

I will add that this is my first run that I have not restarted due to a clusterfuck of calamities that I'd call my personal bronze age collapse.