Humankindis aturn-based strategy gamethat was released on the 17th of August 2021 by Sega. The game was developed by Amplitude Studios, who are best known for their work on theEndlessseries.Humankindhas been well-received by critics, exemplified by its current79 Metascore, and offers a very similar gameplay experience to the iconicCivilizationseries.
RELATED:The Best Strategy Games Of 2020, Ranked (According To Metacritic)
One of the many similarities thatHumankindhas with theCivilizationseries is that it can be tricky to understand for new players. So, to give beginners a helping hand, here are some useful tips to keep in mind on a first playthrough.
Updated November 30th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: Players that are just starting out their adventure in Humankind will likely find themselves overwhelmed by all of the in-depth mechanics. Those that have not played a grandiose strategy game like Civilization will likely be lost among all the menus, upgrades, and details. Humankind can be a bit overbearing at first but players that stick with the game will soon find themselves understanding all facets of it. To better help brand-new players prepare for the mass of mechanics they need to learn, the following guide has been updated with even moreHumankind tipsfor those just starting out.
13Have A Game Plan From The Very Start
When starting a new campaign inHumankind, it’s important to have a game plan in mind from the outset. Granted, a beginner isn’t going to be able to formulate a coherent strategy from beginning to end, but they should have a basic idea of things like what Affinity Trait they’re going to prioritize, so they can gear their overall decision-making towards it.
Affinity Traits are split into the following seven categories: Aesthete, Agrarian, Builder, Expansionist, Merchant, Militarist, and Scientist. The Affinity Trait that players select will earn them double the amount of Fame, so it’s certainly worth them gearing their game plan towards it.
12Put Scouts On Auto-Explore
Like with any strategy game,Humankindcan be quite overbearing for new players, as there are tons of gameplay mechanics to learn and key decisions to make right from the word go. Consequently, new players can end up spending a large chunk of time on the opening turns, struggling to make any real progress, and being overloaded with information.
Thankfully, there is one time-consuming mechanic that can be automated. Instructing scouts to explore the map is important in the first few Eras, though having to move them every turn can get tedious. So, new players should consider setting their Scouts to Auto-Explore, so that they can spend their time learning the other mechanics.
11Gradually Build Technologies
A common beginner mistake inHumankind, just like inCivilization, is jumping the gun when it comes to technologies. Many new players will see their list of available technologies and think that it’s logical to simply research the best, most advanced one.
However, this will create a plethora of issues, as ignoring the more basic, fundamental technologies can ruin an Empire’s foundations and significantly slow down its overall growth. To put it bluntly, it’s better to have running water than a new TV.
10Pick Up Curiosities Heavily At The Start
When players first jump into a new Humankind match, they’ll find themselves starting in the bare-bones Neolithic Age. Of course, players won’t have access to heavy food stores or science stocks as they will just be forming their nation. Making it through the Neolithic Age can be a bit difficult for some, as it’s much harder to build resources steadily at this point in the game. Thankfully, developers added a way for players to collect bonus resources during the starting age.
As players move their units across the map, they will spot strange locations known as Curiosities. Simply walking over these areas will give players a small bump to their Food and Science, making it easier to power through the early game.
9Don’t Rush To Build Cultural Wonders
Early on in a new campaign, players will get the opportunity to claim and build a Cultural Wonder, such as Stonehenge or Pyramid of Giza. For new players, this exciting opportunity may seem like something that they need to work on right away. However, this can be a huge mistake and significantly harm the player’s victory chances from an early stage.
RELATED:Great Turn-Based Strategy Games To Play If You Like XCOM
Cultural Wonders can sometimes take close to 100 turns to build, which is an eye-watering amount in the early stages of a campaign. Moreover, players need to focus on the foundations of their Empire in the opening hours, such as providing food and constructing fundamental buildings.
Building a Cultural Wonder will halt an Empire’s growth at its vital infancy stage and will likely be far more trouble than its worth. Instead, players should ideally wait until their Empire has a solid foundation and a second city so that the project can be shared between the cities, significantly cutting down on its build time.
8Even If You’re Playing Peacefully, Maintain A Military Presence
Unlike moststrategy games that feature combat, it’s entirely possible to complete and even win a game ofHumankindwithout ever going to war with another Empire. This strategy can be very popular amongst players, as it avoids the risks and lack of Empire growth that occur when the player is at War.
For players adopting this strategy, it may seem logical to ignore buildinga military presenceand put all of the Empire’s effort into other sectors. However, this can prove to be very costly, as other Empires will soon be able to take advantage of this and start threatening the player for resources, or even wipe them off the map entirely.
7Don’t Be Too Militaristic
That said, on the opposite end of the spectrum, it’s not exactly the smartest idea to put tons of resources and time into military growth. Although funding a military can be beneficial for protecting what a player has built and warding off any sneaky attacks from other nations, it can be a bit of a time and resource sink. Not only will it stunt the growth of a nation, but it can also take quite a bit of research and funding that players could be putting into other aspects of their nation to grow their population and resources.
Finding a strict and solid balance between “big but not too big” is important when thinking about military strategy for those that aren’t planning to conquer their enemies by force.
6Don’t Rush Into New Eras
Humankindis split into seven different Eras: the Neolithic Era, Ancient Era, Classical Era, Medieval Era, Early Modern Era, Industrial Era, and Contemporary Era. When the opportunity to enter a new one arises, most new players will instinctively jump straight into the new Era without thinking twice.
Jumping straight into new Eras does have its benefits, such as giving the player awide range of Cultures to choose from. However, players can miss out on Fame by doing this. Each Era has its own set of 21 Era Stars, which are the game’s main source of Fame. When leaving an Era, players will also be leaving behind its set of Era Stars, which can be a very costly decision if players are just a handful of turns away from achieving a few more stars.
5Choose Cultures Wisely
As mentioned before, players will have the opportunity to select a new Culturewhen entering into an Erafor the first time. Players should choose their Culture wisely, as each one provides a wide range of benefits that they should take advantage of and use to complement their game plan.
RELATED:The Best Management Games, Ranked (According To Metacritic)
Each Culture has an Affinity Trait, Legacy Trait, Emblematic Unit, and Emblematic District. Players should take the time to study exactly what each Culture offers and ensure that they make the most of its perks in the coming Era.
4Think Carefully About Where To Build The Captial
The process of building a Capital is more complex inHumankindthan inCivilization.WhereasCivilizationsimply lets players choose where tobuild a Cityat the start of the game,Humankindfirst requires players to build an Outpost. Once this Outpost has been built, players have a bit more time on their hands to choose where to build their Capital City, as they can relocate the Outpost if needed.
The game doesn’t give this extra time to players for no reason; it’s because the Capital’s location is a hugely important early game decision, which will affect the player right up until the end of the game.
So, players shouldn’t rush this decision and should ensure that they’re happy withtheir chosen locationbefore committing. Mountains, Rivers, Stone Fields, Plains, and Resource Tiles are all worth looking out for when choosing where to place their Capital.
