Difficulty Levels
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The difficulty level is chosen when the game is set up (the lobby's Difficulty dropdown, or Quick Play's) and is fixed for the whole game; a saved game keeps its level. The AI plays by the same battle, growth and production rules as everyone at every level. What changes is how much help the player gets, when the barbarians come, whether the AI starts with a head start, and how hard a much stronger AI leans on a weaker player.
Every civilization, human or AI, begins with the same advanced start at every level: a Settler, two Clubmen and a Scout. The Scout starts a few tiles off on its own.
This game: Governor.
1. Explorer
Barbarians never raid. Your units hit 25% harder in battle. The AI keeps its city count close to yours. The AI never declares war. The AI takes no cities. The AI builds no wonders. The AI accepts most deals. AI explorers leave ruins and tribal villages to you.
Rules
- Human units deal +25% melee and ranged damage.
- Barbarian camps never raise raiding parties; their garrisons only defend the camp.
- AI civilizations stop founding cities once they hold 2 more than the largest human empire.
- AI civilizations never declare war. They still fight a war declared on them and retake cities taken from them.
- AI armies never assault a city that was not theirs.
- AI civilizations build no wonders.
- AI civilizations grant a human's requests for peace and Open Borders, and accept trade deals worth 50% of what they would otherwise ask.
- AI explorers leave ruins and tribal villages alone; they are yours to find.
2. Noblemen
Barbarians never raid. Your units hit 15% harder in battle. The AI keeps its city count close to yours. The AI accepts generous deals. The AI will go to war and race you for wonders. Each AI goes for at most two ruins or tribal villages.
Rules
- Human units deal +15% melee and ranged damage.
- Barbarian camps never raise raiding parties; their garrisons only defend the camp.
- AI civilizations stop founding cities once they hold 2 more than the largest human empire.
- AI civilizations may start a war even when their army is not the stronger one.
- AI civilizations grant a human's requests for peace and Open Borders, and accept trade deals worth 70% of what they would otherwise ask.
- Each AI civilization goes for at most 2 ruins or tribal villages in the whole game; the rest are left for you to find.
3. Regent
Barbarian raiders roam from turn 50 but keep out of your borders until turn 200. The AI keeps its city count close to yours. Each AI goes for at most four ruins or tribal villages.
Rules
- Barbarian camps raise their first raiders after 50 turns; the raiders keep out of every civilization's borders until turn 200, whatever the barbarian setting's own grace period, and raid territory, improvements and cities from then on.
- AI civilizations stop founding cities once they hold 2 more than the largest human empire.
- AI civilizations may start a war even when their army is not the stronger one.
- Each AI civilization goes for at most 4 ruins or tribal villages in the whole game; the rest are left for you to find.
4. Governor (default)
Barbarian raiders roam from turn 25 but keep out of your borders until turn 100. The AI will not pick an unprovoked war with a human whose army is weaker than its own. Each AI goes for at most six ruins or tribal villages.
Rules
- Barbarian camps raise their first raiders after 25 turns; the raiders keep out of every civilization's borders until turn 100, whatever the barbarian setting's own grace period, and raid territory, improvements and cities from then on.
- AI civilizations do not start a war with a human whose army is weaker than their own, unless provoked.
- AI civilizations may start a war even when their army is not the stronger one.
- Each AI civilization goes for at most 6 ruins or tribal villages in the whole game; the rest are left for you to find.
5. Sovereign
Barbarian raiders roam from turn 15 but keep out of your borders until turn 60. Barbarians take twice as long to raise each raider. The AI plays by every rule you do.
Rules
- Barbarian camps raise their first raiders after 15 turns; the raiders keep out of every civilization's borders until turn 60, whatever the barbarian setting's own grace period, and raid territory, improvements and cities from then on.
- Barbarian camps take 2x as long to raise each raider.
6. Pontiff
Barbarian raiders roam from turn 10 and keep out of your borders until the barbarian setting's own grace turn. Barbarian camps raise each raider half again as slowly as the barbarian setting's own pace. Every AI starts with one extra prehistoric technology. An AI whose army is twice yours or more looks down on you: its mood towards you sours by up to 3, most of all under an aggressive leader. AI demands for tribute ask up to half as much gold again.
Rules
- Barbarian camps raise their first raiders after 10 turns; the raiders keep out of every civilization's borders until the barbarian setting's own grace turn, and raid territory, improvements and cities from then on.
- Barbarian camps take 1.5x as long to raise each raider.
- An AI civilization whose army is 2 times a human's or more, and that can reach them by land or sea, holds them in contempt: its mood towards them sours by up to 3, most of all under an aggressive leader.
- AI demands for tribute ask up to 150% of the usual gold.
- AI military units cost 85% of their normal production.
- AI civilizations start with one extra prehistoric technology, drawn at random.
7. Emperor
Barbarian raiders roam from turn 5 and keep out of your borders until the barbarian setting's own grace turn. Barbarian camps raise raiding parties twice as fast. Every AI starts with one extra prehistoric technology and an extra Settler. The AI may build units needing strategic goods it does not have. An AI whose army is 1.75 times yours or more looks down on you: its mood towards you sours by up to 6, most of all under an aggressive leader. AI demands for tribute ask up to twice the gold, and paying one buys only 8 turns of peace.
Rules
- Barbarian camps raise their first raiders after 5 turns; the raiders keep out of every civilization's borders until the barbarian setting's own grace turn, and raid territory, improvements and cities from then on.
- Barbarian camps raise raiders 2x as fast.
- An AI civilization whose army is 1.75 times a human's or more, and that can reach them by land or sea, holds them in contempt: its mood towards them sours by up to 6, most of all under an aggressive leader.
- AI demands for tribute ask up to 200% of the usual gold.
- Paying an AI's demand for tribute buys 8 turns of peace.
- AI military units cost 75% of their normal production.
- AI cities may build units that need a strategic good (Bronze, Iron, Horses...) without having it.
- AI civilizations start with one extra prehistoric technology, drawn at random.
- AI civilizations start with an extra Settler.
8. God King
Barbarian raiders roam from turn 5 and keep out of your borders until the barbarian setting's own grace turn. Barbarian camps raise raiding parties twice as fast. Barbarian units hit humans 10% harder. Every AI starts with Archery and two more prehistoric technologies. Every AI starts with two extra Settlers and two Archers. The AI may build units needing strategic goods it does not have. An AI whose army is 1.5 times yours or more looks down on you: its mood towards you sours by up to 8, most of all under an aggressive leader. AI demands for tribute ask up to four times the gold, and paying one buys only 5 turns of peace.
Rules
- Barbarian camps raise their first raiders after 5 turns; the raiders keep out of every civilization's borders until the barbarian setting's own grace turn, and raid territory, improvements and cities from then on.
- Barbarian camps raise raiders 2x as fast.
- Barbarian units deal +10% damage against human civilizations.
- An AI civilization whose army is 1.5 times a human's or more, and that can reach them by land or sea, holds them in contempt: its mood towards them sours by up to 8, most of all under an aggressive leader.
- AI demands for tribute ask up to 400% of the usual gold.
- Paying an AI's demand for tribute buys 5 turns of peace.
- AI military units cost 60% of their normal production.
- AI cities may build units that need a strategic good (Bronze, Iron, Horses...) without having it.
- AI civilizations start with Archery.
- AI civilizations start with 2 extra prehistoric technologies, drawn at random.
- AI civilizations start with 2 extra Settlers.
- AI civilizations also start with 2 x Archer.