The Ottomans are a seafaring nation designed for a domination victory. Their unique ability is a bit similar to that of the Germans, but oriented towards naval units - they pay less for their maintenance. They can convert defeated enemy ships to their side, which allows them to expand their naval power very quickly. If you start building up your fleet early (by fighting Barbarians, for example), you will have an impressive number of ships that come to the Renaissance Era, which you can use to start conquering other coastal nations. Look for every opportunity to enter naval combat, both to gain XP and new units. And of course, develop the Exploration tree to maximize your maritime infrastructure.
The Greeks excel at diplomacy and influencing city-states. Their unique ability makes their Influence with city-states degrade more slowly and recover faster. This ability is arguably more powerful than it looks. It is easy for them to maintain an Allied status with city-states once they achieve it. Use every opportunity throughout the game to do this, and Greece will not only be well on the way to a diplomatic victory but also gain other substantial advantages. If all the policies in the Patronage tree are adopted, Greece will be able to maintain a stranglehold on city-state alliances that will be nearly impossible for rival civilizations to break. Religion can also play an important role in Greek diplomacy, because if its religion spreads to an allied city-state, Greece loses Influence with the city-state even slower (or not at all, if the Patronage opener was chosen).
The Byzantines are a versatile civilization. On one hand, they have the most powerful early game naval vessel: the Dromon. This is the only ranged naval vessel in the Ancient and Classical Era and gives the Byzantines a great advantage against both barbarians and the navy of any other civilization early in the game. Not only is it able to attack from afar, but it also has a Bonus vs Naval, making it devastating against Triremes! On the other hand, they're the only civilization that can have six beliefs in their religion instead of the usual five (excluding the Reformation Belief). The Bonus Belief for the Byzantines can be a Pantheon, a Founder Belief, a Follower Belief, or an Enhancer Belief, and is added at religion foundation - another great advantage, since the Byzantines start their religion with four beliefs rather than the usual three, and can choose an Enhancer Belief earlier than others, potentially gaining access to the whole pool of Enhancer Beliefs, even if they didn't manage to develop their religion first!
Apart from their unique units (best used in matches with a lower game speed), the Romans don't have a very well-defined advantage. It requires a specific approach to the game in which they are played: a wide empire with lots of buildings. The only certain thing with them is that your Capital should have strong Production and be the first place you construct each new building - by doing so, you'll gain a nice Production bonus and manage to finish buildings much more quickly than normal in your other cities. This stacks early with the Republic policy, and other help from Liberty makes it the preferred tree. Apart from that, the Romans enjoy a very interesting early game advantage: the ability to construct roads and Forts with their unique Legions. This allows the player to create the initial road network of his or her empire without using Workers, which frees them to build other improvements. Use this to jump-start your economy in the early game.
The Huns are obviously the most offensive civilization in the game, always looking for a domination victory rather than other victory conditions. They are the only civilization with a siege weapon in the Ancient Era and can combine two siege weapons in a single era (Battering Ram and Catapult), allowing them to capture cities early and with ridiculous ease. Add to that the powerful Horse Archer, also available in the Ancient Era, and you get an offensive juggernaut. Start your offensive early on and few will be able to stop you.
Coming down form the higher place among the heroes, Cristian has great resilience to people with bad gaming skills, and offers help to anyone who asked through his reviews and gaming strategies,
Gamer Since:
2005
Favorite Genre:
RPG
Currently Playing:
HOI IV, GTA, FIFA, CK2, CK3, MINECRAFT, CIV V, RAINBOW SIX SIEGE
Top 3 Favorite Games:
Company of Heroes 2, Mount & Blade: Warband, Arma 3
