Humankind is a turn-based strategy game that 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 the Endless series. Humankind has been well-received by critics, exemplified by its current 79 Metascore, and offers a very similar gameplay experience to the iconic Civilization series.
One of the many similarities that Humankind has with the Civilization series 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 more Humankind tips for those just starting out.
13 Have A Game Plan From The Very Start
When starting a new campaign in Humankind, 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.
12 Put Scouts On Auto-Explore
Like with any strategy game, Humankind can 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.
11 Gradually Build Technologies
A common beginner mistake in Humankind, just like in Civilization, 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.
10 Pick 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.
9 Don'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.
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.
8 Even If You're Playing Peacefully, Maintain A Military Presence
Unlike most strategy games that feature combat, it's entirely possible to complete and even win a game of Humankind without 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 building a military presence and 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.
7 Don'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.
6 Don't Rush Into New Eras
Humankind is 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 a wide 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.
5 Choose Cultures Wisely
As mentioned before, players will have the opportunity to select a new Culture when entering into an Era for 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.
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.
4 Think Carefully About Where To Build The Captial
The process of building a Capital is more complex in Humankind than in Civilization. Whereas Civilization simply lets players choose where to build a City at the start of the game, Humankind first 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 with their chosen location before committing. Mountains, Rivers, Stone Fields, Plains, and Resource Tiles are all worth looking out for when choosing where to place their Capital.
3 Spread Out During The Early Game
It's important to remember that players are not the only ones starting out with nothing as a new game of Humankind begins. Other players and AI opponents will be trying their best to grab a foothold on the lands they occupy and few will be thinking about how to attack any unwanted neighbors this early in the game. Players will still have to deal with some of the dangers spread across the world, but they won't need a mighty army of troops to do so. Because of this, players shouldn't be afraid to move their units in all directions, picking up Curiosities and better scouting their surroundings during the earliest turns.
2 Don't Get Tunnel Vision For Fame, Prioritize Building An Empire, And The Fame Will Come
Considering how important Fame is in Humankind, many new players will naturally get tunnel vision and simply focus on rushing to obtain and much Fame as possible, as fast as they can. Unfortunately, this game plan will create numerous issues as the campaign develops, as although it may give players a lead in the first few Eras, their Empire will start to become unbalanced. This unbalanced Empire will significantly slow down the player's progression in the mid-game, especially if they're putting all of their focus on one particular Era Star or Competitive Deed.
Instead of this, players should focus on building a well-rounded, thriving Empire. This will put the player in a far better overall position, and their Fame will naturally start to follow. There's nothing wrong with focusing on certain Era Stars, but it shouldn't be at the cost of fundamental Empire growth.
1 Be Patient
If there's one word of advice in particular for new players to keep in mind, it's to be patient. Even for experienced players, a game of Humankind, just like its counterpart Civilization, can take a deceivingly long time; this can get frustrating for new players and cause them to make rash decisions. These rash decisions very rarely pay off and often result in the player slowing down their Empire's progress.
Instead, players should take their time and thoroughly plan out all of their key decisions, as it will pay off in the long term and have their Empire rapidly expanding by the last few Eras.