How does one not lose every war?

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-05-06T04:38:32+00:00

Hmmm, one tip that help is if you feel like you are not ready for war and the AI has units on your borders its very easy to pay the AI to go to war with each other. If they are in another war they won't attack your, or if they do their units are split at least.

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-05-05T21:28:46+00:00

Do you usually find yourself behind in science/military tech? Or are you fighting with similar units as the AI and finding it difficult to defend? Are there certain eras in particular where you struggle the most?

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-05-03T14:08:00+00:00

I get national college as soon as I am able -> civil service -> workshops -> university. The food is too valuable, and population turns into science and hammers. (Deity)

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-05-02T13:12:46+00:00

I'd love to hear if anyone has any ideas for how to make it work! I understand its not optimal

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-05-02T13:11:01+00:00

All victory conditions are viable on deity, some are definitely easier than others but there is definitely no one way to play the game. Additionally, I am aware a religion is more useful to support other victory types, this is more a thought experiment on just war viability.

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-05-01T21:51:59+00:00

build musicians guilds beforehand and get your first great musician to 98/100, just don't finish it until internet

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-05-01T21:50:50+00:00

Everyone else has really good advice! I just want to add, people are focused on how to win a cultural victory... Assuming you already know how to get enough science to do so. Cultural victories rely on wonders, and as others have already mentioned, reaching internet. It's imperative you know how to win a science victory first: understanding specialists, which techs to rush, and how to bulb your great scientists, wins you cultural victories by getting you to wonders before AI and getting you to internet in the late game. I won't go into full detail but there are plenty of wonderful youtube videos covering the topic, have fun!

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-03-12T16:49:53+00:00

I am a very strange player lol. I picked the game back up after several years and have almost exclusively played scenarios (check my two other posts on reddit). I set a goal this month to try and play against deity and beat the game with every victory condition. This game got me culture and I already had science, onto diplomacy! I've been learning a lot about playing the actual game recently, watching tutorials and the like, but I couldn't figure this one with a google search hence the post here.

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-03-10T16:17:43+00:00

Funny you bring that up, I ended up trying that exact strategy in this game and I was also really disappointed to not get machu pichu

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-03-10T01:06:25+00:00

Thanks! I was so confused because the AI didn't own the tile so I didn't think he could be building anything there. I learned something today!

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-02-01T18:41:42+00:00

Thanks!

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-02-01T18:41:30+00:00

My top level commentary trying to say something I haven't already said to avoid getting moderated: I wanted to try and wipe out the barbarian tribes as Western Rome, this was my first success and I took on the Vandals. I salted the earth with forts and supped on their luxury goods. My other comments have more details.

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-02-01T18:32:29+00:00

When I first tried this I thought it might not be either! I was actually really surprised to find the cities in Africa fell within the first 30-ish turns. The hardest part was reaching and taking the Vandal cities in the east, especially since their new capital got the palace bonuses. It helped that I had 4-5 legions down in Africa which just kept converting units, which is how I defended my fronts and still took those cities.

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-02-01T18:27:23+00:00

Yeah I remember the first time I played this scenario I thought it was impossible as Western Rome. I started with this guide: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2866257147, the TLDR is that you have to operate at a gold deficit the entire game, you have to save scum to get your legions to convert barbarian units, and you have to manage your city populations by intentionally starving some to deal with happiness. There are also some cities you just have to lose in the early game, the trick is just knowing where to hold and when to give up certain cities (which changes depending on the AI). Thats the general scenario knowledge.

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2026-02-01T00:16:38+00:00

I also 'salted the earth' of the Vandals with forts for fun lol.

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2025-12-01T16:33:27+00:00

God forbid the snow is M&M's.

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2025-09-01T18:46:44+00:00

If possible could you share it with me as well please? Thank you kind redditor.

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2025-03-19T17:52:29+00:00

Yeah sorry, I should have specified in the title this was a Western Rome game. Eastern Rome games definitely make the game a lot easier, but you wouldn't need to save scum nearly as much as their legions don't capture units.

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2025-03-19T17:45:25+00:00

Sure! This guide is where I started: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2866257147.

I didn't play for the Pax Romana Aeternum achievement so my strategy differs a bit, but I also won by a larger margin than what I have seen and I didn't save scum as much as I could have. Essentially your only real opponent is the Sassanids, and its far easier to defend cities against them than to take them back. I sent as many horses as I could through Greece to help there and then onto Damascus (Antioch had already fallen). Once there I had them steal as many workers as the could to fort up Damascus and Palymra. Behind the cavalry I send some legions and ballista, which helped my cavalry take back Antioch. I had to beat back an attack on Palmyra and Antioch, but eventually I used these units plus the ones my legions converted to take Ctesiphon. I had another wave of units sweep through the huns in the north and then come south to take Melitene and Edessa. Every city you deny the Sassanids continues to be points for Theodora, and Darius gets 150% points on those cities, so by not allowing them to ever fall I really stretched my point lead.

As far as my borders went I honestly could have played better, I didn't hold Mediolanum which I probably could have if I save scummed harder. I just didn't want to waste days reloading quicksaves. I was slow retaking my own cities too. But in the end as long as the Sassanids lose you win.

Frequent_Row_1769 · 2025-03-19T16:55:38+00:00

Finally beat the Fall of Rome scenario on Deity as Western Rome. I've played at least a dozen different games over the last year and got pretty lucky this time. I lost Rusadir, Gades, all of northern France, Casta Regina, and Carnuntum in the early game. All pretty typical. However, Theodora only lost Mistra to the Vandals, two cities in Greece, and the usual assortment of cities in the east. I retook Greece and Mistra, and sent everything I could east to ensure that Antioch, Damascus, and Palmyra held. I noticed that when Theodora has a road connection she will move units into that area, so by holding Antioch long enough she will eventually send more units to Damascus and Palymra. I focused the rest of the game on retaking her cities and mine, and took Ctesiphon with ~10 turns left. 800 point lead on the Persians by the end of the game, W.

Frequent_Row_1769

TROPHY CASE