Classical Era
Let’s talk about the civilizations and cultures that you can choose during the Classical Era in Humankind.
The Classical Era in other 4X franchises (most notably Civilization) is when open warfare becomes the norm. It’s when you’ve gained some semblance of stability in your empire which means you’re ready to strike out and conquer. Here are your options in Humankind:
| Type | Culture | Trait | Emblematic District | Emblematic Unit |
| Aesthete | Mauryans | Guiding Light +1 influence on Emblematic District; -10% attach outpost cost | Stupa +1 influence; +2 faith; -10 stability; +3 science; +2 influence per adjacent district; +1 researchers slot; counts as a Research Quarter | Samnahya (ranged cavalry) Elephant Platform – Ignore penalties from fighting in melee. |
| Agrarian | Celts | Druidic Lore +2 food per farmer in cities or outposts | Nemeton +3 food per number of attached territories; +3 faith; -10 stability; +3 food per adjacent Farmers Quarter; counts as a Farmers Quarter | Gaesati (melee) Fervor – No combat strength penalty even if the unit has taken damage. |
| Builder | Maya | Tireless Spirit +2 industry per worker in cities or outposts | K’uh Nah +3 industry per number of attached territories; +2 faith; -10 stability; +4 industry per adjacent Makers Quarter; +1 workers slot; counts as a Makers Quarter | Noble Javeliners (ranged) Poison – Applies the poisoned status to a target, reducing movement and attack range. |
| Expansionist | Achaemenid Persians | Cyrus’ Shadow +2 city cap; +10 stability on cities and outposts | Satraps’ Palace +1 influence; +5 money; -10 stability; +2 influence per adjacent district; +1 traders slot; counts as a Market Quarter | Immortals (anti-cavalry) Bastion – Stronger when fighting from high ground and fortified positions; requires 1x copper. |
| Romans | Legion’s Finest +1 unit slot available for each army; -30% unit upkeep | Triumphal Arch +3 influence; +3 stability; +5 influence and +10 stability when city is “victorious” | Praetorian Guards (melee) Tactical Superiority – Rear attack bonus applies even from adjacent flanking by an ally; requires 1x iron. | |
| Merchant | Aksumites | Horn of Plenty +2 money on tiles that produce money | Great Obelisk +1 money per territory under your religion’s influence; +3 faith; +3 money; -10 stability; +3 money per adjacent Market Quarter; +1 traders slot; counts as a Market Quarter | Shotelai (melee) Grappler – Larger zone-of-control (ZOC) that can’t be ignored; requires 1x iron. |
| Carthaginians | Hard Bargainers -25% constructible buyout cost | Cothon +10 district fortification; -10 stability; +3 industry per adjacent coastal water tile; +2 industry per adjacent lake tile; +1 workers slot; replaces Harbor; naval unit spawn; allows embarkation without movement cost; counts as a Makers Quarter and Market Quarter | War Elephant (heavy cavalry) Trample – Stronger when attacking weaker units; requires 2x copper. | |
| Militarist | Goths | Nimble Pillage +10 combat strength from ransacking; +2 influence from Garrisons | Tumulus +3 influence; +3 faith; +2 faith per adjacent district; -10 stability | Gothic Cavalry (heavy cavalry) Ransacker – Bonus combat strength when ransacking and fighting on enemy districts; requires 1x horse and 2x iron. |
| Huns | Formidable Steeds +3 combat strength for cavalry units; +3 combat strength for mounted nomads/nomadic cavalry | Ordu Automatically upgrades outpost; cannot be attached to cities | Hunnic Horde (nomadic cavalry) Free Riders – Can move and attack after attacking. | |
| Scientist | Greeks | Socratic Methods +2 science per researcher in a city or outpost | Amphitheatron +1 influence and +3 science per era; -10 stability; +2 science per adjacent district; counts as a Research Quarter | Hoplites (anti-cavalry) Phalanx – Gain additional combat strength for every adjacent unit that has the “Phalanx” ability; requires 1x copper. |
Do you hear that sound? Those are the advancing nomadic horsemen that are out to annihilate your foes. That’s because the Huns are the top choice here. As mentioned in our Humankind Victor OpenDev feature as well as our Classical Era guide, the Huns have a combination of being a Militarist civ (you can raise militia units from your population) and access to a nomadic emblematic unit (the Hunnic Horde).
With these in mind, you can use the Militarist special action in your city to get your rabble army. Then, you’ll bring that army to an outpost and disband all the units. This allows the outpost to gain the population necessary to raise a Hunnic Horde instantly (as long as you have horses). If you do this process in multiple outposts, you’ll have a nigh-unstoppable force that can swarm the AI even at higher difficulties. Don’t forget to pillage improvements and outposts as well so your nomadic horsemen can gain extra units.
Note 1: If you use the Hunnic Horsemen to erect new outposts, you’ll use up the troops. You’re better off bringing a scout along to plop down those outposts if needed.
Note 2: If you chose the Harappans during the Ancient Era, your outposts (that turn into Ordus) will gradually gain more population after a few turns. You might not even need to raise militia squads that often since you can directly recruit a stack of Hunnic Horde units from Ordus.
If someone else already chose the Huns, you can pick the Achaemenid Persians (+city cap, influence, and money), Greeks (+science), Mayans (+industry), or Romans (+influence, stability, decreased unit upkeep, and an additional unit slot in your armies). Anyway, the next part of our Humankind guide talks about the Medieval Era civilizations and cultures.
