As you build your empire in Humankind, you’ll notice that you can choose various civics. Your selection will mold certain aspects of your society. The bonuses might be small at first, but there are those that can be quite game-changing. Likewise, there are certain facets that affect your empire’s stability. Here’s our Humankind society and influence guide to help you with civics, stability, and picking the right ideologies as you expand further.
Note: For more information, check out our Humankind guides and features hub. You may also take a look at our beginner’s guide to learn about the basic mechanics and early-game progression.
Humankind: Civics and influence guide – The ideologies that shape your society
How do you gain influence?
Influence is a key factor in your Humankind playthroughs. This resource isn’t only used to build/attach outposts or convert them into cities, but it’s also required to claim wonders.
At the start of your Humankind campaign, it’s going to be a slog to amass enough influence. But, to help you out, here are some sources:
- Civilizations/cultures – Aesthete-type civilizations such as the Olmecs (Ancient Era) have a bonus to influence generation. Other cultures also have traits and emblematic districts that provide influence.
- Discoveries – The discoveries that you pick up on the map add some influence, too.
- Civics – Founding Myths (Natural Right), Cultural Blessing (Multiculturalism), Religious Tolerance (Open-Minded), and options that push you towards Liberty (more on these later).
- Religion – Certain tenets provide influence.
- Having a natural wonder in your territory.
- Technologies/districts/infrastructure – Certain techs unlock options that give extra influence. Examples include districts (Commons Quarter), infrastructure (Theater), and ceremonies (Festival).
- Stability – If a city’s stability is at 91% or higher, it’ll generate +2 influence. If the value is below that until 30%, it’ll only give +1 influence. Mutinous Cities (below 30% stability) won’t generate extra influence at all.
Unlocking new civic dilemmas and the social aspects spectrum
There might be specific unlock requirements to unlock civic dilemmas in Humankind. What I do know is that once you’re prompted with a dilemma, you can see the aspects of your society that your choices can affect. You’ll even see a bar or slider with little pips.
| Aspect | First Option | Second Option |
| Social Dynamics | Collectivism +10% industry (cities/outposts) | Individualism +10% money (cities/outposts) |
| Nationalism | Homeland +10% food (cities/outposts) | World +4% food per alliance (cities/outposts) |
| Government | Liberty +4 influence (territories) | Authority +4 turns before being converted by another’s influence (territories) |
| Teachings | Tradition +4 faith (territories) | Progress +10% science (territories) |
Depending on the option you choose for a civic, you’ll either move to the left or right of the spectrum. The leftmost and rightmost pips allow you to gain the maximum possible yields listed above. However, if you try to stay close to the middle of the spectrum, you’ll gain a stability bonus plus a fraction of the benefit. For instance, if you start leaning towards “Individualism,” but not enough to reach the rightmost edge, then you could get +10 stability and +3 money (cities/outposts).
If you’re worried about your empire’s stability, then try to choose your civics well. Bear in mind that certain choices will push you towards the extreme edges of the spectrum. It’s possible to lose the benefits to stability if your society is too focused on a particular mindset.
Choosing your civics
Here are some examples of civics in Humankind and the particular category that they’re part of:
| Category | Civic Dilemma | First Option | Second Option |
| Ministry and Politics | Founding Myths | Natural Right +5 influence on main plaza | Divine Mandate +5 faith on holy site |
| Leadership | Small Council +1 city cap | Autarch +1 city cap | |
| Laws, Crime, and Civil Issues | Legitimacy | Customary Laws Applies “celebrating” status on new cities | -20% costs to attach outpost and absorb city actions |
| Military | Army Composition | Conscripts -20% unit industry cost | Professional Soldiers +1 combat strength |
| Independent Peoples | Mercenary Armies -20% hire army cost | Assimilated Peoples -20% assimilate cost | |
| Army Wages | Paid Wages +50% money and -4 combat strength from ransacking (army) | Plundered Wages -50% money and +4 combat strength from ransacking (army) | |
| Public Spending and Investment | Fundamental Values | Public Security -50% health infrastructures industry cost | Public Happiness -50% entertainment infrastructures industry cost |
| Land Rights | Communal Land -20% create outpost cost | Inherited Land Allows you to claim, attach, and merge territories using money instead of influence | |
| Knowledge Authorities | Elders’ Wisdom +1 science per researcher (cities/outposts) | Foreign Innovations +1 science per number of trade routes (cities/outposts) | |
| Industrial Production | Nationalized Industries +1 farmers slot per Farmers Quarter (cities/outposts) | Privatized Industries +1 traders slot per Market Quarter (cities/outposts) | |
| Day-to-day Life | Slaves | Criminal Slaves +1 industry in Commons Quarter | War Slaves +1 bonus population when ransacking |
| Cultural Issues and Art | Cultural Blessing | Monoculturalism +5 turns before being converted by another empire’s influence (territories) | Multiculturalism +5 influence on main plaza |
| Press Freedom | Freedom of Speech +20% civic points net | Propaganda Prevents any empire revolution | |
| Religious Beliefs | Religious Rites | Communal Rites Unlocks “procession” action | Personal Rites -10% religious district industry cost |
| Religious Tolerance | Open-Minded +5 influence on territories if they follow your state religion | Religious Hostility +5 faith on territories under a religion’s influence; unlocks “heresy” action | |
| Scientific Facts | Compatibilism +5 science on holy sites | Literalism +2 faith on holy sites | |
| Irreligion | Secularism Become immune to religious grievances from other empires; all religious civics are locked and invested civics points are reimbursed | State Atheism -75% foreign religion strength bonus; +25% faith on territories that follow your state religion; all religious civics are locked and invested civics points are reimbursed |
Note: You don’t actually need to choose between the two civic dilemma options if you don’t want to, especially if you’re concerned that you’re straying too far from the stability sweet spot in the middle. Influence won’t decay over time, so you can happily amass enough to plop down more cities, outposts, or wonders. You may also decide to cancel a civic later if you don’t like the effects.
Here are some key civics to take note of:
- Founding Myths (Natural Right), Religious Tolerance (Open-Minded), and Cultural Blessing (Multiculturalism) are important if you wish to have a higher influence generation.
- Knowledge Authorities (Elders’ Wisdom) and Scientific Facts (Compatibilism) are great for extra science.
- Army Composition (Professional Soldiers) does help a little bit to make units beefier.
- As for the Irreligion dilemma, both options will actually disable all religious civics you’ve selected. It’s a decision that occupies a particular niche (i.e., Secularism or Atheism) where religion and faith are no longer part of your campaign.
Ideology pressure, sphere of influence, and cultural osmosis
Finally, let’s talk about ideology pressure and your sphere of influence in Humankind. If you click on the civics icon and zoom out, you’ll see the world map and various territories. Similar to the spread of religion or religious pressure, an empire’s sphere of influence gradually expands or contracts. This passive process is determined by your empire’s influence counteracting the influence from foreign neighbors. The effects are stronger in your own cities and attached territories, and significantly weaker in unattached territories that border other nations.
As an empire’s sphere of influence grows, it can also lead to friction with other nations. For instance, AI personalities with the “Lover” bias prefer to follow the ideologies often taken by other factions. Conversely, the “Hipster” bias makes them choose ideologies that aren’t as popular. These differences can cause problems with your relationship with AI leaders, but similarities will make them more welcoming. Furthermore, if you “flip” the cultures of a populace in another empire’s lands into your own, you could generate grievances and demands. Think of it as though your citizens are in another country and they’re being oppressed by its ruler. You could demand that the AI convert religions or hand you a city/outpost lest things escalate to war. Of course, the AI can also do this to you.
Finally, osmosis events can also happen due to your proximity to foreign cultures. Sometimes, your city that’s under someone else’s sphere of influence will ask you to adopt a civic that’s in line with your rival’s. If you deny this request, the city’s stability will drop. In other instances, proximity allows for learning advancements, whereby you can spend some gold to instantly learn a tech that someone else has already researched.
Humankind is available via Steam, the Epic Games Store, Stadia, and Xbox Game Pass for PC. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.
