Civilization 5 Gods and Kings Walkthrough

War Has Changed

Gods and Kings has new combat mechanics designed to make fights longer and more strategic. All combat units now have 100 HP instead of the small amount of 10. This makes it important for troops to travel and explore in small groups or they can easily find themselves overwhelmed by hearty enemy forces. It is recommended that a melee unit travel with a second melee unit or ranged fighter to help stay well guarded, mainly if there is a high chance of war.

Healing per turn and instant heal promotion are also not nearly as powerful; the former heals for a mere 10 HP outside friendly borders and the latter for 50. Because a unit can no longer bunker down and turtle as well as before it is typically a good idea to retreat and regroup when pitted against overwhelming odds.

Cities are also stronger both defensively and offensively. Each city has 200 HPs, a defense score, and bombardment attacks deal heavy damage to most units. With these bonuses it is very easy to defend your own lands with the aid of only a few units, namely those garrisoned within the city itself. On the flip side, taking over enemy cities will require plenty of siege units (and later bombers) to effectively pierce through the walls.

Another major change is to naval combat. All embarked units can defend themselves, preventing them from being as easily destroyed. The embarked unit can also stack with true naval units to create powerful combinations. There is also a new Great Person: The great Admiral which provides a 15% combat bonus to nearby ships, or can be consumed to heal friendly naval units surrounding his hex.

Finally, melee naval units can now directly attack and capture cities. Because of these changes, no costal city is safe any more. You'll want to create navies to defend your waters as well as harass enemy territory. By taking over costal cities and city-states you will be able to gain a much stronger foothold on a continent compared to sending in a rogue settler.