The new game from Paradox Interactive is a clear competitor to the Civilization series. In our Millennia Tips and Tricks, we show you what makes the game unique and what you should look out for as a beginner. We explain how city building and Ages work, and what mistakes you can easily avoid.
Table of Contents
1) Choose the right starting bonus
At the start of each campaign, you can choose a starting bonus that doesn’t depend on your nation. You can choose between temporary bonuses, which are only relevant for a few rounds, or benefits that you can use throughout the game. While the starting bonus may not be the deciding factor in your ultimate victory, it can be the first building block of your success.
We recommend that you choose one of the permanent bonuses. For example, additional food production. This is limited to your starting region, but it gives you a permanent regional bonus. An extra scout is also a good idea to start with, to get your expansion off to a better start.
If you can’t decide, you can also choose a random bonus. To find out which one you have received, go to the Diplomacy menu. There you can also see which bonus your opponents have chosen.
2) Start with the Island Map
If you’re new to Millennia, it’s best to start with the island map. In an area limited by water, you can learn the mechanics of the game undisturbed, as you’re initially protected from attacks. This means that you can concentrate on building your civilization, and only when another nation discovers shipbuilding can they cross over to you and engage in combat.
The disadvantage of the island map is that you’re dependent on the resources you have. To compensate for this, it makes sense to start on a medium or large map instead of a small one. However, the latter can cause performance problems. You should only choose them if your PC’s hardware can handle them.
3) Get a scout first
If you didn’t choose a scout as a starting bonus in Millennia, your first task after creating the world is to create a scout. This unit is responsible for exploring the map, and can also investigate landmarks for free bonuses. They generate exploration XP, which they can use to heal or travel to the nearest capital.
Scouts can also be used in combat. However, their low stats mean that they are of little use to you. If you send them into dangerous areas, you should combine them with some military units to protect them.
4) Leave enough room for your cities
Good planning is crucial for optimal city growth in Millennia. Give your settlements enough room to expand. If you build them too close together and the borders of two territories meet, this will hinder the growth of both cities. Keep in mind that your empire can spread far and fast due to urban and national advantages.
Plan two cities for each region, in addition to the capital. Allow for their respective expansion. If you plan too tightly, you may not be able to build certain public services or even industries later in the game without destroying something else first.
Connect distant cities with roads by building outposts and settlements between them. Occupy them with a few units to secure them, and take special care to protect outposts near your rivals from attack.
5) Research the Tribal Elders
Let’s take a look at technology. Every project gives you an advantage, and there’s no such thing as a bad first choice. It also depends on your personal play style which research will be useful to you as you progress. However, in our Millennia Tips and Tricks, we recommend the Tribal Elders.
This project is a great place to start, as it generates influence points for you. You can use these to expand your control over your territory. This is one of your top priorities, especially in the first few hours of a new game.
6) Always accompany your civilian units
Defenseless units are easy prey for the enemy. To ensure the safety of your settlers and pioneers, you should never let them go alone and always link them to military units. Millennia offers you the stacking function. By stacking them on top of each other, they will form an army and travel together.
Just one enemy barbarian can cause the loss of your precious domain XP by killing an unprotected envoy. This has several drawbacks. Firstly, the cost of recruiting becomes increasingly expensive over time, meaning that the loss will have a significant impact on your next investment. Second, you also lose the time it takes to create the unit.
Therefore, always combine civilians with at least one, but preferably two or more fighters. This reduces the chance that they will be attacked. And if they are, they’re not defenseless and can survive the attack.
7) Don’t research too much in the Stone Age
Like most 4X games, Millennia is divided into Ages. These are structured a bit differently than the Civilization games, but have one thing in common: you start in the Stone Age. In this era, you have five different research projects at your disposal. Once you’ve completed three of them, you can move on to the next age.
We recommend that you do this immediately after completing the third project, and not wait to advance the other research projects. They will still be available in the Bronze Age, but they will cost 10% less to complete.
8) Leave some space for the coast
Walls and towers defend your cities during sieges in Millennia. If a settlement has a well-developed garrison, it can hold out for several turns and inflict heavy losses on the enemy army. However, if it comes under bombardment, it’s usually finished within a few turns.
Attacks from the water are very dangerous. It’s best to build your cities one hex away from the coast. This means that warships can’t bombard it and have to land their troops first to start a siege. If you have your own armies on the coast, you can even prevent the landing.
9) Millennia tips on combat
Battles in Millennia are displayed on a separate screen. They run automatically and can’t be influenced by you once they start. The principle is simple and follows a rock-paper-scissors system. Line troops are effective against cavalry. Cavalry has an advantage over ranged troops, and ranged troops are strong against line troops.
If you don’t want to watch the entire battle, you can skip to the end and see the results. We recommend that you keep your armies well-balanced, with representatives of all three unit types. If you want to conduct a siege, you will also need an additional weapon, such as a catapult.
If you notice that your opponent is concentrating on a certain type of unit, you can gain an advantage by sending an army that is particularly effective against them. For example, if they only have mounted soldiers, send a squad of line fighters.
10) Use crises to your advantage
Now we come to a point where Millennia differs from other games in the genre such as Civilization: Crisis Ages. The game doesn’t simply linearly retell the history of mankind, but occasionally deviates from the actual history with alternative time events.
In a variant age, for example, you have mechanical soldiers that you can send into battle, and in a Crisis Age, the nations may be plagued by famine, war, or ignorance. The effects of such an age will linger long after the age has ended, so make sure you take advantage of its features.
During a crisis, you’ll need more resources to keep your nation alive. However, you can research special technologies that will give you unique buildings and units. To survive a time of crisis, you can do a lot to prepare yourself. For example, if there’s the threat of a plague, you can increase the population of your cities, and if an era of intolerance is coming, you can strengthen religion in advance.
Turn crisis into strength and use it strategically. Ages are mainly triggered by your behavior. If you’re particularly militant, you will usher in an Age of Blood.
Rewrite history with PLITCH!
Thanks to our Millennia cheats, you’ll be well-prepared for your first game. PLITCH’s Millennia cheats will help you customize the game and influence the domain system, for example. Use our single-player trainer to change the government, warfare, diplomacy, arts, and engineering points to your liking.
Give your units infinite movement, increase or decrease your gold reserves, or reset the riots in a particular city. With our codes, you can make the strategy game easier or harder to suit your needs.
Check out this video to see our Millennia cheats in-game and this blog to learn more about PLITCH!
Happy Gaming!
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