Highlights
- Starting bonuses in Millennia are generally minor improvements, rather than game-changing boosts.
- The most useful starting bonus is a free scout unit, freeing up the initial build queue for players.
- While other starting bonuses may not be as impactful, the innovation bonus offers a solid choice for players.
Released by Paradox Interactive in 2024, Millennia is a slightly different take on the 4X strategy genre. Based on human history, with progression moving through different ages starting in the Stone Age, new gameplay features and options are introduced as each new age begins. This makes Millennia a far easier game to learn than other turn-based strategy projects. Indeed, Millennia reduces the complexity down to almost web browser strategy game levels.
10 Beginner Tips For Millennia
Millennia is a newcomer to the 4X strategy scene. It wants to introduce new players to the genre, and these beginner tips can help them get started.
Millennia offers only 6 starting bonuses to players, and these are attached to the nation they choose to play, rather than the player themselves. These starter bonuses only last for the first turn in general, and are granted to the player as soon as the game starts. Although one does last permanently.
Because of the short duration of starting bonuses in Millennia, it is generally a better idea to choose one of the bonuses that impacts an entire region or nation, for the entire game. These are not as powerful at first as the starting bonuses, but over time, they end up offering more benefits in the long run. Bonuses can't help overcome strategic challenges either, like overcoming the Age of Plague
6 Free Archer Unit
A Rarely Useful Bonus At The Start Of A Game
As with most strategy games that feature combat, the basic archer unit is a glass cannon. It has high damage but is killed easily. Starting with a free archer when beginning a playthrough of Millennia is pretty pointless, as most players won’t engage in combat before they are established anyway.
Millennia: 7 Best Nations For Beginners
When players being a new game of Millennia, they get to choose their home country. Each country offers a bonus, and some are better than others.
Once the player is in a position to start considering combat, they will be able to produce archer units themselves. The only time a free archer unit at the start of the game might be useful is if the player spawns in an area of the map that has a profusion of Barbarian camps close by, putting them in danger of being attacked early on.
5 Free Warband Unit
Two Warband Units Are Not Particularly Helpful In The Early Hours
The warband (or raider) unit is the basic army unit in Millennia. Every player starts with one of these. Choosing this bonus would mean they start with two warband units. Warbands are quite flexible and can be upgraded into more specialized units such as spearmen. They can also be promoted to leader units.
However, as with the archer unit starting bonus, there is little point in having an extra warband right at the start of the game. It could be used to explore the map, but there is a better starting bonus in Millennia to provide a solution for this.
4 Warfare XP Bonus
Granting Just 5 Warfare XP, This Bonus Has Little Utility
This Millennia starting bonus is pretty poor. It only wins out over the starting bonuses that give a free unit because it offers just a little more utility. Note though, that this is only an additional 5 warfare XP, not 5 per turn. Players receive a flat 5 XP on turn one of the game.
Warfare XP is used primarily for triggering Warfare Domain Powers. These are short-term buffs that are applied to specific military units. For example, the Forced March buff gives the selected unit a short-term movement boost; however, even the cheapest buff, which reinforces the chosen unit, costs 10 warfare XP. Starting with an additional 5 isn’t much of a bonus, as it cannot be used until quite a few turns into the game anyway.
3 Innovation Bonus
+5 Innovation Points Per Term Could Trigger More Random Innovations
- Start With An Additional +5 Innovation Per Turn
As starting bonuses go in Millennia, there is a pretty wide divide between all of the 3 already covered, and the last 3. So far, the available starting bonuses have been pretty weak, almost useless in some cases. But with the innovation bonus, this changes. This can be a solid choice for a starting bonus for players who don’t choose a regional or national bonus.
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This starting bonus gives an additional 5 innovation points per turn for the entire game. However, innovation points are not spent in the same way as other points, such as production or research points. Instead, the more innovation points the player has accrued, the greater the chance of a random innovation being triggered. Depending on the luck of the draw, these can range from totally overpowered, to next to useless.
2 Improvement Points Bonus
A Solid Starting Bonus That Will Boost Early Game Build Speed
- Start With An Additional Improvement Point 10 Improvement Points
It should be apparent by now, that Millennia doesn’t have any starting bonuses that are vastly more useful than any other, unlike some other grand strategy games. Bonuses in this game tend to be minor improvements, rather than game-changing boosts that shape the player's playthrough. Having an additional 10 improvement points to start with is a good example of this ethos. Yes, it is useful, but for only the first couple of turns.
Improvement points are used to upgrade certain structures and provide small boosts to existing items. For example, improvement points are used to expand the size of a town or rebuild a town that has been sacked by enemies. Having a few extra points at the start of the game is useful but not overpowered. Some strategy games give the player access to bonuses that have a dramatic impact on gameplay. Millennia doesn't do this.
1 Free Scout Unit
A Free Scout Unit Is Useful In The First Few Turns And Frees Up The Turn One Build Queue
This is considered to be the most useful of all starting bonuses in Millennia. Almost every player will initiate the building of a scout unit on their very first turn. This can take up to three turns to complete. Starting with a scout ready to use means that these critical first few turns can be used to build something else, such as the City Center upgrade.
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Scouts are used to explore the map. They move faster than other units and are the only ones that can uncover points of interest and collect the free bonuses they provide. This starting bonus is great for giving players an efficient start and to cash in on as much as they can in the first 3 or 4 moves. However, as with all starting bonuses, this is only of short-term benefit. Any list of beginner tips for Millennia would likely include considering selecting this starting bonus.
