Summary
- Millennia by Paradox Interactive is a beginner-friendly 4X grand strategy game focusing on human history through the ages.
- A variety of country bonuses offer different advantages, such as warfare XP for Russia, culture boost for Greece, and more.
- Permanent bonuses like movement for civilian units in India or production in Germany can impact gameplay strategy throughout the entire game.
Millennia is a 2024 4X grand strategy game released by Paradox Interactive. Offering a simpler, more streamlined, and more intuitive learning experience than other strategy games, this is a great choice for players who are new to the genre. Millennia is a turn-based game, focusing on all of human history. The gameplay progresses through the ages, starting with the Stone Age, then moving to the Bronze Age, and so on. Each new age brings in new technologies, Government types, and other gameplay features.
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When starting a new game, the player can choose a country they wish to play as. Each country has a different bonus associated with it, and some bonuses are much more useful than others. However, the player is also free to create their own country, and choose whichever of the country bonuses they wish. The real difference in country bonuses is that some only last for a few turns at the start of the game, while others last for the entire game. Additionally, some bonuses impact the entire country, and others are region-specific. In short, nation bonuses are not as important when playing Millennia as they might be in other grand strategy games, but it's still good to pick one that will suit a particular playthrough the best.
7 Russia
A Starting Bonus To Warfare XP
Players who select Russia as their country, will receive a country bonus that boosts warfare XP. Upgrading military units and armies requires warfare XP in Millennia. It is also used when promoting military leaders.
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This is a fairly useful country bonus for the player, especially if they intend to play a more combat-focused, conquest-style of game. However, for players looking to get the best start, there are other, better options. However, this is a permanent bonus, which makes it somewhat more desirable.
6 Greece
Starts With A Boost To Culture
Greece gets an interesting nation bonus: The player will start with extra Culture. In Millennia, Culture is spent on Cultural Powers that give short-term buffs and boosts. Some of these can be very useful, such as "Call Banners" and "Golden Age," for example.
However, this country bonus is only going to be of any real help for players who are trying to complete a playthrough by being the most culturally influential country. There are better, more generalized options available for players who are looking for a more balanced playthrough. This is a permanent bonus, which makes it more useful than temporary bonuses.
5 India
Civilian Units Have Bonus Movement
This is the first of the more useful country bonuses. All non-military units belonging to India get a movement bonus. This is great for players who are going to focus more on trade, farming, and resource production, as it means that resources and goods can move around the map more quickly.
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This is a permanent bonus throughout the game, and impacts the whole map that the country controls, which makes it even more attractive. But for players who don’t focus on commerce and perfecting resource chains, this bonus is likely not worth taking, as there are better options.
4 Persia
Scout Units Have Bonus Movement
Players who choose Persia for their country will find that their Scout units get a movement bonus, and this is a permanent bonus for the entire game. This means that players can explore the map and uncover resources and points of interest much more quickly.
This bonus has another advantage: It makes it much easier to disengage Scouts who have been backed into a square on the map grid and are going to be attacked. They can basically run away more easily. Scouts are weak, and they should be kept out of combat at all costs. This bonus helps ensure that is possible, and ensures that Scouts who stumble into combat can escape easily. This is a map-wide bonus for all scout units owned by Persia.
3 China
A Regional Bonus To Food Production
These next three bonuses could all earn the top spot on this list. Which one the player chooses will depend on their playing style. Having extra food production is a useful bonus, especially at the start of the game. This is a region-wide, permanent bonus granted to players by choosing China as their country.
With more food being produced from day one, the player is freed up to spend resources on other things, such as upgrading the Town Center, for example. Overall, this is a solid choice of country bonus that can suit any playing style. This bonus lasts the entire game, and covers the whole region.
2 Sweden
A Regional Bonus To Generate Influence
This permanent regional bonus, belonging to Sweden, grants a boost to Influence generation. This is a really good bonus to have in the early part of the game. It costs influence to expand the size of a region, and the bigger the region, the more resources will fall within its boundaries. As such, expanding more quickly has its benefits, and Influence is the best way to do that.
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Overall, having a bonus to Influence is never going to be a bad thing, and choosing this bonus will fit all players, regardless of how they intend to play the game, be it trade, conquest, or otherwise.
1 Germany
A Regional Bonus To Production
Germany takes the top spot for country bonuses, but Sweden and China are both great options as well, and could be number one in certain situations. Production is used, well, to produce things. This includes building upgrades for a town, and raising armies. This is a region-wide bonus that lasts for the entire game.
Because of its generic utility, having a production bonus is an easy and versatile choice, as it can be used in many ways. That being said, all the country bonuses in Millennia are only minor additions to a playthrough, and don’t provide any huge advantages. The best advice is for players to choose whichever country seems like the most fun, and then work in the bonus as they play.
Millennia
- Released
- March 26, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- C Prompt Games
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- 4X, Turn-Based Strategy, Simulation
