Beginner Tips

This page is intended for newly-appointed governors in Casual to Normal difficulty, playing the free version. For a more detailed discussion of individual mechanics, see Core Game Concepts. For general guides, visit Strategy Guides. For Brutal and Mega-Brutal difficulty, see Advanced Tips.

General game tips

Early game

The early game runs from the start of the game to the stabilisation of the first zone.

• Your first objective is to stabilise a zone quickly: Lack of Stability will destroy your Reputation if this doesn't happen. The more Reputation you have, the more money you receive. If Reputation reaches 0, you lose.
• Place your HQ in a zone that starts with a low number of hostiles and has main roads or highways. This will make it easier to stabilise that as well as the zones near it.
• The following initiatives should be picked at game start:
  • District Representatives and Outreach Office. You will need them to gather intel on zones, and to build initiatives on other zones faster.
  • Services Discussions with three Civilian Initiatives of the same branch. Healthcare is usually the best option of the three.
• Keep an eye on inflation: do not buy many initiatives at the same turn! Doing this will quickly increase the costs of initiatives.
• After a few in-game months, buy Anti-Corruption 1. It is important to tackle Corruption as early as possible, otherwise it will bite back in the long run.
  • You may buy Effective Procurement to reduce corruption gain, but it increases initiative prices by 10% (up to $1: useful money in the early game).
  • You can also buy PR and Media office to double support level, but ensure that you keep enough money (see next point).
• Start saving money in early 2003. Insurgent activity will start soon, and you need $15 to $20 to invest in Military Initiatives.
• Once Insurgent activity is rumoured, recruit two Coalition Soldiers as soon as possible and fund the Interpreters initiative.
• Your initial goal is to contain, not eliminate the Insurgents. If you will eliminate them, they will spawn in difficult to manage places, causing major problems.
  • Try to push the enemy towards the edges of the map, rivers banks, or any area that can be surrounded by only two or three soldiers. Insurgents can be left alone in a couple of mountainous regions for the time being, but keep them away from major cities.
• At this point of the game, you should be close to your first stabilised zone. If you haven't stabilised a zone after 160 turns, you will start to lose reputation.

Mid-game

The mid-game runs from the first stabilised zone to the first diplomatic contact with the Insurgents.

• Some tips on the military side of the game:
  • You should have about 3-4 Coalition Soldiers by now, and 1-2 National Soldiers.
  • Some information on units:
    • National Soldiers are the ones who will eventually bring victory. They are slow to train and weak in the early game: you should always have one in training, and initially use them to block escape routes rather than engaging the Insurgent directly. They become much stronger with upgrades.
    • Coalition Soldiers are on a timer and requesting extra tours of duty carries large Reputation penalties. Try to recruit them only when you need an extra soldier immediately: a city is under attack, or you need one more unit to destroy surrounded insurgents.
  • Always push the Insurgent into "killing grounds": any zone with few escape routes. Again, it is fine to leave them hold a low-population zone for a little while, as long as they stay there.
  • Insurgents can always escape through an area covered by a zone without intel. Ensure that you have successfully surrounded them, as otherwise they will overrun the region.
  • Garrisons can help with combat and block Insurgents from fleeing to a zone with it.
  • Airstrikes are expensive but very powerful. They will instantly destroy Insurgent Camps and provide significant combat bonuses. If your infantry gets stuck in difficult terrain, air support will always break the stalemate.
• Keep an eye on Corruption levels and buy additional Anti-Corruption initiatives when Corruption gets higher than about 20%.
• Adding cheap Service and Development initiatives can accelerate stabilisation, while Infrastructure initiatives can safely be ignored.
• You are in a good position if a couple of zones have turned green before you Reputation. You can stop funding Civilian Initiatives at this point, unless the population explicitly demands them.
  • Ensure that you respond to Local Concerns, which can found at the Region Tab. Ignoring them will prevent zones from stabilising, so you should buy the corresponding initiative for the locals.

Late-game

The late game begins at the first diplomatic contact with Insurgent leaders.

• You should have all 4 national soldiers on map or in training, with upgrades and air support - and perhaps one or two Coalition soldiers.
• Half or most of the map should be stabilised by now, and you should only have around one to two Insurgent-controlled zones.
  • You should place Soldiers on unstable zones to prevent Insurgent Camps from spawning.
• Some tips about peace:
  • The Insurgents will only be ready to negotiate if they feel they are "losing" - not many zones under their control, some insurgent have been eliminated, etc.
  • Operation partners expect you to take a firm stance: this is usually the best option, but it can result in Insurgent sympathizers joining the fight all over the map - making Insurgent leaders less willing to negotiate. You can pick a compromise here and there if you need more time to surround active enemies. Always keep fighting the Insurgent while negotiations are in progress.
  • It is highly recommend that you negotiate with the Insurgents whilst defeating them in battles, as it allows you to take a more firm stance.
• After some time, you should have all but one (the Insurgent-controlled zone) zones stabilised. You can go and do the final kill, which can also quicken up the peace process and make zones stabilise faster.

Game mechanics

Initiatives

• Civilian Initiatives allow you to stabilise zones; it contains several branches: Services, Jobs, and Infrastructure.
  • Services roll out very quickly and reduce hostility, making zones easier to stabilise.
  • Jobs increase support level, providing more supporters to stabilize zones.
  • Infrastructure initiatives provide boosts to initiative roll-out, soldier movement speed and more.
• Government Initiatives expands your operation's capabilities and increase the effectiveness of Civilian and Military initiatives.
• Military Initiatives allow you to fight against the insurgents.