Turns out I jumped the gun.
In my last post, I shared my excitement about choosing Ghana for my inaugural playthrough of Ara: History Untold. I’d based that decision on a list of leader bonuses I found online — probably outdated. Because when I actually opened the game and reviewed the current attributes, things looked very different.
So I spent some time re-evaluating. Here’s where I landed.
What Changed: Temporary Bonuses and War-Dependent Perks
Yaa Asantewaa of Ghana still offers defensive bonuses, but they’re time-bound — a 50% strength boost for five turns after war is declared. That’s useful, but also easy to counter. If an opponent simply waits out those five turns before attacking, the advantage evaporates.
Crow Nation’s Osh-Tisch has a similar setup: temporary defense bonuses and a healing perk during war. But again, these are war-dependent, and I’m not someone who prefers to be in a constant state of conflict.
My playstyle leans heavily toward economic development, infrastructure, and diplomacy. I want to prevent wars, not just survive them. Bonuses that only activate during war feel reactive, not strategic. And if they’re temporary, they’re even less appealing.
The Problem with Diplomacy-Dependent Civs
I also looked at diplomacy-focused leaders like Belgium and the Cherokee. But their bonuses seem to hinge on alliances with other civilizations, which can be broken at any time. That’s risky. I dislike advantages that depend on what other players do — especially in multiplayer, where unpredictability is the norm. Perhaps they make more sense when you’re up against AI.
Howard Florey of Australia and John A. Macdonald of Canada both offer pacifist-friendly perks, but again, they’re vulnerable. If someone declares war on you, your bonuses vanish. That’s not a foundation I want to build on.
A Few Other Civs I Considered
- Confucius: Promising. Offers consistent, all-weather bonuses. Still on my radar for future playthroughs.
- Egypt: Golden Age bonuses are intriguing, but seemingly weaker than Civ V’s Persia, where perpetual golden ages were possible.
- Persia: Production bonus is solid, similar to Rome in Civ V (which I loved), but the rest of the kit is war-focused.
- Aztec, Greece, etc.: Too aggressive for my taste.
Why I’m Choosing Spain
- Production bonuses are always valuable, especially for wide city-building — again seems similar to Civ V’s Rome which is also an early Civ I began that game with.
- The civ seems designed to reward expansion and infrastructure, which suits me perfectly.
- The +1 movement speed while not at war isn’t game-breaking, but it’s a nice early-game boost I assume — I don’t necessarily know what movement speed means.
- The bonuses don’t rely as much on other players’ actions.
- It seems to benefit from naval play, which I enjoy when the map calls for it. Though not all games will require naval play which is a little concerning.
- And yes, I’ll admit it: I’m also drawn to Spain because I admire the current government’s policies. That shouldn’t matter in a game, but it is playing a role in my thinking.
I don’t know what “City Tier 10” means yet, but I’m excited to find out.
So Spain it is. I don’t like anything better. In general it seems like the leader bonuses matter less and are less powerful in Ara than they are in Civ 5 which is probably better from a balance perspective. Ara also seems to be a game in active development (…probably why the original list of Civ bonuses I found was incorrect) which may mean that this could change in the future.