We are super excited about this, and here we are, the date has arrived and now it is the time to release the first expansion on Humankind, Together We Rule.
In the past weeks we have been covering the most important aspects that will change on the game in a series of blogs.

First of all we wanted to thank you, the community, from your help with this expansion and the update. Some of you may be aware of this (and if not here is a bit of context), but a couple of weeks ago we decided to have a closed beta with some of you that have been active on the forums to try all the new things, such as the Leverage system, cultures, agents etc. This has been super helpful to the team in order to introduce some improvements on the UI, balance cultures and more. As we were close to release we didn´t have the time to implement all of the suggestions but do not worry as we will be doing some updates & bugfixes in the following weeks.

For those of you that is the first time that you heard about this expansion, this is what Together We Rule will add to the game

• Embassies: Form stronger ties with other empires and access cooperative treaties, like mutual access to Emblematic Units.
• Agents: A new class of units that can serve as diplomats or hidden agents that will perform certain actions as siphoning districts or tracking armies.
• The Congress of Humankind: Vote on globally enacted laws and resolve conflicts through diplomatic pressure.
• New Cultures: Sumerians, Han, Bulgarians, Swiss, Scots and Singaporeans
  
• And more

Apart from all of those changes we wanted to remind you that today we release a free update to the base game, Metternich Update, that will add new elements and rework others. Here you have the quick summary:

• Stealth Rework: Based on depleting a “reserve” of stealth rather than a binary yes/no check and introduction of Ambushes.
• Changes to Independent Peoples: Stronger competition for patronage and more detailed treaties.
• 3rd Party Reinforcement: Lend control of your armies to an ally for a battle.

Before finishing we wanted to mention a couple of things:

• There are issues with certain Mac configurations, and therefore you might encounter some issues on the Multiplayer. The team is working on solving that.
• The modding tools have not been updated yet, but we will update them soon, including localization modding tools. Until then, please remember that old mods may not work properly with the new version of the game.
• In the following weeks we will be delivering a series of updates and bugfixes for the game and the modding tools

That's all for today folks!
Enjoy the expansion and the Update ^-^


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1833990/HUMANKIND__Together_We_Rule_Expansion_Pack/

ADDITIONS - Together We Rule Expansion pack

• New feature: Inter-empire Forum: Congress of Humankind
  
• New Currency: Leverage
  
• New Quarter: Embassy (unlocking new interactions with other empires)
  
• New Unit Family: Agent
  
• 6 New Cultures with a New Affinity: Diplomatic
  
• 6 New Wonders
  
• 15 New Narrative Events (including 4 inter-empire events)
  
• 7 New Independent People
  
• New In-Game Themed Music Tracks composed By Arnaud Roy

MAJORS CHANGES

• New stealth system! Stealth units are now concealed until their stealth value reaches zero in enemy territories.
  
• Third party reinforcement! You can loan your armies to help your allies in battle.
  
• New Independent People system! You can now sign treaties with Independent People.
  
• Updated main screen UI! A few UI elements have been moved around the main UI for a clearer experience.

BALANCING AND OTHER CHANGES

• Independent People now spawn Armies less often on Hamlet, Town and Metropolis difficulties.
  
• Modified the formula to lower Civic Enact costs when many Civics had already been enacted (average reduction of -50% to costs).
  
• Lowered the Influence gains of the Aesthete "Culture Bomb" ability, especially on territories with many neighboring territories.
  
• Reworked the effects of the Authority domestic ideology to provide extra Stability on Garrisons (instead of deprecated "Detection Range").
  
• New Effects for the "Colonization" Civic: Vassal Colonies choice now gives bonus Money and Industry on cities founded on a new Continent, while the Naturalized Colonies choice gives bonus Stability on cities founded on a new Continent.
  
• Aztec Jaguar Warriors can now be upgraded from Swordsmen.

FIXES OF ISSUES SPOTTED BY THE COMMUNITY (THANKS!)

• Made adjustments to how the Wonder-Full achievement unlocks. Players are now asked to build 22 wonders.
  
• Fixed an issue where on rare ocassions, points of interest could spawn on Natural Wonders.
  
• Fixed a few instabilities that could lead to indefinitively pending turns.
  
• Fixed an issue where some FIMS previews on infrastructures were not working correctly.
  
• Fixed an issue where the "[Enacted]" civics tag wasn't translated in languages other than English.
  
• Fixed Issues that were sometimes occuring when launching a nuclear strike on multiple locations during the same turn.
  
• Fixed some localization issues that where occuring with the Empires names in the Megalomania grievance.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Assyrian Raiders' Pillager ability only mention Outposts and Independent Camp.
  
• Fixed an issue where the "Share maps" treaty causes both empires to be first when discovering a natural wonder.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Roman Emblematic Unit (Praetorian Guards) tooltip for Tactical Superiority was misleading.
  
• Fixed an issue where wrong tutorial text would display for breaking treaties.
  
• Fixed an issue where an inaccurate "No line of sight" debuff was appearing when attacking with torpedo boats.
  
• Fixed an issue where the player could have access to shared projects outside of their territories.
  
• Fixed an issue where loading custom maps were not properly displayed in the Caps section.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Culinary Trend narrative event was triggered too early.
  
• Fixed an issue where luxury resource deposit could spawn on a Natural Wonder tile.
  
• Fixed an issue where Debug text was displayed in the Event "Left Out".
  
• Made the difference between linking a Steam account to G2G and connecting to G2G in game clearer.

OTHER FIXES

• Fixed an issue where the Land Rights and Knowledge Authority civics were not unlocked correctly.
  
• Fixed an issue where Jaguar Warriors made Great Swordmen seem obsolete.
  
• Fixed an issue where animals could reinforce each other.
  
• Fixed an issue where on rare occasions, armies would not execute an attack from an elevated position.
  
• Fixed an issue where Garrisons were exploiting tiles around them.
  
• Fixed an issue where instant war support was not being calculated correctly.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Narrative Event "Justice for All" might not trigger properly.
  
• Fixed an issue where the "You successfully plundered" in Ransack Successful! notification was not informative enough.
  
• Fixed an issue where placeholder text is sometime displayed in the grievance "Thwarted our occupation of".
  
• Fixed an issue where eliminated empires have the "Joining" status during multiplayer sessions.
  
• Fixed an issue where slots occupied by eliminated empires appear as available inside the "Join Game" menu.
  
• Fixed an issue where placeholder text is displayed in the description of the Ming's emblematic quarter.
  
• Fixed an issue where the tutorial about Deployment was not showing up.
  
• Fixed an issue where placeholder text was displayed in the Battle Result.
  
• Fixed an issue where placeholder text was displayed when attacking wood wall with artillery.
  
• Fixed multiple missing or incorrect texts displayed in the help layer.
  
• Fixed an issue where no grievance or War Support changes happened when a tile has been ransacked.
  
• Fixed an issue where the civics osmosis refusal penalty had the same duration for all game speeds.
  
• Fixed some debug text appearing if the city targeted by "The Human Cost II" event gets destroyed before the event is triggered.
  
• Fixed an issue where the AI would sometimes keep making demands each time the player had refused another demand.
  
• Fixed an issue where tutorial windows and tooltips can display severe flickering in specific situations.
  
• Fixed an issue where Exploitation Tiles had a health bar in the tooltip.
  
• Fixed an issue where the "A Totem for the Tribe" Narrative Event was triggered by another empire's Army.
  
• Fixed an issue where invalid characters were allowed when saving a custom map inside the map editor.
  
• Fixed an issue where false information was displayed when an opponent refused a Crisis Defusal proposal.
  
• Fixed an issue where the event "Propaganda Machine" wasn't triggered when meeting the requirements.
  
• Fixed an issue where players couldn't buy ressources through world map on the turn you signed a trade treaty.
  
• Fixed an issue where the tooltip for non-district tiles claimed to have +1 vision.
  
• Fixed an issue where "Under One Banner" displayed an incorrect duration.
  
• Fixed an issue where grievances were triggered because of stopped trade agreement after vassalage is enforced.
  
• Fixed an issue where the narrative event “An Envious eye” was triggered incorrectly for players first in fame.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Neolithic Legacy Trait Narrative Event did not trigger if the Knowledge star is earned on Turn 1.
  
• Fixed an issue where Unit industry cost reduction structures show no gains in Infrastructure Effects.
  
• Made the message that appears when attempting to use a missile on units that are in a battle between other empires clearer.
  
• Fixed an issue where false information was displayed when attempting to break a treaty after recently signing one.
  
• Fixed an issue where the help layer UI button could get misaligned with the rest of the UI.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Latin America DLC Culture "Caralans" showed up as "Norte Chico" in the Polish language.
  
• Enacting the "Public Happiness" Civic choice in the "Fundamental Values" now correctly reduces the production cost of emblematic districts that "count as" Public Order districts.

METTERNINCH AND TOGETHER WE RULE BETA FIXES (THANKS! AGAIN!)

• Fixed an issue where the Terra incognita stayed undiscovered during battles.
  
• Fixed an issue where the UI could disappear and potentially crash the game.
  
• Fixed an issue where an incorrect FIMS preview for Commons Quarter appeared when placing it next to most base quarters.
  
• Fixed an issue where demanded territories could not be obtained with war resolution.
  
• Fixed an issue where on rare occasions, the game could crash when exiting Diplomacy Screen.
  
• Fixed an issue where players could encounter a large number of unexpected notifications.
  
• Fixed an issue where Spymasters did not cost population.
  
• Fixed an issue where the game could become stuck if an embassy was lost before an agreement is signed.
  
• Fixed an issue where the game could crash when switching tabs in Diplomacy Screen.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Spy, Spymaster, and Envoy Units did not get a bonus for attacking from high ground.
  
• Fixed an issue where Expansion pack name was wrong.

In the past weeks we have been revealing all the different elements and additions that will change with Together We Rule, like the Embassies, Agents or the Congress. Alongside the expansion, a new patch will arrive, Metternich Update, which will be free to everyone.

With only one week left before the launch, we thought, what if you could start trying the elements of the new patch? We are super glad to announce a Beta that will start today (4th of November) and will remain active until the 8th of November.  

As we wanted to keep it short, here are the main changes that will arrive with the Metternich Update that you will be able to try on this Preview version.

• Stealth Rework: Stealth units will now be discovered gradually over time instead of instantly
• Changes to Independent People: Independent People will offer more varied treaties and should survive longer  
• Third Party Reinforcements: You can give control of your units to an ally to reinforce them in battle

How to access this Beta

1. Go to Steam Library > Right Click on Humankind
2. Click on Properties > Betas
3.  Select "metternich_beta"

We’ve already had a closed beta and made many improvements based on it, but now we want to give all of you a chance to share your feedback. As you can imagine, with less than a week to release, we won’t be able to address a lot of changes from all your feedback, but it will be super important for future updates after release. 

Before we finish, let’s do a small FAQ

• Can I keep playing my game after the end of the beta and the release of the patch?
  Yes, any game during this preview will be compatible after the release of the patch. If you are on the base game I will recomend to start a new game, to avoid any kind of problems, as there are quite a few changes.
• Dates Reminder
  From 4th of November to 8th of November 
• Can I play on Epic Store?
  No, it is only available on Steam (Windows and Mac)

We have included on G2G the list of Known Issues as well. 

Enjoy the beta ^-^ 

You've built your embassy and gathered your leverage, now it's time to prove yourself on the stage of international diplomacy. Will the world be united by common laws and a shared ideology, or will you exploit the power of the Congress to resolve conflicts without bloodshed... in your favor, preferably. 



Together We Rule: Congress Of Humankind 

The Congress of Humankind will help to reshape the political and diplomatic landscape in the late game and may even become involved in conflicts between two empires. Founded at the earliest in the Early Modern Era, when one empire has built an embassy and met all other empires, the Congress can vote on international laws, promote global doctrines, and arbitrate Crises. 

Each session, one empire chooses one of their unlocked global civics (marked on the civics screen with a different icon) to be voted on. For the next few turns, each empire can cast their vote for either option of the civic. These votes are weighted by the empire's Sway, a measure of their diplomatic power determined by their total leverage against other empires and bolstered by Independent People they have as a client state. In a pinch, you can also spend some of your leverage to bribe other empires, boosting your current vote at the expense of future voting power. Once a law is passed, every empire will receive a special osmosis event, allowing them to enact the winning choice for free or reject it by paying influence. 


With some obvious exceptions like international trading or nuclear disarmament, why would you care how other leaders run their empires? This is where the Doctrines come into play. Any empire can spend influence to promote an ideology axis. If an axis gets promoted enough, its Doctrine effects will be unlocked, powerful bonuses based on the average ideology of all powers in the world (including independent people). The end of one axis might give you access to free strategic resources, while another axis might make it impossible for your cities to enter rebellion. But don't count on these bonuses too much for your long-term plans, as they will be lost and possibly replaced with other bonuses if the average ideology shifts. 


Of course, even if all empires agreed on all ideologies, trouble might still arise. Luckily, the Congress of Humankind can help arbitrate such conflicts: If the Congress has been founded, any crisis between empires can be escalated into an international crisis, in which each empire can back either of the involved parties, much like when voting on civics. Once the crisis vote is resolved, the loser will immediately be forced to give up their demands and accept those of their enemy, or go to war over them. 




Metternich Update: Independent People 

Between their impact on the global ideologies and their potential to contribute sway to any empire, Independent People are an important part of the Congress of Humankind, but we have also worked to give them a greater role in the base game, changing both the benefits of patronage and how to gain it. 

In the new system, patronage still builds slowly over time, but rather than growing in parallel to unlock benefits at fixed, absolute thresholds, you now gain access to various treaties based on your share of the total patronage contributed by all empires. At each threshold, you can sign only one of the treaties at a time, so for example you may be forced to choose between buying their resources or hiring their armies, and while some of the treaties will be familiar, others will be new. 

Perhaps the most notable of the new treaties is the ability to turn an Independent People into a Client State, allowing you to continue to benefit from the other treaties while preventing other empires from taking over your patronage. Not that this is particularly easy now that bribing and praising are limited per turn investments and deep pockets no longer instantly buy you the keys to the city... 



That's it for the last of our spotlights on the features of Together We Rule and the Metternich Update. We hope you're looking forward to it, and can't wait to hear your stories of how you shaped the politics of the world!

Diplomacy is critical to the success of your empire, but not all deals are above board. Sometimes a little subterfuge goes a long way where open negotiations have failed. Sometimes, your best course of action is to undermine your opponent in secret or lure them into a trap. With the new Agents and reworked stealth system, you can do just that. 



Together We Rule: Agents 

Agents are a new type of unit you can use to perform various non-combat tasks. Unlike other units, there is a limit to how many Agents you can employ in your empire at a time, scaling with the number of players. You can't just overwhelm your enemy with a swarm of spies and have to apply them carefully. There are two types of Agents, the diplomatic Envoys and the devious Spies and Spymasters, who all count against the same limit. 


Before we look at what a little espionage can offer you, let's briefly talk about Envoys, as they will be the first agents available to you in the Ancient era. Thanks to their diplomatic abilities, they can enter any territory regardless of border status, and they even move faster on roads. This makes them a great tool for exploring enemy territory or collecting Leverage. 

What's Leverage? It's a new resource you can use to put pressure on other empires through Embassy actions and the Congress of Humankind. Your primary source of leverage will be special curiosities that spawn when and where a grievance is triggered, and which can be collected only by your Agents (unless you are playing a Diplomat culture). 

If there's no leverage to collect, you can instead send your Envoys to an Independent People to slowly improve your relationship with them. We'll go into more detail about how Patronage and the Congress work now next week. 


If you can't afford to be seen snooping around, the Spies and Spymasters are your best friends. Available in the Medieval and Early Modern era, these Agents have stealth and access to several actions to hurt your enemy without revealing themselves. These range from tracking the movement of enemy armies, to disrupting districts or stealing valuable resources. Here's what you can do with Spies and Spymasters. 

• Watch a City: Get detailed information about the city and its production while the agent remains in it 
• Track an Army: Keep vision of the tracked army for a few turns 
• Siphon a District: Transfer some of the resources (Luxury, Strategic, or FIMSI yields) produced by the district to your capital 
• Undermine an Army (Spymaster only): Applies a combat strength penalty to the enemy army for several turns 
• Disrupt a District (Spymaster only): Disable the targeted district for several turns 
• Manipulate a City (Spymaster only, requires Military Coordination): Apply a penalty to the city and spawn rebel armies or trigger osmosis events in your favor 
• Create a Decoy Army (Spymaster only, requires Military Coordination): Creates a temporary immovable decoy army based on your strongest army 

Metternich Update: Stealth Rework 

How do these agents stay hidden, though? And what about older stealth units like the Saboteur and the Commandos? 

We know that the old stealth system was rather volatile and difficult to understand. In the new system, stealth will deplete slowly until your units are revealed, rather than revealing them all of a sudden if you stepped on the wrong tile. Additionally, the new system is based on territories instead of individual sight lines, making it easier for you to move around, or to improve your counterespionage. 

How long your armies can remain hidden depends on the detection rating of the territory they are in. Armies, districts, and squadrons of planes can contribute to this detection rating, but in each category only the highest value in the territory is added to the total. More or bigger armies won't make it easier to catch spies unless you add the right units. This detection rating reduces the stealth value of every army in the territory every turn, until they are revealed at 0 remaining stealth value. 

The maximum stealth value of an army depends on the lowest stealth value among units in it, and since your main combat units are not trained to conceal their positions, most units have a stealth rating of 0. Armies are just not a great way to infiltrate enemy cities. 

If most units break your ability to stay hidden, where does that leave stealthy combatants? Simple: Lying in ambush. An army walking into the same tile as a hidden army will trigger an ambush battle. In this battle, the hidden army counts as the attacker and receives a massive combat strength bonus on the first turn, while the defender cannot bring any reinforcements. Of course, your cover will be blown and you may need to fall back to a safer position to re-establish your stealth. 




We're sure many of you are already plotting how to put Agents and the new stealth system to good use. Come back next week to hear more about the Congress of Humankind and the improved interactions with Independent People. 

As we all wait for the release of Together We Rule early next month, why not while away some time with another scenario? One a little less... daunting than the last one. We’re going for something short and sweet this time, a quick game on a small map. If you put your mind to it, you can probably finish it in a single sitting!

Speaking of the last scenario, Against the Odds, we’ve decided to extend the leaderboard submission window until the release of Together We Rule on November 9th, so more people will have a chance to submit their results. Submissions for the new scenario will also close on November 9th, to avoid mixing scores achieved with two different sets of features, though the save should remain compatible for casual play.
Find all the info and the save below.


The Space Race Scenario Challenge  

This world isn’t big enough for two... No, seriously, have you looked at the map? It’s a tiny map at only 40% land mass. It’s pretty cramped here. So let’s get off this rock! I hear Mars is nice this time of year... Just be careful you don’t ruin the world first.





How to play the scenario:  

1. Download the save Space Race Scenario
2. Place the save in "/Documents/Humankind/Save Files"
3. Load the save labeled "Scenario-SpaceRace" in game
4. (Optional) If you want to submit a score to the leaderboard, check this post in the contest section

Scenario Conditions  

• Victory Condition: Most Fame at game end
• End Condition: Mars Conquered
• Game Conditions: Nation difficulty, Blitz game speed
• Game version: V1.0.15.2767-S10, no mods
• Leaderboard Submission Deadline: November 9th
• Leaderboard Ranking: Fastest Victory, tiebreaker by Fame

Please note: While leaderboard entries will be ranked by how quickly they achieve victory (faster is better), they still need to be considered the winner of their game, i.e. have more Fame than the AI opponent. Though we suspect on Nation difficulty, this will not be a problem for most players interested in the leaderboards.


Have fun escaping the confines of this tiny map and going to space!

Together We Rule releases early next month, so it's time for us to talk in a bit more detail about the features. But there's a lot to cover: Embassies, Agents, and the Congress of Humankind, but also third party reinforcements, the new stealth system, and the improved independent people. So we'll be spreading this closer look across multiple posts over the next few weeks, and this week, we'll start with some cooperation and some conflict.


Together We Rule: Embassies, Agreements, and Leverage

In Together We Rule, Embassies will open new ways to conduct diplomacy with other empires. 
Once you have met at least one other player, you will be able to construct an Embassy district in one of your cities to receive their delegations and house your own. Don't worry, you'll only need one of these, no matter how many other players you're dealing with.





This will give you access to the new Embassy tab in the diplomacy screen which will give you access to new diplomatic interactions. If both you and the other player control an embassy, you can sign cooperative Agreements between your empires. For example, you can sign an Arms Deal that allows you to train the other empire's Emblematic unit, at some additional money cost paid to the other empire. Or you could sign a Scientific Correspondence Agreement, giving each a discount on technologies already researched by the other empire. Here's an overview of the Agreements you can expect: 

• Scientific Correspondence: Each empire gets a discount on technologies already researched by the other empire. 
• Arms Deal: Each empire can build the Emblematic Units of the other, for an additional cost in Money. 
• Monumental Contractors: Each empire can contribute to the Cultural Wonders of the other empire, gaining their choice of Money, Influence, or Leverage based on their contribution. 
• Diplomatic Cooperation: Some of the leverage collected by each empire is shared with the other. 
• Refugee Agreement: When either empire loses population, the other receives a Food and Industry bonus on their capital. 

Even if the other empire doesn't have an embassy of their own, you'll have some options at your disposal in the embassy screen to impose your will on them by using Leverage. You could Placate them to lower their war support when trouble is brewing with your neighbors, but maybe you are tired of them playing the waiting game and would rather force them to respond to your demands. As the game progresses, you will unlock more advanced ways to put pressure on other empires. Here's what you can impose on other empires: 

• Placate: Lower the other empire's war support. 
• Expel Military Forces: Temporarily restrict the other empire's access to your territory while maintaining the Open Borders treaty. 
• Diplomatic Ultimatum: Force the other empire to accept or refuse your outstanding demands this turn. 
• Expose Undercover Assets: Mark the current location of every hidden army the other empire has in your territory with a map pin. 
• Apply Economic Sanctions: Apply an empire-wide penalty to Industry and Money to the other empire. 

So, you need leverage to “convince” the other empire, but what is leverage and how do you get it? It's a new resource that represents various means of pressuring others into agreeing with you, from dirty secrets to favors owed. You Agents will be crucial to collecting this leverage, so we will tell you more about it next time. 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1833990/HUMANKIND__Together_We_Rule_Expansion_Pack/


Metternich Update: Third Party Reinforcements

Signing an Arms Deal to let your ally train your powerful emblematic unit (and making some cash in the process) is nice, but sometimes you need to immediately come to their aid to save them. That's here the new third party reinforcements in the Metternich update come in handy. 

If you are allied to one party in a battle, you will now be able to move your armies into the battlefield to add them to the fight. Once there, they can join the battle like any other reinforcement army. But too many generals would cause confusion, so as your units join the battle, control of them will be handed over to your ally to use them like their own units. 

What if you want to intervene in a battle where you are allied to both sides and “shift your allegiance”? We're afraid both parties would consider that unsportsmanlike, so you'll have to formally dissolve one of your alliances first. No equal opportunity attacks or mid-battle betrayals. 




That's all for this week. Next week, we'll be looking at the new Agents and the reworked stealth system, so come back then if you are feeling sneaky! 

The release of “Together We Rule” is approaching quickly, and we know you’ve been eager to learn more about the first expansion for HUMANKIND™, so we’ve prepared a short overview video for you. But before we get into that, we have some other news to share:



From now until Monday, HUMANKIND™ is free to play! If you weren’t sure if this game is for you, or you just wanted to get some friends to try it, now is the perfect opportunity. More than that, Humankind is also on sale until Wednesday, and so are the DLCs and our other games, so this is a great time to round out your collection.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1124300/HUMANKIND/

Now, let’s not keep you waiting any longer. If you want to know more about Agents, Embassies, and the Congress of Humankind, check out the gameplay overview video:



Liked what you see? Together We Rule will release November 9th, and you can already pre-order Together We Rule.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1833990/HUMANKIND__Together_We_Rule_Expansion_Pack/

But we have even more coming, as we’ve been working on the Metternich update to be released alongside the expansion. In this update you will be able to briefly give control of your units to an ally to reinforce them, ambush your enemies with the improved stealth system, and form stronger bonds with Independent People.

If you want to know more about the features of the update and the expansion, stay tuned for more news in the coming weeks and tune in to our streams on Twitch.



See you next week for a closer look at Embassies and allied reinforcements!

The 100 Years War challenge ended just last week, and it’s already time for the next one. With this challenge we are moving away from the historical inspiration of the previous challenge, to instead face you off against some hopefully truly challenging opposition. 

Don’t worry though if you preferred the history-themed bend and handcrafted map of the 100 Years War scenario: Though submissions to the leaderboard are closed, the 100 Years War scenario will remain accessible through the Play section of the main menu while we work on an improved scenario interface. In the meantime, new scenarios will not be integrated in the menu, and will instead be shared as a save, as we did with the first scenario. You’ll find the save as well as instructions on how to use it below and in the contests section. 

 

The Against the Odds Scenario Challenge 

Everybody loves a good underdog story, right? We hope you do, as you will be playing that role in this scenario. As in any game of Humankind, you find yourself as the head of a small neolithic tribe, but your neighbors have already advanced into the Ancient era, and rumors abound of even more advanced peoples across the sea. Can you catch up to them in fame and power and bring the world under your rule? 

 

How to play the scenario: 

1. Download the save  https://medias.games2gether.com/forums/the-cat-o-nine-tales/Against_The_Odds_Scenario.ctr
2. Place the save in "/Documents/Humankind/Save Files"
3. Load the save labeled "Against the Odds Scenario" in game 
4. (Optional) If you want to submit a score to the leaderboard, check this post in the contest section

 
Scenario Conditions 

• Victory Condition: Most Fame at game end 
• End Condition: Last Human Standing (Eliminate or Vassalize all other Empires)  
• Game Conditions: Humankind difficulty, Normal game speed 
• Game version: V1.0.15.2767-S10, no mods 
• Leaderboard Submission Deadline: October 18th 
• Leaderboard Ranking: Fastest Victory, tiebreaker by Fame 

 
Please note: While leaderboard entries will be ranked by how quickly they achieve victory (faster is better), they need to be independent at the end of the game and leading in Fame to be eligible for the leaderboard. For details on how to submit your scores, see the related thread. 

 

Have fun fighting your way to the top! 

Many players have told us that they see great potential in Humankind, that the game offers a great foundation to add not just more content but new systems to explore aspects like diplomacy or religion in greater depth. We're happy to announce that we've been working on Together We Rule, the first expansion for Humankind! Aiming to expand your diplomatic gameplay, this expansion will include: 

• Agents: A new class of units that can serve as diplomats or hidden agents; they can act on enemy cities or collect... 
• Leverage: A new resource that can be used for various diplomatic actions 
• Embassies: Form stronger ties with other empires and access cooperative treaties, like mutual access to Emblematic Units 
• Congress of Humankind: Vote on globally enacted laws and resolve conflicts through diplomatic pressure 
• New Cultures and Affinity: Sumerians, Han, Bulgarians, Swiss, Scots, and Singaporeans, sharing the new Diplomatic Affinity 
• New Content: Natural Wonders, Cultural Wonders, and Narrative Events 

Together We Rule will be released in Fall 2022, and will be accompanied by a free Update to the base game including the following main features: 

• Third party Reinforcements: Lend control of your armies to an ally for a battle 
• Reworked Stealth System: Based on depleting a “reserve” of stealth rather than a binary yes/no check 
• Improved Independent People: Stronger competition for patronage and more detailed treaties 

We'll be talking in greater detail about the features of the Update and the Together We Rule expansion in the coming weeks, so stay tuned if you want to learn more!