Spawn, bot-rush & early expansion

Learning objectives:

• Terrain reading at spawn: plains/grassland (green/yellow) expands faster than mountains (white) prioritise them
• Nation density: spawn near many Nations to maximise early city captures and snowball
• Player avoidance: fewer neighbours = more room to grow; identify 2-3 good per-map spots in advance
• Use spawn immunity to claim as much neutral land as possible before contact
• Ratio during bot phase: start at 30–40%, click when troop gain turns orange (declining rate)
• Use 1% boats if you’re in a river-dense area increases landmass potential
• Bot attack pattern: attack with roughly double their troop count to guarantee conquest and capture their gold
• Encirclement > direct assault: surround a bot to annexe it instantly with zero troop loss
• Attack bots already fighting others they’re weakened and easier to absorb
• Use early boats for ocean connection opens new landmass and trade access
• Block off enemy players with expansion routes to limit their total land share