The difficulty level is a game setting in Civilization V that allows players to compete against AI opponents matched to their skills and desire for challenge. The game classifies Prince as the default setting: giving neither the player nor the AI any significant advantage. In order from lowest to highest, the difficulty levels are as follows:
- Settler
- Chieftain
- Warlord
- Prince
- King
- Emperor
- Immortal
- Deity
Since the computer players are not controlled by advanced AI (i.e., cannot learn from and react to the player's strategies by changing their own accordingly), but instead behave based on a very long list of if-then statements, the game makes the AI leaders more challenging opponents by giving them advantages on higher difficulty levels. The bonuses conferred to both human and AI players on each difficulty level are listed in the tables below.
All of the information presented here comes from an info page on CivFanatics and the game's XML files.[1]
Vanilla and Gods & Kings[]
Player bonuses[]
Players receive gameplay bonuses that diminish as the chosen difficulty level increases. The AI plays on Chieftain difficulty and receives all of the appropriate bonuses.
| Element | Settler | Chieftain | Warlord | Prince | King | Emperor | Immortal | Deity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Start Points* | 150% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 90% | 85% | 80% | 75% |
| Base Happiness | 15 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Extra Happiness Per Luxury | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unhappiness Per City | 40% | 60% | 75% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Unhappiness Per Population | 40% | 60% | 75% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Production Free Units | 10 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Production Free Units Per City | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Route Cost | 34% | 50% | 75% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Unit Cost | 50% | 67% | 85% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Building Cost | 50% | 67% | 85% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Research Cost | 90% | 95% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Policy Cost | 50% | 67% | 85% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| City Production Num Options Considered | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Tech Num Options Considered | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Policy Num Options Considered | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Attitude Change* | 2 | 1 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| No Tech Trade Modifier* | 100% | 90% | 80% | 70% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% |
| Tech Trade Known Modifier* | -100% | -50% | -25% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Barb Camp Gold | 50 | 40 | 30 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Barb Spawn Mod | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Barbarian Bonus | 75 | 50 | 40 | 33 | 25 | 20 | 10 | 0 |
| Turn Barbarians Can Enter Player Land | 10,000 | 60 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Barbarian Land Target Range | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Barbarian Sea Target Range | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 |
* This element is either a holdover from Civilization IV or is never used in the code, so it has no effect on gameplay.
AI bonuses[]
The player's chosen difficulty level also affects the AI leaders. The gameplay bonuses they receive from Chieftain difficulty are cumulative with the bonuses below, so if the player chooses Deity difficulty, the AI will receive 60% of 60% (or 36%) of the normal 
Unhappiness from its cities and population.
| Element | Settler | Chieftain | Warlord | Prince | King | Emperor | Immortal | Deity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Techs | None | None | None | None | Pottery | Pottery, Animal Husbandry | Pottery, Animal Husbandry, Mining | Pottery, Animal Husbandry, Mining, The Wheel |
| Barbarian Bonus | 45% | 50% | 55% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 60% |
| Starting Settler Bonus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Starting Defense Units | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Starting Worker Units | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Starting Explore Units | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Declare War Probability | 0% | 75% | 85% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Work Rate Bonus | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 20% | 50% | 75% | 100% |
| Unhappiness | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 90% | 85% | 75% | 60% |
| Growth Rate1 | 160% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 90% | 85% | 75% | 60% |
| Train Rate2 | 175% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 85% | 80% | 65% | 50% |
| World Train Rate | 160% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Construction Rate3 | 160% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 85% | 80% | 65% | 50% |
| World Construction Rate4 | 160% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Create Rate5 | 160% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 85% | 80% | 65% | 50% |
| World Create Rate6 | 160% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Building Cost7 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 85% | 80% | 65% | 50% |
| Unit Cost8 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 85% | 80% | 75% | 65% | 50% |
| Unit Supply | 0% | 0% | 10% | 20% | 30% | 30% | 40% | 50% |
| Per Era Modifier | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -3 | -4 | -5 |
| Advanced Start Points* | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 120% | 135% | 150% | 170% |
1 This element applies to the amount of 
Food that cities must store to increase their 
Population.
2 This element applies to the 
Production and 
Faith costs of units.
3 This element applies to the Production costs of buildings.
4 This element applies to the Production costs of wonders.
5 This element applies to the Production costs of national projects, such as the Manhattan Project.
6 This element applies to the amount of Production that must be contributed to complete international projects, such as the World's Fair.
7 This element applies to the 
Gold maintenance costs of buildings.
8 This element applies to the Gold maintenance costs of units.
* This element is either a holdover from Civilization IV or is never used in the code, so it has no effect on gameplay.
Brave New World[]
Player bonuses[]
Players receive gameplay bonuses that diminish as the chosen difficulty level increases. The AI plays on a special difficulty level (as detailed under "AI" in the table below) and receives all of the appropriate bonuses.
| Element | Settler | Chieftain | Warlord | Prince | King | Emperor | Immortal | Deity | AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Start Points* | 150% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 90% | 85% | 80% | 75% | 100% |
| Base Happiness | 15 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 15 |
| Extra Happiness Per Luxury | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unhappiness Per City | 40% | 60% | 75% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 90% |
| Unhappiness Per Population | 40% | 60% | 75% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 90% |
| Production Free Units | 10 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| Production Free Units Per City | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Route Cost | 34% | 50% | 75% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% |
| Unit Cost | 50% | 67% | 85% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 75% |
| Building Cost | 50% | 67% | 85% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 75% |
| Research Cost | 90% | 95% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 85% |
| Policy Cost | 50% | 67% | 85% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 75% |
| City Production Num Options Considered | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Tech Num Options Considered | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Policy Num Options Considered | 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Attitude Change* | 2 | 1 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| No Tech Trade Modifier* | 100% | 90% | 80% | 70% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 70% |
| Tech Trade Known Modifier* | -100% | -50% | -25% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Barb Camp Gold | 50 | 40 | 30 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Barb Spawn Mod | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Barbarian Bonus | 70 | 60 | 50 | 40 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 0 | 40 |
| Turn Barbarians Can Enter Player Land | 10,000 | 60 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Barbarian Land Target Range | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 5 |
| Barbarian Sea Target Range | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 10 |
* This element is either a holdover from Civilization IV or is never used in the code, so it has no effect on gameplay.
AI bonuses[]
The player's chosen difficulty level also affects the AI leaders. The gameplay bonuses they receive from their special difficulty level are cumulative with the bonuses below, so if the player chooses Deity difficulty, the AI will receive 90% of 75% (or 67.5%) of the normal Unhappiness from its cities and population.
| Element | Settler | Chieftain | Warlord | Prince | King | Emperor | Immortal | Deity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Techs | None | None | None | None | Pottery | Pottery, Animal Husbandry, Mining | Pottery, Animal Husbandry, Mining, Archery | Pottery, Animal Husbandry, Mining, Archery, The Wheel |
| Barbarian Bonus | 75% | 70% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 60% |
| Starting Settler Bonus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Starting Defense Units | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Starting Worker Units | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Starting Explore Units | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Declare War Probability | 0% | 75% | 85% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Work Rate Bonus | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 20% | 50% | 75% | 100% |
| Unhappiness | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 90% | 85% | 75% |
| Growth Rate1 | 160% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 90% | 80% | 70% | 55% |
| Train Rate2 | 175% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 85% | 80% | 65% | 50% |
| World Train Rate | 160% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Construction Rate3 | 160% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 85% | 75% | 60% | 50% |
| World Construction Rate4 | 160% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Create Rate5 | 160% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 85% | 80% | 65% | 50% |
| World Create Rate6 | 160% | 130% | 110% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Building Cost7 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 85% | 80% | 65% | 50% |
| Unit Cost8 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 85% | 80% | 75% | 65% | 50% |
| Unit Supply | 0% | 0% | 10% | 20% | 30% | 30% | 40% | 50% |
| Per Era Modifier | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -3 | -4 | -5 |
| Advanced Start Points* | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 120% | 135% | 150% | 170% |
| Free XP9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 30 | 30 |
| Free XP Percent10 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 25% | 50% | 100% |
1 This element applies to the amount of Food that cities must store to increase their Population.
2 This element applies to the Production and Faith costs of units.
3 This element applies to the Production costs of buildings.
4 This element applies to the Production costs of wonders.
5 This element applies to the Production costs of national projects, such as the Manhattan Project.
6 This element applies to the amount of Production that must be contributed to complete international projects, such as the World's Fair.
7 This element applies to the Gold maintenance costs of buildings.
8 This element applies to the Gold maintenance costs of units.
9 This element applies to the starting XP of military units.
10 This element applies to the number of XP that military units earn from combat.
* This element is either a holdover from Civilization IV or is never used in the code, so it has no effect on gameplay.
References[]
See also[]
- Difficulty level in other games