Humankind sets sights on diplomacy and espionage in first big expansion Together We Rule
Arriving this autumn.
Developer Amplitude Studios has unveiled Together We Rule, the first major expansion for its historical 4X strategy game Humankind - one that'll bring new diplomacy and espionage focused additions when it launches some time this autumn.
"In Humankind," Amplitude explains in its announcement," we’ve always wanted there to be more ways to win than simple military domination. And while the game’s unified victory condition, Fame, was a first step towards that, we’re now ready to take things much further".
To that end, Together We Rule (which follows several smaller culture-focused DLC packs) will introduce new features - including the Congress of Humankind, Embassies, and Agents - that are intended to "help players see the world in a new light and resolve conflicts differently".
Breaking those down a little further, the Congress of Humankind will give players the opportunity to vote and decide on global doctrines and arbitrate international conflicts together, while the new Embassy Quarter can be used to sign mutually beneficial agreements with other empires, introducing the likes of joint training or research agreements.
Alternatively, Embassies can be used to force an empire to take a specific actions that benefits you by spending Leverage - a special currency generated by the new Agent units that can be spent to infiltrate, sabotage, and disinform other empires.
Elsewhere, Together We Rule introduces a new Diplomatic Affinity. All cultures able to utilise this - seemingly the expansion's six new cultures, the Sumerians, Han Chinese, Bulgarians, Swiss, Scots, and Singaporeans - will be able to demilitarise a territory for 10 turns as their Active Ability, and get all units (not just Agents) to collect Leverage as their Passive Ability.
Alongside all this, Together We Rule adds new music, new narrative events, and six new wonders: Monument Valley, Pamukkale, Chocolate Hills, Eldgjá, Palace of Versailles, and the Congress of Humankind Headquarters.
Together We Rule will launch alongside a free update for all players when it arrives this autumn, introducing new stealth mechanics, revamped independent peoples, the ability to allow for third-party battle re-enforcements, plus new UI options and improvements.