Best and worst "True Auriga" starting positions?

[Ixal]

So with the official Auriga map and starting locations being released who do you think got the best and worst position?

I only tried out the Drakken slot (slot 6) so far and it is, peculiar. A island with lots of research and ruins, 1xtitan, 2xglass and several luxuries and a silics village. Sounds great but as an Island there is no real expansion potential till later and the start is slow because of a lack of food and production.

[Matthew]

The map is not even remotely balanced. Which is fine, it wasn't the point, and it is still cool it was added to the game.

Roving Clans gets half the map and the best regions for free. On one vaulter attempt, Roving Clans was pushing victory at T110. Not just one victory. They were closing in on both dust and science.

As for worst, that is basically a tie for all the rest.

I tried Vaulters a few times and it is painful. Complete arctic regions and no production. Your tech remains okay, because arctic and Vaulters. But everything takes sooo long to produce. Your entire game feels like it is 30 turns behind where it should be.

I didn't try playing as BL yet, but when conquering their region they seemed to be okay.

I eventually won by just going Wild Walkers and pushing into Roving Clans with 5 range archers. Since everyone else's starting region is garbage, it gives you a ton more time to win once Roving Clans is out. I had set up a monstrous city for a quest/wonder victory but ended up going for expansion victory.

[Ixal]

For comparison here the starting locations.

1. Cultists
https://i.imgur.com/uhGWv3y.jpg

2. Necrophages/Kapaku
https://i.imgur.com/KBLF7VI.jpg

3. Roving Clans
https://i.imgur.com/szjPL5r.jpg

4. Broken Lords/Mykara
https://i.imgur.com/I9ICu6t.jpg

5. Vaulter/Forgotten
https://i.imgur.com/6GMOLPV.jpg

6. Drakken
https://i.imgur.com/cGGLH5u.jpg

7. Ardent Mages/Morgawr
https://i.imgur.com/TYNrGxL.jpg

8. Wild Walkers/Allayi
https://i.imgur.com/hcmZZYV.jpg

[utilityguy]

This is the map that convinces me 100% that Humankind deals with separated land regions the best.

I like Diplomatic Dragons, so I tried making the Drakken start work. But it is basically a one region challenge, in a region with little food by the way, up until you unlock sea fairing and can start settling nearby regions. But, by then, high difficulty A.I are already way ahead of you and you'd have to already have been rushing science in order to have a chance at colonizing regions. I highly recommend going for a cultist hero while playing as Drakken.

Really, though, the Drakken region can theoretically be split into 3 even small regions if you wanna balance the map. But I was mainly interested in exploring Auriga and imagining how the diplomatic soft power of the world would work out with how each nation seems to have a starting region with very specific luxuries. Like, Drakken have all the gold lol.

[Scheneighnay]

Originally posted by Ixal:

For comparison here the starting locations.

1. Cultists
https://i.imgur.com/uhGWv3y.jpg

2. Necrophages/Kapaku
https://i.imgur.com/KBLF7VI.jpg

3. Roving Clans
https://i.imgur.com/szjPL5r.jpg

4. Broken Lords/Mykara
https://i.imgur.com/I9ICu6t.jpg

5. Vaulter/Forgotten
https://i.imgur.com/6GMOLPV.jpg

6. Drakken
https://i.imgur.com/cGGLH5u.jpg

7. Ardent Mages/Morgawr
https://i.imgur.com/TYNrGxL.jpg

8. Wild Walkers/Allayi
https://i.imgur.com/hcmZZYV.jpg

I got the cultist starting position as Morgawr for some reason. I was wondering if true start isn't working because that was after I started as cultists in the exact same position.

[utilityguy]

https://steamcommunity.com/app/289130/discussions/0/3151934575294995432/

True start locations require the empire to be in the correct player slot. All slots for the Auriga map are set locaitons, not random.

[The-Cat-o-Nine-Tales]

As the game handles only up to 8 starting locations, all the DLC factions only have "approximate" TSL where they replace a vanilla faction. The Morgawr would replace the Ardent Mages, but I think a true TSL wouldn't even be possible for the Morgawr, as from what I recall they'd have to start in an ocean region.

[Dracorider]

excuse my necroposting but I just played on official map

Drakken can become unbeatable once you block the coastlines. As single city challenge, you can rush one of the pacifist victory conditions. safest play in higher difficulties if you ask me.

Cultist also has the advantage of having a Kazanji village to the west (and a haunt south of it) so despite not having good food early on for a fast city expansion, once you assimilate it and make a full stack of Daemon, you can delete Necrophage and have the island for yourself and go bonkers on others too. Only issue is your faction quest is going to force you to attack overseas so any smart player will ready those fireships or block their coastlines to stop you. Still, science victory is possible.