I want to get Alex the AI out of the way: Has Alex ever done anything relevant in your games but grin?

I’ve seen Mongolia try and nearly succeed in conquering a whole continent. The other AI warmongers don’t stack up, especially Alex.

Macedon is like a proto-Babylon, except thru conquest. You fight to progress, preparing to fight helps you progress, but there’s not much that gets you there but sheer luck.

A lot of Civs are Set-up or Early rush warmongers. Macedon is weirdly in the middle.

Early Rush civs churn out that early army and devastate their neighbors before Walls and/or Crossbowman.

Set-up Civs focus on getting strong cities (Science, Religion, or whatever is required). Once they do, they have powerful units that counter the previous road blocks. Walls? No problem. Ranged units? No problem? Not on the same level or ahead enough for military—no problem, since you have strength and tactics.

Macedon hits earlier but might have a weird approach on higher difficulty levels. I played them on a lower one and will play today on a higher one, but one a lower one—it’s easy to outpace the AI and use your might when they are behind.

I guess I’d think to play them as setting up a strong commercial and production base—use the cav to delete the enemy army and pillage, march the meat shields up in great numbers to conquest. With Heroes, this is a neat touch, since they are like super units.

As for the rest of the abilities, it works. It’s completely synergetic. Fight endless war. Honestly, there’s little reason to not go domination.