Okay, I've suspected this for a while but this confirms it. Turn 15, normal difficulty, epic speed - I run into Carrodus. He is level 2. He has 5 level up traits including 3 way-of paths. He also has 3 pieces of leather armour. I've been flat-out researching (with Inspiration and max growth) and have only got half-way to my first tech.
Normal says nothing about giving ridiculous bonuses to AI factions. This sort of thing drives me crazy.
So bug or by design?
