In the realm of strategy gaming, few titles captivate the imagination and ignite the competitive spirit like Civilization VI. With its vast array of civilizations, each possessing unique strengths and weaknesses, the game offers a thrilling challenge to players seeking global domination. As the leader of your chosen civilization, you embark on an epic journey through the annals of history, guiding your people from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of progress. From the fertile plains of Mesopotamia to the bustling streets of modern metropolises, your decisions shape the destiny of your empire.
One of the most captivating aspects of Civilization VI is the variety of cities you can establish and develop. Each city serves as a vital hub for your civilization, providing resources, housing your population, and generating wealth. As you expand your empire, you’ll face the challenge of selecting the best locations for your cities, taking into account factors such as terrain, access to resources, and strategic importance. From the towering heights of mountain citadels to the bustling ports of coastal trading centers, the cities of Civilization VI offer a diverse array of options that cater to different playstyles and strategies.
Moreover, the placement and development of your cities have a profound impact on your civilization’s overall success. By carefully planning your city layouts, constructing strategic improvements, and managing your resources efficiently, you can maximize your empire’s potential and outmaneuver your opponents. With each new city you establish, you add another piece to the intricate puzzle that is your civilization, bringing you closer to achieving your ultimate goal of global dominance. Whether you choose to focus on scientific advancement, cultural supremacy, or military conquest, the cities you build will serve as the cornerstone of your empire and shape the legacy you leave behind.
The Optimal Number of Cities in Civ 6
The Optimal Number of Cities
The optimal number of cities in Civilization VI is greatly influenced by factors such as your playstyle, map type, and resource availability. However, there are some general guidelines that can help you determine an ideal starting point:
- Early Game (Ancient Era): Aim for 1-2 cities. Focus on establishing a strong foundation by securing essential resources and building infrastructure.
- Mid Game (Classical Era): Expand to 3-4 cities. Increase production and research capabilities while maintaining a balanced economy.
- Late Game (Medieval Era): Consider a larger number of cities (5-7). At this stage, aim to maximize yields, wonders, and strategic advantages.
The following table provides a breakdown of the optimal city count based on map size:
| Map Size | Optimal City Count |
|---|---|
| Tiny | 2-3 |
| Small | 3-4 |
| Standard | 4-6 |
| Large | 5-7 |
| Huge | 6-8 |
Maximizing City Placement Efficiency
Ideal Terrain Features for City Placement
Choosing advantageous terrain features is crucial for maximizing city productivity. Look for the following:
- Freshwater: Cities adjacent to rivers or lakes receive a +1 Population Growth bonus.
- Hills: Cities built on hills gain +2 Production, enhancing their development speed.
- Coastal Tiles: Coastal cities can build harbors for trade and naval units, boosting their economic and military capabilities.
- Luxury Resources: Strategically placing cities near luxury resources provides various bonuses, such as increased Happiness or Great Person point generation.
- Strategic Resources: Controlling strategic resources like Iron or Niter allows for the production of powerful units, giving cities an edge in combat.
Advanced City Placement Techniques
Beyond basic placement principles, consider the following advanced techniques:
1. District Adjacency Bonuses: Districts placed next to each other often provide adjacency bonuses. For instance, placing an Industrial Zone next to a Commercial Hub increases production, while a Holy Site next to a Campus enhances science and culture.
2. Enclave Strategy: Enclaves are pockets of your civilization surrounded by other civilizations. They can provide significant defensive advantages by forcing enemies to enter your territory from multiple directions. Placing cities in enclaves can also deny valuable territory to opponents.
<table>
<tr>
<th></th><th>Benefits</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>**District Adjacency Bonuses**</td><td>Increased yields and unique building options</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>**Enclave Strategy**</td><td>Enhanced defense, territory control</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>**Coastal Blockade**</td><td>Isolate enemies, control trade</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>**Mountain Pass Control**</td><td>Defensible choke points, strategic advantage</td>
</tr>
</table>
3. Coastal Blockade: Placing cities along a coastline can create a blockade that restricts enemy movements. This can isolate enemy cities and prevent trade, weakening their economy and military.
4. Mountain Pass Control: Cities located in mountain passes can act as choke points, funneling enemy armies into narrow defiles. This gives defenders a significant advantage in battle and allows them to control the flow of enemy troops.
Population Growth
Increasing your city’s population is essential for building a powerful economy and unlocking new technologies. There are several strategies you can use to boost population growth:
- Build housing: Houses and apartments provide shelter for your citizens, and each one can accommodate a certain number of people. Make sure you have enough housing to meet the needs of your growing population.
- Provide food: Your citizens need food to survive and grow. Build farms and fishing boats to produce food, and make sure you have enough markets to distribute it throughout your city.
- Reduce amenities: Amenities provide happiness to your citizens, but they can also slow down population growth. If you’re struggling to increase your population, try reducing the number of amenities in your city.
Production Growth
Production is essential for building new buildings, units, and wonders. You can increase your city’s production by:
- Build mines and quarries: Mines and quarries provide raw materials that can be used to produce goods.
- Build workshops and factories: Workshops and factories convert raw materials into finished goods.
- Assign citizens to production tiles: Citizens can be assigned to work on tiles that provide production yields.
Science and Culture Growth
Science and culture are essential for unlocking new technologies and civic policies. You can increase your city’s science and culture by:
- Build campuses and libraries: Campuses and libraries provide science and culture yields, and they can be upgraded to provide more yields over time.
- Assign citizens to science and culture tiles: Citizens can be assigned to work on tiles that provide science and culture yields.
- Complete great works of art and writing: Great works of art and writing provide science and culture yields, and they can be displayed in your city’s museums and libraries.
| Growth Strategy | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Population Growth | Increases the number of citizens in your city, which can boost your economy and unlock new technologies. |
| Production Growth | Increases the amount of production in your city, which allows you to build new buildings, units, and wonders. |
| Science and Culture Growth | Increases the amount of science and culture in your city, which allows you to unlock new technologies and civic policies. |
Balancing City Size and Production Output
In Civ 6, cities are the foundation of your empire. They provide you with resources, production, and culture. However, there is a trade-off between city size and production output. Larger cities produce more, but they also require more resources to maintain. Smaller cities are less efficient, but they are easier to defend and require fewer resources.
City Size and Production
The size of a city is determined by the number of citizens it has. Each citizen provides the city with 1 production. However, each citizen also consumes 2 food. This means that the larger your city, the more food it will need to maintain its population.
| City Size | Production per citizen | Food consumption per citizen |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | 1 | 2 |
As you can see from the table, the production output of a city does not increase linearly with its size. This is because each citizen consumes 2 food, which means that the larger your city, the more food it will need to maintain its population. This can make it difficult to grow large cities without a reliable source of food.
Interconnected Cities: The Benefits of Adjacency Bonuses
Adjacency bonuses are fundamental to efficient city planning in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI. They provide various advantages, ranging from production boosts to increased trade yields. To maximize your empire’s potential, it’s crucial to strategically plan your cities to take advantage of adjacency bonuses.
Settlements on Hills
Hills offer significant defensive and adjacency benefits. Building cities on hills grants them +2 Production adjacency from mines, a defense bonus against ranged attacks, and overlooking visibility over surrounding terrain.
Coastal Settlements
Coastal tiles are prime real estate for trade and food production. Cities on the coast gain +2 Gold adjacency from harbors, making them excellent hubs for international trade. Additionally, coastal cities can build fishing boats to extract food from adjacent water tiles.
River Settlements
Rivers provide vital benefits for cities. Cities adjacent to rivers gain +1 Production adjacency from farms, enhancing their agricultural output. Moreover, rivers facilitate faster unit movement, allowing troops to travel quickly to where they’re needed.
Unique District Adjacencies
Some districts offer unique adjacency bonuses. Campuses adjacent to mountains gain +2 Science adjacency, while Commercial Hubs adjacent to rivers gain +2 Gold adjacency. These bonuses make it advantageous to carefully plan the placement of districts in your cities.
National Parks and World Wonders
National Parks are improvements that provide significant tourism and amenity bonuses. They are best placed in areas with high appeal, such as mountains, forests, and coastal tiles. World Wonders can also offer powerful adjacency bonuses, such as the Pyramids, which grant +2 Production adjacency to all cities within six tiles.
The Importance of Districts in City Development
Districts are crucial elements in Civilization VI, allowing cities to specialize and maximize their potential. Each district provides unique bonuses, amenities, and strategic advantages that can significantly impact your empire’s growth and prosperity. Cities with well-planned district layouts are more efficient, productive, and resilient than those that lack focus.
Types of Districts
There are multiple types of districts in Civilization VI, each serving a specific purpose:
• Campus: Provides science and Great Scientist points.
• Commercial Hub: Generates gold and Great Merchant points, and provides trade routes.
• Harbor: Improves naval production, provides trade routes, and allows naval units to heal.
• Industrial Zone: Increases production, provides Great Engineer points, and unlocks heavy industry technologies.
• Holy Site: Generates faith and Great Prophet points, and provides religious bonuses.
• Theater Square: Increases culture and Great Writer points, and unlocks cultural wonders.
• Neighborhood: Provides housing, amenities, and building slots.
Adjacency Bonuses
Districts gain additional bonuses when placed adjacent to certain other districts or features. For example, a Campus adjacent to a Mountain provides extra science, while an Industrial Zone adjacent to a Mine provides extra production. It is important to consider these adjacency bonuses when planning city layouts.
Special Districts
Some civilizations have access to unique special districts that provide further advantages. For example, the Maya have the Observatory, which provides science bonuses and unlocks astronomy techs, while the Khmer have the Grand Plaza, which generates culture and faith and provides diplomatic bonuses.
District Placement and City Growth
The placement of districts within a city can influence its growth and development. Cities with evenly distributed districts tend to grow more balanced and sustainably. It is important to consider the following factors when placing districts:
• Water access for Harbors.
• Strategic resources for Industrial Zones.
• Bonus resources for Campuses and Holy Sites.
• River placement for potential Aqueducts.
• Existing city districts and adjacency bonuses.
Maximizing District Output
To maximize the output of your districts, consider the following tips:
• Build the right buildings within each district to enhance their bonuses.
• Use Great Engineers and Great Merchants to upgrade districts.
• Construct wonders that provide bonuses or enhance district adjacency.
• Enact policies that increase district yields.
• Choose civs with unique district bonuses that align with your strategy.
Specializing Cities for Maximum Yield
In the realm of Civilization VI, cities are the lifeblood of any empire. By carefully planning and specializing their cities, players can maximize their yields and gain a significant advantage in the race for victory.
Industry Hubs
Cities with high production potential are ideal for housing Industrial Zones. These districts provide significant production bonuses and can be further enhanced with adjacency bonuses from resources like mines and quarries.
Commercial Powerhouses
Trade routes are essential for economic prosperity, and commercial hubs are the cornerstone of trade networks. Cities with access to rivers or coastlines are prime candidates for developing commercial districts, which boost gold and production yields.
Science and Culture Capitals
Campuses and Theatre Squares are the heart of scientific and cultural advancement. Cities with a high concentration of these districts and Wonders like the Great Library can become powerful centers of knowledge and enlightenment.
Religious Centers
Holy Sites provide Faith, which is crucial for founding religions and converting other civilizations. Cities with access to natural wonders or religious resources are ideal for establishing holy sites and spreading religious influence.
Tourism Magnets
Cities with scenic national parks or other wonders can attract tourists from across the globe. Entertainment Complexes and Water Parks further boost tourism yields, making these cities a source of significant income.
Military Fortresses
Cities with strategic locations can be transformed into formidable military strongholds. Encampments and military academies provide production bonuses for units and can be further fortified with city walls and other defensive structures.
Specialized vs. Balanced Cities
While specialization can yield significant benefits, it’s important to strike a balance. Cities with a diverse range of districts and buildings can adapt to changing circumstances and provide resilience in the face of challenges.
| City Type | Specialization | Key Districts |
|---|---|---|
| Industry Hub | Production | Industrial Zone |
| Commercial Powerhouse | Trade | Commercial Hub |
| Science and Culture Capital | Knowledge | Campus, Theatre Square |
| Religious Center | Faith | Holy Site |
| Tourism Magnet | Culture | Entertainment Complex, Water Park |
| Military Fortress | Strength | Encampment, Military Academy |
| Balanced | Resilience | Diverse Districts, Buildings |
City Planning for Different Victory Types
Domination Victory
When aiming for domination victory, prioritize cities with strategic locations for military campaigns. Build cities with production bonuses to support unit creation, and ensure they have access to resources for maintenance.
Science Victory
For science victory, focus on cities with high science yields. Establish cities near mountains, rainforests, or wonders that provide science bonuses. Build districts such as Campuses and Research Labs to maximize scientific output.
Cultural Victory
Cultural victories require cities with high culture yields. Build cities near coastlines or mountains for tourism bonuses, and establish cities with unique landmarks or wonders that provide cultural boosts.
Religious Victory
Religious victories necessitate cities with high faith yields. Establish cities near natural wonders or holy sites that provide faith bonuses. Build districts such as Holy Sites and Religious Centers to spread your religion effectively.
Diplomatic Victory
For diplomatic victory, focus on cities with high gold yields. Build cities near luxuries or trade routes, and establish cities with harbors or commercial hubs to increase gold production.
Score Victory
Score victories require a balanced approach to all aspects of gameplay. Build cities that maximize production, science, culture, and faith yields. Focus on establishing cities near resources and developing infrastructure to boost your overall score.
City-State Suzerain Bonuses
When planning your cities, consider the Suzerain bonuses offered by nearby City-States. These bonuses can provide significant advantages, such as increased gold, production, or culture yields.
Unique Civilization Abilities
The abilities of your chosen civilization can influence your city planning strategy. For example, civilizations with unique district bonuses may prioritize building those districts in their cities.
| Victory Type | City Planning Priorities |
|---|---|
| Domination | Strategic location, production bonuses |
| Science | Science yields, access to mountains/rainforests/wonders |
| Cultural | Culture yields, tourism bonuses, unique landmarks/wonders |
| Religious | Faith yields, holy sites/natural wonders |
| Diplomatic | Gold yields, luxuries/trade routes |
| Score | Balanced approach to all yields |
| City-States | Suzerain bonuses |
| Unique Civilizations | Consideration of civilization-specific abilities |
Managing Amenities and Loyalty to Prevent Unrest
Maintaining a stable and prosperous empire in Civilization VI requires careful management of amenities and loyalty, as neglecting these aspects can lead to discontent and unrest within your cities.
Amenities
Amenities provide happiness to your citizens, and each city can support a maximum of 10 amenities. As your population grows, so does your demand for amenities. If a city lacks amenities, its citizens will become unhappy and less productive.
There are various ways to obtain amenities, including:
– Constructing Entertainment and Water Park districts
– Building improvements that provide amenities, such as the Zoo and the Circus Maximus
– Trading with other civilizations for luxury resources
– Capturing city-states that provide amenities as their suzerain bonus
Loyalty
Loyalty represents the citizens’ loyalty to your empire. A city with low loyalty is at risk of rebellion or secession. Loyalty is affected by several factors, including:
– Distance from the capital
– Proximity to enemy cities
– Presence of governors
– Policies and actions that boost loyalty
Ensuring high loyalty is crucial for maintaining control over your cities. To increase loyalty, consider:
– Building the Audience Chamber district
– Assigning governors to cities with low loyalty
– Adopting policies and wonders that provide loyalty bonuses
– Winning loyalty competitions against other civilizations
Preventing Unrest
By carefully managing amenities and loyalty, you can prevent unrest and ensure the stability and prosperity of your empire. Here are some additional tips for maintaining a harmonious population:
9. Place cities strategically to maximize loyalty and access to amenities. Choose locations that are far from enemy borders while also having access to luxury resources.
10. Prioritize the construction of amenities-generating districts and buildings in newly founded cities. This will help establish a solid foundation for happiness and loyalty early on.
11. Utilize governors wisely. Governors with the “Loyalty” promotion can significantly boost loyalty in cities they govern. Consider assigning these governors to cities that are at risk of rebellion or secession.
12. Keep an eye on loyalty levels and react swiftly to any declines. If a city’s loyalty drops too low, it may be necessary to enact policies or build buildings that provide loyalty bonuses.
13. Consider trading with other civilizations for luxury resources that provide amenities you are lacking. This can help supplement your own amenity production and prevent unrest.
14. Engage in diplomatic missions that generate loyalty points. For example, sending delegations to other civilizations or completing quests can earn you loyalty rewards.
15. Monitor city growth rates. Rapidly growing cities can quickly deplete amenities, so it is important to ensure that you are providing enough amenities to support the population.
Best Practices for Late-Game City Expansion
1. Prioritize Strategic Locations
- Choose sites with access to important resources, such as luxury goods, gold, or production.
- Look for chokepoints where you can control access to key areas.
- Consider defensive advantages, such as hills or natural barriers.
2. Plan for District Adjacency
- Research and unlock districts that provide significant bonuses.
- Carefully plan the placement of districts to maximize adjacency bonuses.
- Consider the effects of terrain features and Wonders on district yields.
3. Establish Trade Routes
- Build Trading Posts and Harbors to create trade routes with other civilizations.
- Prioritize trade routes that provide needed resources or gold.
- Utilize Great Merchants to enhance the benefits of trade routes.
4. Build Wonders
- Construct Wonders that provide bonuses to city growth, production, or science.
- Prioritize Wonders that synergize with your empire’s overall strategy.
- Consider the maintenance costs and drawbacks of certain Wonders.
5. Use Districts and Buildings
- Focus on constructing districts that provide significant yields, such as Industrial Zones, Campuses, or Commercial Hubs.
- Enhance these districts with buildings that further increase their bonuses.
- Utilize Great Engineers and Great Merchants to speed up construction and provide additional benefits.
6. Manage Population Growth
- Pay attention to population growth and ensure your cities have enough housing and amenities.
- Utilize policies and buildings that promote population growth.
- Consider using tile improvements or settling cities on river tiles to provide additional food and amenities.
7. Maintain Loyalty
- Ensure that conquered cities remain loyal to prevent revolts.
- Use Governors and policies that increase loyalty.
- Station military units in or near conquered cities to maintain order.
8. Explore and Claim Resources
- Send Scouts to uncover new areas and claim important resources.
- Establish outposts or settle cities on resource-rich tiles.
- Negotiate with other civilizations for access to resources through trade or alliances.
9. Plan for Defenses
- Consider the strategic location of your cities and build defensive structures accordingly.
- Establish military units and city walls to protect against invasion.
- Utilize Great Generals and policy cards to enhance military effectiveness.
10. Optimize Trade Routes
Table: Optimizing Trade Routes
| Factor | Considerations |
|---|---|
| Target Civilization | Choose civilizations with access to resources or gold that you need. |
| Distance | Shorter routes provide more frequent benefits. |
| Terrain | Flat and open terrain allows for faster travel. |
| Policy Cards | Use policy cards that enhance trade yields or reduce maintenance costs. |
| Envoys | Send Envoys to target civilizations to increase the efficiency of trade routes. |
| Religious Beliefs | Establish a common religion with the target civilization to gain additional trade bonuses. |
How Many Cities Are Best in Civ 6?
The optimal number of cities in Civ 6 depends on several factors, including the map size, civilization, and playstyle. Generally, larger maps and civilizations with strong bonuses for building cities support more cities, while smaller maps and civilizations with weaker city-building bonuses benefit from fewer cities. In most cases, a player should aim to have a balance of cities, with enough to cover key resources and strategic locations but not so many as to spread their empire too thin.
There are several key benefits to having more cities. Firstly, each city provides access to the resources within its borders, allowing players to diversify their economy and build a stronger foundation for their empire. Secondly, cities provide additional building slots, allowing players to construct more wonders, districts, and buildings that enhance their overall power. Finally, cities are essential for generating culture and science, which are necessary for unlocking new technologies and civic policies.
However, there are also some disadvantages to having too many cities. Firstly, each city requires resources to maintain, which can strain a player’s economy if they are not careful. Secondly, managing a large number of cities can be complex, as players need to keep track of each city’s needs and prioritize which projects to pursue. Finally, spreading an empire too thin can make it vulnerable to attack, as it becomes difficult to defend a sprawling territory.
Ultimately, the best number of cities for a given player will vary depending on their specific circumstances. However, by understanding the advantages and disadvantages of having more or fewer cities, players can make informed decisions about how many cities to build and how to manage their empire effectively.
