Progressing efficiently through Civilization VI requires a clear understanding of priorities and timing. This Civ 6 strategy guide breaks down the optimal progression path from your first settlement to achieving victory. Most players struggle with resource management and wonder timing, but following these milestone-based strategies will dramatically improve your win rate.
Table of Contents
- Early Game Foundations (Turns 1-60)
- Classical Era Expansion (Turns 60-120)
- Medieval Powerhouse Building (Turns 120-200)
- Renaissance Victory Push (Turns 200-280)
- Endgame Execution (Turns 280+)
- Common Progression Mistakes
- Victory-Specific Priorities
Early Game Foundations (Turns 1-60)
Your opening 60 turns determine everything. Build a Scout first, then Slinger, then Settler. This order maximizes exploration while preparing for early expansion. Scout movement reveals barbarian camps, natural wonders, and city-state locations that shape your entire game.
Never build a Monument first. The culture comes too slowly, and you need military units to survive barbarian raids. Your capital should hit population 2 before building the settler to avoid growth penalties.
Research Animal Husbandry and Pottery first. Animal Husbandry reveals horses and improves pastures, while Pottery unlocks granaries for faster growth. Avoid researching Mining early unless you see obvious copper or iron nearby.
City Placement Strategy
Place your second city 4-6 tiles from your capital. Look for fresh water, luxury resources, or strategic resources like iron. Hills provide production bonuses but slow early growth. Coastal cities enable harbors and naval expansion later.
Your first governor should be Magnus with the Provision promotion. This prevents growth penalties when building settlers, letting you expand faster. Promote Magnus before building your third settler around turn 40-50.
Classical Era Expansion (Turns 60-120)
Classical Era marks your transition from survival to growth. Build 3-4 cities total by turn 100. More cities mean more science and culture per turn, accelerating everything else.
Campuses become your top priority. Build one in every city with mountains or reefs nearby for adjacency bonuses. The science boost compounds throughout the game. A campus built on turn 80 generates thousands of science by the endgame.
Military expansion opportunities emerge here. Classical units like Warriors and Archers can capture early city-states or weak neighboring civilizations. One successful early war can double your territory and resources.
Essential Technologies and Civics
Rush Political Philosophy to unlock your first government. Oligarchy works best for most strategies, providing +4 combat strength to all units. The military policy slots help with unit maintenance and production.
On the tech tree, prioritize Iron Working and Engineering. Iron Working reveals iron deposits and unlocks swordsmen. Engineering enables aqueducts and ballista, crucial for both growth and military power.
Medieval Powerhouse Building (Turns 120-200)
Medieval Era separates good players from great ones. You should have established 6-8 cities by turn 150. Each city needs specialized infrastructure based on its terrain and resources.
Commercial Hubs and Harbors generate gold for unit maintenance and building purchases. Build harbors in coastal cities and commercial hubs inland. The gold per turn funds your military and emergency purchases.
This era introduces Medieval Walls and Crossbowmen. Medieval walls provide housing and defensive bonuses. Crossbowmen remain effective until gunpowder, making them excellent long-term investments.
Your civilization choice heavily impacts this phase. For example, England excels with Sea Dogs and harbor bonuses, while Germany dominates with Hansas and extra districts. Check our beginners guide for civilization-specific strategies.
District Specialization
Not every city needs every district. Coastal cities focus on Harbors and Campuses. Mountain cities prioritize Campuses and Holy Sites. Plains cities work well with Commercial Hubs and Industrial Zones.
Plan district placement carefully. Industrial zones benefit from aqueduct and dam adjacency. Campuses love mountains and reefs. Commercial hubs gain bonuses from rivers and harbors.
Renaissance Victory Push (Turns 200-280)
Renaissance Era launches your victory condition pursuit. By turn 200, you should produce 100+ science and culture per turn. This acceleration enables the powerful Renaissance technologies and civics.
Gunpowder units revolutionize warfare. Musketmen and Field Cannons can conquer cities defended by ancient era walls. Time your military upgrades with strategic resource discoveries.
Universities double campus science output. Build universities in every campus city before pursuing other infrastructure. The science multiplier affects every future research.
Victory Condition Timing
Different victory types peak at different eras:
- Domination: Renaissance gunpowder units or Industrial era artillery
- Science: Industrial era spaceports and projects
- Culture: Modern era tourism and great works
- Religious: Medieval to Renaissance missionary spam
- Diplomatic: World Congress and aid projects
Focus your infrastructure on supporting your chosen victory type. Science victories need multiple spaceports. Culture victories require museums and national parks.
Endgame Execution (Turns 280+)
Endgame efficiency determines close victories. Micromanage city production to avoid waste. Use Production Queue to chain builds automatically. Swap government policies based on immediate needs.
Great People become game-changing resources. Great Scientists can bulb crucial technologies. Great Engineers can rush space projects. Great Artists fill your museums with tourism-generating works.
Military threats intensify as other civilizations approach victory. Build Jet Fighters and Anti-Air Guns to counter air attacks. Nuclear weapons provide deterrence against aggressive neighbors.
The final 50 turns often decide the winner. Track other civilizations' progress toward victory. Sometimes attacking a rival's capital stops their science victory just before completion.
Common Progression Mistakes
Building Monuments first wastes precious early production. Culture growth from natural expansion and policies exceeds monument output in most cases.
Over-expanding without infrastructure creates maintenance nightmares. Limit expansion to 6-8 cities until you have sufficient gold income and amenities.
Neglecting military leaves you vulnerable to surprise wars. Maintain 4-6 combat units minimum, even during peaceful periods. Military weakness invites aggression from aggressive AIs.
Resource Management Errors
Failing to improve luxury resources causes amenity shortages and growth penalties. Build appropriate improvements as soon as you research the required technology.
Ignoring strategic resources limits military options. You can't build swordsmen without iron or knights without horses. Plan city locations around strategic resource deposits when possible.
Victory-Specific Priorities
Each victory type requires different priorities and timing. Science victories demand multiple campuses and spaceports in different cities. Culture victories need museums, national parks, and tourism-generating improvements.
Domination victories require consistent military production and strategic positioning. Religious victories depend on early holy site construction and missionary production. Our comprehensive tips guide covers victory-specific strategies in detail.
The key insight: specialize your cities based on your victory condition while maintaining basic infrastructure everywhere. A focused approach beats trying to build everything in every city.
Start your next Civilization VI game with these progression priorities. Pick one victory condition, follow the era-specific milestones, and watch your win rate improve dramatically.