The 7 best starting civs in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

In the three decades since the launch of the turn-based strategy game Sid Meier’s Civilization, the series has been widely praised for the deep, satisfying mechanics that make it almost impossible to stop playing once you get going. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI built on the series’ legacy in a number of intelligent ways, while also providing a steady stream of new content in the seven years since its release. Civ VI tasks players with building a civilization that grows over centuries of in-game time to eventually become a world power, all while vying to win through one of five victory types: Domination, Science, Culture, Religion, and Diplomacy. (Failing those, you can also win by having the highest score at the end of 500 turns.)

Like the previous games in the series, Civilization VI takes patience to master. There are a lot of systems at work. Players may find themselves dealing with rogue barbarians, sniffing out enemy spies, navigating the effects of climate change, and brushing up on their diplomatic skills—and that’s before the nukes come out. Naturally, a game this complex (and with such a storied history) can be intimidating to new players, but by choosing the right leader at the outset, you can make the onboarding process much more approachable. Start out with one of the seven civs on this list, and you’ll be saying “just one more turn!” in no time.

Trajan (Rome)
Found in: Base game
Strengths: Domination

Those who paid attention in history class might recognize Trajan as a historic Roman emperor known for military expansion, which is why he’s one of the best choices when you’re just discovering the ins and outs of the game. The Domination victory is the most straightforward of the bunch; it requires you to capture every other civilization’s capital, for which you’ll need a massive army, strong navy, and maybe a Giant Death Robot or two.

Part of the reason Rome is particularly well-suited for military domination is its unique in-game unit, the Legion. The Legion replaces the less-powerful default melee unit from the Classical Era, the Swordsman, which gives players an extra boost of power right when things are starting to get complicated. Legions can also build Roman Forts, which give occupying units extra defensive power. With Trajan at the helm, you’ll be able to hit the ground running, speed up border expansion, and quickly develop the resources you need to divide and conquer.

Seondeok (Korea)
Found in: Rise and Fall expansion
Strengths: Science

As queen of the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla, Seondeok was known for her patronage of science, religion, and the arts. In Civilization VI, this manifests as an almost single-minded determination to grab a Science victory by sending earthlings into the far reaches of space. Instead of the science-boosting Campus District used by most other leaders, Seondeok can build a Seowon, which has a greater science adjacency bonus and a lower production cost. This helps you generate more science per turn, thereby more quickly making your way through the technology tree.

The key to winning a Science victory with Seondeok is smart city-planning that’s built around good Seowon placement. This district needs to be on hills, and shouldn’t be adjacent to any other districts, as that will lessen the adjacency bonus points you earn. Take advantage of one of Seondeok’s special leader abilities, Hwarang, and get science and culture boosts every time you place a governor in one of your cities. The Science Victory requires patience and strategy, and the late game often turns into an intense space race—but that’s a race Seondeok was born to win.

Wilfrid Laurier (Canada)
Found in: Gathering Storm expansion
Strengths: Diplomacy

Civilization VI’s second expansion, Gathering Storm, is best-known for bringing climate change-induced natural disasters to the series, which forces players to be more conscious of how their choices affect the environment. Gathering Storm also introduced a major diplomacy overhaul, which culminates in the Diplomatic Victory. To achieve those victory conditions, players must earn diplomacy points throughout the game, with the first to 20 notching the win. There are a number of ways to earn these special points, but the best way is to kill ‘em with kindness.

Enter Wilfrid Laurier of Canada, one of the few leaders you can trust to not immediately stab you in the back. In addition to being able to build farms on tundra—which comes in handy when you’re running out of housing—Wilfrid is always the first to respond to another civ’s emergency, thereby earning more diplomacy points. Additionally, Wilfrid has several other diplomatic advantages that make it easier to sway the World Congress, which is another key way to get those precious points.

Kristina (Sweden)
Found in: Gathering Storm expansion
Strengths: Culture

As the reluctant Queen of Sweden in the 17th century, Kristina was far more interested in curating her ever-expanding art collection than ruling over her nation. This is reflected in Civilization VI, where Kristina’s unique agenda is to collect as many Great Works (famous paintings, books, musical recordings, and so on) as possible. Kristina is a powerhouse when it comes to the Culture Victory, which is an especially complicated way to win the game.

For this victory, players need to draw in tourists from other civilizations while keeping their own citizens happy within their borders. It requires a focused effort to build world wonders and collect Great Works, often at the expense of military power. Kristina’s leader bonuses give more cultured players a leg up, and as a bonus, she also has strong diplomacy skills to keep her out of trouble.

Gitarja (Indonesia)
Found in: Khmer & Indonesia pack
Strengths: Religion

Religion is the fifth victory condition in Civilization VI, and it’s an extremely competitive race. To create a religion, you need to earn a Great Prophet, but there are fewer prophets than civilizations available in every game. This necessitates an early focus on generating Faith (primarily through Holy Site districts) and spreading the good word through Missionaries and Apostles.

Gitarja of Indonesia wields Faith like a weapon, making her the right choice for anyone setting out to accomplish this victory. She gets extra Faith from City Centers, giving her an immediate advantage any time she creates a new city in her empire. Indonesian religious units can move around the map more quickly, embarking and disembarking from solid ground to bodies of water without any movement penalties. That doesn’t mean she’s a pushover, though; Gitarja can use Faith to purchase naval units, making her a force to be reckoned with at sea.

Amanitore (Nubia)
Found in: Nubia Civilization & Scenario Pack
Strengths: Domination, Religion

You may have heard the rumor that Gandhi is the most likely Civilization leader to drop nuclear bombs on his enemies, but he ain’t got nothing on Amanitore. As the revered ruler of the Nubian civilization, Amanitore is an effective all-around leader, but she particularly excels at Domination and Religion. She builds districts more quickly than most other leaders, which is helpful for new players who are trying to expand without being wiped off the map by warmongers and barbarians. Amanitore also has a powerful early-game unit, the Pítati Archer, that gives her an advantage over other ranged units from the era. Play your cards right in the first 200 turns, and you’ll have no problem capturing capitals by any means necessary.

If you’d rather win in a less apocalyptic way, Amanitore can also use her city-building abilities to lay down a Holy District early on and build Faith-generating pyramids to further strengthen her religion. Those pyramids also provide food, science, gold, production, and culture adjacency bonuses. With some effective planning, you’ll be able to lead your civilization into a golden age no matter what victory type you’re trying to achieve.

Ambiorix (Gaul)
Found in: Byzantium & Gaul Pack (New Frontier Pass)
Strengths: Domination, Culture

Don’t be distracted by this pumpkin spice zaddy’s cutting cheekbones and formidable mustache —the leader of Gaul is a dominant force in Civilization VI who won’t hesitate to crush his enemies. The historical Ambiorix is best-known for leading a revolt against the one and only Julius Caesar, killing 15 cohorts before disappearing across the Rhine. His agenda lives on in Civilization VI, where he’s known as the Scourge of Rome, and he respects civilizations with a high number of military units. That said, he’s also a man of culture, boosting culture production with every non-civilian unit he trains.

What makes Ambiorix a particularly smart choice for newer players is the ability to build the Oppidum, a replacement for the Industrial Zone that comes earlier in the game than the traditional production-boosting district. Not only does this boost Gaul’s speed when building new districts or training units, it also comes with a defensive ranged attack that’s usually only provided by the military Encampment district. This will help protect your civilization while you’re learning the ropes, and it'll send any invaders home in boxes. Take that, Julius Caesar!

You can pick up Sid Meier’s Civilization VI right now in the Epic Games Store.