Civilization VI: Top Early Game Civilizations and Their Strategies

Introduction: Dominating the Early Game

In Civilization VI, a strong start can set the pace for the rest of the game, allowing you to secure key resources, expand strategically, and establish a foundation for any type of victory. Some civilizations are particularly well-suited to getting off to a fast start thanks to their unique abilities, units, and infrastructure. Here’s a look at some of the best early game civilizations and how to leverage their strengths from the start.

1. Sumeria — Led by Gilgamesh

Strengths and Strategies:

• Unique Ability (Epic Quest): When you capture a barbarian outpost, you not only receive a tribal village reward but also a burst of military strength by potentially gaining half of a barb camp’s unit as a support unit.
• Unique Unit (War-Cart): A very powerful early game unit that does not require any resources to produce and can dominate other civilizations and barbarians alike.
• Strategy: Use the War-Cart to clear barbarian outposts and harass neighboring civilizations early in the game. This can provide you a significant advantage in territory and resources, which are crucial for your expansion.

2. Aztec — Led by Montezuma

Strengths and Strategies:

• Unique Ability (Legend of the Five Suns): Spend Builder charges to speed up the construction of districts in your cities, significantly accelerating your early infrastructure development.
• Unique Unit (Eagle Warrior): Turns defeated enemy units into Builder units, which can be used to develop your cities or rush district construction.
• Strategy: Aggressively use Eagle Warriors to engage and capture units from nearby city-states or civilizations. Use captured Builders to accelerate your city development or military preparations for further conquests.

3. Rome — Led by Trajan

Strengths and Strategies:

• Unique Ability (All Roads Lead to Rome): Automatically starts with a Trading Post in any new city you found or conquer within trade route range of your capital, and new cities start with a road to them if within trade range. This ability facilitates rapid expansion and integration of new cities into your empire.
• Unique Building (Bath): Provides amenities and housing, which are critical for sustaining your city’s growth in the early stages.
• Strategy: Focus on expansion; the automatic roads and trading posts help integrate new cities quickly, boosting your early game economy and connectivity.

4. Russia — Led by Peter the Great

Strengths and Strategies:

• Unique Ability (Mother Russia): Receive extra territory upon founding cities, plus bonus Faith and Production from tundra tiles.
• Unique Unit (Cossack): Although a later unit, early game strategies can be built around securing a large swath of territory, especially in less desirable tundra regions where other civs are less likely to compete.
• Strategy: Expand into tundra regions that other civilizations may avoid, using the extra resources and space to your advantage. Focus on building Lavras (unique Holy Site) to capitalize on Russia’s ability to generate extra faith and secure Great People quickly.

5. Scythia — Led by Tomyris

Strengths and Strategies:

• Unique Ability (People of the Steppe): Receive a second light cavalry unit or Saka Horse Archer each time you train one. This effectively doubles your military capabilities in terms of mobility units.
• Unique Unit (Saka Horse Archer): Does not require horses and provides a strong early game raiding capability.
• Strategy: Use the double cavalry unit production to build a mobile and formidable army early on. Harass and conquer your neighbors or control large areas to prevent their expansion.

Conclusion: Capitalizing on Early Game Strengths

These civilizations offer unique advantages that can help you establish a dominant position in the early phases of Civilization VI. By leveraging these strengths effectively, you can secure critical resources, defend against threats, and set the stage for mid- to late-game success, whether you aim for cultural, scientific, military, or diplomatic victories.