Summary
For every seasonedCivilization 6player, succeeding on aDeity difficultyrun is the summit. The AI opponents get massive boosts to improve their play, they are far more aggressive, and they are more than willing to wipe the player out in a matter of moments.
Grinding Deity can work, but a smart player will strategize before the very first turn. With a couple of sound strategies, experience, and a willingness to break out of old habits, anyone can beatCivilization 6Deity difficulty.
1Situate A Strong First City
A Solid Foundation Going Forward
The first city is crucial. This city will be the foundation for everything to come, so figuring out thebest city start positionis a major factor. RNG is inevitably a factor, but there are a few key indicators to look out for when choosing the location the first city.
First, it is worth moving the Settler to a river or a hill if it’s convenient. A hill will provide defensive and production benefits, while a river enables key buildings later on. Generally, unless going for a wonder-focused run, try to move away from desert, tundra, and mountains for the time being. Sometimes, it’s worth not settling a city on the first turn if it means getting a better location on the second turn.
2Scout, Slinger, Settler
Get The Affairs In Order
Once the first city is settled, venture out into the world as fast as possible as there’s a lot toget done inCiv 6’s Ancient Era. A Scout is perfect for this and can scoop up those incredibly valuable tribal villages that can deliver key boosts to get ahead of the game. Also, they can find the source of pesky barbarians and provide valuable intel for possible second city locations.
Next, build a couple of Warriors or Slingers. Deity barbarians and AI are very aggressive. If there’s no competent defense, the run will be over in record time. Once the bare minimum is out to defend the city, get a Settler out fast to stoke the fire of the civilization’s engine and settle another city before anyone else can.
3Monument First, Weakness After
Culture, Then Supplement
Although it might be boring, getting a Monument built in the first city as quickly as possible is really important. Cultural policies that come from generating culture can bring big playstyle benefits that can be combined with the starting location or leader’s abilities.
After the Monument, it’s time to supplement any weaknesses. No city is perfect - maybe production is low, so get a Builder out to improve some hills, or maybe the city isn’t growing at a strong rate, so get a Granary built. Supplement the key weakness so it won’t drag the civilization down later.
4Stake Bold Claims
Grab Resources Before They’re Grabbed
There’s no room for timidity in Deity. Like it or not, the AI will come after the player at some point. While someleaders are tailor-made for a Domination Victory, some aren’t, so every advantage is crucial. So, when it comes to the second city, players need to be bold and strike an aggressive claim that takes valuable resources away from enemies and boosts the economy.
Luxury resources are worth targeting next to keep a civilization’s Amenities high and provide a valuable trading lever. Or, mountains and oceans are well worth targeting too for the science and commerce boosts both can provide later on.
5Muster the Defenses
The Best Offense Is a Good Defense
It won’t be long until the AI attacks the player, so a strong defense is key. Where possible, keep building up a primary army to guard against the AI with experience from rooting out nearby Barbarian Outposts and avoid the oft-timesdebilitating warmonger penaltiesthat can be devastating in the early game.
In the best-case scenario, a defensive army will make the AI reconsider attacking the player. However, if not, a strong defensive army should be able to hold off the initial assault, permitting either a counterattack if siege weapons are built, or a peace treaty that has damaged the aggressor far more than the defender.
6Work With the AI
Gang Up On the Others
Though the AI is the player’s greatest enemy, they can also be a great help. While adiplomacy victory is a distinct possibility in the long term, consider joining the wars of AI against each other if it means knocking another player out, or looting key resources for the player’s own civilization.
It’s better to gang up on the AI enemies than be ganged up on by them. Diplomacy on Deity mode is all about countermanding AI aggression against the player’s civilization and redirecting that towards the enemies. Allies can turn to enemies quickly, but as long as the AI and player are on the same side of the war, they’re not threats to each other.
7Play to The Leader’s Strengths
Adapt And Thrive
Civilization 6is a broadly well-balanced game with each leader’s unique buildings, units, and traits catering to a particular kind of gameplay. Winning on Deity is all about understanding the unique mechanics of a leader and exploiting them as much as possible.
For example, if playing as Frederick Barbarossa of Germany, take advantage of the Holy Roman Emperor ability and use the massive combat buff against City-States to conquer them early in the game before others can start taking advantage of them. Every leader has a unique bonus that gives them an edge, and uing it is absolutely crucial.
8Build The Production, Science, and Commerce Economy
The Heart of a Good Army Is a Good Economy
As the game enters the middle and late stages, kingdoms stagnate if their economies aren’t strong. Whenever not at war, building a strong economy is key, no matter how good theplayer’s chosen leader is. It’s well worth investing in buildings that boost Gold or Food generation because they can have major impacts later down the line.
Gold, Food, Production, and Science are all key to fielding a strong army in the mid and late game. Sometimes the answer to building a better army isn’t building more units, but building a boost in a city that can get to the next tech upgrade, or economically sustain the army already fielded. Max out Industrial Zones, Campuses, and Commercial Hubs as best as possible.
9Launch Pre-Emptive Strikes
Attack Before Being Attacked
There are no friends in Deity mode. Every turn where the player isn’t attacking is a turn where the player may be attacked. If the AI ever displays weakness, strike, especially if apowerful Hero has appeared.
The AI is no joke on Deity difficulty - with massive bonuses throughout their empires, weaknesses are rare. The key to winning is choosing the right moment to strike when the player’s strong and the AI’s weak. If the gamble pays off, the player will have a horde of new cities and resources, which can snowball into a dominant advantage throughout the rest of the game, ensuring the path to victory.
