How to Keep Conquered Cities Loyal in Civ 6: A Conqueror’s Guide

Keeping conquered cities loyal in Civilization VI is an essential skill for any aspiring warmonger. Capturing cities is the first step, but maintaining control requires a multifaceted approach, considering factors like loyalty pressure, governor placement, religion, policies, and more. The core strategy revolves around increasing the city’s loyalty while mitigating negative influences. This can be achieved through a combination of methods that boost your civilization’s presence and reduce the effects of the previous owner’s influence.

Key Strategies for Maintaining Loyalty

Here’s a breakdown of the most effective strategies to keep your conquered cities from flipping back to their original owners or becoming Free Cities:

• Garrison a Military Unit: A garrisoned unit provides a significant loyalty bonus. The size of the bonus scales with the era, making it more effective in later stages of the game. Prioritize a unit with a high combat strength for maximum impact.

• Appoint a Governor: Governors provide powerful loyalty bonuses, especially when fully established. Victor, the Governor, is a specialized choice for conquered cities, offering unique promotions that directly boost loyalty. A fully upgraded Victor can essentially lock down a troublesome city.

• Implement Loyalty-Boosting Policies: Policy cards can provide a global boost to loyalty. Cards like “Bread and Circuses” (Classical Era, +2 Loyalty in all cities with a District) or “Governorship” (Medieval Era, +1 Loyalty in cities with a Governor) can make a significant difference. Swap these policies in specifically when facing loyalty issues.

• Convert the City to Your Religion: Religion plays a crucial role in loyalty. Cities following your religion gain a +3 loyalty bonus, while cities not following your religion suffer a -3 penalty. Send missionaries or apostles to convert the city to your dominant religion.

• Establish a Strong Economy: A thriving city is a happy city. Focus on growth by improving food production through farms and fishing boats. Trading with other civilizations also boosts the city’s amenities, further improving loyalty.

• Build a Monument: This is often the first building to construct in a newly conquered city. Monuments provide culture, which aids in borders expanding and therefore increasing loyalty.

• Address Grievances: High grievances against you can lead to decreased loyalty in conquered cities. Minimize the number of wars you are in to avoid global warmonger penalties, and work to keep your neighbors happy.

• Raze or Conquer Nearby Problem Cities: Cities exerting significant loyalty pressure can be razed to eliminate the negative influence. Alternatively, capture these cities to bring them under your control and further strengthen your position in the region.

• Chop Resources for Growth: Chop rainforests, woods, or other resources to gain immediate food and production bonuses. Use this production to quickly build a monument or other loyalty-boosting structures.

• Settle Nearby Cities: Establishing new cities close to the conquered one will exert positive loyalty pressure and help to stabilize the area.

• Negotiate Cession: When negotiating peace after a war, demand that the original owner cedes the city to you in the peace treaty. This removes the “occupied” status, and helps to eliminate some grievances associated with capturing a city.

• Monitor Loyalty Pressure with the Loyalty Lens: The loyalty lens overlays a map that helps you see which cities are exerting what loyalty pressure on the surrounding areas. Use this information to better understand which strategies to use.

• Time your capture strategically: Capture cities in quick succession to take advantage of population boosts from nearby cities, maximizing your influence.

• Use Great People strategically: Some Great People, like Victor Hugo, can grant loyalty bonuses or even instantly flip cities to your control.

• Consider your Civ: Certain civilizations have advantages related to loyalty, either through unique abilities, units, or infrastructure. Utilize those advantages to your benefit.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How much does a garrisoned unit affect loyalty?

The loyalty bonus from a garrisoned unit increases with the era. So, an Ancient Era unit will offer less loyalty benefit than an Information Era one.

2. Which governor is best for maintaining loyalty in conquered cities?

Victor is the best governor for conquered cities. His unique promotions are specifically designed to enhance loyalty in cities.

3. What policy cards boost loyalty?

Several policy cards increase loyalty, including “Bread and Circuses” (Classical Era), “Governorship” (Medieval Era), “Laissez-Faire” (Industrial Era), and “Propaganda” (Modern Era).

4. How does religion impact loyalty?

Cities following your religion gain +3 loyalty, while those not following your religion lose -3 loyalty.

5. Should I raze or keep a city in Civ 6?

Generally, it’s better to keep cities due to their potential for production, science, culture, and tourism. However, if a city is too difficult to maintain or exerts significant negative loyalty pressure, razing it might be necessary.

6. How can I quickly convert a city to my religion?

Use missionaries, apostles, or inquisitors. Apostles are the most effective for converting cities, but inquisitors can help remove competing religions.

7. What is loyalty pressure?

Loyalty pressure is the influence that cities exert on nearby cities. A city with high loyalty exerts positive pressure, while a city with low loyalty exerts negative pressure.

8. How do I use the loyalty lens in Civ 6?

The loyalty lens provides a visual representation of loyalty pressure across the map. It shows which cities are exerting positive or negative influence, helping you identify problem areas.

9. Can city-states flip to other civilizations through loyalty?

It is possible, but extremely difficult. City-states have strong resistance against foreign loyalty pressure.

10. How far apart should my cities be to maintain loyalty?

Closer cities exert more loyalty pressure on each other. A spacing of 4-6 tiles is generally recommended.

11. What happens if a city rebels and becomes a Free City?

A Free City is an independent city that is not aligned with any civilization. It can potentially be captured by any nearby civilization or flip back to its original owner.

12. How long does a city stay occupied in Civ 6?

A city remains occupied until it is formally ceded to you in a peace treaty.

13. How do I get another civilization to cede a city to me?

In peace negotiations, include the city in your demands. The AI is more likely to cede the city if they are losing the war badly.

14. What are some of the most aggressive civilizations in Civ 6?

Civilizations like the Aztecs, Zulu, Mongols, and Scythia are known for their aggressive tendencies.

15. How does warmongering affect loyalty in Civ 6?

Being labeled a warmonger increases grievances against you, which in turn reduces loyalty in conquered cities. Minimize wars and maintain good relations with other civilizations to reduce the warmonger penalty.

Mastering these strategies will allow you to build a vast and loyal empire, securing your domination in Civilization VI. Learning more about game mechanics and educational applications can be found at the Games Learning Society, accessible at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.

The key to holding onto conquered cities in Civ 6 is managing the many factors impacting loyalty. Employing these strategies effectively ensures your empire remains stable and prosperous.