Is Taking City-States in Civ 6 Worth It? A Deep Dive

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The answer is a resounding: it depends. In Civilization VI, conquering a city-state is a complex decision laden with both potential benefits and significant drawbacks. There’s no simple yes or no. A thoughtful player must carefully weigh the strategic advantages of annexation against the diplomatic and long-term costs. Generally, early game annexation can be very powerful, but as the game progresses the negative impacts of taking a city-state can become much greater.

The Allure of Conquest: When Taking a City-State Makes Sense

There are several scenarios where taking a city-state might be a strategically sound move:

• Strategic Location: This is the most common and compelling reason. If a city-state occupies a prime piece of real estate – perhaps controlling a vital mountain pass, situated near valuable resources, or blocking your expansion – eliminating the city-state could be crucial for your empire’s growth. The city-state’s bonus is almost irrelevant compared to these strategic considerations.

• Early Game Domination: In the early game, the diplomatic penalties for warmongering are less severe. A swift conquest can net you a valuable city, a head start in development, and potentially cripple a rival civilization dependent on that city-state.

• Exploiting Specific Agendas: Some leader agendas, like Montezuma’s, make them very likely to disapprove of you having a strong relationship with city-states. Capturing a city-state could actually improve relations with such leaders.

• Eliminating a Suzerain Threat: If a rival civilization is heavily invested in a particular city-state, receiving powerful bonuses from it and using it to their advantage, eliminating that city-state removes a significant advantage from your opponent.

• Emergency Target: If a city-state is the target of an emergency that you cannot fulfill, taking the city could be an option to keep the emergency from succeeding. This will generate less grievance than letting another civ take it.

The Price of Aggression: The Downsides of City-State Conquest

However, conquest comes at a cost:

• Diplomatic Penalties: Annexing a city-state generates significant warmonger penalties with other civilizations. This can lead to diplomatic isolation, trade embargoes, and even declarations of war. The severity of these penalties increases as the game progresses.

• Lost Suzerain Bonuses: City-states offer unique and powerful bonuses when you become their suzerain. Annexing them permanently eliminates these bonuses. Certain city-states, like Geneva, which increases science output when you’re not at war, are far more valuable as allies than conquered cities.

• Loyalty Issues: Conquered city-states often suffer from low loyalty, especially if they are far from your other cities or surrounded by enemy civilizations. This can lead to revolts and lost production, requiring significant investment to stabilize the city.

• Opportunity Cost: The military units and production dedicated to conquering and defending a city-state could be used for other purposes, such as expanding your own cities, developing your infrastructure, or defending against other threats.

• Grievances: Taking a city-state generates significant grievances with other civilizations, making it harder to form alliances and conduct diplomacy. These grievances can linger for a long time, impacting your relations for many turns.

Making the Decision: A Balancing Act

Ultimately, the decision to take a city-state is a strategic calculation. Consider the following factors:

• The City-State’s Location and Resources: How valuable is the land controlled by the city-state? Does it offer access to strategic resources or choke points?

• The City-State’s Bonus: Is the city-state’s bonus crucial to your strategy? Could you benefit more from being its suzerain than controlling the city directly?

• Your Diplomatic Situation: How strong are your relationships with other civilizations? Can you afford the diplomatic penalty for warmongering?

• Your Military Strength: Can you conquer the city-state quickly and efficiently? Can you defend it against potential counterattacks?

• Your Overall Victory Strategy: Does conquering the city-state align with your overall victory strategy? Will it contribute to your pursuit of a science, culture, domination, or religious victory?

Carefully weigh these factors before launching an attack. Sometimes, the best strategy is to befriend the city-state and reap the rewards of a powerful alliance. Other times, the strategic imperative of conquest outweighs the potential drawbacks.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can I peacefully take over a city-state in Civ 6?

It is incredibly difficult to peacefully annex a city-state in Civilization VI. The game is not designed to make this a viable option. It requires significant manipulation of loyalty mechanics and a heavy investment in surrounding cities. Methods include:

• Loyalty Bombing: Surround the city-state with high-population cities loyal to you.
• Golden/Heroic Age: Enter a Golden or Heroic Age for bonus loyalty.
• Bread and Circuses: Run Bread and Circuses in nearby cities to increase their influence.
• Amani Governor: Place the Amani governor in a nearby city with her ability to decrease loyalty in surrounding cities.

Even with all these factors aligned, success is far from guaranteed.

2. What is the penalty for declaring war on a city-state in Civ 6?

Declaring war on a city-state incurs a warmonger penalty, which negatively impacts your relations with other civilizations. Capturing the city results in a further penalty. Razing the city incurs an even larger penalty. The exact amount depends on game speed and the era in which the war is declared. The earlier you declare the war, the lower the penalties. The Casus Belli used can also affect warmonger penalties.

3. How far away should I build cities from a conquered city-state to maintain loyalty?

Ideally, your cities should be within 6 tiles of the conquered city-state to exert maximum loyalty pressure. The closer, the better. Governors with loyalty-boosting abilities are also crucial for maintaining control.

4. Do city-states expand in Civ 6?

No, city-states in Civilization VI do not expand beyond their initial city. They remain single-city entities throughout the game. This contrasts with major civilizations, which can found multiple cities and build sprawling empires.

5. Can city-states declare war on me in Civ 6?

No, city-states on their own cannot declare war on you. However, if another civilization is their suzerain and declares war on you, the city-state will join that civilization in the war. Barbarians can also pillage and attack city-states.

6. What happens if I destroy a city-state in Civ 6?

If you destroy a city-state, you permanently remove it from the game. You gain the territory it occupied but incur a significant warmonger penalty and generate grievances with other civilizations. All envoys from other civs are removed. Civilizations who were previously enjoying the city-state’s bonuses will now lose them.

7. How do I get rid of warmonger penalties after taking a city-state?

There are a few ways to mitigate warmonger penalties:

• Liberating Cities: Liberating a city that was conquered by another civilization greatly reduces your warmonger score with that civilization. This is especially effective if it is their original capital.
• Returning Cities: Returning captured cities to their original owners, or to a weak civilization, can also reduce your warmonger penalties.
• Diplomacy: Building strong relationships with other civilizations through trade, alliances, and shared agendas can help offset the negative impact of warmongering.
• Time: Warmonger penalties decrease over time. Just waiting it out can be a good strategy.
• Cultural Wonders: There are some cultural wonders that decrease warmonger penalties.

8. What is the point of city-states in Civ 6?

City-states add a layer of complexity and diplomatic depth to Civilization VI. They provide:

• Unique Bonuses: City-states offer a wide range of bonuses to civilizations that become their suzerain, enhancing various aspects of your empire.
• Diplomatic Opportunities: They create opportunities for alliances and strategic partnerships.
• Conflict Drivers: City-states can be a source of conflict between civilizations vying for suzerainty.
• Early Game Focus: A good bonus from a city-state can completely change your early game focus and dramatically improve your game.

9. Are some city-states more worth taking than others?

Yes, absolutely. Some city-states offer bonuses that are niche or less impactful, while others provide powerful advantages that can significantly boost your empire. Consider the strategic value of each city-state before deciding whether to conquer or befriend it. A cultural city-state could be very powerful in the early game, but might not be as valuable later.

10. How does the number of envoys affect my relationship with a city-state?

The number of envoys you send to a city-state determines your level of influence. The civilization with the most envoys becomes the suzerain, granting them unique bonuses and control over the city-state’s military. Each envoy provides new and different bonuses.

11. What are the different types of city-states in Civ 6?

City-states come in various types, each providing a different type of bonus:

• Scientific
• Religious
• Militaristic
• Industrial
• Trade
• Cultural
• Maritime

12. Does difficulty level affect city-state behavior?

Yes, higher difficulty levels generally give city-states advantages, such as increased defensive strength and production. This can make them harder to conquer, but also more valuable as allies. They will also get more free units.

13. What is suzerainty in Civ 6?

Suzerainty is the state of having the most envoys invested in a city-state. As suzerain, a civilization receives the city-state’s unique bonus and can levy its military units.

14. What is the best Casus Belli to use when attacking a city-state?

Using a Casus Belli when declaring war reduces warmonger penalties. However, many Casus Belli options are unavailable when attacking a city-state. The Formal War is the most common option, incurring the standard warmonger penalty. If you have a grievance, that would be the best time to act.

15. Where can I learn more about Civilization VI strategy?

There are many resources available online for learning more about Civilization VI strategy, including forums, wikis, and video guides. Also consider looking for scientific research on gameplay strategies, game design, and the broader impact of games at the Games Learning Society https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.

Taking a city-state in Civilization VI is a complex decision that requires careful consideration of the strategic benefits and diplomatic costs. Weigh your options carefully, and choose the path that best aligns with your overall victory strategy.