1.Brazil
Brazil is unique in the Americas because, beyond gaining its independence through a relatively peaceful path, it did not fragment into separate countries as did British and Spanish possessions. Brazil was a Portuguese colony from the time of the arrival of Pedro Cabral, who claimed it for his sovereign in 1500 AD, until the royal family in exile from their occupied homeland elevated it to the status of kingdom in 1815. Full independence was achieved in 1822 when the Empire of Brazil was created with a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary government. With the overthrow of Pedro II, the second and last emperor, in 1889 AD it became a republic. Although the republic would suffer through dictatorships and military juntas over the next century, true democracy returned in the 1980s when the first elected civilian government assumed power after a negotiated transition. Under a succession of able leaders, Brazil achieved political and economic stability, became a vital and influential member of the international community. The nation of Brazil is a difficult start in Civilization 5. Their starting bias is in the jungle, which makes them a pretty hard starting civilization because of the location which you have much to do about until the medieval era. I.e cutting down all of the surrounding jungle to be able to put down improvements and the movement speed of the units is slowed down to one tile per turn due to the environment. Brazilians are especially good for cultural victory. Because of their unique ability that grants double tourism bonus and increases great person generation during Golden Ages. Furthermore, players should emphasize building up a lot of happiness to trigger Golden Ages more often, in addition to building wonders and producing great writers, artists, and musicians.
WHY BRAZIL IS GREAT:
- Earns great people at a higher rate compared to other civs
- Has golden ages more often ( Tie this with Chichen Itza and their golden ages are a broken aspect of the game)
Civ Details: Brazil
2.Celts
The Celtic tribes of Europe, celebrated today as the ancestors to millions throughout the world, were one of history's greatest ancient societies. Said to have developed from the early Iron-Age cultures of Central Europe, the Celts grew to become a diverse, yet formidable, society made up of hundreds of individual tribes spread across the continent. Thriving throughout the better part of the 1st millennium BC, the Celts eventually became embroiled in a number of fearsome conflicts with the unrelenting Roman Empire, who would come to suppress, but in many cases adopt, aspects of the Celtic culture during their conquest of Europe. One of the added Civilizations from Gods and Kings DLC, the Celtic people are a strong and fearsome nation, with great special units and buildings. Their leader ability Druidic Lore makes them a strong faith nation which can bring cultural bonuses too. Their unique ability produces Faith from every city bordering an unimproved forest, and their starting bias usually puts them in large forested areas. This means they can form a Pantheon as early as Turn 5. With careful placement of their first two or three cities, they will be able to found a religion before Turn 30. Furthermore, thanks to the wide range of religious buildings, the Celts is one of the best cultural religious-oriented nations in the game, able to convert to their culture any city in a very short time.
WHY CELTS ARE GREAT:
- strong special buildings
- strong cultural conversion power
Civ Details: Celts
3.Egypt
Few civilizations have left such an indelible mark on history as that of Egypt. Living astride the mighty Nile River for some 5,000 years, Egypt is one of the oldest surviving civilizations on the planet. Among many other firsts, Egypt is credited with the invention of writing around 3000 BC. Using sophisticated mathematics, Egyptian scholars plotted the movement of the planets with great precision. And of course, the Egyptians were the ancient world's greatest architects, creating monuments and temples that still awe and inspire us today. The people of Egypt led by the great Ramesses II, dominate the game when it comes to production and culture. Egypt is a great choice if you opt-in for a cultural victory because of its ability for fast expansion and production capability. Even more so because of their fast production rate, they can make wonders at an alarming rate, even stealing wonders from other nations with higher difficulty. Replacing the Temple, the Burial Tomb has per-city happiness and no maintenance cost - perfect for a wide empire. Regarding the war chariot, removing the Chariot Archer's horses requirement means that early military production can proceed with reckless abandon, allowing rapid expansion against an early neighbor.
WHY EGYPT IS GREAT:
- Great expansion opportunities
- Fast production of wonders
Civ Details: Egypt
4.France
Located in Western Europe, bordering six (or seven, depending upon how you count them) European countries and with coasts on the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel, and the Mediterranean, France has long been one of the great political, military and cultural powers of the Western world. The France Empire is a decent civilization to use in Civilization 5, having no preferred starting bias, they still can develop very fast and take over the world with culture or military. The French civilization is aimed plainly at achieving cultural dominance and thus pursuing a cultural victory. Both their vanilla and unique abilities focus on that, although the new state of affairs is even more pronounced in that direction, because of their new improvement, the Chateau. Not only does it help defend their lands, but it also provides extra Culture for the empire, so use every opportunity to build Chateaux after researching chivalry.
WHY FRANCE IS GREAT:
- great tourist rates
- strong cultural power
Civ Details: France
5. Polynesia
islands rather than a unified civilization, Polynesia boasts a rich culture and fascinating history. When most Europeans were mired in the Dark Ages, the Polynesians were perfecting the art of travelling across the mighty Pacific in small wooden canoes, navigating by the stars, weather, and wildlife. Eventually most of the islands were colonized by European powers, but much of the native culture and languages are still fiercely preserved for future generations. Polynesia is an interesting nation, having been added as a DLC nation, they made a great impact in the base game, being one of the strongest cultural nations. With a unique ability and improvement that allows them to be culturally dominant without necessarily having a small empire. Polynesian units can move through open seas from the very start of the game, permitting them to start settling foreign lands much earlier than any other civilization. One way to capitalize on this advantage is to build some reconnaissance units as soon as possible and start exploring the seas - they are able to find all these interesting places in the middle of the ocean while the other nations are still fighting Barbarians.
WHY POLYNESIA IS GREAT:
- strong starting bias
- strong cultural dominance
Civ Details:Polynesia:
6.Assyria
The many ancient kingdoms of Assyria, long since swept into the dust of history, were at various times among the most prosperous and powerful of any on Earth. Centered in the heart of Mesopotamia (modern northern Iraq), Assyria was founded by Semitic descendants of Akkadian and Sumerian refugees following the collapse of the Akkadian Empire c. 2154 BC, whose languages and customs slowly coalesced into two distinct Mesopotamian peoples: the Assyrians in the north and Babylonians in the south. Despite a number of initial attempts at forming an independent kingdom, the Assyrians were continually thwarted by the expansion of their neighbors, particularly Babylon. Eventually, commencing with the near-legendary Tudiya, Assyrian kings succeeded in establishing a great empire - and on more than one occasion Assyria was the most powerful state in the region. However, Assyria also continued to suffer at the hands of neighboring rivals, and by the late 6th Century BC, the empire was no more. The Assyrian Empire is a strong dominating one in the base game, having a great starting bias and a strong military presence they can easily win the game through the military. Even so, they have a strong military advantage, they have the ability to win the game culturally. Their unique ability allows them to steal technologies when conquering cities, this allows them to either catch up with their rivals or keep ahead in cultural technology throughout the game. Furthermore, they have extra Great Writing slots, which are scarce in the late game. Also is great at warfare if you need to take out a Civ with an insurmountable amount of culture built up.
WHY IS ASSYRIA GREAT:
- Strong trading culture
- Extra Great Person slots
Civ Details: Assyria
7.Austria
Beginning in the 13th century with the nearly 650 year rule of the powerful Habsburg Monarchy, Austria emerged as one of the premier nations of Europe, establishing strong alliances and far-reaching trade agreements across the continent. The later union of Austria and Hungary as a singular empire brought stability to both nations, only to be broken by the turmoil of World War I, and eventually, the German occupation of World War II. In the aftermath of these great conflicts, the borders of Austria were recreated, and the independent Republic of Austria stands today as a democratic nation that prides itself on maintaining neutrality and stability. The Austrian Empire is a strong base game nation, having great leader traits, a strong military, and a strong cultural history. Austria's unique ability allows you to spend Gold to acquire allied city-states without having to conquer them by military means, provided the city-state remains your ally for at least five consecutive turns. The exact price scales with the progress of the game (and the development of the city-state), starting from around 500 gold in the Ancient Era and reaching more than 1000 gold in the Information Era. Furthermore, coffee houses help you generate GWAMs faster and their lack of restrictions help you get the production bonuses for wonders anywhere.
WHY AUSTRIA IS GREAT:
- Great National traits
- Strong trading culture
- Fast cultural progress
Civ Details: Austria
8.India
The Republic of India is the second most populous country in the world and the largest democracy. A land of contrasts, India contains great wealth and grinding poverty. It possesses high-tech cities and primitive villages. In it one can find beauty and squalor, hope and despair. It is one of the oldest civilizations on the planet, yet India is considered an "emerging" market. In short, India is one of the most fascinating civilizations on the planet. The Indian Empire has the best cultural progress in the entire game, having some great national and leader traits and the ability to handle a large number of cities which can provide faster wonders. Their unique ability makes initial expansion slower, but once cities reach size 6, Gandhi's bonus kicks in. While Gandhi does well with a few large cities, his ability also makes him uniquely suited for maintaining a wide empire with many cities. From the start, adopt the policies in the Tradition tree (and later the Freedom ideology) to maximize Population growth and specialist use and make the most of a limited territory.
WHY INDIA IS GREAT:
- Strong cultural progress
- Faster building of wonders
Civ Details: India
9.Spain
Spain's location on the Iberian Peninsula between North Africa and Europe has made it an important territory from prehistoric times to the present. At one time the first world Imperial power, Spain later had to survive devastating wars and centuries of political unrest. From its discovery and colonization of the New World to its involvement in countless wars of independence, Spain is one of the few countries which can claim such a lasting and encompassing global influence. Spain is a great West-European Nation that is in the base game. Their naval power makes them one of the strongest military and economic nations in the base game. Furthermore, you can get a lot of tourists from natural wonders thanks to natural heritage sites, hotels, and airports. The Spanish are the masters of exploration. They receive a 100 Gold bonus for discovering a natural wonder, which goes up to a whopping 500 Gold if they were the first to discover it, creating an advantage for the early game. Spain also gets double Happiness for discovering a natural wonder. Their starting bias also makes them a strong cultural influencer, allowing them to open fast trading routes over the sea, making them able to influence the culture and economy of other nations.
WHY SPAIN IS GREAT:
- Has the ability to develop strong tourists places
- Unique abilities which improve the cultural bases
Civ Details: Spain
10.Sweden
The Kingdom of Sweden, found in Northern Europe, joins Denmark and Norway in forming the region known as Scandinavia. A progressive and economically powerful nation in the present-day, Sweden's early history was chronicled in the Norse Sagas, within which the first records of their legendary kings appeared. Although there is no precise date associated with the kingdom's formation, over time the loosely collaborated Viking chiefdoms gave way to a united Swedish people. Reaching the height of military and political power in the 17th century, Sweden reached its zenith under the stalwart leadership of revered king and general Gustavus Adolphus. Sweden is a great diplomatic country, but even so, a greater cultural one, making them one of the strongest non-military countries in the base game. You should strongly consider adopting Patronage once you have access to that policy tree, and make it a priority to gain as many Great People as you can, whether from Specialists, Declarations of Friendship, or city-state allies (after adopting all the policies in the Patronage tree). Don't forget to give some of your Great People to city-states - each one translates to one new city-state ally! Additionally, you should try to build the Leaning Tower of Pisa as early as possible, which will give you an even greater advantage on the diplomatic front. Furthermore, thanks to the ability to make fast friends out of city-states they can easily gain cultural influence over them and in the late games, over other nations.
WHY SWEDEN IS GREAT:
- strong special buildings
- ability to make friends out of city states
Civ Details: Sweden
