Civ 6 Tier List (Civ 6 Best Civilizations)

Updated:

10 Nov 2019

With the release of the Gathering Storm DLC, Civilization VI has now 46 leaders, but which ones are the strongest for a Domination Victory? Find out with this tiered list and get ready to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women!

C Tier - (Don’t bother, using these will get you crushed when playing at Deity difficulty)

Mvemba a Nzinga (Kongo)
Qin Shi Huang (China)
Gandhi (India)
Kupe (Maori)
Pedro II (Brazil)
Jayavarman VII (Khmer)
Tamar (Georgia)
Kristina (Sweden)
Laurier (Canada)
Mansa Musa (Mali)
Robert, the Bruce (Scotland)
Pericles (Greece)
Poundmaker (Cree)
Cleopatra (Egypt)
Catherine de Medici (France)
Wilfrid Laurier (Canada)

B Tier - (Not balanced for Domination victory and you’ll struggle at higher difficulties)

Seondeok (Korea)
Teddy Roosevelt (America)
John Curtin (Australia)
Peter (Russia)
Wilhelmina (Netherlands)
Saladin (Arabia)
Gitarja (Indonesia)
Pachacuti (Inca)
Victoria (England)
Eleanor of Aquitaine (France/England)
Lautaro (Mapuche)
Jadwiga (Poland)
Dido (Phonecia)
Phillip II (Spain)
Harald Hardrada (Norway)

A Tier - (Good overall and will still carry you to victory if used right)

Amanitore (Nubia)

Nubia can rush military units that give you a strong edge at the start of the game, allowing smart players the opportunity to build their empire early.

Early and powerful warfare
Having the ability to construct districts rapidly makes developing new cities easier
Desert tiles give more advantages than other civilizations.

Hojo Tokimune (Japan)

This well-rounded civ works best when players settle their cities close to each other, accumulating adjacent district bonuses and yielding a lot of production later in the game. Use the Samurai unit, which can be stronger than Musketmen, to destroy a city’s defense.

Powerful coastal defense
Good potential for medieval warfare
Doesn’t need much land for good district yields

Trajan (Rome)

First order of business: build Legions! A small force can tear any walls with prejudice. Not only that, but they will also repair a newly-conquered city, guaranteeing your dominance quickly.

Best for warfare during early game
Recoveries fast after wars
City development is strong early in the game

Chandragupta (India)

Grow fast and nobody will be able to stop you. Chandragupta turns Varu into a fast and strong unit for the Classical Era. Spread your religion quickly and convert newly-conquered cities with ease.

Stepwells allow for cities to grow fast during the early game
Chandragupta has powerful and fast classical-era warfare
If conquering isn’t going well, India has good defense

Gorgo (Greece)

If you want to mix your dominance victory with some good old blue jeans, Gorgo is your girl. Not only she has the Hoplite unit to do some conquering, but any kill generates culture. You can also manipulate city-states to do your bidding very easily.

Greece has an immediate wildcard that will give you an edge during the early game
Culture output is super high
City-state envoy gain is strong

Gilgamesh (Sumeria)

This is an epic leader for an epic player. Build yourself an army of War-Carts and go to town – then conquer everyone else. But don’t forget your friends – allied wars give you bonuses.

Scout and explore the map before anyone else
Early game warfare is very strong
Science output early on helps rush to stronger units

Frederick Barbarossa (Germany)

With one of the strongest production outputs of the game, Germany guarantees a steady in-flow of troops during all eras. Combined with Barbarossa's extra strength bonus against city-states, you’ll be expanding your empire in no time.

Expand fast and early by using bonuses against city-states
High and powerful production
Effective cities even with low food and housing.

Montezuma (Aztec)

War won’t stop your empire from growing. Eagle Warriors transform military units into builders and then the party starts. Expand to other continents and keep your people happy with more and more luxuries and amenities.

Great for large maps
Amenities advantage
Expansion doesn’t stun development.

S Tier - (These leaders will wipe out a map if used correctly and guarantee your victory)

Suleiman (Ottomans)

Thanks to Suleiman’s unique governor, Ibrahim, your recruitment gains bonus that adds production to all military units. Not only that, but you can also unlock a promotion that gives extra strength to all units near their cities – protecting the homeland while you’re out conquering.

The Great Turkish Bombard will help you destroy any wall
Captured cities retain population, its amenities and loyalty per turn
Unique governor allows for a never-ending wave of military units

Matthias Corvinus (Hungary)

Slow and steady doesn’t win the race with Corvinus. Leverage your envoy’s influence over city-states quickly and upgrade its units for free to push wars as fast as possible. Be the Suzerain military city-states need and you’ll be fine.

City-state free unit upgrade is broken, but awesome
One or two cities is all you need
Keep an eye on your gold production before you go bankrupt

Cyrus (Persia)

Surprise! We are at war! It’s hard to surprise anyone when you’re gathering all your units at the border, but Civ VI doesn’t mind that pesky detail. With Cyrus, you get +2 movement when surprising others. So, go ahead, meet new people then stab them in the back!

Strong loyalty helps with capturing cities
Surprise warfare is broken and we love it
An army of Immortals is just too badass

Shaka (Zulu)

You have to be a little patient with Shaka and wait for the opportune moment to strike – that’s the medieval era. Meanwhile, keep your borders and production output strong and then let the hammer fall when the time is right.

Impi units are cheap to maintain and upgrade
Hold on to cities with strong loyalty
Unique district helps with production

Genghis Khan (Mongolia)

The best way to conquer a civ? Gold and trade. Once you have their pockets, you’ll get their necks. Like a cat, Gengis approach is slow at first, but once he pounces, it’s over. Trade and pillage and you’ll have your empire.

Fast movement for land-based civ
Incredibly strong medieval units
Horses. Lots of horses. The best horses.

Tomyris (Scythia)

Gengis has horses, but Tomyris has horses faster. And every time your units hurt someone, they’ll heal and become stronger against the wounded enemy. Shower them with archers then crush the remains with your horsemen.

Incredibly strong classical warfare
Healing when attacking means you can make some risky moves
If you need a fallback strategy, you can always win by killing priests

Alexander (Macedon)

This smart boy is also a strong boy. Science and domination go hand-in-hand in the real world and it’s no different for Alexander. You gain science every time you train a unit so you can study your nerdy books while your army of Hetairoi and Hypaspists destroy all your enemies.