Tips On How To Get A Diplomacy Victory
With the release of the Gathering Storm expansion pack in Civilization 6, players can now achieve victory through diplomacy, adding a new layer of strategy to the game. Unlike the more straightforward ways to win in the base game, diplomacy victory requires cunning and patience. For those who dream of controlling the world through friendship and diplomacy, this guide will help players achieve their goals.
To start, players must be careful not to accidentally achieve victory through other means while pursuing diplomacy victory. With the many victory conditions in Civilization 6, it’s easy to get sidetracked. Players should always keep track of their progress in key areas to ensure their diplomacy victory weighs more than their progress in other styles.
Delaying future technologies is also crucial to achieving diplomacy victory. When players reach around 8 to 10 VP, other civilizations will start to lower their VP. If players have already researched future era tech, there won’t be much left to research to regain those VPs. To counter this, players should only research future era tech after hitting 8 to 10 VP, so they can clinch the win with the VPs earned in future era research.
Players can also purchase diplomatic favors from other civilizations to secure their victory. When a player’s civilization has a steady source of income in the early-to-mid game, they should purchase as many diplomatic favors as possible. Timing is crucial, as AI civilizations will make it much harder for players to get diplomatic favors once they are about to clinch the diplomacy victory.
Aid Requests, a new victory method introduced in Gathering Storm, can also help players secure diplomacy victory. By giving aid to a civilization struck by a natural disaster, players can earn points and win the competition, earning them 2 diplomatic victory points. Passively encouraging civilizations to declare war on each other can also be effective, as it can deprive opponents of resources and give players one less opponent to worry about.
Culture and religion should not be ignored, even when aiming for diplomacy victory. Ignoring these victory paths can make victory extremely easy for rival civilizations aiming for them. A strong army is also necessary for earning respect from other civilizations and discouraging unfriendly opponents from attacking.
Finally, picking the right leader is key to achieving diplomacy victory. Certain civilizations have abilities that can help develop ties with other civilizations and city-states, making them ideal for this victory condition. Canada, led by Wilfrid Laurier with an ability that grants diplomatic favor points based on tourism, is one of the best civilizations for achieving diplomacy victory.
With these tips, players can achieve victory through diplomacy in Civilization 6, adding a new level of strategy to the game.
With the addition of diplomatic victory in Civilization 6‘s expansion pack, Gathering Storm, players are given a new way to win and assert their dominance in the game’s world. There are numerous ways to secure a win in this game, one of them being the “Diplomacy” victory. This way of victory takes a lot more strategy and cunning than the other, more straightforward ways that come with the base game.
For those who dream of controlling the world via friendship and diplomatic relationships, this guide will go a long way in helping a player that wants to win their games through diplomacy. This game mode victory type will take some patience, so make sure to look through each little bit of help!
Updated on July 3, 2023 by Rhenn Taguiam: Although without a definite release date, just Firaxis Games confirming the development of Civilization 7 should be enough to send fans of the 4X genre into a frenzy – especially since Civilization 6 has become a monumental leap to showcasing the potential of such types of games in the modern scene.
And fans of Civ 6 who don’t believe that all-out war can secure victory in their match may want to rely on more efficient diplomatic strategies to ensure a Diplomacy Victory. In that regard, more tips to achieve this include capitalizing on city states, securing as many diplomatic favors as possible, delaying future technologies, as well as being careful that fulfilling other goals don’t hit objectives needed by other victory conditions.
18 Be Careful Not To Win By Other Means
Considering how fairly technical Civilization 6 gameplay can become when players are eagle-eyed to pursue Victory Conditions, it’s easy to win in other means while pursuing a Diplomacy Victory. This is especially the case for players who are taking a rather long time to secure this Victory Condition, as more options open up to secure a Cultural, Religious, or even Science Victory.
Not to mention, with how easy colonizing other civs can become in the long haul, a Domination Victory is always an option for players gunning for the easy way out. In that regard, players may want to always check what kind of progress they’ve made in key areas to ensure their Diplomacy Victory Condition always weighs more than their progress in other Victory styles.
17 Delay The Future
Despite the temptation of securing tech in the Future Era as soon as players get there, their Civilization 6 gameplay may see some problems the moment they venture into their civ’s lategame scenario when gearing for a Diplomacy Victory. Remember, when players get to around 8 to 10 VP, other civs will start making efforts to lower the player’s Victory Points. If players get to this threshold with Future Era tech, there won’t be a lot of things to research to re-secure the VP lost from enemy resolutions.
To counter this, players should only research Future Era tech only after hitting 8 to 10 VP, be it through Aid Requests or the World Congress. That way, even if other civs lower the player’s VP, they can clinch the win with the VPs earned in Future Era research.
16 Take Note Of An Endgame Resolution
When players get into the endgame in their Civilization 6 playthrough, they will eventually encounter a World Congress resolution where a chosen civ gets 2 Victory Points or loses 2 Victory Points. Chances are high that most other civs will opt to decide on the latter, and players aren’t advised to waste their time trying to fight this decision. Players who are doing their tasks correctly will find themselves with the highest Victory Points, making them the prime target.
In that regard, players shouldn’t be worried missing out on 2 Victory Points especially since they get 1 Victory Point for making their decision. Likewise, it’s important to remember that should this resolution arrive, other AIs will likely dump their Favor to secure the player’s disadvantage. This should leave players with an opening to manipulate other civs in succeeding turns, which can re-secure more Victory Points.
15 Purchase Diplomatic Favors
Players enjoying their Civilization 6 gameplay may have gotten the hang of earning Gold throughout their business deals with other civs, and this is a must-have mechanic if they want to secure a Diplomatic Victory. When a player’s civ manages to find a steady source of income in the early-to-mid game, they need to purchase as many Diplomatic Favors from other civilizations as soon as possible.
The timing here is crucial, especially since the AI of other civs will start to take note once players get much higher Victory Points. If they sense players about to clinch the Diplomacy Victory, they will start to make it much harder for players to get Diplomatic Favors.
14 Earn The Highest Score In An Aid Request
Much like the Diplomacy victory method, Aid Requests were added to Civilization 6 in the Gathering Storm expansion pack. Aid Requests are essentially a competition between civilizations. The goal is to earn the most points by giving the most aid to a Civ struck by a natural disaster. Players earn one point for each Gold offered to the Civ, and earn 50 points by completing a Send Aid project.
Winning the competition earns players 2 Diplomatic Victory points. Meanwhile, second place gets 100 Diplomatic Favor and third place receives 50 Diplomatic Favor.
13 Passively Encourage Civs To Declare War On Each Other
This strategy can be tough to pull off, but it’s extremely effective when done correctly. Through discussions, players can add fuel to a fire that may push two disagreeing Civs over the edge, eventually leading to war.
This can have multiple benefits to players. Their opponents’ Diplomatic Favor will take a hit and their empires will be deprived of resources, hurting their expansion. Furthermore, one Civ may completely wipe another off the map, giving players one less opponent to worry about.
12 Don’t Ignore Culture And Religion
When having one clear victory path in mind, it can be easy to get tunnel vision and ignore other victory methods. This can be a fatal error, as players will find themselves missing out on the perks that victory paths like Culture and Religion provide.
Furthermore, if players ignore Culture and Religion, it can make victory extremely easy for a rival Civ if they’re aiming for either of those two goals. So although it can harm players’ diplomatic progress, it’s necessary to spend time on Culture and Religion to avoid an early defeat.
11 Maintain A Respectable Army
Following on from the previous point, it can be easy to ignore army building when aiming for Diplomacy victory. A strong, respectable army is necessary for earning respect from other Civs and discouraging unfriendly opponents from springing a surprise attack. After all, a heavy defeat can render a player’s hard work useless.
Moreover, a strong army may be necessary if players are having issues with another Civ and need to take action. Declaring war should be a last resort when aiming for Diplomacy victory, but it’s an effective strategy to have in the back pocket.
10 Pick The Right Leader
Picking the right leader will go a long way to helping a player that wants to win a diplomatic victory. Certain civilizations have abilities that go a long way in helping develop ties with other civilizations and city-states, as well as help maintain them.
One of the best civilizations for this situation is one that is added in the Gathering Storm expansion, that being Canada, led by Wilfrid Laurier with an ability that grants diplomatic Favor points based on tourism.
9 Make Friends Early
Making good friends early on is not only a good tip in life but also can really pay off in the world of Civilization 6. Being kind and friendly to the first few civilizations that a player meets on their journey throughout the game will go a long way in setting up alliances with those civilizations. These could become very powerful and influential in the future.
This strategy will also help deter any attackers and help vote the player to victory. It’s important to try and have more than one friend.
8 Declare War Sparingly
It should go without saying, but going to war isn’t the best thing for a civilization that wants to win via diplomacy. Any civilization that goes to war will often incur a warmonger penalty, even if that civilization uses the more reasonable reasons for war.
This will make most if not all other civilizations in the game hate that one specific civilization. A civilization trying to win a diplomatic victory should also do its best to limit the number of cities it conquers, as that also adds to the penalty.
7 Form Alliances
Another fairly obvious tip, but one that is important nonetheless. A player that wants to win a diplomatic victory is also going to need to be a player that is fairly patient, as it is one of the longest ways to win in Civilization 6 due to the player needing to reach a late-game era in order for you to win.
This means that you are going to need to capitalize on those friends that the player made in the early game and make them into allies to make sure they work with the player.
6 Become A Suzerain
City-States can give the players big bonuses, especially if a player is the Suzerain of certain city-states. Bonuses that civilizations get from city-states depend on the number of envoys that the civilization has dedicated to that city-state, with the civilization that has the most envoys in a certain city-state gaining the Suzerain bonus.
Being the suzerain of a city-state won’t give a player more votes. However, it will provide them with more diplomatic favor.
5 Be Smart With Trade Routes
Trade Routes can go a long way to helping a player that wants to win. They can go a long way in helping players get resources between their own cities that might need help in some areas, or to help gain some gold. They can also aid with boosts in science or bringing in different religions to a civilization.
In addition to all of this, they can also have a direct benefit on helping to get a diplomatic victory. Trade routes are one of the best ways to help gain favor with another nation.
4 Be Helpful
This should also be fairly obvious. If a player wants to win a diplomatic victory, they must be helpful towards the various nations in their game. This is especially true for ones that are comparable to the player in power, or maybe even have more.
This means that a player will need to go out of their way to help people. This can involve giving gifts and giving them favorable trade deals. They may even need to help in times of war.
3 Stop Other Civs From Winning
A player looking for a diplomacy victory must actively work towards halting another nation that is getting close to the same goal. This can be done in a peaceful and covert way through voting against that nation’s proposals.
If all else fails and an opponent is en route to beat players to the post, it may be necessary to take extreme measures and wipe them off the map. As mentioned before, declaring war should be done sparingly, but it’s an effective way to solve issues with another civ.
2 Research The Right Technologies
Selecting the right technologies to research at the right time will go a long way to helping a player whose goal is to win a diplomatic victory. Certain research will unlock some policies and even some options that can help in diplomacy work with other Civs.
This includes researching technology that will unlock additional trade routes for the civilization. Players should also unlock certain policies that will assist in diplomatic dealings in order to help gain favor.
1 Build the Right Wonders
Wonders in all the Civilization games are some of the most beneficial things that a player can build. They can provide benefits in everything from combat to science and religion. Each player should try to have at least one in their nation.
There are certain wonders that help by giving a player free diplomatic victory points upon their construction. This includes the Mahabodhi Temple, which gives 2 points, and the Statue of Liberty, which gives the player 4 points.
