I’ve been diving deep into Civilization 6, and I’ve come to realize that the path to victory is about more than just raw power or scientific dominance. It’s about mastering the subtle game of diplomacy, and at the heart of that is a mechanic that many players overlook: Grievances. This system, which replaced the old “warmonger” score, is a game-changer, offering a much more transparent and strategic way to handle international relations. I want to share what I’ve learned about it, so you can go from being a passive observer to a master manipulator of global opinion, capable of launching justified wars, isolating your foes, and truly shaping the world to your will.
For a long time, I saw Grievances as just a penalty, a slap on the wrist for being aggressive. But that’s not the whole story. Grievances are a resource, a kind of political currency you can save up, spend, and use to get what you want. Figuring out how to pile up Grievances against your rivals while keeping your own slate clean is key to winning, no matter if you’re aiming for conquest, culture, or diplomacy. I’m going to break down everything I know about the Grievance system to give you the edge you need on the world stage.
Where Grievances Come From: A Justification Bank
Think of the Grievance system as a running score of who has wronged whom. When one civilization does something to harm another, the victim gets Grievance points against the offender. These points aren’t just for show; they directly affect your relationships and, more importantly, give you a valid reason to hit back.
The Math Behind the Madness: How Grievances Add Up
The number of Grievances you get isn’t random. It’s based on how bad the offense is. Here’s a quick rundown of what generates them:
- Declaring War: This is the big one.
- Surprise War: Just declaring war out of the blue is the worst thing you can do, hitting you with a massive 150 Grievances. It tells the whole world you’re the bad guy.
- Formal War: If you’ve denounced a civilization for at least five turns, you can declare a Formal War, which is a bit better, usually around 100 Grievances.
- Casus Belli: This is the secret sauce. Using a Casus Belli (a just cause for war) slashes the Grievances you generate, sometimes by 50% or even down to zero.
- Taking Cities: Capturing a city is a serious blow.
- Non-Capital City: Taking a regular city will cost you about 100 Grievances.
- Capital City: Capturing a capital is a huge deal, generating a whopping 200 Grievances.
- Breaking Your Word: In Civ 6, promises matter.
- Settling Near Borders: If you promise not to settle near a rival and then do it anyway, that’s about 50 Grievances.
- Spying: Breaking a promise to stop spying also costs you around 50 Grievances.
- Converting Cities: Same deal here, breaking a promise not to spread your religion costs about 50 Grievances.
- Converting a Holy City: Pushing your religion is one thing, but converting another civ’s Holy City is a direct insult, generating 25 Grievances.
- Betrayal: Declaring war on a friend or ally is the ultimate backstab. It generates a ton of Grievances and makes everyone else trust you less.
How Anger Fades: Grievance Decay
The good news is that Grievances don’t last forever. They fade over time, usually at a rate of 10 Grievances per turn. This is super important for long-term planning. You can wait out a big Grievance score, but if you keep causing trouble, it’ll stay high.
The Art of War: Using Grievances for Conquest
If you’re aiming for a domination victory, you don’t want to avoid Grievances; you want to manage them. The trick is to keep your own Grievances low while making your enemies look like the aggressors. This lets you expand your empire without the rest of the world turning on you.
The Power of a Good Reason: Mastering Casus Belli
The Casus Belli system is your best friend here. Each one gives you a legitimate reason for war, which means fewer diplomatic penalties.
- War of Liberation: If a civ captures a city from your friend or ally, you get this Casus Belli. It’s amazing because it generates 0 Grievances for declaring war and for taking back the city. You even get a nice diplomatic favor bonus for it.
- War of Retribution: If a civ breaks a promise to you, you can use this to cut the Grievance cost of war by 50%.
- Protectorate War: If a civ attacks a city-state you’re the suzerain of, this also gives you a 50% reduction in Grievances.
- Colonial War: If a civ is two eras behind you in tech and has a different government, you can declare a Colonial War for a 50% reduction.
- War of Territorial Expansion: If a civ has a city close to two of yours and a smaller army, you can use this for a 50% reduction.
- Golden Age War: During a Golden Age, you can declare this type of war for a 25% reduction.
My Strategy: Before I even think about a military campaign, I always check for a Casus Belli. If I don’t have one, I’ll try to provoke my target into giving me one. For example, I might settle a city near their border to bait them into making a promise I know they’ll break.
Your Grievance “Bank Account”
The number of Grievances another civ has against you is like a bank account. You can “withdraw” from it by taking aggressive actions without anyone else caring. For every Grievance your opponent has against you, you can inflict that much harm on them before you start generating new Grievances.
For example: Let’s say Rome has 150 Grievances against you because you declared a Surprise War. That means you can do things that would normally generate up to 150 Grievances against them without any diplomatic penalty. You could capture one of their regular cities (100 Grievances) and a Holy City (25 Grievances), and you’d still have 25 Grievances to spare.
My Strategy: When I’m at war, I keep a close eye on the Grievance balance. If my opponent has a lot of Grievances against me, I feel free to be more aggressive. If the balance is low, I might be more careful or focus on liberating cities to improve my diplomatic standing.
The Diplomat’s Playbook: Manipulating Grievances Without War
Grievances aren’t just for warmongers. As a diplomat, you can use the system to isolate your rivals, build strong alliances, and even win a Diplomatic Victory.
The Power of Denunciation
Denouncing another civ is more than just trash talk; it’s a key step in escalating things diplomatically. You can’t declare a Formal War or a War of Retribution without denouncing them first.
My Strategy: If I think I might have to go to war with a neighbor down the line, I denounce them early. This starts the five-turn countdown for a Formal War, which gives me more options. It also signals to other civs that I have a problem with them, which can make them more supportive of my actions later on.
The Promise Trap
Promises are a double-edged sword. Breaking them gives you Grievances, but you can also use them to your advantage.
My Strategy:
- Baiting with Promises: If an AI leader asks me to make a promise, I think about the strategic implications. If I break it, they get a Casus Belli against me. But I can use this to my advantage by intentionally breaking the promise to trick them into declaring war, which makes them the aggressor.
- Extracting Promises: On the flip side, I try to get promises from the AI. If they settle too close to me, I demand that they stop. If they agree and then break that promise, I get a War of Retribution Casus Belli.
The World Congress: Your Political Playground
The World Congress is a great place to mess with Grievances and international relations.
- Grievance-Related Resolutions: Some resolutions can directly affect Grievances, like targeting a specific civ and making them generate more Grievances for certain actions.
- Diplomatic Favor: Your diplomatic standing, which is heavily influenced by your Grievance levels, affects how much Diplomatic Favor you generate. Low Grievances mean more favor, which means more votes in the World Congress.
My Strategy: I’m always active in the World Congress. I use my Diplomatic Favor to vote for resolutions that hurt my rivals and help me. With a low Grievance score, I have more influence to push my agenda.
The Ripple Effect: How Grievances Affect Everything Else
Grievances are connected to a bunch of other game mechanics.
War Weariness: The Cost of Endless War
War Weariness is a penalty to your cities’ amenities, which can lead to unhappiness and lower productivity. The number of Grievances you have with your opponent in a war directly affects how much War Weariness you get.
- High Grievances = High War Weariness: If you’re the aggressor with a high Grievance score, your cities will suffer.
- Justified Wars = Low War Weariness: If you’re fighting a justified war with a Casus Belli and your opponent has a lot of Grievances against you, your War Weariness will be much lower.
My Strategy: When I’m planning a long war, I think about the impact of War Weariness. If I know it’s going to be a tough fight, I make sure I have a good reason for it to keep my empire happy.
Loyalty: The Fickle Nature of Allegiance
Grievances also have a subtle effect on Loyalty. Cities are more likely to stay loyal to a leader who is seen as fair and just.
- High Grievances and Loyalty: A high number of Grievances with a lot of civs can make your empire feel unstable, which can make your cities more likely to flip, especially if they’re under pressure from a leader like Eleanor of Aquitaine.
My Strategy: Keeping my Grievances in check is a passive but effective way to boost the Loyalty of my cities, especially the ones on my borders.
Emergencies: A Global Call to Action
Emergencies are special events triggered by big actions, like taking a city-state or converting a Holy City. The Grievance system plays a big role in how they play out.
- Triggering Emergencies: Many of the actions that trigger Emergencies also generate a lot of Grievances.
- Joining Emergencies: Civs with high Grievances against the target of an Emergency are more likely to join.
My Strategy: If I want to trigger an Emergency against a rival, I’ll target actions that generate both Grievances and the chance for an Emergency. On the other hand, if I’m the target of an Emergency, I know my high Grievance score means I’ll probably be facing a big coalition.
Leader Agendas and Grievances: It’s All About Personality
Every leader in Civ 6 has a unique personality that affects how they see and react to Grievances.
- Militaristic Leaders (like Alexander or Genghis Khan): These leaders are more tolerant of Grievances from war and might even respect a strong military. But they’ll still get mad if you declare a Surprise War on them.
- Diplomatic Leaders (like Kristina or Wilfrid Laurier): These leaders are very sensitive to Grievances. Even a small number can ruin your relationship with them. They’re also more likely to join Emergencies against aggressive players.
- Expansionist Leaders (like Philip II or Trajan): These leaders want to expand their empires and are more likely to generate Grievances by settling near you. They’ll also react strongly if you try to stop them.
My Strategy: Before I interact with a new leader, I always check their agenda. This gives me a good idea of how they’ll react to my actions and how I can manage my Grievance levels with them. For example, if I’m next to an expansionist leader, I’m ready for them to settle aggressively and I’m prepared to use the promise system to my advantage.
My Final Thoughts: Mastering the Scales of Justice
The Grievance system is so much more than just a penalty for being a warmonger. It’s a dynamic and strategic mechanic that’s at the core of diplomacy and conflict in Civilization 6. Once you stop seeing Grievances as just a number to keep low, you can start using them as a tool.
Winning in Civ 6 is rarely a straight path. It takes a deft hand, a good read on your opponents, and the ability to use every system to your advantage. By mastering the art of generating Grievances against your rivals while managing your own, you can create a story of just wars and righteous crusades. You can isolate your enemies, rally allies to your cause, and build an empire that’s not just powerful, but also respected. The scales of global justice are in your hands; it’s time to learn how to tip them in your favor.