Civ 6 Macedon Guide: Alexander the Great Strategy (Domination)

Analysis of player communities and high-level strategy forums consistently places Alexander in the top tier for domination-focused gameplay. His mechanics are not about subtle influence or long-term economic supremacy; they are about initiating a war machine in the Classical Era and never allowing it to stop. The core of this strategy is a finely tuned engine of expansion, where each captured city fuels the next wave of attack, creating a self-sustaining cycle of conquest that can leave other civilizations in the dust.

To the World’s End: Deconstructing Alexander’s Abilities

Understanding the synergy between Alexander’s abilities is the first step toward mastering his aggressive playstyle. Each component is powerful on its own, but together they form a devastatingly effective framework for global conquest.

Leader Ability: To the World’s End

This ability is the linchpin of Macedonian strategy, composed of two critical parts:

• Immunity to War Weariness: This is, without exaggeration, one of the most potent military abilities in the game. While other leaders see their empires crumble from within due to prolonged conflict—suffering crippling amenity penalties that stifle growth, production, and loyalty—Alexander is completely immune. This allows for a state of perpetual warfare without any of the usual domestic consequences. Your cities remain happy, productive, and loyal, even as your armies march across continents for centuries.
• Heal on Wonder Capture: Capturing a city containing a World Wonder instantly and fully heals every unit in your army. Many professional gamers suggest that this allows for a “blitzkrieg” style of warfare, where you can chain attacks on multiple cities in rapid succession without needing to pause and heal your troops. Targeting civilizations known for their early wonder-building can turn your initial invasion into an unstoppable juggernaut.

Civilization Ability: Hellenistic Fusion

This ability is the engine that prevents your civilization from falling behind while you focus on military production.

• Free Eurekas and Inspirations: Upon capturing a city, you receive a free Eureka for every Campus and Encampment district, and a free Inspiration for every Holy Site and Theater Square within that city. A popular strategy is to let your opponents build up their infrastructure for you. As you conquer, you absorb their scientific and cultural progress, allowing you to keep pace in technology and civics without having to dedicate your own production to building numerous districts. This ability is crucial for maintaining a technological edge over your rivals.

Unique Building: Basilikoi Paides

This replacement for the Barracks is a cornerstone of your scientific and military development.

• Science Generation: When a non-civilian unit is trained in a city with a Basilikoi Paides, you gain Science equal to 25% of the unit’s production cost. This creates a powerful feedback loop: building your army directly fuels your technological advancement.
• Enhanced Experience: It provides a +25% combat experience boost to melee, ranged, and Hetairoi units trained in the city. This means your units are more effective right from the start, and will reach powerful promotions faster.

Unique Units: The Hammer and Anvil

Macedon’s unique units arrive in the Classical Era, perfectly timed to initiate your global conquest.

• Hypaspist (Replaces Swordsman): This melee unit receives a +5 Combat Strength bonus when attacking districts. This makes them exceptionally effective at sieging and capturing cities. They also have a +50% support bonus, making them more resilient when in formation.
• Hetairoi (Replaces Horseman): This heavy cavalry unit is a true powerhouse. It gains +5 Combat Strength when adjacent to a Great General, generates Great General points for every kill, and starts with a free promotion. They are your primary shock troops, designed to overwhelm enemy units and secure rapid victories.

The Early Game: Forging the Macedonian War Machine (Ancient to Classical Era)

Your primary objective in the early game is to set up the perfect storm for a Classical Era explosion. Every decision should be geared towards unleashing your unique units as quickly as possible.

Initial Tech and Civic Path

• Technology: Your first priority is Animal Husbandry to reveal Horses, which are essential for your Hetairoi. From there, a direct path to Bronze Working is critical to unlock Encampments and your Basilikoi Paides. After that, beeline Iron Working and Horseback Riding to unlock your Hypaspists and Hetairoi.
• Civics: Rush Craftsmanship to gain access to the Agoge policy card, which provides a -50% production discount on melee and ranged units. Following this, push for Military Tradition to unlock flanking bonuses and the Maneuver policy card for a -50% production discount on cavalry.

Build Order and Expansion

• Your first build should be a Scout to explore your surroundings and locate your neighbors. Finding them early is crucial for planning your initial invasion.
• Train a Settler as your second or third build to found a second city. Ideally, this city should be placed near strategic resources like Horses or Iron.
• In your capital, as soon as Bronze Working is complete, build an Encampment, followed immediately by the Basilikoi Paides. This is non-negotiable.
• Once the Basilikoi Paides is complete, begin churning out a mix of Hetairoi and Hypaspists. The science generated from their production will help you accelerate through the tech tree.

Initiating the First War

• With a force of 3-4 Hetairoi, 2-3 Hypaspists, and ideally a Great General, you are ready to declare your first war. Don’t hesitate to initiate a surprise war; as Alexander, the benefits of early aggression far outweigh any diplomatic penalties.
• Use your Hetairoi, boosted by the Great General, to clear enemy units and pillage their tiles for gold and science. Their ability to generate Great General points will create a snowball effect, allowing you to recruit more generals and further enhance your army.
• Your Hypaspists, with their bonus against districts, should be used to attack the cities directly. Supplement them with a Battering Ram to quickly break through ancient walls.

The Mid Game: The Macedonian Steamroll (Classical to Renaissance Era)

This is where Alexander’s power reaches its zenith. Your goal is to chain wars together, rolling from one civilization to the next without pause.

Perpetual Warfare

• Thanks to your immunity to war weariness, there is no need to sue for peace. After conquering your first neighbor, immediately identify your next target. If you were fortunate enough to capture a city with a wonder, your entire army will be fully healed and ready to press the attack.
• Analysis on forums shows that the most successful Macedonian players are those who are constantly at war. The momentum you build in the Classical Era should be carried through the Medieval and Renaissance eras.

Leveraging Hellenistic Fusion

• As you capture cities, the free Eurekas and Inspirations will propel you through the tech and civic trees. This allows you to maintain a modern army without having to build many Campuses or Theater Squares yourself. You are essentially outsourcing your research and culture to your enemies.

Policy Management

• Keep military policy cards like Agoge, Maneuver, and later, Chivalry (for Knights) active to mass-produce units. As your army grows, use policies that reduce unit maintenance costs to keep your economy stable.
• The Oligarchy government is an excellent choice for the early mid-game, as it provides a combat bonus to your units.

Dealing with Walls

• As you encounter cities with stronger walls, you will need to supplement your army with siege units. A few Catapults or Trebuchets will be necessary. A popular strategy is to pair them with a Great General, whose movement bonus will allow your siege units to move and shoot in the same turn, significantly speeding up your sieges.

The Late Game: Closing the Deal (Industrial Era to Victory)

By the late game, your early conquests should have given you an insurmountable advantage in science, production, and territory. Your task now is to close out the game.

Maintaining Military Superiority

• The science advantage gained from your Basilikoi Paides and Hellenistic Fusion should allow you to unlock powerful late-game units like Cavalry, Tanks, Artillery, and Bombers well before your opponents.
• Many professional gamers suggest pre-building older units and saving a large amount of gold. When you unlock a new, more powerful unit, you can upgrade your entire army at once, creating a massive power spike that your opponents will be unable to counter.

Conquering Modern Cities

• Late-game cities can be tough to crack. Observation Balloons are a key tool, granting +1 range to your Artillery and allowing them to out-range city defenses.
• Bombers are the ultimate siege weapon. The AI rarely builds an adequate air defense, making your bombers free to rain destruction upon enemy cities and units.

The Final Push

• Identify the remaining capitals and move your armies into position. Your vast empire, built on the foundations of your early conquests, should be able to produce an overwhelming force to capture the final capitals and secure the Domination Victory.

Conclusion: The Inevitable Conquest

Playing as Alexander the Great is a lesson in momentum. His abilities are designed to create a snowball of military power that, once started, is nearly impossible to stop. By focusing on an early-game military rush, leveraging the unique strengths of the Hypaspist and Hetairoi, and using the science and culture gained from conquest to fuel further advances, you can systematically dismantle the world and achieve a decisive Domination Victory. The path of Alexander is not one of diplomacy or subtlety; it is a path of relentless, unapologetic conquest. For those who wish to see the world united under a single banner, there is no better leader to guide the charge.