Civ 6 Ottoman Guide: Suleiman Strategy (Domination)

Many professional gamers suggest that the Ottomans are one of the most powerful domination-focused civilizations in the game, capable of overwhelming opponents with a well-timed push. This guide will break down the elements of that push, providing a step-by-step plan for world conquest.

The Ottoman War Machine: A Foundation for Conquest

The Ottoman Empire’s advantages are a potent combination of military and economic bonuses. Understanding these is the first step to mastering Suleiman.

Great Turkish Bombard

The cornerstone of the Ottoman military is the Great Turkish Bombard ability. This provides a +50% production bonus towards all siege units and grants them +5 combat strength against district defenses. This ability makes taking cities significantly easier and cheaper throughout the game. While other civilizations must invest heavily in siege, the Ottomans can produce them with ease, allowing for a relentless assault on enemy cities.

According to the player community, this bonus is most effective when combined with the unique governor, Ibrahim, creating a siege force that can quickly dismantle even the most fortified cities.

The Grand Vizier: Ibrahim

Suleiman (Kanuni) has a unique governor, Ibrahim, the Grand Vizier. Ibrahim can be assigned to any city, including foreign capitals, and provides significant military production boosts and combat strength bonuses. His Serasker promotion is particularly powerful, granting +10 combat strength to units attacking cities within 10 tiles. This, combined with the Great Turkish Bombard ability, can give your siege units a massive +15 combat strength bonus, allowing them to tear through city walls with ease.

Analysis on forums shows that the best way to use Ibrahim is to place him in a forward city near your intended target, creating a “beachhead” for your invasion.

The Janissary: A Musketman on Steroids

The Janissary is the Ottoman’s unique Musketman replacement. It is stronger, cheaper to produce, and starts with a free promotion. Its only drawback is that it consumes one population in the city where it’s trained, unless that city was conquered. This unique mechanic is the key to a successful Janissary rush. By conquering a city early, you can turn it into a dedicated training ground for these powerful units, preserving the population of your core cities.

A popular strategy is to conquer a city-state early in the game and use it as a dedicated Janissary production center. This allows you to field a large army of these powerful units without stunting the growth of your own cities.

The Barbary Corsair: Pillaging for Profit

The Barbary Corsair is a unique Privateer replacement that is cheaper, comes earlier, and doesn’t use movement points for coastal raids. This allows a single Corsair to pillage every coastal tile of a city in one turn, then retreat to the safety of the open ocean. The gold plundered by your Corsairs can be used to purchase Janissaries in your conquered cities, creating a powerful land and sea offensive.

Many professional gamers suggest using Barbary Corsairs to harass coastal civilizations, weakening their economies and distracting their armies while your main force pushes inland.

The Early Game: Laying the Groundwork (Turns 1-100)

The primary goal of the early game is to prepare for the arrival of your unique units and abilities. This means focusing on science, production, and a strategic early conquest.

Initial Build Order & Priorities

• Scout, Slinger, Slinger: Your initial builds should focus on exploration and defense against early barbarian threats. Finding a nearby civilization or city-state to conquer is a high priority.
• First Districts: Your first one or two districts should be Campuses. The science output is crucial for reaching the Gunpowder technology, which unlocks Janissaries and Bombards, as quickly as possible.
• Pantheon: Aim for the God of the Forge pantheon, which provides a +25% production bonus towards Ancient and Classical era military units. This will be invaluable for your early conquest.
• Early Conquest: Your first major military objective is to conquer a nearby city-state or a city from a neighboring civilization. This is essential because you will use this conquered city as a dedicated training ground for your Janissaries. Your +50% production bonus towards siege units makes building early catapults a viable strategy for taking down city walls.
• Government: Rush the Political Philosophy civic to unlock your first government. Oligarchy is the ideal choice for its +4 combat strength bonus for all melee units.

Choosing Your First Target

Analysis on forums shows that the ideal first target is a city-state that is not a scientific or cultural powerhouse. A city-state with a weak military and no walls is an easy target. Alternatively, a poorly defended city of a neighboring civilization can also be a good choice. The key is to conquer a city quickly and with minimal losses.

The Mid-Game: The Janissary and Bombard Onslaught (Turns 100-175)

This is where the Ottoman war machine truly comes online. With the Gunpowder technology researched, you can now unleash the full might of your unique units.

Key Steps

• Unlock Gunpowder: Prioritize the research of Gunpowder. It’s a good idea to have a settler ready to found a city on any newly discovered Niter resource deposits.
• Appoint Ibrahim: As soon as you unlock Gunpowder, you will receive a free Governor title. Use this to appoint Ibrahim. Place him in a city near your intended target and promote him to Serasker for a +10 combat strength bonus for your units when attacking cities within 10 tiles.
• Mass Produce Janissaries and Bombards: Begin producing Janissaries in your conquered city and Bombards in your other high-production cities. The combination of the Great Turkish Bombard ability, Ibrahim’s promotions, and potentially the Oligarchic Legacy policy card will allow you to create a formidable army in a short amount of time.
• Declare War: With your army assembled, declare war on your primary target. Use your Bombards to break down city walls, taking advantage of their extra combat strength, and then move in with your powerful Janissaries to capture the cities.
• The Barbary Corsair: Don’t neglect your unique naval unit, the Barbary Corsair. Use them to pillage your enemy’s coastal tiles, disrupting their economy and science, while your main army pushes inland.

The Art of the Siege

A popular strategy is to use a “rolling barrage” of Bombards. This involves having multiple Bombards attacking a city in succession. With the Great Turkish Bombard ability, you can produce Bombards quickly enough to have a continuous stream of them arriving at the front lines. This will quickly break down even the most heavily fortified cities.

The Late Game: Consolidating and Conquering (Turns 175+)

By this point, you should have a significant territorial advantage and a powerful, experienced army. Your focus now shifts to eliminating the remaining civilizations.

Wonders and Policies

While it’s generally better to conquer wonders than to build them, a few can be particularly beneficial for a domination victory if the opportunity arises:

• Terracotta Army: Provides a promotion level for all of your existing military units.
• Alhambra: Grants an additional military policy slot and provides amenities.
• Taj Mahal: Makes it easier to earn Golden Ages, which can provide powerful bonuses.

For policies, continue to prioritize those that boost military production, provide combat strength bonuses, and reduce unit maintenance costs.

Finishing the Game

• Upgrade Your Army: As you progress through the tech tree, upgrade your Janissaries to Infantry and your Bombards to Artillery. Your experienced units will be even more effective.
• Global Conquest: Use your superior military might to systematically eliminate the remaining civilizations. The Ottoman ability to keep the full population of conquered cities will allow you to quickly turn newly acquired territories into productive centers for your war effort.

Conclusion: The Unstoppable Ottoman Tide

The Ottoman Empire under Suleiman is a force to be reckoned with. By following this guide, you can leverage the unique strengths of the Ottomans to achieve a swift and decisive domination victory. The key is to prepare for a powerful mid-game push and then ride that momentum to conquer the world. The combination of the Janissary, the Bombard, and the Grand Vizier Ibrahim creates a military machine that is second to none. According to the player community, a well-executed Ottoman domination strategy is one of the most satisfying victories to achieve in Civilization 6.