What if the entire world of Civilization 6 was reduced to a single, brutal land war? Imagine a scenario where the vast oceans are not pathways to new worlds and distant victories, but merely boundaries to a continental cage match. In this hypothetical, the only way to win is to be the last one standing on your home continent. This isn’t just a tweak to the rules; it’s a fundamental shift in the very fabric of strategy, forcing a laser focus on early aggression, military precision, and the ruthless efficiency of a continental conqueror. Forget the space race, forget cultural hegemony, forget the subtle dance of diplomacy. Here, the only song is the clash of steel and the only victory is total domination of your starting landmass.
This guide will serve as your comprehensive manual for this unique and challenging scenario. We will delve into the optimal civilizations, the critical early-game decisions, the art of the mid-game blitz, and the often-underestimated importance of loyalty management in a continent-spanning empire. Analysis on forums shows that this playstyle is a favorite among those who enjoy a faster, more combat-oriented game. So, sharpen your swords, string your bows, and prepare to paint the map your color.
Choosing Your Champion: Best Civilizations for Continental Conquest
In a game of pure continental warfare, your choice of civilization is more critical than ever. You need a leader who is not just good at war, but who excels in the early to mid-game, when the continental land grab is at its most ferocious. According to the player community, the following civilizations are consistently ranked as top-tier choices for this scenario.
The Scythians (Tomyris): The Unstoppable Horde
Tomyris is the undisputed queen of the early-game rush. Her ability to create two light cavalry units for the price of one is, without exaggeration, game-breaking in this scenario.
- Early Game Strategy: Your first 30 turns should be dedicated to a single purpose: amassing a horde of Saka Horse Archers. These unique units are fast, powerful, and don’t require horses. While your opponents are building their first settlers, you should be building an army. A popular strategy is to build a scout first to find your nearest neighbor, then churn out slingers and warriors. Once you have the archery technology, upgrade your slingers to archers and start producing Saka Horse Archers.
- The Scythian Onslaught: With a force of 4-6 Saka Horse Archers and a couple of warriors, you can overwhelm your first neighbor before they even have walls. The key is to strike early and decisively. Use the mobility of your horse archers to pick off enemy units from a distance, then use your warriors to capture the cities.
- Sustaining the Attack: Tomyris’s other ability, “Killer of Cyrus,” allows her units to heal up to 50 hit points after defeating an enemy unit. This makes your army incredibly resilient and allows you to maintain momentum as you sweep across the continent.
The Aztecs (Montezuma): The Builder-Warriors
Montezuma offers a unique blend of military might and economic advantage. His ability to turn defeated enemies into builders is a powerful tool for rapid expansion.
- The Eagle Warrior Rush: The Aztec unique unit, the Eagle Warrior, is a warrior replacement with a higher combat strength. More importantly, it has a chance to capture defeated enemy units and turn them into builders. This means that your early conquests will directly fuel your economic growth.
- Luxury Resource Advantage: Montezuma’s “Gifts for the Tlatoani” ability gives his military units +1 combat strength for each different luxury resource improved in his territory. This encourages you to expand and improve your lands, which in turn makes your military even stronger.
- A Self-Sustaining Engine of Conquest: The Aztec strategy is a self-perpetuating cycle. You conquer cities, which gives you more luxury resources. These luxury resources make your army stronger, which allows you to conquer more cities. The builders you capture along the way can be used to improve your newly acquired lands, further boosting your economy and military.
Gran Colombia (Simón Bolívar): The Unrelenting Advance
For a relentless, fast-paced assault, no civilization can match the sheer mobility of Gran Colombia. Simón Bolívar’s abilities are tailor-made for a rapid, continent-spanning conquest.
- Unmatched Mobility: All of Gran Colombia’s units have +1 movement. This seemingly small bonus has a massive impact on the battlefield. Your units can cross difficult terrain faster, outmaneuver enemy armies, and strike at unexpected moments.
- The Promotion Advantage: Bolívar’s other key ability is that promoting a unit does not end its turn. This allows you to keep your momentum going after a successful battle. You can promote a unit and then immediately have it attack again, or move to a more advantageous position.
- The Llanero Rush: Gran Colombia’s unique unit, the Llanero, is a cavalry replacement that gets stronger when other Llaneros are nearby. This encourages you to build a large, cohesive cavalry force that can sweep across the continent with devastating speed and power.
The First 50 Turns: A Blueprint for Early Dominance
The first 50 turns of this scenario are the most critical. Your decisions during this period will determine whether you become a continental powerhouse or an early casualty. Many professional gamers suggest that a hyper-aggressive opening is not just viable, but necessary.
The Build Order: Military First, Everything Else Second
Forget the traditional “scout, slinger, settler” opening. In this scenario, your build order should be ruthlessly focused on military production.
- Turns 1-10: Your first production should be a warrior. While the warrior is building, your starting warrior should be exploring your immediate surroundings to find your nearest neighbor and any barbarian camps.
- Turns 10-30: Your next few builds should be a mix of slingers and warriors. Your goal is to have a force of at least 3-4 warriors and 2-3 slingers by turn 30. Do not build a settler during this time. Your first expansion will come from conquering your neighbor’s cities.
- Turns 30-50: By this point, you should be ready to launch your first attack. Upgrade your slingers to archers as soon as you have the technology. Your initial army of warriors and archers should be enough to take on your first opponent, especially if you attack before they have walls.
Key Technologies and Civics
Your research path should be just as focused as your build order.
- Early Techs: Your first priority should be to research technologies that unlock your military potential. Archery is a must-have for the early game. After that, focus on technologies that unlock strategic resources like horses and iron, and the units that use them.
- Early Civics: Your first few civics should be geared towards military production and policy cards. Craftsmanship is a good early choice for the Agoge policy card, which boosts the production of melee and ranged units.
The Mid-Game Blitz: Conquering with Impunity
Once you’ve conquered your first neighbor, you’ll have a solid foundation for your continental conquest. The mid-game is all about leveraging your early advantage to create an unstoppable military machine.
Unit Composition: The Combined Arms Approach
While early-game armies are often composed of a single unit type, mid-game warfare requires a more sophisticated approach.
- The Core of Your Army: Your army should have a solid core of melee and ranged units. Swordsmen or their unique unit replacements are your frontline troops, while crossbowmen are your primary damage dealers.
- The Importance of Siege: As you encounter more developed civilizations, you will inevitably run into walls. Battering rams and siege towers are essential for dealing with ancient and medieval walls. Later in the game, catapults and bombards will be necessary to break through stronger fortifications.
- Cavalry for Flanking and Raiding: Light and heavy cavalry are not just for fighting. Their high mobility makes them excellent for pillaging enemy improvements, which can cripple their economy and provide you with a much-needed boost of science, culture, and gold.
Managing a Multi-Front War
As your empire expands, you may find yourself fighting on multiple fronts. This requires careful planning and management.
- Designate Your Armies: Don’t try to manage a single, massive army. Instead, create smaller, more specialized armies for each front. A popular strategy is to have a primary “conquest” army that is focused on taking cities, and smaller “garrison” armies that are responsible for defending your borders and dealing with rebellions.
- Use Governors to Your Advantage: Governors are not just for managing loyalty. Victor, the Castellan, has a promotion that gives +4 loyalty to all cities within 9 tiles of his established city, making him an excellent choice for a forward-deployed military governor.
Holding Your Gains: The Art of Loyalty Management
Conquering a city is only half the battle. Keeping it is another matter entirely. Loyalty is a constant concern in this scenario, as you will be conquering a large number of cities in a short amount of time.
The Mechanics of Loyalty
Every city has a loyalty score that is influenced by a variety of factors. If a city’s loyalty drops to zero, it will rebel and become a free city.
- Positive Loyalty Pressure: Your cities exert positive loyalty pressure on nearby cities. The larger and more populous your cities are, the more pressure they exert.
- Negative Loyalty Pressure: Your opponents’ cities exert negative loyalty pressure on your cities. This is the primary challenge you will face when conquering new territory.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Securing Conquered Cities
Analysis on forums shows that a systematic approach to loyalty management is the most effective.
- Assign a Governor Immediately: The moment you capture a city, assign a governor to it. This provides an instant +8 loyalty, which is often enough to prevent an immediate rebellion.
- Garrison a Unit: Stationing a military unit in a newly captured city provides a significant loyalty boost. Even a scout will do.
- Build a Monument: Monuments provide a small but permanent +1 loyalty bonus. Build them in all of your conquered cities.
- Use Policy Cards: There are several policy cards that can help with loyalty. Limitanei gives +2 loyalty to cities with a garrisoned unit, while Praetorium gives +2 loyalty to cities with a governor.
- Manage Your Amenities: Happy cities are loyal cities. Make sure you have enough amenities to keep your population content.
Late-Game Warmongering: The Final Push
By the late game, you should be the dominant power on the continent. The final push is all about finishing off the last remaining civilizations and securing your victory.
Upgrading Your Army
Your late-game army should be a modern, professional fighting force.
- Corps and Armies: Combine your units into corps and armies to create more powerful and resilient fighting forces.
- Advanced Units: Field armies of Musketmen, Field Cannons, and Cavalry to overwhelm your final opponents.
- Air Power: If the game goes on long enough, air power can be a decisive factor. Bombers can obliterate enemy armies and city defenses, paving the way for your ground troops.
Dealing with the Final Holdouts
The last few civilizations on the continent may be dug in and difficult to dislodge.
- Focus on Their Capitals: The goal is to conquer all of the original capitals on the continent. Focus your attacks on these key cities.
- Use Spies to Your Advantage: Spies can be used to sabotage enemy production, steal technology, and incite rebellions in their cities.
- Don’t Be Afraid to Raze: If a city is particularly troublesome and not a capital, don’t be afraid to raze it to the ground. This will eliminate the loyalty pressure it exerts and make it easier to hold your surrounding territory.
Conclusion
Winning a game of Civilization 6 by conquering your original continent is a unique and rewarding challenge. It forces you to play a more aggressive, focused, and ruthless game than you may be used to. By choosing the right civilization, executing a flawless early-game rush, and mastering the art of loyalty management, you can become the undisputed master of your continental domain. The path to victory is paved with the ruins of your enemies’ cities, and the only reward is the satisfaction of knowing that you are the last one standing.