I’ve always seen the race for Great People in Civilization 6 as a silent, relentless war. These unique individuals, from scientists to artists to generals, can completely change the game and rocket you towards your victory condition. While it might seem like a background thing to new players, for me, managing Great Person Points (GPP) is a critical part of my strategy. I’m constantly looking for ways to maximize them.
This isn’t just a rehash of the in-game text. This is my personal blueprint for turning a trickle of Great People into an unstoppable flood. Get ready to master the art of the Great Person, and you’ll master the art of victory itself.
The Bedrock of Brilliance: Districts and Their Buildings
The foundation of any solid Great Person strategy is your specialized districts and the buildings inside them. Getting this right is fundamental. Each district is geared towards a specific type of Great Person, and just building the district itself gives you a +1 GPP per turn. But the real magic happens when you start adding buildings.
The Scientific Pursuit: Campuses and Great Scientists
When I’m going for a science win, the Campus is my absolute priority.
- Campus District: +1 Great Scientist Point per turn.
- Library: +1 Great Scientist Point per turn.
- University: +1 Great Scientist Point per turn.
- Research Lab: +1 Great Scientist Point per turn.
A fully kitted-out Campus gives you a base of +4 Great Scientist Points per turn. My advice? Build Campuses in your biggest cities as early as you can. A strong science start not only gets you ahead in the tech tree but also helps you snag those early Great Scientists. Getting Hypatia, for instance, is a game-changer. Her “Eureka!” ability gives you a free Eureka for every Classical and Medieval tech – a massive boost.
The Cultural Nexus: Theater Squares and Great Writers, Artists, and Musicians
If you’re chasing a Cultural Victory, you need Great Works, which means you need a steady flow of Great Artists, Writers, and Musicians. The Theater Square is your engine for this.
- Theater Square District: +1 Great Writer Point per turn.
- Amphitheater: +1 Great Writer Point per turn.
- Art Museum/Archaeological Museum: +1 Great Artist Point per turn.
- Broadcast Center: +1 Great Musician Point per turn.
Notice how you have to specialize. If I need writers, I build Amphitheaters everywhere. For artists, I focus on Art Museums. Later on, the Broadcast Center opens up the path to Great Musicians. A little trick I use is to mix and match, building Art Museums in some cities and Archaeological Museums in others to diversify my Great Work slots and tourism.
The Engine of Commerce: Commercial Hubs and Great Merchants
A strong economy is the backbone of any great empire, and Great Merchants can make you incredibly wealthy.
- Commercial Hub District: +1 Great Merchant Point per turn.
- Market: +1 Great Merchant Point per turn.
- Bank: +1 Great Merchant Point per turn.
- Stock Exchange: +1 Great Merchant Point per turn.
A fully upgraded Commercial Hub gets you +4 Great Merchant Points per turn. Early on, getting a Great Merchant like Colaeus, who gives you a free luxury resource you don’t have, can be a lifesaver for keeping your people happy and your neighbors friendly.
The Forge of Industry: Industrial Zones and Great Engineers
Great Engineers are your master builders. They can rush wonders, give powerful city-wide bonuses, or even help with the space race.
- Industrial Zone District: +1 Great Engineer Point per turn.
- Workshop: +1 Great Engineer Point per turn.
- Factory: +1 Great Engineer Point per turn.
- Power Plant: +1 Great Engineer Point per turn.
That +4 Great Engineer Points from a fully developed Industrial Zone is huge. Imagine getting Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who instantly finishes two wonders you’ve already started. That can literally win you the game by letting you snatch crucial wonders from your rivals.
The Holy Ground: Holy Sites and Great Prophets
The race for Great Prophets is a sprint, not a marathon. Once they’re all gone, they’re gone. If I’m going for a Religious Victory, getting a religion is my number one priority.
- Holy Site District: +1 Great Prophet Point per turn.
- Shrine: +1 Great Prophet Point per turn.
- Temple: +1 Great Prophet Point per turn.
To guarantee a Great Prophet, you have to be aggressive early on. I build a Holy Site and a Shrine as fast as I possibly can. I often find myself running the “Holy Site Prayers” project to get that extra push.
The Art of War: Encampments and Great Generals & Admirals
Military might isn’t just about having a big army; it’s about having great leadership. Great Generals and Admirals give your units the edge they need to win.
- Encampment District: +1 Great General Point per turn.
- Barracks/Stable: +1 Great General Point per turn.
- Armory: +1 Great General Point per turn.
- Military Academy: +1 Great General Point per turn.
And for your navy:
- Harbor District: +1 Great Admiral Point per turn.
- Lighthouse: +1 Great Admiral Point per turn.
- Shipyard: +1 Great Admiral Point per turn.
- Seaport: +1 Great Admiral Point per turn.
A fully upgraded Encampment or Harbor will keep a steady stream of military leaders coming your way. The combat bonus they provide can be the difference between victory and defeat.
Architectural Ambition: Wonders and Great Person Points
Wonders aren’t just for show; many of them are powerhouses for generating Great Person Points. Choosing the right wonders to build can seriously boost your GPP generation.
Early Game Wonders I Swear By
- The Oracle: If there’s one wonder I always try to rush, it’s this one. It gives you +1 GPP of every single type in the city it’s built in. And, most importantly, it cuts the Faith and Gold cost to buy Great People by 25%. Getting The Oracle early can set you up for Great Person dominance for the entire game.
- Great Library: This gives you +1 Great Scientist Point per turn and slots for two Great Works of Writing. The free techs you get when you recruit a Great Scientist are the main prize, but the GPP is a nice bonus.
- Alhambra: A must-build for any military-focused game. It gives you +2 Great General Points per turn and an extra military policy slot.
Mid and Late Game Wonders to Target
- Bolshoi Theatre: A cultural beast, giving you +2 Great Writer and +2 Great Musician Points per turn.
- Oxford University: The ultimate wonder for a science victory. It gives a massive +3 Great Scientist Points per turn and two slots for Great Works of Writing.
- Big Ben: For the money-makers, Big Ben gives +3 Great Merchant Points per turn and doubles your treasury when you finish it.
- Broadway: A late-game cultural wonder that gives +3 Great Writer and +3 Great Musician Points per turn.
- Sydney Opera House: The best wonder for music lovers, giving a huge +5 Great Musician Points per turn.
The key with wonders is to know which ones fit your strategy and have the production to build them before anyone else does.
The Power of Policy: Government and Policy Cards
Your government and policy cards are powerful tools for shaping your civilization. I always keep an eye out for policies that boost my GPP generation.
Foundational Policies I Use
- Inspiration (Mysticism Civic): +2 Great Scientist Points per turn. A must-have for an early science focus.
- Frescoes (Humanism Civic): +2 Great Artist Points per turn. Essential for a cultural game.
- Literary Tradition (Drama and Poetry Civic): +2 Great Writer Points per turn. Another key card for cultural victories.
- Navigation (Naval Tradition Civic): +2 Great Admiral Points per turn. For when I want to rule the seas.
- Strategos (Military Tradition Civic): +2 Great General Points per turn. A staple for any land-based conquest.
- Trade Confederation (Mercantilism Civic): +1 Great Merchant Point per turn from each of your trade routes. This can be a huge source of GPP if you have a lot of trade routes.
Advanced Policies to Look For
As you move through the civics tree, you’ll unlock even better policies.
- Nobel Prize (Nuclear Program Civic): +4 Great Scientist Points per turn. This replaces Inspiration and is a must-have for a late-game science victory.
- International Space Agency (Space Race Civic): +100% Production towards Spaceship Parts and +1 Great Scientist Point per turn for every city with a Research Lab. This can give you a massive surge of GPP in the late game.
- Market Economy (Capitalism Civic): Your trade routes to other civilizations give you +1 Gold per turn for every luxury resource at the destination. While not a direct GPP bonus, the extra gold can be used to buy Great People.
How Your Government Choice Matters
Your choice of government also makes a big difference.
- Classical Republic: The legacy bonus gives you a 15% boost to Great Person Point generation. This is a great choice for the early to mid-game if you’re focusing on Great People.
- Democracy: The legacy bonus is what really shines here: it costs 50% less Gold to buy Great People. This is a game-changer if you have a strong economy.
The Guiding Hand: Governors and Their Promotions
Governors can help you specialize your cities, and some of them are great for GPP generation.
Pingala, The Educator
Pingala is my go-to governor for maximizing GPP in a single city.
- Grants: +100% Great Person Points generated in this city. This is a huge, straightforward boost. I assign a fully promoted Pingala to a city with multiple specialized districts and wonders to turn it into a Great Person factory.
Moksha, The Cardinal
If I have a strong faith economy, Moksha can be a game-changer.
- Divine Architect: This lets you buy districts with Faith. This is an incredibly powerful way to get your GPP-generating districts up and running much faster than your opponents.
Born to be Great: Civilizations and Leaders with Innate Bonuses
Some civs and leaders are just naturally good at generating Great People.
- Brazil (Pedro II): Pedro’s “Magnanimous” ability gives you back 20% of the GPP cost after you recruit a Great Person. This means you’re always one step ahead in the race for the next one.
- China (Qin Shi Huang): China’s “Dynastic Cycle” ability gives you a Eureka and Inspiration for a random tech and civic of the era when you recruit a Great Person. This creates a powerful feedback loop where generating Great People helps you unlock more ways to generate GPP.
- Greece (Pericles): Pericles’ “Surrounded by Glory” ability gives you +5% Culture for every city-state you’re the Suzerain of. This helps you get through the civics tree faster to unlock GPP-related policies.
- Russia (Peter): Russia’s “The Grand Embassy” ability gives you +1 Science or +1 Culture from trade routes to more advanced civs. This can be a big boost to your research, helping you unlock GPP-generating buildings and policies sooner.
- Sweden (Kristina): Sweden’s “Nobel Prize in Literature” ability gives you +1 Great Writer and +1 Great Artist Point per turn from the National History Museum. Plus, all cities with at least two Great Works of Writing or Art get +1 to all yields.
Friends in High Places: Suzerain Bonuses
Becoming the Suzerain of certain city-states can give you some powerful GPP bonuses.
- Stockholm (Scientific): +1 Great Scientist and +1 Great Engineer Point per turn in every city with a Campus and Industrial Zone respectively. This is a fantastic bonus for a science or production-focused empire.
- Geneva (Scientific): Your cities with a Campus get +15% Science when you’re not at war with anyone. This helps you get through the tech tree faster to unlock GPP buildings.
- Antananarivo (Cultural): +2% Culture for every Great Person you have ever earned. This bonus can snowball like crazy in the late game.
- Brussels (Industrial): +15% Production towards wonders in all cities. This helps you build those crucial GPP-generating wonders.
- Cardiff (Industrial): Your Harbor buildings provide +2 Power each. This can be really helpful in the late game for powering your GPP-generating buildings.
Faith and Fortune: Patronage of Great People
Generating GPP is the main way to get Great People, but it’s not the only way. You can also buy them with Faith or Gold. The cost goes down as you accumulate more GPP towards that specific Great Person.
The Power of Faith
A strong Faith economy can be a powerful tool for sniping Great People from your opponents.
- The Oracle: As I mentioned, this wonder cuts the Faith cost of patronage by 25%.
- Theocracy Government: The legacy bonus gives you a 15% discount on all Faith purchases, including Great People.
- Religious Beliefs: Some beliefs, like “Jesuit Education,” let you buy Campus and Theater Square buildings with Faith, which helps you generate GPP faster.
The Midas Touch: Using Gold
A big treasury gives you a lot of flexibility.
- Democracy Government: The 50% discount on Gold patronage is incredibly powerful.
- Big Ben: The GPP it provides is great, but the massive pile of Gold it gives you can be used to buy even more Great People.
A strategy I often use is to save up a lot of Faith or Gold and wait for a really valuable Great Person to become available. Then I can instantly recruit them, even if another civ has more GPP generation for that type.
Advanced Strategies and Synergies
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s talk about how to put it all together.
The “Great Person” City
I always designate one or two of my cities as “Great Person” hubs. These cities should have:
- High Population: To work more specialist slots in your districts.
- Good Terrain: For high adjacency bonuses on your districts (like mountains for Campuses or rivers for Commercial Hubs).
- Pingala as Governor: With the “Grants” promotion for the +100% GPP bonus.
- Key Wonders: Especially The Oracle.
I focus all my production in these cities on building GPP-generating districts and buildings.
The Pantheon Choice: Divine Spark
For a dedicated Great Person strategy, I think the “Divine Spark” pantheon is a great choice. It gives you +1 Great Person Point from Holy Sites (Prophet), Campuses with a Library (Scientist), and Theater Squares with an Amphitheater (Writer). This early game boost can give you a big head start.
The Project Surge
Don’t forget about district projects. Running projects like “Campus Research Grants” or “Theater Square Festivals” gives you a burst of GPP for a specific type. This is really useful when you’re in a tight race with another civ for a Great Person.
Strategic Passing
You don’t have to recruit every Great Person that becomes available. If the current Great Person’s abilities don’t fit your strategy, you can “Pass.” This lets another civ recruit them, and a new Great Person of that type will become available. It’s a bit of a gamble, but sometimes it’s the right move to wait for someone more impactful.
Conclusion
Look, mastering the Great Person game in Civilization 6 isn’t a walk in the park. It takes careful planning, foresight, and a deep understanding of how all the game’s systems work together. From where you place your first districts to which wonders and policies you choose in the late game, every decision matters. But if you take these strategies to heart, you’ll be well on your way to attracting the most brilliant and influential people in history to your cause. You’ll be building a civilization for the ages, all on the backs of the Great People you’ve brought to your side. Now go build something great.