How to Secure Key Wonders on Deity as Teddy Roosevelt in Civ 6
Mastering Deity difficulty in Civilization 6 requires a level of strategic precision that leaves little room for error. The AI’s substantial bonuses mean that any attempt to build a wonder must be a calculated risk, not a whim. For players choosing to lead America as Teddy Roosevelt, particularly the Bull Moose persona, wonder construction is not just a vanity project; it is the very cornerstone of a successful Culture or Science victory. This guide will provide a detailed, actionable framework for securing the key wonders that will propel you to victory on the game’s highest difficulty setting.
The Bull Moose Advantage: Understanding Your Strengths
Before diving into the specifics of wonder construction, it is crucial to understand the unique advantages that Bull Moose Teddy brings to the table. His abilities are not just passive bonuses; they are a roadmap to victory that should inform every decision you make.
- Antiquities and Parks: This is the heart and soul of the Bull Moose strategy. Teddy gains +2 Science from Breathtaking tiles adjacent to Natural Wonders or Mountains, and +2 Culture from Breathtaking tiles adjacent to a Wonder or Woods. This ability is the engine of your empire, and it dictates your city placement, tile improvement choices, and wonder priorities.
- The Roosevelt Corollary: While more geared towards the Rough Rider persona, this ability still provides a +5 Combat Strength bonus to all American units on their home continent. This is a significant advantage in the early game, allowing you to defend against aggressive neighbors and clear barbarian camps with greater ease.
These abilities, when used in concert, allow Teddy to create a powerful feedback loop: wonders boost the appeal of surrounding tiles, which in turn boosts your science and culture output, which then allows you to unlock new wonders and technologies faster. This is the cycle of success that you must cultivate.
The Early Game Foundation: Setting the Stage for Wonder Construction
The first 50 turns of the game are the most critical. A strong start is non-negotiable on Deity, and for a wonder-focused strategy, it is even more important. Your goal in the early game is not to rush a wonder, but to build a strong foundation that will allow you to secure them later.
Initial Build Order and Scouting
Your initial build order should be focused on expansion and defense. A common and effective build order is:
- Scout: Your first priority is to explore your surroundings. You need to find high-appeal locations for your cities, identify potential threats, and locate tribal villages.
- Slinger: Deity AI is notoriously aggressive. A Slinger, which can be upgraded to an Archer, is essential for fending off early rushes and dealing with barbarians.
- Settler: Your second city should be founded as soon as possible. Look for a location with high appeal, good production, and a luxury resource.
- Builder: Your first builder should be used to improve your capital’s tiles, focusing on production and food.
While this is a solid general build order, be prepared to adapt to your specific circumstances. If you are surrounded by aggressive neighbors, you may need to build a second Slinger before your Settler.
City Placement: The Art of Appeal
City placement is the most important decision you will make in the early game. As Bull Moose Teddy, your primary consideration should be appeal. Look for locations with the following features:
- Natural Wonders: These are your top priority. A city settled next to a Natural Wonder will immediately benefit from Teddy’s ability, providing a significant boost to your science and culture.
- Mountains: Mountains also provide a science boost to adjacent tiles, and they increase the appeal of surrounding tiles.
- Woods and Rainforests: These features increase the appeal of adjacent tiles, and they can be chopped for a production boost when you are ready to build a wonder.
- Rivers and Coasts: These features also increase appeal and provide other benefits, such as food and gold.
When you find a good location for a city, be sure to check the appeal of the surrounding tiles. You can do this by turning on the “Appeal” lens in the map options. Your goal is to find locations where you can place districts and wonders to maximize the number of Breathtaking tiles.
Early Policy Choices and Pantheon
Your early policy choices should be focused on boosting your production and expansion. The following policies are particularly useful:
- God-King: This policy provides +1 Faith and +1 Gold in your capital, which will help you secure an early pantheon.
- Urban Planning: This policy provides +1 Production in all cities, which is a significant boost in the early game.
- Craftsmen: This policy provides +1 Production in all cities and doubles the production of Industrial Zone buildings.
For your pantheon, the choice is clear: Earth Goddess. This pantheon provides +1 Faith from all Breathtaking tiles. With Teddy’s focus on high-appeal tiles, this pantheon will provide a massive faith income, which can be used to purchase builders and settlers in a Monumentality Golden Age, or to found a religion.
Choosing Your Battles: A Prioritized List of Key Wonders
On Deity, you cannot build every wonder. You must choose your battles carefully, focusing on the wonders that will provide the greatest benefit to your strategy. The following is a prioritized list of key wonders for Bull Moose Teddy, along with strategies for securing them.
Tier 1: The Must-Haves
These are the wonders that are so powerful for Teddy that you should make every effort to build them.
- Eiffel Tower (Industrial Era): This is the single most important wonder for Bull Moose Teddy. It provides +2 Appeal to every tile in your empire, which will supercharge your science and culture output. The Eiffel Tower is a “drop everything” wonder. When it becomes available, you should immediately shift your focus to building it.
- Timing: The Eiffel Tower becomes available with the Steel technology. You should aim to have a high-production city ready to build it as soon as you unlock the technology.
- Securing it: The AI prioritizes the Eiffel Tower, so you will need to use all of your production-boosting tricks to secure it. This includes chopping woods and rainforests, using a Great Engineer, and running the “Skyscrapers” policy card.
- Oracle (Ancient Era): The Oracle is a powerful early-game wonder that provides +1 Culture and +1 Faith in the city it is built in. More importantly, it provides +2 Great Person points of all types in the city, and it reduces the cost of purchasing Great People with faith or gold by 25%.
- Timing: The Oracle becomes available with the Mysticism civic. It is a competitive wonder, so you will need to start building it as soon as you unlock the civic.
- Securing it: A high-production capital with a few chopped woods should be enough to secure the Oracle in the early game.
Tier 2: The High-Impact Wonders
These wonders are not as essential as the Tier 1 wonders, but they will provide a significant boost to your strategy.
- Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (Classical Era): This wonder provides +1 Science, +1 Faith, and +1 Culture on all Coast tiles in the city it is built in. More importantly, it grants an additional charge to all Great Engineers. This is an incredibly powerful ability that will allow you to rush-build later wonders.
- Timing: The Mausoleum becomes available with the Defensive Tactics civic. It is a coastal wonder, so it is less competitive than other wonders of the same era.
- Securing it: A coastal city with decent production should be able to build the Mausoleum without too much trouble.
- Petra (Ancient Era): Petra is a situational wonder, but in the right city, it can be a game-changer. It provides +2 Food, +2 Gold, and +1 Production on all Desert tiles (except Desert Floodplains) in the city it is built in.
- Timing: Petra becomes available with the Mathematics technology. It is a highly competitive wonder, so you will need a very strong production city to build it.
- Securing it: If you have a city with a large number of desert hills, Petra is worth the investment. You will need to chop a significant number of woods and rainforests to secure it.
Tier 3: The Opportunistic Wonders
These are wonders that you should build if you have the opportunity, but you should not go out of your way to secure them.
- Temple of Artemis (Ancient Era): This wonder provides +1 Amenity and +1 Housing in the city it is built in. It also provides +1 Food for every Camp, Pasture, and Plantation in the city.
- Timing: The Temple of Artemis becomes available with the Archery technology. It is a moderately competitive wonder.
- Securing it: If you have a city with a large number of bonus resources, the Temple of Artemis can be a good investment.
- Apadana (Ancient Era): This wonder provides +2 Envoys when you build a wonder in the city it is built in. It also provides +2 Culture for every wonder in the city.
- Timing: The Apadana becomes available with the Political Philosophy civic. It is not a particularly competitive wonder.
- Securing it: If you have a city with a few early wonders (natural or built), the Apadana can be a good way to boost your culture and influence with city-states.
The Art of Production: How to Outpace the AI
Securing wonders on Deity is all about production. The AI gets a significant production bonus, so you will need to use every trick in the book to keep up.
The “Chop and Replace” Technique
The most important technique for boosting your production is the “chop and replace” technique. This involves using a builder to chop a wood or rainforest tile for a one-time production boost, and then replacing the feature with a lumber mill or a mine. This technique is essential for securing competitive wonders.
Governor Magnus and His Abilities
Governor Magnus is your best friend when it comes to wonder production. His “Provision” ability allows you to chop woods and rainforests without losing population, and his “Industrialist” ability provides +2 Production in the city for every strategic resource in the city.
Policy Cards for Wonder Production
There are a number of policy cards that can boost your wonder production. The most important ones are:
- Corvée (Ancient Era): +15% Production towards Ancient and Classical era wonders.
- Gothic Architecture (Medieval Era): +15% Production towards Medieval and Renaissance era wonders.
- Skyscrapers (Modern Era): +15% Production towards Modern and Atomic era wonders.
The Role of Trade Routes
Trade routes can also be a significant source of production. A trade route to a city with an Industrial Zone will provide +1 Production for every building in the district.
Leveraging Great People
Great Engineers are the ultimate wonder-building tool. A Great Engineer can be used to rush-build a wonder, instantly completing a significant portion of its production. Great Merchants can also be useful, as some of them provide production bonuses.
Mid to Late Game: Leveraging Your Wonders for Victory
Once you have secured a few key wonders, you need to leverage them to achieve victory. For Bull Moose Teddy, the most likely victory condition is a Culture Victory.
National Parks and Seaside Resorts
National Parks are the key to a Culture Victory. A National Park provides a massive tourism boost, and with Teddy’s ability, it will also provide a significant amount of science and culture. Seaside Resorts are another good source of tourism, and they can be built on any coastal tile with an appeal of Breathtaking or better.
The Final Push for Tourism
In the late game, you need to focus on maximizing your tourism output. This includes:
- Building more wonders: Late-game wonders like the Sydney Opera House and the Cristo Redentor provide a significant tourism boost.
- Creating Great Works: Great Works of Art, Music, and Writing all provide tourism.
- Running the right policy cards: There are a number of policy cards that can boost your tourism output, such as “Heritage Tourism” and “Satellite Broadcasts.”
By following the strategies outlined in this guide, you can secure the key wonders that will lead you to victory on Deity as Bull Moose Teddy. It will not be easy, but with careful planning and a little bit of luck, you can build an empire that will stand the test of time.