I see it all the time, especially with players new to the beautiful complexity of Civilization 6. It seems like the most logical way to play: you build a little of everything. A Campus for science, a Theater Square for culture, a few Holy Sites just in case, and of course, a decent army to stay safe. You become a jack-of-all-trades, ready for anything. But I’m here to tell you that in Civ 6, this is a trap. This “balanced” approach is a surefire path to being second-best at everything, and ultimately, watching someone else win the game.
If you really want to dominate, you have to unlearn that instinct to hedge your bets. You have to specialize. I’m talking about hyper-specialization. It’s not just one way to win; it’s the best way. It’s about understanding how the game’s core mechanics reward a focused strategy, from the way you lay out your cities to the timing of your victory push. Fortune favors the bold, and in Civ, that means being unapologetically single-minded in your pursuit of victory.
The biggest flaw in the balanced strategy is something called opportunity cost. Every single hammer you spend, every citizen you assign, is a choice. When you choose to build that Campus, you are actively choosing not to build an Industrial Zone or a Commercial Hub in that moment. By trying to keep all your options open, you consistently make the weaker choice for any specific victory path.
Think about the crucial early game. If I’m going for a Science Victory, I’m rushing a Campus in my capital, hopefully getting juicy adjacency bonuses from mountains. That early science boost snowballs, letting me unlock key technologies and wonders way ahead of the curve. The balanced player? They might build a Monument, then a Granary, then maybe get around to a Campus. By the time their science gets going, I’m already in a different era, reaping the rewards of my focused investment. You’re always playing catch-up. You’ll have an army, but it won’t be big enough to stop a true warmonger. You’ll have some faith, but not enough to stand against a religious zealot. That flexibility you thought you had just means you’re not a real threat in any category.
This is where the magic of specialization really kicks in. Civilization 6 is a game about creating powerful snowball effects, and focus is the engine. It starts with your cities. The district system is a puzzle, and adjacency bonuses are how you solve it. A specialized player will settle a city specifically to create a mega-Campus with a +6 bonus from mountains. They’ll design an industrial heartland where German Hansas get massive production boosts from surrounding Commercial Hubs and Aqueducts. A balanced player will sprinkle their districts around for “well-rounded” cities, ending up with mediocre yields across the board.
This synergy extends to your government and policy cards. If I’m on a warpath, I’m bee-lining civics that unlock military production cards and adopting governments that make my units stronger. If I’m chasing a Culture Victory, I’m grabbing every policy that boosts tourism and Great Person generation. When you’re specialized, your policy cards are like rocket fuel. For the balanced player, they’re a handful of mismatched tools. You might have a card that boosts Campus adjacency, but only one Campus to use it on.
You also have to understand that each victory is a race, and they all have different timers. An early Domination game is a blitz. If you’re playing as Scythia, you’re not building libraries; you’re flooding the map with Saka Horse Archers to crush a neighbor before they can even build walls. The balanced player is the perfect target for this. They’re trying to build a little of everything, and they’re prepared for nothing. A Religious Victory is a frantic race to convert the world, and you miss that window if you only build a couple of Holy Sites as an afterthought.
Even the slower victories, like Science and Culture, are about a sustained, focused push. By the late game, the specialist is launching their exoplanet expedition or has the world flocking to their cultural wonders, while the balanced player is just… there. Technologically okay, culturally respectable, but nowhere close to winning.
Finally, every civilization in the game is screaming at you to play a certain way. Their unique abilities are tailor-made for specific victory paths. Playing as Korea and not leaning into a Science Victory is like fighting with one hand tied behind your back. Playing as Brazil and not building a vibrant cultural empire powered by Street Carnivals and Great People is ignoring the gifts the game has given you.
So, I’m telling you, ditch the balanced approach. It feels safe, but it’s a slow and certain death. To really master this game, you have to make decisive choices. Pick a victory type, lean into your civilization’s strengths, and pursue that goal with everything you’ve got. The next time you found a city, don’t ask, “What can I build here?” Ask, “What must I build here to win?” That question will lead you down a much more rewarding path.