City Build Order & Best Opening Moves in Civ 6

One you settled your city, it is time to figure out the choices for the build order in Civilization 6 Gathering Storm. Luckily, the initial decisions are limited.

The opening goals in the Ancient Era should be:

1. Explore the map
2. Secure the surrounding area
3. Settle 2-3 new cities

So how do you get there?

Where to settle the capital?

First things, first. There are many factors that contribute to decisions of where to settle your cities. Check out this post and video for tips and guidance.

What to do with the first warrior?

If you are on a lower level of difficulty then your first warrior should not venture out too far. Explore in a circular direction around your capital to uncover terrain and watch out for the barbarian camps.

Advanced players would use the first warrior to explore as much of the map as possible leaving the spawning location to meet other civs.

Advanced Tips

Build Order #1

After you settle the capital, you can go for several build options. Any of these options can be paused/swapped in favor of another, depending on the game situation and events that take place.

1. Scout: Typical first build is a scout, provided you are starting on a decent size landmass. The value of exploration cannot be overstated. In Gathering Storm era score plays a vital role in securing a Golden Age with Monumentality dedication that helps expand the empire much faster. Sometimes you get a second scout from a tribal village, which makes exploration even better.
2. Slinger: If you discover a threat nearby, barbarian camp or aggressive neighbor then a slinger build is a decent choice, regardless of the fact that the unit combat strength is very weak. It can boost a eureka for archery tech, and upgraded to an archer later.
3. Warrior: You’d only go for the warrior, if there is more aggression on the borders. On higher levels, the AI will steamroll over you, so your best option is to find a diplomatic way to deal with the bots – bribes work well. That’ why settling on a luxury with immediate access to sell it is so vital. Find out whether settling on a resource is a good idea.
4. Builder: There is no reason to go builder first, as all improvements except farms require a technology unlocked. If you get a free builder from a village, you might want to keep it safe in the city, advanced players would use it for exploration.
5. Monument: Rarely the first choice because exploration is more important. Unless you start on a tiny island and the first warrior is enough to explore, then getting the early +2 culture will help unlock civics much faster.
6. Settler: You can only start settler construction after the city reaches a population of 2. Population can increase from a tribal village or grow organically. Again, this would be the choice for a map that does not need extensive exploration, which is relatively rare.

You can use the slinger/scout combo to deal with barb camps, by luring barb spearman out of the camp with a slinger and clearing it with a scout. See Soger’s how-to video tip.

Advanced Tips

Build Order #2

One of the primary goals of the ancient era is to expand and claim the land. You’d want to settle as many cities as you can, but having at least 3 by turn 50 is a solid start. And then another 5-7 by turn 100. Usually you would build the first settler and try to buy the second one. Check out this post on where to get the gold.

1. Settler: Because you want to settle your cities as soon as possible, early settler is a high priority.
2. Scout: Second scout opening is a solid option, as you can get more exploring done, earn village bonuses and meet other civs earning era score and envoys for meeting city-states first. It depends on various factors like the terrain difficulty, security, city production level etc.
3. Builder: It is still too early to go for a builder at this point. But if there are luxuries you can improve with Mining or if you revealed a strategic resource of Horses (unlocked with Animal Husbandry) then it might be beneficial to get the builder and trade the resources to the AI for gold sooner.
4. Monument: Consider building the monument if the culture yields appear to be in short supply. Although expansion should be the priority.
5. Combat Unit: Build a combat unit if there is security threat.

Build Order #3

Third build works in combination with the second build choices and often will be one of the same options. It depends what purchases you have made so far. If you got the settler out, then a Monument is good choice. A builder would be great if there are resources to be improved. Combat Units for security. Or if you are feeling adventurous another settler is always on the table.

Build Order #4

More often than not, the choice would be a Campus or Holy Site, especially if there is splendid adjacency of +3 or more.