Best Civ in game?

[TheGuineaPig]

Korea can be really strong, and if they get nice dirt will easily out-science Babylon, but a jungle bias means that a solid quarter to one third of your starts are no-production hell holes. I'll take Babylon over them any day, especially because Babylon's early academy means you just have so much flexibility in what you're able to do.

 

[Acken]

Even with good dirt it's not clear Korea outpaces Babylon in science. The thing is, Babylon has the most short-term advantage while Korea has long term advantage. In other words Babylon is better the shorter your game is while Korea is better the longer it is. The higher end game bpt of Korea doesn't necessarily matter if it isn't able to catch up with ealier Academy and more GS.

 

[Myth and Legend]

FYI the Walls of Babylon are a great building as they increase city hit points.

 

[Doktor Vic Tim]

FYI the Walls of Babylon are a great building as they increase city hit points.

That I know. They give +100HP as opposed to 50HP and also adds +1 extra combat strength of the city. It's just that I've heard that building walls early on tends to be more of a waste since you could've built 2 archers instead. Babylon's Walls are better, of course.

But as Acken said, Babylon gets better the shorter the game is, and Korea does really good at running away post Medieval. Korea's AI is just insane in the science department since they actually have a high science focus.

 

[TheologiaCrucis]

I just played a game as Denmark in multiplayer. I can confirm that they are a lot of fun and very strong in multiplayer, on certain map conditions. Grant it, it was on a large islands map...

Opened honor (strong choice as far as multiplayer goes) then finished out tradition. Cargo ships and archers until National College was available. Then beelined to Compass with a slight detour to upgrade comp bows. Conquered the only citystate on my island with galleas, comp bow, and trieme. Built harbors and started making deals with faraway players so i could reroute my cargo ships to them and spy on them. Picked up metal casting fast and bought the iron I needed from Venice to upgrade to Berzerkers with lump gold. Then it was on to Education for universities and and straight to navigation...by that point i launched my fleet on the neighboring island and everyone chain quit...

Still a lot of fun. Multiplayer plays alot differently for single player, so I think that the 'best civs' in single aren't necessarily the best in multi.

 

[TheologiaCrucis]

Berzerkers with a couple upgrades and Statue of Zeus can move+heal through enemy territory, land on shore and attack in one turn, and smash a walled city like a battering ram with minimal ranged support. It's insanely cheesy and fun. I would argue that Berzerker is the strongest unit in the game, relative to other units of its era...it's basically a Musketman with improved healing that can be gotten in the late Classical era.

 

[Tiber4321]

Persia, because of its overall consistency. It is now overlooked thanks to Korea, Maya, and Poland which all have immediate bonuses (with Maya Pyramid and Korean UA first and foremost), but Persia is, to me, something more than a sum of its parts.

It has a great UA that both encourages and rewards being expansive (grabbing as many Luxuries as possible by rapid settling and faster conquest). Works great with Liberty, with its Worker speed, Settler speed, and the free Golden Age. Bonus movement for military units is fantastic (moving archers on hills and firing or moving siege engines, setting up and firing in the same turn), and it really helps with Workers too, making Persia great at creating infrastructure. However, going tall and getting resources from trade is also viable - and proves that Persia's UA is versatile.

The UU speaks for itself - stronger, and heals at double rate. The Immortals are even better when upgraded to pikes, and coupled with the Faith Healers pantheon belief. You can have a rapidly-replenishing army that can dominate late classical and medieval warfare, just until it obsoletes and no more conquests are necessary.

In Renaissance era, after all those city captures, the UB comes to play. Satrap's Court, with its bonus happiness will help mitigate the effects of going wide and conquering. Being a Bank, it will also be built in puppeted cities, meaning that the entire empire will contribute towards Golden Ages. More longer Golden Ages means more production (wonders), and more Social Policies - bonus culture will greatly diminish the extra cost of policies that is caused by settling many cities. But in turn, more cities equals more monuments and culture buildings, and with bonus production from GA's (and all the cities), Persia has a greater chance at winning the World's Fair and getting even more culture and a free SP.

Overall, it's one of my favourite, and one of the strongest to this day, vanilla civs. It favours a hybrid approach, being capable both at war and building up cities and infrastructure, and its bonuses are always useful, whether you're wide or tall.

Agree about Persia. Especially among the traditional Civ 5 nations, Persia is almost ridiculously powerful if played correctly. And if you stumble onto the Civ that built Chichen Itza, look out. A golden age with a GA burned = 36 turns! You can actually end up with more gold than you can spend.

And the UB leads right into the UA, i.e. +2 happiness from Satrap's Court.

I've stopped playing as Persia, its too easy.

 

[TheD3rp]

Venice is easily one of the best civs in the game, the AI won't attack your trade routes because that pisses off other civs, and there is nothing in Civ that can't be solved via money and city-state allies.

 

[KingKong76]

Not My favorite civ... cause they are pretty vulnerable on early game, but I have to admit that my easiest victories have been played with them...
I remeber a game that Rome DWar on me, I bought 18 bombers and 6 battleships and 2 Destroyers on the same turn... 3 turns after I took Rome, Antium and Cumae city on same turn!!
Was on Emperor tho...

 

[MCthunder]

Babylon
Arabia
Poland
England
Korea

 

[Anunnaki]

I think that Korea and Babylon are the most OP given that science is pretty much more important than anything else in the game. When you dominate the science you can do anything you want from there. I would say Babylon start the stronger of the two for a while and Korea finish the stronger, particularly with freedom ideology, so to say which one is more effective comes down to the individual perspective on setting up vs finishing.

These civs have the potential the make the aggressive Civ's UU's irrelevant by staying well ahead of the tech (except for Aztecs of course) The AI's don't play this way but the humans can. I personally don't play them because I find them too OP, even in the face of unfair advantages to the AI on higher difficulties.

Every other Civ after that would subjective on who is more OP.

 

[fallout3dc]

The Mayans hands down deserve an honorable mention.

Their archer replacement costs less than an archer and is available right from the start. Useful in going for scout, archer as a starter

the Pyramid is 2 faith and 2 science which means both strong early science and easy religion.

Their ability means that they can get a great scientist without choosing liberty, build any wonder they want, explore the oceans in 1500 bc, steal land with a great general, get great artist for a golden age, upgrade their religion with the free prophet, AND get great writer in time for world fair bonus,

how can a civ honestly be much more adaptable than that? Obviously, Poland and Babylon, but I'm just surprised that the Mayans only got 3 votes.

 

[chuckh89]

Venice is easily the best civ in the game, the AI won't attack your trade routes because that pisses off other civs, and there is nothing in Civ that can't be solved via money and city-state allies.

Maybe the question should be asked differently?

If your were able to pick your Victory type, Opponents, and Map every game then maybe Venice would be in the conversation.

But when I interpret the question, I would have to answer with multiple Victory Conditions, Opponents, and Maps. Maybe the word "Overall" should be in there somewhere..??

So, when making my "Vote" I think..... Overall, all conditions..??

If I had to accomplish the VVV (minus the Leaders, of course), which Civ. would I pick to give me the best results possible...???

Answer: Poland

It certainly wouldn't be Venice!!

 

[ArguCa]

Abbasids are the best. Far best...

 

[Navelgazer]

Just once I'd like to hear the "good on any map type" question be applied the other way, as in, "Sure, Arabia's UA is great, if you're not playing on a water map..." I've just kind of tired of the assumption that Pangea is the standard way to play, even as I've been coming around to Pangea maps a lot more recently.

 

[labobble]

Babylon

 

[Kakdaddy]

Spain isn't the best overall - at best they are situational - but the only games where I've felt utterly "OP"are games with Spain and fun natural wonders nearby. Thus my answer is Spain being the best at being OP

 

[KingKong76]

Spain isn't the best overall - at best they are situational - but the only games where I've felt utterly "OP"are games with Spain and fun natural wonders nearby. Thus my answer is Spain being the best at being OP

I totaly agree!! Tough game withour wonder close, they are incredibly powerfull...
especialy if you manage to pass natural heritage and pick up the right pantheon...

Remeber once having a super Petra city with Victoria Lake and another one with fontaim of jouvance. Both discovered 1st for 500 golds! Insane!

 

[Dtekkar]

Babylon is what I play when I'm not experimenting with stuff and put on my tryhard pants, with something to prove. Science civs can do anything and baby can hold off early rushes like no other.

However, I could see an argument for at least Korea, Maya, Poland, or the Inca. The first three for obvious reasons.

Incan city development is rapid with fast workers and their economy with cheap roads is fantastic, terrace farm can be broken (4food 2hammer tile - is it an industrial post-fertilizer bonus cow with stable? Nope, classical era terrace farm tile turn 40). Hill bias means lots of observatories and high economy means you can buy science buildings fast, and if you roll a long mountain chain you are golden. Incan military is amazing for self-defense, hill bias + free hill roads + 1 move in hills + withdraw promotion making you pretty much immune to land attack from all non-unique units w/ tech parity.

Aggression can be quite worthwhile, too - cavalry charges through hills, step in range of a city onto hills and fire on the same turn with the defensive bonuses, or push everyone through the best attacking angle fast, like no one else can, getting everyone in position & firing while taking fewer losses from city attacks during setup. Then link up the former capitals with long roads on the cheap.

 

[Thatcherism]

The Maya are criminally underrated and very competitive with Poland for the top spot. They have the malleability of Poland, a UB which depends less on random resource generation, and their UU is an excellent sidegrade to both scouts and archers. They are very good even on Immortal/Deity.