Can't take over city state, what am I doing wrong?

[ByzantineEmpire]

Hey guys. I am very new to Civ series, and Civ 6 is my first game. So right now I am mostly just expanding my knowledge of how to play the game, and in a test/game where I am fooling around I have surrounded Lisbon with Saka Horse Archers, declared war with them, and removed their health pool from 100% to 0% a lot of times. There's still a war wagon in their city and a builder. But for some reason I can't kill them or I don't understand how to do it. I just searched google for help but sparse with information, and in a video, he just got it to 0% health and he could decide if raze or capture. But I never got that option.

I just made peace with them again in this picture. But any idea about what I am doing wrong, since I can't capture it?

Thanks!

 

[TimTurry]

Ranged units cannot capture enemy cities. You need to bring your warrior over, and he'll walk into the city, taking it for you.
I did the same thing with Saka on my first run with them. Thought they were terrible because they couldn't take cities.

 

[CoolLizy]

Only melee units can take cities. Reducing the city's HP isn't enough, you have to move a melee unit (non-ranged infantry or cavalry) into the city for one final attack to deal the final blow.

 

[joncnunn]

Only melee units can take cities. Reducing the city's HP isn't enough, you have to move a melee unit (non-ranged infantry or cavalry) into the city for one final attack to deal the final blow.

For grins, you can have even a lowly Scout be the unit taking a city with 0 HP remaining.

 

[mnf]

For grins, you can have even a lowly Scout be the unit taking a city with 0 HP remaining.

Not for grins but for one of my games I actually had an battleship armada escort my recon unit around the enemy's backside and razed three of his cities.

 

[liv]

bonkers and shooters we call them in my civ gameplaying household. You need at least onef "bonker" -melee unit. With how the walls are in civ 6 it is good to have a good mele unit with a battering ram attached to take down that wall quickly.

In other advice. It is not the best to take out the city states. If you an ally with them you get good bonuses. Lisbon would probably give you gold per turn. You seem to be needing that

 

[kampori]

As others above have said, you need any melee unit to actually take the city (scout/warrior/spearmen/horsemen (NOT horse archers, etc). Ranged units and bombard units (slingers, archers, horse archers, catapults, etc) are good for reducing the walls and health from range.
Melee units can also use battering rams and siege towers to ignore walls (support units, they go inside the melee units, and don't count towards the 1 unit per tile rule).

A good army will include a few melee units (with battering rams to help), a handful or ranged units, and if they have walls and good terrain helping them, a catapult does wonders.

 

[Stringer1313]

Not for grins but for one of my games I actually had an battleship armada escort my recon unit around the enemy's backside and razed three of his cities.

Clearly, the scout unit should not be allowed to raze cities unless he gets a "Godzilla" promotion.

 

[Disgustipated]

melee ships can also take cities I believe (I haven't actually tried it). Obviously this requires a city on the coast. A melee unit at sea can also do it, but watch out for cliffs.

 

[AriochIV]

Need to build some melee Horsemen in addition to your Horse Archers.