What are your top 3 favorite civs to play?

Kasbahs. One hurdle to wide play is making those extra cities worth settling yield-wise. Kasbahs make basically any location a decent one where the city will end up a net positive so more cities tends to be better. Their UA doesn't scale with wide BUT it does push them toward diplomacy since you want to send routes to CSs while having AI send routes to you. Wide is typically stronger for diplomacy in terms of just hammers for diplo units.

Yep. Even as Shoshone (whose UI I love) I get jealous of Kasbahs :).
 
Lol. Well since you have to waste a citadel against a CS I'll call it a feature.

I forgot to mention before that some of my favorite civs would have to be Japan and Indonesia. I always tend to go warmonger and the unique promotions for these units are just fun and exciting. You always wonder what you're going to get next. The thing is is I have actually lost both times playing with these guys lol. I was more of a noob and I'd like to have another go. My most recent one was with Japan and it's my own fault because I started crap with Russia during the Industrial age and forgot about her UB. Her musketman mowed my fusilier down with ease because we couldn't move in fast enough on her. I was too many turns in to backtrack. I took the loss and learned from it.
 
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Lol. Well since you have to waste a citadel against a CS I'll call it a feature.

Personally I like using citadels against CSs because the malus is only temporary and also I don't care if they dislike me as much because it's not like they have any chance of invading lol.

That said with the current system, the diplo penalty for stealing land from a major civ resets after a war... I'm still adjusting my playstyle to account for changes!
 
Personally I like using citadels against CSs because the malus is only temporary and also I don't care if they dislike me as much because it's not like they have any chance of invading lol.

Invading...right. That's why I find the Citidels so valuable. To put them in place against major civs that will invade. A few well placed units can hold off a superior force with a citadel. They at least change the whole dynamic when the inevitable War does come. They're not even that bad in the future for the tile yields they give when you've long conquered that land.
 
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Invading...right. That's why I find the Citidels so valuable. To put them in place against major civs that will invade. A few well placed units can hold off a superior force with a citadel. They at least change the whole dynamic when the inevitable War does come. They're not even that bad in the future for the tile yields they give when you've long conquered that land.

Honestly, with the reformation Knowledge Through Devotion and the World Congress resolution that boost great person tiles, the yields are the best thing about them late-game! I like to play Shoshone (and build Himeji if I can) so with my UI and AI defending is pretty straight-forward. I love to use citadels to make sieges easier though. Place them on a border that I want to attack over to give my siege units a nice spot to sit, and then when the war is over the yields go to a developed city than can make good use of them!

To be clear, I don't like being declared war on, but I do like expanding my territory! In that context provoking a war can actually be helpful as I get less warmonger penalties if they started it ^^.
 
I started a game as Japan and i really forgot how fun the Dojos, 8 virtues of Bushido and any city capture quest from CS is!
Hero worship is just nuts with Japan and capturing a Tradition city with university of Sankore early is going to be a game changer.
 
I generally love Progress->Freedom gameplay and RL concepts, and economic bonuses, especially if the civ can consistently secure a religion. My favorite civs end being:

1- Carthage (arguably the most synergistic with Progress of all civs and their trade focus makes them solid for Freedom bonuses later on)

2- Celts (Rhiannon in particular, solid pantheon for Progress with immediate culture just by founding and gold+production to speed up what Progress wants to do)

3- Brazil (Brazilwood Camp UI works quite smoothly with Progress's early worker and the early culture covers one of Progress's early issues; this civ only lacks a way to secure religion better than a generic civ)

Honorable mention to Japan for when I want a military-oriented civ. I don't play them as often, but I used to play them extensively in the past.
 
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1. Portugal. Peace-loving, tall player here. The peacetime GG's help me defend, keep a larger standing army, and shape a city's terrain the way I want. Science and Gold are also great yields for staying alive. Nau's are also really great because they pay for themselves, allowing you to have a huge standing navy scare the AI into being friends with you.

2. England. The early spy I almost always use for choosing CS allies. Can create a nice buffer zone against hostile civs, and taking Militaristic CS lets you get science and free units (so basically science and gold like Portugal). Then the maintenance reduction for naval units for, again. a large standing navy. After White Tower, you get tons of Science and Gold.

3. Byzantine. I really enjoyed a recent playthrough where I optimized Great Prophets. It was cool having a small country with like, 16~ Holy Sites and a disproportionate amount of votes, Faith, Culture, and Tourism. Kind of felt like a 'roided up Vatican or something!
 
Inca - love me some mountain play
Austria - diplo power and soooo many GP

Not sure about the last one. France for culture and warmongering, Byzantium for great religion, Siam for early snowballing...
In the end, probably the Celts because they can play in so many different ways.
 
1. Shoshone- Not only do I favor the Shoshone's aesthetics, but their kit is just so good. When I settle (especially wide), I do so with the aim to immediately grab and work resources and special tiles, which their UA accomplishes, and the combat bonus in territory ensures I never lose those cities. The ruins thing is a big plus as well, but since I rarely play with ruins enabled, doesn't really matter

2. Mongolia- I admit to having a big fascination with Genghis Khan, but even then Mongolia is the one warmonger civ I have the most success with. Even putting aside the insane heavy tribute to annex city states (while still getting their yields), the buff to Calvary units makes combat a breeze

3. Arabia- I often like to play Tall, and Arabia is very good at tall play, if not the best. Just focus building wonders and birthing GP and that science and culture from historic events builds up. My only complaint is that it doesn't exactly reflect the Arabian Empire in real life, which would be closer to a Religious Domination Civ (but admittedly we got enough of both)
 
1) Assyria: I used to not like warmongering, but you can get on such a role, taking cities, getting Science, razing the bad ones, rinse, repeat. With Sukitracts Events and 3uc/4uc, it gets to an even more bonkers steamroll. Siege towers make it viable to take weak cities with just melee. I just love these guys

2) China: Food snowball. I love that I can mostly do a tall food/culture game, but the go absolutely wild when Chu Ko Nu's come online.

3)????? Maybe Inca? Maybe Aztec? Japan? Don't even know yet. With this mod + Events + 3uc/4uc, there's just so many cool possibilities.
 
The call in my heart always goes to three civs:

1) Assyria. A UU that stays relevant all the way to Information Age if you keep it alive? Royal Library empire-wide exp bonus? THE FLOOD TABLET? Just in general being able to be a cultural and scientific powerhouse passively, while having phenomenal potential edge when going to war says that no other civ can come close to the flexibility and staying power of Ashurbanipal. Go Tradition, reap every cultural GP, create or conquer GWs. Be king.

2) Germany. Bonuses to production, science, & diplomacy make for a flexible emergent civ. Then you get super tanks.

3) Spain. The buck stops here. Conquistadors. Missions. Impervious religious game. Settling mid-game is pretty exciting with the combination of the three.

The thing in common with the above three, is that pretty much any victory or playstyle is encouraged. Strong military potential backs any cultural, scientific, or religious endeavors.
 
I exclusively play domination:

1) Rome. Their UA is incredibly satisfying. I've played a game or two where I just load up civs with UBs and then "catch 'em all."

2) England. Naval conquest is ultimately the way to go late game. And my god does that free spy do work early game.

3) The Huns. Capturing UUs is a blast and spamming their UI makes tile planning a breeze.
 
Everytime i play a new match with a different civ i feel like i have to add them to my favorite 3 civs.
Rome : Legions + Ballistas rush are the literal nuts, the UA with capturing unique buildings is freaking awesome, 4UC lantifudium is one of my favorite UIs after Haciendas & the Unique arena is pretty much a perma golden age if you are constantly at war... tho i gotta say Progress Rome > Authority Rome.

Carthage : God of commerce lol.
Seriously, is there a civ with early game comparable to Carthage ? it's amazing in human hands & always very well performing in AI hands.
Quinquereme is really good once it gets the first couple of promotions .. 4thUC Shrine replacement is cool and the GG/GA hybrid unit is really interesting.

Assyria : Pretty much the most satisfying civ to catch up with, Amazing UA that's relevant from turn one till the very end of the match, Royal Library is one of the coolest national wonders in the game, Experience from great works is flavorful and powerful at the same time,
 
Progress Rome > Authority Rome.
Really? Looking for a bit more of your opinion on this one. You don't need as much help with building up infrastructure because of your UA, though the need reduction from Progress becomes really good in ultra-wide.

That said, I'm going to say that I find warmongering a lot more fun than peaceful press-end-turn-to-win games (at least on epic speed) because you have stuff to do. And I see that you like war too.
 
Seriously, is there a civ with early game comparable to Carthage ?

Frankly, I consider Shoshone to be the ultimate early game Civ :D. Popping those ruins and getting free tech, enough faith to found a pantheon etc. is just so good. The fact you that you start with extra territory, and your UI unlocks on Military Theory culminates to a really awesome early game.
 
Japan: Deadly, Elegant, Kawaii :c5strength:
America: Blue :c5science:
Korea: Twice! Red Velvet! Blackpink! I wanna know-know-know-know what is love! :greatwork:

Actually I have never played Korea. Awful colors.

Possibly a toss up between Carthage, Assyria, China and Babylon.
Well defined, moderate, matte, not glossy palette is king.
 
Byzantium: Trying out different synergies between beliefs is fun and its UU is best.

Huns: All your base and units belong to us. Its UI is best.

Austria: It is the illuminati, the secret power that governs the world thru CS votes.
 
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