Jonah Patel
Diplomacy is a key part of Civilization 6, allowing players to interact with other civilizations in a variety of ways. While some players argue that Civ 6 diplomacy is good enough, others claim that it is fundamentally broken. The upcoming Civilization 7 promises a huge new diplomacy system that may address these concerns. This new system introduces the 'Influence' mechanic, allowing players to steer relations in more creative directions. In Civ 6, relationships are affected by behaviours, agendas, and warmongering, with each leader having unique primary and secondary agendas. Players can pursue a diplomatic victory by earning gold and purchasing diplomatic favours, as well as through other strategies.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Interactions | Trading, making promises, espionage missions, culture bombing, etc. |
| Relationship status | Rivals, allies, etc. |
| Relationship breakdown | Positive and negative factors represented by green and red numbers, respectively |
| Diplomatic victory | Earning gold, purchasing diplomatic favors, statue of liberty bonus, etc. |
| Grievances | Warmongering, espionage, etc. |
| New features in Civilization 7 | 'Influence' system, four types of diplomatic action, etc. |
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What You'll Learn
Trading with other leaders
Trading is the most frequent and perhaps the most important interaction with foreign leaders in Civ 6. You can trade with all leaders except those you are at war with. The success of a trade, however, depends on your relationship with the other leader. The better the relationship, the higher the chance of a favourable trade or diplomatic agreement.
To establish relations with any major or minor civilization, you must first meet them. This happens when a unit of yours enters within visibility range of the other civilization's borders or units, or vice versa. After an introductory movie, you are given the option to make brief introductory interactions. If this first contact happens when a unit from one civilization reaches the borders of the other, the "discovered" civilization can choose to reveal one of its nearby cities to the "discovering" one.
There are several leader abilities that can increase a civilization's trading capacity. For example, João III's ability increases Portugal's trading capacity each time he meets another civilization, and Dido's ability increases Phoenicia's trading capacity after building the Government Plaza district or any of its buildings.
In Civ 6, diplomacy is often a case of trading a few resources for time-limited favours. However, in Civ 7, the new 'Influence' system makes diplomacy more involved and impactful. Players will make diplomatic decisions at the macro level, using the new Influence resource to steer relations in more lateral directions. For example, you can spend Influence to convince another civilization to help you research new technology more quickly.
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Relationship statuses
Relationships between civilizations in Civ 6 are complex and are affected by the player's behaviour and the goals of their rivals, or agendas. Each leader in the game has a unique primary agenda that never changes. For example, Eleanor of Aquitaine favours players who build prosperous cities bordering her own, while Genghis Khan respects leaders with large cavalry forces. Each leader's secondary agendas change from game to game and are always hidden at the start. This can dramatically affect how they perceive the player's actions, so paying attention to their preferences as the game progresses is important.
The player can view their relationship with every opponent in the upper-right corner of the screen, and the Diplomacy Screen will show how a given leader feels about everyone else. Relationships between each pair of leaders are organised into several levels, with each factor affecting the relationship represented by a numeric value: green numbers represent positive factors and red numbers represent negative factors. The balance between the two determines the current level of the relationship. Allies, for example, share the highest level of trust and cooperation possible in the game world.
Civilizations can send delegations to their rivals for a fee. Delegations improve relations by +3 and increase diplomatic visibility by one level. If the player's relationship with a rival is worse than neutral, they will not accept their delegation/embassy. Declaring wars and conquering cities will cause every other player to like the player less, and aggressive actions will incur Warmonger Penalties, reducing the player's relationship with every other empire.
In Civ 6, diplomacy is often a case of trading a few resources for time-limited favours. Players can trade with all leaders except the ones they are at war with. The success of the trade and what they are willing to give the player depends a lot on the player's relationship. The better the relationship, the higher the chance of getting a favourable trade or agreeing on a diplomatic step.
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Grievances and Casus Belli
Casus Belli, meanwhile, is a mechanic that allows players to justify the wars they declare and receive fewer Grievances or warmonger penalties. For example, a Protectorate War can be declared with no warmonger penalties if another power attacks one of your allied city-states, and a Reconquest War can be declared with no warmonger penalties against a power that has occupied one or more of your cities. Other Casus Belli include the Liberation War, used against a power that is two or more technology/civic eras behind you, and the Domination Victory, used against a bordering power in whose lands you wish to expand. The alternative to using a Casus Belli is the Surprise War, which carries much larger Grievances and warmonger penalties.
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Primary and secondary agendas
Civ 6's diplomacy system is complex, with relationships between civilisations influenced by behaviour, goals, and agendas. Each leader has a unique primary agenda, which remains constant, and a secondary hidden agenda, which changes from game to game. For example, Genghis Khan respects leaders with large cavalry forces, while Eleanor of Aquitaine favours players with prosperous cities bordering her own. These agendas can dramatically impact how leaders perceive your actions, and leaders have different personalities, making some more difficult to befriend than others. Gilgamesh, for instance, is easily befriended and will declare friendship even if the relationship is neutral or unfriendly.
The agendas are classified under diplomacy, implying a system designed for negotiations and managing relationships. However, some players argue that the agendas are non-negotiable and should be reclassified as a conflict meter, as they are essentially designed as a source of conflict generation. The agenda system has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it frustrating, particularly the secondary agendas, which can be difficult to predict and manage.
Warmongering, or grievances, also heavily impact relationships. Declaring wars and conquering cities will cause other players to like you less, and you may incur warmonger penalties, negatively affecting your relationships with other empires. However, you can reduce the impact of grievances or warmonger penalties by using a Casus Belli, or formal justification for your aggression, which becomes available through the Civics Tree as the game progresses.
To navigate the diplomacy system effectively, players must understand the leaders' agendas and the current state of their relationships. The Diplomacy Screen shows how a given leader feels about everyone else and the interactions available, with trading being the most frequent and important interaction. Sending an embassy or delegation can also boost relationships and help players learn about other leaders' agendas.
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Diplomatic Victory Points
Diplomacy in Civ 6 has been criticised for being too limited and not feeling "grand". The small-scale bartering nature of diplomacy in Civ 6 has been a persistent issue across the Civ games. Players have complained that it is too difficult to maintain interesting diplomatic relationships with other countries.
However, there are some ways to gain diplomatic victory points in Civ 6. One way is to win World Leader Elections in the Diplomatic Congress. You can also gain diplomatic victory points by voting on the winning side of any World Congress vote. Additionally, there are some wonders that can give you diplomatic victory points.
In order to establish relations with any major or minor civilization in Civ 6, you must first meet them. This happens when a unit of yours enters within visibility range of the other civilization's borders or units, or vice versa. The introductory movie for the respective leader is then played, and you are given the option to make introductory interactions.
Some players have suggested that the respect and fear system from BERT be brought to Civ 6, as it would improve the diplomatic model.
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Frequently asked questions
Diplomacy is a key part of Civilization 6, and a cornerstone of every strategy. It involves making relations with other players and navigating the game's character interactions.
Some players have criticised the diplomacy in Civ 6 for being too reliant on point systems and not enough on clear rules governing relationships. Others have noted that there are too many negative triggers that affect relationships and that it is hard to maintain interesting diplomatic relationships with other countries.
Civ 7 introduces the ''Influence' system, which allows players to make diplomatic decisions at the macro level. Players accumulate Influence every turn and can use it to initiate four different types of diplomatic action, steering relationships in more lateral directions.
Players should purchase as many diplomatic favours from other civilizations as possible in the early to mid-game. It is also important to build the Statue of Liberty to gain a bonus of +4 diplomatic victory points.
