Diplomacy's Dark Side: Civ 6'S Complex Strategy

Diplomacy in Sid Meier's Civilization VI is a complex mechanic that evolves as the game progresses, from a state of near-constant warfare in ancient times to more peaceful interactions in the later stages. Players can interact with other civilizations in various ways, such as trading, forming alliances, and negotiating deals. Relationships between civilizations are influenced by several factors, including behaviour, agendas, and warmongering, with positive and negative factors represented by green and red numbers, respectively. One of the game's achievements, When Diplomacy Fails, challenges players to capture a city with a fully upgraded Giant Death Robot.

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Capturing a city with a fully upgraded Giant Death Robot

First, you need to acquire the GDR itself, which is no simple task. It requires a heavy focus on Science to unlock the necessary technologies. You'll need 1,580 Science for Computers, and a further 2,155 Science for Robotics. On top of that, you'll need 6,000 Gold upfront, which can take many turns to accumulate. Alternatively, you can build the GDR, but this will take most cities 15+ turns to finish. If you're in a Golden Age just before reaching the Information Era, you can even get a free GDR.

Once you have your GDR, it's time to start upgrading. The GDR has four possible upgrades:

• Enhanced Mobility Upgrade: Requires Cybernetics technology and improves the GDR's movement, allowing it to jump over mountains.
• Drone Air Defense Upgrade: Requires Advanced A.I. technology and provides additional protection against aerial attacks.
• Particle Beam Siege Cannons: Requires Advanced Power Cells technology and gives the GDR the ability to reduce cities to ashes, with increased effectiveness against cities and encampments.
• Reinforced Armor Plating: Requires Smart Materials technology and makes the GDR more durable against enemy navies and ground forces.

With a fully upgraded GDR, you're now ready to capture a city. The GDR has both melee and ranged attacks, so choose the attack style that suits your strategy. Remember that the GDR is a powerful unit, but it's not a one-man army. Combine its strength with other units to ensure victory. Use the GDR's mobility to your advantage, as it can traverse most terrain, including water and mountains.

When you identify an enemy city, use the GDR's extended-range rocket artillery to weaken it from a distance. Once the city's health is reduced to half, send in the GDR to capture it. With its overwhelming strength and versatility, the GDR will be an invaluable asset in achieving your Domination Victory.

Making promises

Making and keeping promises is an important part of diplomacy in Civ 6. Refusing to make a promise results in a -6 penalty, which decreases over time. Ignoring a promise request is considered a refusal. Getting caught while performing an espionage mission also results in a penalty of -5, and the other civilization will request that you stop spying on them. Converting their Holy City will result in a permanent penalty.

Civilizations can send delegations to their rivals for a fee to improve relationships. However, if your relationship status is worse than neutral, they will not accept your delegation. The success of trade negotiations also depends on your relationship with the other civilization. The better the relationship, the higher the chance of getting a favourable trade or agreeing on a diplomatic step.

The relationship between civilizations is complex and affected by several factors. These include your behaviour towards the other party, the goals of your rivals, and warmongering. The state of your relationships is shown in the upper right part of the screen, with green numbers representing positive factors and red numbers representing negative factors.

In Gathering Storm, refusing to make a promise also accrues Grievances.

Espionage missions

Spies in Civ VI are produced in cities and act as units that can be moved around. They can be sent on missions to enemy cities or your own, with their tasks varying depending on the target city. Spies may fail a mission without being detected, in which case they can continue operations. However, if captured, they are imprisoned but not killed, and their owner can negotiate for their release.

Players should be cautious as getting caught performing espionage incurs a permanent -5 penalty with the target civilization, prompting them to request that you cease spying on them. District placement is vital for counter-espionage, with clusters of districts allowing a single spy to protect multiple areas. Commercial Hubs and Industrial Zones, often targeted by enemy spies, benefit from such strategic placement.

Espionage-related policies in the late game can significantly impact the success of your spies and the failure of rival spies, while also accelerating mission completion. Players should monitor their rivals' progress in cultural and scientific victories, as spies are adept at impeding these.

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Converting holy cities

Converting the holy city of another civilization in Civilization VI will result in a permanent penalty to your relationship with that civilization. This can be a serious impediment, especially if you are aiming for a diplomatic victory, which requires earning 20 diplomatic victory points.

To convert another civilization's holy city, you can use a Great Prophet to spread your religion there. However, this is only a temporary solution, as holy cities always have an innate push for the religion they founded. Eventually, the city will revert to its original religion, and you will suffer a significant diplomatic penalty.

A more permanent method of conversion involves capturing the holy city and using an Inquisitor to eliminate the original religion. This is most effective when the original religion is a minority in the city, but some players argue that using your own religion's Inquisitor is sufficient to eradicate the foreign religion.

Alternatively, if you are playing as Arabia, there is a strategy that does not require capturing the city. First, obtain religious texts, research the printing press, and build the grand temple. Then, send a trade route from your holy city to theirs, which will increase the pressure of your religion in their city, making it easier to maintain the conversion.

It is worth noting that converting another civilization's holy city can have significant consequences. The other civilization may undertake Holy Wars against you, especially if they no longer have a city predominant with their own religion. Additionally, this action may prompt other civilizations to demand concessions from you, potentially straining your relationships further.

Culture-bombing tiles

Diplomacy in Civilization VI is a complex mechanic that evolves as eras pass, from a state of near-constant warfare in ancient times to more civil interactions in the mid- and late game. Relationships between civilizations are influenced by various factors, including behaviour, agendas, and warmongering (or grievances). Culture-bombing tiles, in particular, can have a significant impact on diplomatic relations.

Culture-bombing refers to the act of converting the tiles of another civilization using various methods. This action carries a severe penalty in the diplomatic realm of the game. The first time a player culture-bombs an opponent's tiles, they incur a -10 penalty, which decays over time. However, subsequent culture-bombing attempts result in an even higher penalty of -20, which also decays gradually. It's important to note that these penalties apply individually to each AI leader in the game.

The consequences of culture-bombing tiles can be detrimental to a player's relationships with other civilizations. The affected civilization is likely to view the act as an aggressive and hostile move, leading to increased tensions and potentially triggering a diplomatic crisis. This action can be a significant setback, especially if the player is aiming for peaceful relations or is already in a delicate diplomatic situation.

To avoid severe repercussions, players might consider alternative strategies to achieve their expansionist goals. One option is to focus on developing their civic culture, which unlocks more interaction possibilities. Additionally, maintaining a positive relationship through favourable trades and diplomatic steps can grant access to additional interaction options that may be less aggressive. It is worth noting that delegations can also improve relationships, increasing diplomatic visibility by one level. However, civilizations with relationships worse than neutral will not accept delegations or embassies.

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