Civilization 6: Tips For Playing As Pericles

Quick Links

• Pericles' Abilities

• Early Game Strategy For Pericles

• Late Game Strategy For Pericles

Pericles, First Citizen of Athens and commander of the Delian League, is one of the playable leaders of Greece in Civilization 6. As one of the characters who's been playable since launch, his playstyle is comparatively straightforward. Pericles doesn't need fancy tricks to win games, though, and he's a great choice for beginners.

Civilization 6: Tips For Playing As Theodora

Take Byzantium's place at the center of the world with Theodora in Civilization 6!

With Pericles in charge, Greece can pursue nearly any victory type, and you'll often get rewarded for doing the things that you were going to do anyway over the course of the game. With this guide to help you, the Muses will sing of your victory in no time.

Pericles' Abilities

Pericles' focus is on running a well-governed empire, and he excels at unlocking bonuses from multiple sources. He can also present a fearsome melee threat in the early game by recruiting Hoplites.

Surrounded By Glory

Historically, Pericles brought the individual Greek city-states together to present a united front against Persian invaders. You're encouraged to do the same with him in-game, as he gets five percent more Culture per turn for every City-State over whom he has Suzerainty.

The more City-States you vassalize, the greater your overall Culture bonus will be. Don't forget that each City-State also has a unique bonus, unavailable anywhere else, that they grant their Suzerain!

Plato's Republic

As a Greek leader, Pericles gets access to one extra Wildcard Policy Slot, regardless of his current government type. This is useful throughout the game, but it really shines early on when slots of any kind are hard to come by.

Hoplites

The iconic spear-and-shield infantry of ancient Greece, Hoplites can be recruited once you research Bronze Working, replacing Spearmen. They're slightly stronger than regular Spearmen, but they become a force to be reckoned with when fighting together.

As long as a Hoplite is adjacent to another Hoplite, they both get a massive +10 to their Combat Strength - more than a 35 percent increase! However, this bonus doesn't stack; you don't get +20 for having three Hoplites in a triangle, for example.

Acropolis

Instead of Theater Squares, the Greeks can build an Acropolis in their cities. This District is cheaper to build, but more restrictive in its placement since it can only be constructed on Hills. That's a small price to pay, though, considering all the benefits.

Acropoli get one extra Culture for every adjacent District, and get even more if the District in question is a City Center, Entertainment Complex, or Water Park. They also provide one Envoy when completed, giving you more leverage with City-States so that you can make use of Surrounded By Glory.

Early Game Strategy For Pericles

Pericles starts the game in an excellent position to start a Religion. With his free Wildcard Slot from Plato's Republic, you can immediately enact Revelation to get a head start on the Great Prophet race. Try to build a Holy Site as soon as possible to capitalize on this unique benefit.

Focusing on Faith early in the game - specifically, before you've unlocked Drama And Poetry - gives you a strong shot at pursuing a Religious Victory, either as your main condition or a backup.

While you're getting your cities started, recruit one to two Scouts and send them out in search of City-States. You get one extra Envoy with a City-State if you're the first player to encounter them, which will make your life easier later.

Build Monuments in each city to boost your Culture output, with an eye toward rushing your two most important early-game unlocks: Political Philosophy and Drama And Poetry. The former is boosted by meeting three City-States - easy enough - while the latter is boosted by building a Wonder. The Hanging Gardens and The Oracle are both good choices, and feasible to build early on.

In the Science Tree, try to unlock Bronze Working quickly so that you can start training Hoplites. You won't have anything to fear from Barbarians once your unique unit is on the field, and you may even be able to conquer a neighbor with them.

Once you have access to Acropoli, build one in every city, ideally positioned so that you can place Entertainment Complexes and Wonders next to them as the game progresses. The extra Culture, compounded with the bonus you get from Surrounded By Glory, will make it easy to speed along the Civics tree, fueling your rise to glory.

Civilization 6: Ways To Become The Richest Empire

Civilization 6 features quite a few ways to amass gold. Here are some methods to become the richest empire.

Late Game Strategy For Pericles

Continue expanding as much as you can, building an Acropolis in each new city. Use the extra Envoys, plus any that you get elsewhere, to gain Suzerainty over as many City-States as possible. Cultural City-States are best for this, since you'll be able to get the most out of them after building Amphitheaters, Museums, and Broadcast Towers.

Starting and maintaining a Cultural Alliance with your main trade partner is another great way to get extra Culture. With the extra Amenities from your Entertainment Complexes and Luxuries, there's a good chance that you can get some border cities to defect from your opponents and join your empire.

Pericles' easiest win conditions areCultural, Religious, or Diplomatic Victory, but he's capable of switching to others if needed. Being able to unlock Civics quickly means that you'll be able to beat other players to unlockables like Corps and Armies, or important Wonders for specific victory types like the Statue Of Liberty.

All that extra Culture also makes it easier to adopt advanced Government types, giving you even more Policies to customize your build.

If you decide to go for a Cultural Victory, remember that it's Tourism, not Culture, that ultimately brings home the win. Around the Industrial Era you'll need to start theming your Museums and planning for later Tile Improvements like Seaside Resorts and National Parks.

Next: Civilization 6: Tips For Playing As Nader Shah