Overview of Policies in Civilization VI

Policies in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI serve as a fundamental gameplay mechanic, enabling players to fine-tune their civilizations by providing temporary boosts across various domains, including military, economy, diplomacy, and more. These benefits come in the form of Policy Cards, which players unlock through progress in the Civics Tree—a cultural counterpart to the Technology Tree that focuses on culture-based advancements.

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Policy Types

Policies are categorized into four distinct types, each playing a crucial role in shaping a civilization’s strategy:

1. Military Policies:
– Offer enhancements for military units, production rates, and combat effectiveness.
– Examples include faster unit production and stronger city defenses.

2. Economic Policies:
– Improve income generation, population growth, production efficiency, and infrastructure development.
– Examples include reduced maintenance costs and increased district yields.

3. Diplomatic Policies:
– Enhance relationships with city-states and provide benefits from alliances.
– Examples include gaining more envoys or improved bonuses from diplomatic agreements.

4. Wildcard Policies:
– Allow flexibility by letting players fill any type of policy in these slots.
– Useful for earning Great People points or gaining unique benefits tailored to current strategies.

Each government type provides a different number and combination of these policy slots, with more advanced governments offering increased flexibility, including dual-purpose Wildcard slots.

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Unlocking and Earning Policies

Policies are unlocked by researching Civics within the Civics Tree. As players complete Civics, they gain access to related Policy Cards. Unlike technologies, which require Science points, progress through the Civics Tree is contingent upon the Culture generated by your cities.

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Equipping and Changing Policies

Accessing Policies
– Players can review and update their policies whenever they unlock a new Civic through a game prompt or by accessing the Government screen (default hotkey: “G”).

Slots
– Each government type comes with a specific number of policy slots (Military, Economic, Diplomatic, Wildcard). Each slot must be filled with the corresponding policy type, with Wildcard slots allowing for any policy.

Swapping Policies
– To equip a policy, drag and drop the desired Policy Card into an available slot. Removal of unwanted policies is done in the same manner. Once equipped, changes take effect immediately, enabling players to adapt their strategies dynamically based on the current game state.

Limitations
– Players can only equip as many policies as their current government type allows. Advancing to more sophisticated governments unlocks additional slots, offering greater strategic flexibility.

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Example Policy Mechanics

To illustrate the mechanics of policies, consider the following example:

1. Research a Civic: You complete the Civic “Craftsmanship,” unlocking the Military Policy “Agoge,” which provides +50% Production to Ancient and Classical era melee and ranged units.
2. Change Policies: The game prompts you to update your policies due to the new Civic completion.
3. Equip the Policy: You access the Government screen and drag “Agoge” into an available Military slot.
4. Benefit Realization: Your cities now produce Ancient and Classical era units at an accelerated rate.
5. Future Adjustments: Upon unlocking the next Civic, “State Workforce,” you can return to the Government screen to swap out “Agoge” for “Conscription,” to reduce maintenance costs for your military units.

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Strategic Importance

The ability to swap policies at critical moments is a powerful strategic element in Civilization VI. Players might adopt economic policies to accelerate growth early in the game, switch to military policies during wartime preparations, and transition to diplomatic policies to secure alliances or support from city-states. The right combination of policies and the timing of changes can significantly impact the route to victory.

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Summary Table

| Aspect | Details |
|————————|————————————————————————————————————–|
| How to Unlock | Advance through the Civics Tree using Culture. [1][2] |
| How to Equip | Drag and drop Policy Cards into available slots in the Government screen. [2] |
| When to Change | Free changes occur upon unlocking a new Civic; other changes may incur a Gold cost or require conditions. [2] |
| Policy Types | Military, Economic, Diplomatic, Wildcard. [3][4] |
| Slot Limitations | Determined by the player’s current government type. [1][3] |

Policies in Civilization VI provide a dynamic and flexible system that allows players to tailor their civilization’s strengths in response to the evolving landscape of the game. Mindful policy management is essential for achieving success.