Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is a complex strategy game that allows players to build and develop their own civilization from humble beginnings in the Ancient Era to an advanced society spanning the globe by the Modern Era. Constructing infrastructure like roads is key to connecting your cities, moving troops efficiently, establishing trade routes, and ultimately growing a strong empire.
Table of Contents
The Basics of Roads in Civ VI
Roads in Civ VI provide several important benefits:
- Faster Movement: Units can move faster along roads, allowing you to quickly reposition troops across your territory.
- Connect Cities: Linking cities together with roads boosts trade route yields and gold income.
- Establish Trade Routes: Roads constructed by traders passively create trade routes between cities and provide economic yields.
- Move Builders: Builders use roads to swiftly travel between improvement projects.
Early roads are simple dirt paths that become more advanced paved highways in later eras like Industrial and Modern.
How to Build Roads
There are a few ways to construct roads in Civ VI:
Traders
Once you research the Foreign Trade civic, traders will automatically build roads along their trade routes between cities. This “passively” creates road infrastructure over time without needing to manually build them.
Tips:
- Send routes between all cities to interconnect them.
- Build key roads first to link new settlements.
- Use roads to access unimproved resources.
Military Engineers
After researching the Military Engineering technology, Military Engineers can actively build roads by spending a build charge. Their main use is building railroads later on.
Tips:
- Connect cities traders missed.
- Build roads through terrain like mountains.
- Create roads to the frontlines for troop movement.
Wonders
Some wonders like the Great Wall provide roads along their length, instantly connecting remote parts of your empire.
Optimizing Your Road Network
Carefully planning your road network can maximize benefits:
Link All Cities
Try to connect all cities by roads to share trade route yields, reinforce loyalty, and move units between cities rapidly.
Access Resources
Build roads to unimproved strategic and luxury resources so builders can improve them faster. This brings the resources online sooner for your empire.
Defend Borders
Construct roads along border chokepoints to quickly move troops to defend from invasions. Pillage them when enemies invade to slow them down.
Choose Logical Paths
Route roads efficiently in logical paths between locations to avoid wasting time and space.
Other Infrastructure Considerations
Roads form the backbone of your empire’s infrastructure, but other transport networks play key roles too:
Railroads
Later in the game, railroads become available to further boost movement and gold income along vital routes.
Canals
Canals connect oceans allowing naval movement between seas, boosting trade and defense.
Airports
Airports enable aircraft to move vast distances rapidly and project power abroad.
Carefully linking cities and regions with infrastructure is vital for a prosperous civilization able to quickly move troops, connect trade routes, and defend its borders from invasion. Mastering road building in Civ VI by utilizing traders, engineers, city connections, and more will help you dominate through the eras!
In Summary
- Roads allow faster movement and connect trade routes.
- Traders passively build roads along their routes.
- Engineers actively construct roads and railroads.
- Link all cities and access resources with roads.
- Fortify borders, utilize canals and airports too.
- Infrastructure is vital for growth and defense!
