Civ 5 Tier List

Caroline Mae

2 min read

·

06-01-2025

7

0

Share

Civilization V, a game of empires and strategy, offers a vast array of civilizations, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. Choosing the right civilization can significantly impact your chances of victory, especially in a domination game. This tier list ranks civilizations based on their overall effectiveness in achieving domination, considering factors like military strength, expansion capabilities, and unique abilities. This list reflects a general consensus and individual experiences may vary.

S-Tier: The Conquerors

These civilizations possess exceptional advantages that make them formidable contenders for domination. Their strengths often synergize powerfully, offering a significant edge in aggressive playstyles.

• Mongolia: Genghis Khan's unique units and abilities make early aggression incredibly effective. The rapid expansion fueled by the Keshig and their unique promotion makes taking early cities incredibly easy.
• Rome: The legions are an absolute powerhouse, especially with the additional benefits that Rome offers in terms of building and unit production. Their expansion is unparalleled.
• Germany: The early production boost combined with strong units makes Germany a strong contender for early game conquest. Their abilities make maintaining a large army exceptionally easy.

A-Tier: Strong Contenders

These civilizations offer strong military potential and other useful bonuses, making them excellent choices for players aiming for a domination victory. While not as overwhelmingly powerful as the S-tier civilizations, they still offer significant advantages.

• Persia: The Immortals are a strong defensive unit that provide a solid foundation for an early game defensive posture before expanding outward.
• Aztecs: Their unique units and abilities provide a powerful early game rush that can overwhelm opponents before they can properly defend themselves.
• Korea: The very powerful Seowon and additional science benefits makes for a powerhouse that expands quickly and efficiently.

B-Tier: Solid Choices

These civilizations are perfectly viable for a domination victory, but may require a more strategic approach or skillful gameplay to compensate for any relative weaknesses.

• Polynesia: While not explicitly designed for domination, the early game expansion is powerful, allowing you to secure multiple cities before other civilizations even have a chance.
• Greece: The philosophers provide bonus culture allowing you to secure early social policies that enhance military capabilities.
• Russia: The Cossacks can quickly overwhelm neighboring civilizations, especially in open terrain.

C-Tier: Challenging but Possible

These civilizations present greater challenges for domination victories, requiring specific strategies and skillful adaptation to overcome their limitations. While a domination victory is achievable, it will require more planning and execution.

• Shoshone: Their unique ability does not translate well into a domination strategy. While the early game is made easier, the long term implications do not make them an ideal contender for this victory condition.
• Inca: Their strengths lie elsewhere.

Note: This tier list considers a pure domination victory. Some civilizations excel in other victory types and might be ranked differently in those contexts. Player skill and game circumstances can also significantly impact a civilization's effectiveness. This tier list reflects a general consensus and is subject to change with updates and evolving gameplay strategies.