Civilization VI includes various Policy Cards that you can unlock throughout the game with their required civics. Players can select up to eight Policy Cards, which can be expanded to 12 with wonders. Those cards fall into military, economic, diplomatic, and wildcard policy categories. The best Policy Cards will help you win your Civ 6 games more easily. These are 7 of the best Civilization VI Policy Cards.
Read also: 6 of the Best Civilization VI Wonders
1. Levee en Masse (Mobilization)
Levee en Masse is a Military Policy Card that’s invaluable for players with lots of military units. This policy reduces unit maintenance cost for each unit by two gold per turn. For example, that will save you 20 gold per turn for 10 units. So, the savings this policy provides can really mount up in the long run when you’ve got lots of military units. Therefore, Levee en Masse is a must-have policy for players going for a Domination Victory.
2. Rationalism
Science output is crucial to the Science Victory and generally important in Civilization VI. Therefore, Rationalism is among the most essential Policy Cards to select as it provides a +100 percent science output boost for all your Campus district buildings. That basically means Rationalism doubles the science output of all your Campus buildings. Thus, Rationalism can greatly increase your civilizations’ science output when you build lots of Campus districts and buildings. Then your civilization will unlock new technologies quicker to get ahead on the tech tree.
3. Discipline (Code of Laws)
The Discipline Military Policy Card really comes in handy at squashing barbarian hordes during the early game. This policy provides a +5 Combat Strength bonus for your units with fighting barbarians. With that policy selected, you can flush out the barbarian encampments somewhat more easily during the early game period. This policy isn’t so important after the first 100-150 turns, but it’s very handy when you need to purge barbarians.
A barbarian encampment
4. Free Market
Free Market is one of the best Economic Policy Cards for boosting your civilizations’ budgets. This policy boosts Commercial Hub buildings’ gold yields by 100 percent. Therefore, this policy doubles the amount of gold generated per turn by every bank, market, and stock exchange in your civilization! Free Market can provide a potentially huge economic boost for any civilization. Furthermore, this policy never becomes obsolete!
5. Ecommerce (Globalization)
Ecommerce is another of the most lucrative Economic Policy Cards in Civilization 6. This late-game Policy Card provides a +10 gold and +5 production boost to your international trade routes. That would amount to a +100 gold boost per turn for 10 international trade routes! The productivity increases Ecommerce can give to some of your civilizations’ cities can also be invaluable.
The Ecommerce policy card
However, you probably won’t be able to select the Ecommerce policy for most of a game. The forerunners to that policy are Triangular Trade and Caravanasaries. Those are similar policies you can select in earlier eras that will also boost trade routes’ gold yields per turn. They’re recommended alternatives when Ecommerce isn’t available.
6. Heritage Tourism (Cultural Heritage)
Heritage Tourism is a great policy for the Culture Victory, but it is of no use for any other victory type. Selecting this Economic Policy Card will boost tourism from your civilization’s archaeological artifacts and art by 100 percent. That policy will effectively double the tourism generated from each artifact and art piece in your civilization’s museums from +3 to +6. All things considered, that policy amounts to a substantial tourist industry boost for any civilization with big archaeological and art collections.
7. Public Works
The humble builder is the bread-and-butter unit of Civilization VI that all players need to enhance tiles with throughout games. Therefore, all players will benefit considerably from the Public Works Economic Policy Card. That policy increases the number of charge build actions for builders from three to five. Thus, it almost provides players with an additional builder unit for every builder recruited.
A builder unit enhanced with Public Works
Furthermore, Public Works also boosts builder production by 30 percent. For example, a builder that would otherwise take 10 turns to recruit would take seven turns with Public Works selected as a policy. Given the necessity of builders to all players, this policy must be considered among the best in Civilization VI.
Those are some of the best Civilization VI Policy Cards to take your pick from. Colonial Taxes, Grand Opera, Colonization, and Professional Army are also policies worth noting.
