In every Civilization game, there are different Civilizations that have different Unique Abilities (UA), Units (UU), Buildings (UB), and Improvements (UI) to set them apart from other civilizations in game. In every Civilization game, the uniques help the civilization, or civ, to win the game: through the conquest of your enemies, through scientific advancements, through diplomacy, and through the power of your culture. And in the Civilization series, there are civilizations (or civs, for short) that are better suited for other victories. This guide will help anyone who may not have the strongest idea of which civs to use for which victories for the most recent installment in the Civilization series: Civilization V including its numerous DLCs and expansion packs like Gods and Kings and Brave New World.

The first victory, and probably the most straightforward, is the Domination Victory: in BNW, this involves you acquiring the original capital city (the city with a star to the left of its name) of all of the other civs in the game, while preventing other warmongers from doing the same to yours! Here are some examples of civs that are better suited for this victory (and whether or not they require any DLC):

• America: While their UA may seem rather underwhelming, it is actually rather useful, with the ability to purchase land with gold at half price and extra sight for land units, and more so when you come to realize that both of their other unique (both units) aren’t available until late game: the extra sight on land military units lets you see if your opponents are limited in terms of land, and what is guarding their cities.
  
• Assyria (BNW): While it can be argued that they are good for culture victories because of their UB, or good for science victories because of their UA, their early-available UU encourages early game warmongering: The almighty Siege Tower. While it is a siege unit, it has a melee attack instead of range so it can capture enemy cities. It also gives an attack bonus to nearby units if it is adjacent to a city. Go forth and conquer, and worry not about falling behind in science, your UA and UB will take care of that!
  
• The Aztecs: Again, another arguable civ. Their UA gives them culture from kills, and their UU heals 20 HP when they kill an enemy, not to mention that it replaces the first melee unit in the game. Their UB is good for building cities to have high population (aka having a tall empire), giving them a shot at science. In the end, it’s up to personal preference.
  
• Byzantium (G&K): The Byzantines are the rulers of ‘cheese strategies’, another phrase for ‘untraditional/unconventional strategy’. The Byzantines get a bonus belief when founding a religion, and some rather aggressive UUs, shifting them either to a Cultural or Domination victory. And there are some tell-tale signs to which victory you should aiming for: absence of horses and aggressive neighbors shift towards a cultural victory, and good religion beliefs being taken plus weak neighbors shift towards domination.
  
• Carthage (G&K): The Phoenicians can go over mountains once they get their first Great General, which no one else can do until late game. They also get free harbors in coastal cities, which are good for a strong economy, which is good for Diplomatic victories. The UUs, the African Forest Elephant and the Quinquereme are both early game, so with Carthage, it’s best to be a warmonger early, and a diplomat later.
  
• China: The Chinese have a killer UU in the Chu-ko-nu, a crossbowman replacement that can attack twice/move after attacking in trade for less ranged strength. Their UB (Paper maker, science building) gives gold in addition to the science it gives. They UA gives increased spawn rates to Great Generals, and improves their bonus. All that makes for one belligerent civ.
  
• Denmark (DLC): The Vikings were feared both in their time, and in-game, as they have decreased cost to move from ocean to land and vice versa (1 instead of 2), as well an additional movement point to embarked units AND no movement cost to pillage for melee units. Their UUs are in the same upgrade line, meaning that you can go from Berserker to Musketman to Norwegian Ski Infantry. Don’t underestimate Viking Fury.
  
• England: The English have a UA that gives additional sight and movement to naval units, as well as an extra spy. The first UU, Longbowman having additional range, and the second UU, the Ship of the Line has additional strength and sight (the latter from the UA) is both strong and last a long time before going obsolete. You will dominate the land and the sea for quite some time, if not for the entire game.
  
• Germany: The German’s UA gives a ⅔ chance of ‘recruiting’ barbarian units to your side after defeating it in the encampment, as well as paying 25% less for all land unit maintenance. The UU, the Panzer, isn’t available until late game, being a Tank replacement, and the new UB, the Hanse, gives production for trade routes with city states. It’s best to build up a large army early game, and a powerful, fast one late game.
  
• The Huns (G&K): You probably saw this civ’s best victory coming a mile away, and it is pretty obvious why. Horse Archers that don’t require Horses, Battering Rams being a very strong, early game melee siege unit, double city raze speed, stealing city names from other in game civs, there’s too much to list here! However, the Huns only go so far, as both unique units are early game, so you will need to do most of your conquering early to mid-game.
  
• Japan: The offensive part of the Japanese UA lets units always fight at full strength, even when injured. The other part gives culture for atolls and fishing boat improvements. And both your uniques are units: the deadly Samurai and the Zero, an airplane (fighter specifically) replacement. They’re pretty straight forward.
  
• Mongolia (DLC/Purchase Game through Steam): The Mongolian UA is underwhelming, giving mounted units additional movement, and extra strength against city state units and the cities themselves. The UUs aren't so bad though: the ranged Keshik and the Great General replacement, the Khan.
  
• The Ottomans: The Ottomans may not have a naval UU, but their UUs are still strong. The Janissaries are very offensive and heal 50 HP if they kill a unit, and the Sipahi has extra sight and no movement cost to pillage. The Ottomans will most likely have one of the strongest navies in the game, as each melee ship has Prize Ships, which allows for a chance of capturing defeated enemy ships.
  
• Poland (BNW): The Polish owe their fame as a civ to one thing: the Winged Hussar. Pushback against enemies that receive more damage than they deal, fast, stronger than normal Lancers, can move after attacking, combat bonus against mounted units (Knights, Cavalry, etc.). They also get a free social policy every time the move on to the next era, so they are an all-around good civ.
  
• Russia: The Russian UA gives more production from strategic resources and makes Iron, Horses, and Uranium provide double quantity. The UB lowers cost of expanding borders with both culture and gold, and the UA is a fast unit good for finishing off weakened enemies. No wonder the Cold War took place!
  
• Songhai: Songhai land units are better defended than most units are when embarked, meaning they won’t just get ripped apart when attacked at sea. Their Temple replacement gives culture in addition to the faith it already gives, and their knight replacement doesn't have a penalty when attacking cities. The Songhai are considered by many a mix between a warmongering civ and a cultural civ.
  
• Spain (DLC/G&K): No one expects the Spanish to be overpowered, but with double tile yields from natural wonders, AND a gold bonus for discovering them, which is enhanced if you are the first person to discover it, they are. Both UUs are incredibly strong, so the game encourages that you conquer lands to get those natural wonders.
  
• The Zulu (BNW): The Zulu are feared by their uniques. A UA that cuts maintenance costs in gold and promotion costs in exp on melee units, a UB that gives unique promotions and exp to these units, and the Impi, a Pikeman replacement that does a range strike before going in for the melee kill. One of the most warlike African people.

This next victory type this guide will discuss is the Science Victory, which involves a technologically advances civ building a spaceship to discover lands man has never seen before. Here are some examples of civs that are better suited for this victory (and whether or not they require any DLC):

• Babylon (DLC): Once Writing is researched, the Babylonians get a free Great Scientist, which can be expended for either a one-time science boost, or building a tile improvement that will give a lot of science over time. What else? Great Scientists are generated 50% faster, so you will be producing science faster than anyone in the game, especially at lower difficulties.
  
• The Inca (DLC): Pachacuti’s kingdom is the tallest you will ever see: with the no improvement cost on hills with half cost elsewhere, and a UI that not only gives food, but fresh water is not needed and the food increases based on adjacent mountains. With an empire like this, the Incans can peacefully research and fear only the mountain climbing Carthaginians.
  
• India: Gandhi's cities provide half unhappiness from number of citizens, and double unhappiness from number of cities, meaning going tall is a must. And you know what victory is good for tall empires? Science victories. While the UB provides plus 2 tourism after flight is researched, India historically did/does have a nuclear weapons program, so they walk on the path of science. Just watch your back; he is very prone to building and using nukes on others civs.
  
• Korea (DLC): Korea’s unconventional UUs aside, Sejong is the second best at producing science, right behind the Babylonians. Why? They get more science from specialists and great people produced tile improvements and a tech boost when science buildings and wonders are built in the capital. You can still make Great Scientists, but not as fast as Babylon, and they will all be made into tile improvements.
  
• The Maya (G&K): The Mayan calendar is actually involved in the Mayan’s UA: Once Theology is researched, every 394 years, they receive a free great person of your choice, but each GP can only be chosen once. The early game science comes from the shrine replacement: Pyramids produce 2 faith and 2 science, so you will have a strong faith production as well.
  
• Rome: Glory to Rome! One of the best civs for going wide (lots of cities) The UA gives a production bonus towards any building that already exists in the capital. They also have the Legion, a stronger Swordsman replacement that can build forts and roads! The unit also doesn't go obsolete right away, so you will continue to have one of the strongest infrastructures in the game. The other UU is a siege unit, so you will be able to conquer for more cities. You will produce a lot of science, and there is even a pantheon belief that gives science for city connections!

The third victory type takes a more peaceful and deceiving route than the others: the Diplomatic Victory: once the world enters the Atomic Era in terms of technology, the World Congress will turn into the United Nations, and every other session it meets will be an election for the world leader. If you have enough delegates, you can vote yourself the world leader! Here are some examples of civs that are better suited for this victory (and whether or not they require any DLC):

• Arabia:Arabian Caravans have more range and spread to home city’s religion better than normal trade Caravans. Arabians also get gold from Oil resources, which provide double quantity anyway, as well as the equivalent of Mongolian Keshiks on camels: the Camel Archer. You won’t be able to handle all that money.
  
• Austria (G&K): Austria’s UA involves buying city-states that have been allied with you for 5 turns with your own gold, as well as giving you the choice to either annex or puppet the city state, an option that usually only pops up when you capture a city during war. However, don’t do this too much, as you will deprive yourself of not only the World Congress delegates, but of the bonuses the city state provided you. You do get mercantile city state luxuries through this, though.
  
• The Netherlands (G&K): The Dutch not only have a good navel UU in the Sea Beggar, but a good UI for building cities tall: the Polder. They also keep 50% of the happiness given by luxury resources after the last copy is traded away. If that doesn't sound like a good economy, I don’t know what does, other than some of the other civs in this section.
  
• Greece: The Greeks are interesting. They have strong, offensive early game UUs, and a city state oriented UA: the Hellenic League halves city state influence falling rate and doubles its regain rate, as well as allowing free passage through all city state boarders-meaning they will not become angered by it.
  
• Indonesia (BNW): Indonesia’s cities grant 2 copies of an exclusive luxury (Nutmeg, Cloves, and Pepper) for the first 3 settle on continents OTHER than Indonesia’s starting continent. With an amazing UU and a linear UB, no wonder it’s so popular among players.
  
• The Iroquois: The Iroquois’ UA revolves around forest. They can set up internal empire city connections, move through them as if they were roads, and send caravans through them that move as fast as if they were on roads. Plus, the UU of the Iroquois is one of the only Native American UUs that isn’t from the ancient era.
  
• Morocco (BNW): The deserts of your Morocco should be littered with Kasbahs; they give food, production, and gold. The Moroccan UU is good for defending your cities, and your trades make more money and culture. With your desert starting bias, you should grab Desert Folklore as a pantheon, and you’ve pretty much won the game at this point.
  
• Portugal (BNW): The gold received from luxury resource is doubled thanks to the Portuguese UA. The Nau can provide a one-time only (per Nau) gold bonus and trade with a foreign empire, and you get more gold the farther away from your capital it is. The UI, the Feitoria, provides an extra copy of city state luxuries, and can only be built in city state borders, on a coastal tile with no resources. The UI also gives a combat bonus akin to a fort, and attacking it acts as an act of war against Portugal.
  
• Siam: The food, culture, and faith from the city states that provide the respective bonus is increased for the Siamese. The Siamese also have Naresuan’s Elephants, which are very strong replacements of the Knight. Their other unique, the Wat, gives culture in addition to the science that a University usually gives. This encourages you to do 1 of 2 things, if not both: settle/conquer land near jungle, and/or ally up with a lot of city states to receive their bonuses.
  
• Sweden (G&K): Ah, the Swedes. They get a lot of influence from gifting great people to city states, and when they declare friendship with other civs, both parties gain a boost towards great people production. You can gain great admirals or scientists through combat, so both UA aspects go hand in hand, and can lead you towards a diplomatic or domination victory with the UUs: one that gains a stronger strength bonus from great generals, and one that heals every turn.
  
• Venice (BNW): The Venetians are the Doges of money. Venice cannot gain settlers or annex cities, but they can use a Merchant of Venice, one of their UUs, to wither gain more money and influence through a trade mission than a normal great merchant can, or buy the city state at none of your expenses, and make it a puppet. The other thing related to this is that Venice can buy in puppeted cities, and they get double the normal amount of trade routes. Rake in the cash!

And the last victory is arguably the most confusing: the Culture Victory (in BNW) involves making great works of art, music, and literature to generate tourism, which is weighted against other civ’s culture to become influential over it. Once influential over all civs in game, the victory is triggered. Here are some examples of civs that are better suited for this victory (and whether or not they require any DLC):

• Brazil (BNW): Carnival!: The Brazilian empire enters another Golden Age. Good thing too, as for Brazil, they provide a 100% tourism boost and increase spawn rates of Great Writers, Artists, and Musicians. Rio de Janeiro will be the go-to city in your game as the Brazilians. Other than that, the UU, the Prachina, gives points towards golden ages on enemy kills, so you can earn your great people faster, as well as a UI that gives gold, culture after Acoustics is researched, and gives the science that comes along with jungle tiles, where they can be built.
  
• The Celts (G&K): The Celts get 1 faith per turn if they have at least 1 adjacent unimproved forest tile. This bonus goes up to 2 if the number of adjacent unimproved forest tiles is at least 3. This helps you get first dibs at a pantheon belief, and later down the line with your UU, religion beliefs. That, and your culture UB gives a lot of happiness to counteract unhappiness from number of cities, you will be playing wide and cultural.
  
• Egypt: The Egyptians built some of the world’s greatest wonders: the Great Lighthouse and Pyramids, to name a few. That’s why the UA gives them increased production towards wonders, with a lot of them being cultural. And with the World Congress proposal Cultural Heritage Sites giving an additional 3 culture to all world wonders… you better start building.
  
• Ethiopia (G&K/BNW): With the UA giving a combat bonus against civs that have more cities than you, a UU that has a combat bonus near the owner’s capital, and an early game UB that give 2 culture and 2 faith, you will be playing more culturally, and fighting off aggressors instead of capturing their cities.
  
• France: France’s UA in BNW give double theming bonus for tourism in the capital. The UU, the Musketeer, is very strong, and the UI, the Chateau, gives gold and culture, which increase once flight is researched. You will actually want to build the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre in Paris. Funny, how that works out, but you will want to build any wonder that can give theming bonus in Paris (or whatever you call it, if you renamed it). But be careful, as all world wonders can only be built once per game, and some of them that will help you are very competitive!
  
• Persia: Not only to Persian golden ages last longer, but units receive extra movement and a combat bonus during them. While this may seem more for Domination, the alternative all-civ bonuses brought about by golden ages and most of the methods to bring them about are through cultural means, so you might as well keep going along that path.
  
• Polynesia (DLC): Ever heard of boats? Polynesia has. Before everyone else has. All units can immediately embark and travel into ocean tiles, meaning that they will meet everyone else in the game first. Their UI, the Moai, can only be built on the coast, and gives 1 culture and 1 additional culture for every adjacent Moai. It really helps get those social policies faster, which in turn helps get more bonuses from them faster.
  
• The Shoshone (BNW): The Shoshone present the illusion that you are playing wide but tall at the same time by giving newly founded cities more land to start with. The UUs are also stronger than their replacements: a Scout replacement and a Cavalry replacement, with the first one not going obsolete with technology. The Pathfinder also can choose the bonus given by ancient ruins, which helps your empire a bit.

As some final words, I should say that, as a disclaimer, everyone’s play style is different, and there are probably better strategies and other ways to play the civs. Also, I have not, nor will I cover here, any civs from mods, as they are an optional part of the game. All I have left to say is that you are play a game, and that you should have fun doing so.