Gran Colombia
Simón Bolívar
Uniques and adjacency effects read from the game data.
Victory focusDomination
Kit at a glance
Bolívar's Gran Colombia never stops moving: every unit gets extra movement, promotions don't end turns, and Comandante Generales spawn each era to buff his armies. It is the fastest military machine in the game — wars end before enemies redeploy.
Opening: the first 60 turns
Gran Colombia opens like a builder and ends the era like a raider. The extra movement means a single Scout maps as much as two, so build Warrior, Scout, Settler, Settler and let the first Comandante General, who arrives with the classical era, lead the warriors. Techs go Animal Husbandry, Bronze Working and Horseback Riding, because horsemen with extra movement and no-tempo promotions clear barbarians and take a poorly walled second city before turn 60. Civics run Craftsmanship into Military Tradition for Agoge and Maneuver, then Political Philosophy for Oligarchy. The capital should be a production site on hills; the second city wants horses. Keep at least one Commercial Hub in the plan early, since upgrades to Llanero later cost gold.
Unique to this civilization
Unit
Llanero
Replaces Cavalry
Technology: Military Science
Unit
Comandante General
Adjacency effects
No adjacency bonus — standard district rules apply.
How to play it
Declare war with your army already at the border and blitz — speed is your siege equipment. Promote mid-combat since it costs no tempo. Llanero cavalry grow stronger side by side; keep them massed.
Victory paths
Domination is the only path the kit accelerates, and it accelerates it in every era rather than in one spike. Extra movement lets an army arrive a turn before the defender's reinforcements, promotions that do not consume a turn let damaged units keep attacking, and a fresh Comandante General each era means the leadership bonus is never outdated. The rhythm is one war per era: horsemen against a neighbor in the classical era, knights or crossbows in the medieval era, then the Llanero surge at Military Science when cheap cavalry that grows stronger in groups and heals through the Comandante takes whole continents. Science follows conquest naturally because captured Campuses accumulate, and a peaceful Bolívar can still win science through sheer city count, but a culture or religion attempt ignores the whole leader.
Synergies: city-states, wonders, policies
Militaristic city-states are the obvious suzerainties for the unit-production bonus and the occasional free unit, but a trade city-state early keeps the upgrade gold flowing. Victor moves with the front and holds newly captured cities; Magnus with Provision in the production capital lets settlers claim the space wars open up. Policy cards should be military in almost every slot: Agoge or Conscription, Maneuver for cavalry, Chivalry then Professional Army for cheap upgrades, and Retainers or Praetorium to keep conquests loyal. God of the Forge as pantheon or the Crusade belief if a religion falls into your lap both stack with the Comandante's strength bonus. Terracotta Army for the retroactive promotions and Statue of Zeus for the free units are the two ancient wonders worth diverting production for; Alhambra in a hill city adds the extra military slot.
Weaknesses and counters
Speed is not strength: the units themselves are ordinary until Military Science, so a defender behind walls with archers in the classical era stops the horseman rush cold and the war costs more than it wins. Every declared war stacks grievances and warmonger penalties, and by the industrial era Bolívar usually faces a coalition of everyone he has not yet conquered, with trade routes and alliances gone. The Comandante General is a single unit; losing it to a lucky strike erases the era's bonus. Opponents beat him by keeping walls current, fielding anti-cavalry along rivers where the extra movement does less, and refusing to fight in the open. The most common mistake is promoting units only when they are wounded — since promotions cost no turn, promote at full health to strike with the bonus already active.
Similar civilizations
Related guides
- Domination: Building Cities That Feed a WarHow to lay out an empire for conquest in Gathering Storm: which cities become production cores, where the Encampment goes, the four classic attack windows, siege composition, holding conquered cities, and when to stop fighting and win another way.Last reviewed: 2026-10-03
- Which Civilization Should You Play? Picks by Victory TypeThree to four leader picks for each victory type — science, culture, domination, religion, and diplomacy — with the reason each one teaches that victory well, plus flexible all-rounders and a guide to matching a civilization to how you actually like to play.Last reviewed: 2026-10-03
- Early District Planning: The First 100 TurnsHow to read city sites for future adjacency, decide between settling for yields now or reserving tile clusters, and know when a planned layout should be abandoned.Last reviewed: 2026-10-03
- City-States and Envoys: Where Your Influence Should GoWhere envoys come from, how to spend the first handful, which city-state types match each victory plan, how to win and keep suzerainty against the AI, and when conquering a city-state is the right call.Last reviewed: 2026-10-03
Last reviewed: 2026-10-03