Greece
Pericles
Uniques and adjacency effects read from the game data.
Victory focusCultureDiplomacy
Kit at a glance
Pericles grows stronger with every friend: culture scales with the city-states he is suzerain of, making envoys his most valuable currency. Athens plays the diplomatic-culture game — influence abroad becomes inspiration at home.
Opening: the first 60 turns
Pericles' first 60 turns are an envoy race. Scout first, then a second Scout, because meeting a city-state first hands you an envoy and the culture bonus starts with the very first suzerainty. Follow with Warrior, Settler, Settler, and a Monument in the capital. Techs run Mining, Bronze Working for Iron, then Writing; a Campus is not urgent, but Early Empire and State Workforce in the civic tree are, since together they lead to Political Philosophy, which unlocks the government with the wildcard slot Greece adds to. Settle on hills for Acropolis sites, and place the second city toward the densest group of city-states rather than toward the best food. Diplomatic League should be the first card in the wildcard slot the moment Political Philosophy lands.
Unique to this civilization
District
Acropolis
Replaces Theater Square
Civic: Drama and Poetry
Unit
Hoplite
Replaces Spearman
Technology: Bronze Working
Adjacency effects
Acropolis
- Adjacent City Center+1 Culture
- Adjacent districts+1 Culture
How to play it
Generate envoys relentlessly — policies, wonders and quests all feed the count — and defend your suzerainties from rivals. The Acropolis plus a wide web of city-states snowballs culture; protect minors militarily when someone tries to conquer your bonus away.
Victory paths
Culture is the primary path and it grows with the map: each city-state under Pericles' suzerainty adds a slice to the culture of every city, and each Acropolis built on a hill grants an envoy on completion, so the two halves of the kit feed each other. Cultural city-states double-dip, since their envoy bonuses also add culture to every Acropolis. Diplomacy is a genuine second path rather than a consolation, because a Pericles empire with eight suzerainties already has the favor income and the votes; adding a Diplomatic Quarter and the favor-generating wonders is a small step. The switch point is the industrial era: if tourism is outpacing the largest rival, stay on culture; if a Rock Band civ is pulling ahead, redirect the accumulated favor toward World Congress victories instead of fighting for tourism.
Synergies: city-states, wonders, policies
Every city-state type helps, but the priority order is cultural, then scientific to patch Greece's missing science, then whichever type sits closest to a rival who might absorb it. Amani is the defining governor: her promotions both add envoys and protect suzerainty, and she should never sit in one of your own cities. Pingala in the Acropolis capital covers the rest. Charismatic Leader early and Diplomatic League permanently, then Gunboat Diplomacy and Containment when the envoy war heats up, are the policy spine, with the extra wildcard slot holding Inspiration or a Great Person card. Apadana next to the capital pays envoys for every wonder later built in that city, Kilwa Kisiwani boosts yields for each city-state type you lead, and Mahabodhi Temple is a cheap source of Diplomatic Victory points if a religion exists. God of the Open Sky or Goddess of Festivals pantheons keep culture moving before the network forms.
Weaknesses and counters
The bonus lives in other people's cities. A warmonger who conquers three city-states in the classical era removes a third of Pericles' culture in a single campaign, and a diplomatic rival with a stronger envoy economy can strip suzerainties one by one without firing a shot. Greece has no economic or scientific unique, so a Pericles who falls behind in tech loses the ability to defend the minors that keep him alive. Maps with few city-states, or with them clustered on another continent, cut the kit to a discounted Theater Square. Opponents counter him by targeting the city-states themselves through conquest or envoys, and by declaring protectorate wars that force him into fights he did not budget for. The frequent mistake is spreading envoys evenly across every minor instead of concentrating to reach suzerainty on a few.
Similar civilizations
Related guides
- Culture Victory: Planning Cities for TourismHow tourism actually beats other players' culture, where Theater Squares and Great Works belong, how to protect appeal from the first settle for National Parks and Seaside Resorts, and the late-game push with trade routes, open borders, and Rock Bands.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