1.Ottoman
The Ottomans are a seafaring nation designed for a domination victory. Their unique ability is a bit similar to that of the Germans, but oriented towards naval units - they pay less for their maintenance. They can convert defeated enemy ships to their side, which allows them to expand their naval power very quickly. If you start building up your fleet early (by fighting Barbarians, for example), you will have an impressive number of ships that come to the Renaissance Era, which you can use to start conquering other coastal nations. Look for every opportunity to enter naval combat, both to gain XP and new units. And of course, develop the Exploration tree to maximize your maritime infrastructure.
WHY THE OTTOMANS ARE GREAT:
- Naval units production
- Great income
- Great military support
Civilization details:Ottoman
2. Greece
The Greeks excel at diplomacy and influencing city-states. Their unique ability makes their Influence with city-states degrade more slowly and recover faster. This ability is arguably more powerful than it looks. It is easy for them to maintain an Allied status with city-states once they achieve it. Use every opportunity throughout the game to do this, and Greece will not only be well on the way to a diplomatic victory but also gain other substantial advantages. If all the policies in the Patronage tree are adopted, Greece will be able to maintain a stranglehold on city-state alliances that will be nearly impossible for rival civilizations to break. Religion can also play an important role in Greek diplomacy, because if its religion spreads to an allied city-state, Greece loses Influence with the city-state even slower (or not at all, if the Patronage opener was chosen).
WHY GREECE IS GREAT:
- Great economical support
- Great influence over city-states
- Great Military support
Civilization details: Greek
3. Byzantium
The Byzantines are a versatile civilization. On one hand, they have the most powerful early game naval vessel: the Dromon. This is the only ranged naval vessel in the Ancient and Classical Era and gives the Byzantines a great advantage against both barbarians and the navy of any other civilization early in the game. Not only is it able to attack from afar, but it also has a Bonus vs Naval, making it devastating against Triremes! On the other hand, they're the only civilization that can have six beliefs in their religion instead of the usual five (excluding the Reformation Belief). The Bonus Belief for the Byzantines can be a Pantheon, a Founder Belief, a Follower Belief, or an Enhancer Belief, and is added at religion foundation - another great advantage, since the Byzantines start their religion with four beliefs rather than the usual three, and can choose an Enhancer Belief earlier than others, potentially gaining access to the whole pool of Enhancer Beliefs, even if they didn't manage to develop their religion first!
WHY BYZANTIUM IS GREAT:
- Great cultural influence
- Strong military support
- Great gold income
Civilization details: Byzantine
4. Roman
Apart from their unique units (best used in matches with a lower game speed), the Romans don't have a very well-defined advantage. It requires a specific approach to the game in which they are played: a wide empire with lots of buildings. The only certain thing with them is that your Capital should have strong Production and be the first place you construct each new building - by doing so, you'll gain a nice Production bonus and manage to finish buildings much more quickly than normal in your other cities. This stacks early with the Republic policy, and other help from Liberty makes it the preferred tree. Apart from that, the Romans enjoy a very interesting early game advantage: the ability to construct roads and Forts with their unique Legions. This allows the player to create the initial road network of his or her empire without using Workers, which frees them to build other improvements. Use this to jump-start your economy in the early game.
WHY ROME IS GREAT:
- Strong military support
- Strong spy support
- Strong Influence over city-states
Civilization details: Roman
5. Hunnic
The Huns are obviously the most offensive civilization in the game, always looking for a dominating victory rather than other victory conditions. They are the only civilization with a siege weapon in the Ancient Era and can combine two siege weapons in a single era (Battering Ram and Catapult), allowing them to capture cities early and with ridiculous ease. Add to that the powerful Horse Archer, also available in the Ancient Era, and you get an offensive juggernaut. Start your offensive early on and few will be able to stop you.
WHY THE HUNS ARE GREAT:
- Strong military support
- Strong economical support
- Great for Warmongering
Civilization details: Hunnic
6. Poland
No Civ 5 tier list can begin without mentioning the behemoth that is Poland. This civilization is not only capable of quickly attaining a Domination Victory due to their compelling Winged Hussar units, but they can also quickly meet the requirements for any of the other ones.Because Poland can gain free social policies as their unique ability, allowing them to advance their society faster than any other nation in the game.Other nations can still scramble to raise starting armies, while Poland could have already established a religion. The growth is honestly incredible.
Why Poland is great:
- Strong civ so weaker civs will back off and won’t mess with you most of the time
- Strong economical and military support
- Good influence over city states so if they give you delegates and support your interest you will be able to get all the propositions that you need passed, passed.
Civilization details: Polish
7. Babylon
The Babylon civilization is oriented towards a Science Victory, since the discovery of the Writing technology and their first Great Scientist allows them to build an Academy early in the game.Their unique ability also increases the birth rate of Great Scientists by 50%, allowing them to leave behind most other nations in terms of technological advancement.The walls of Babylon is also a unique defensive structure that gives their cities improved defenses and health. This ensures that attackers will not easily breach your cities and destroy them early on.
Why baylon is great:
- Strong science support
- Strong influence with other civs aiming for a science victory so a research agreement to help boost your science is most likely on the table.
- Strong military support if the A.I switches to a domination victory mode
Civilization details: Babylonian
8. Korea
Korea is another Science oriented civilization whose unique ability Scholars of the Jade Hall gives them +2 Science for all specialists and Great Person tile improvements.
They also receive a tech boost every time a scientific Wonder is built in the nation’s capital.And while Korea is not particularly suited for combat scenarios, they do get access to a unique unit named the Hwach’a. It is highly effective against enemy infantry, and it keeps being helpful well into the Industrial era.
Why Korea is great:
- Strong scientific support
- Strong military support once they start to gift units and are far ahead in tech
Civilization details: Korean
9. Arabia
Arabia is the first civilization in this list that is suited towards a Cultural Victory, since their trade routes allow them to spread the home city’s religion twice as effectively. Using this, players can quickly convert huge swathes of the land to their own faith.They are also some of the best traders in the entire game. Not only do each of their trade routes provide +1 Gold, their Caravans also gain 50% more range than other nations.The unique Bazaar building also lets them generate Luxury Resources at a higher rate than normal, allowing them to make even more money. Basically, you’ll never find yourself short on Gold with this civilization.
Why Arabia is great:
- Strong influence over city states giving you a diplomatic addvantage
- Strong economic support
Civilization details: Arabian
10. Zulu
To get the most out of the Zulu civilization, players should focus on a Domination Victory. Everything about their unique abilities encourages an aggressive style of play.Melee units created by this nation cost 50% less maintenance than other factions. Meaning that if you have the proper resources, you can keep around twice as many units on the board at any one time.Zulu units also require 25% less experience to earn promotions. So this ensures that you can train your forces up much quicker than average.
Why the zulu are great:
- Strong military support
Late in the game they will be more willing to listen to your demands when you are the only civs that doesn't hate their guts by that point, Giving you a good puppet to use to protect yourself
Civilization details: Zulu
