To put things simply, it is best to expand early in Civ 6, and players should prioritize getting their first Settler out as soon as they have a Scout, some level of defense force, and potentially a Gold-purchased Builder. This timing should align fairly closely with the Capital reaching the two Population that is required to produce a Settler, and that is especially true on lower difficulty levels where fewer early combat units are needed.
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From there, players have some wiggle room before building a second Settler, and this time frame can be a good moment to erect a Monument, grab another Unit, or even construct a first District in Civ 6 (pending what that District is). In general, fans should look to have this intermediate activity resolved by around turn 25 or 30, at which point it is advisable to get the second Settler into production.
Things open up quite a lot after this second Settler has been made, and indeed players will want to put some time towards developing their established cities. That said, it is important to still continue producing Settlers and expanding in these early stages of the game, and players that want a target can work towards having 10 cities by turn 100 in Civ 6, though ideally some of those will come by conquest.
In a perfect world, this will mark the end of a player’s big Settler push, allowing them to slot out the Colonization Policy Card and really focus on developing things like Districts and Wonders in Civ 6. While fans should certainly continue to look for good opportunities for expansion throughout the game, being mostly finished with Settlers by turn 100 is a good goal to strive for. Of course, games of Civilization 6 often exist far from a perfect world, and it is fine to deviate from these benchmarks if resources need to be allocated elsewhere.
Civilization 6 is available for iOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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