Civilization 6: Cultural City-States - basic info, types, tasks Civilization VI Game Guide
Last update: 13 March 2022
The chapter below of Civilization 6 game guide contains a detailed outline of culture-oriented city-states in Civilization VI, and the list of benefits resulting from a sphere of influence in the individual cities, and the advantages stemming from taking over such a city.
Emissary Bonuses
Each of the culture-oriented cities has the same bonuses for keeping a certain number of emissaries. Remember that if you keep a certain number of representatives in more than one city, the bonuses are combined into one bigger.
Number of Emissaries | Bonus |
1 | +2 to culture in your capital |
3 | +2 to culture in every Theater Square |
6 | Additional +2 to culture in every Theater Square |
The bonus to culture will be a serious boost to the ideological growth of your nation. You should spend at least one emissary, as you can receive a bonus right at the beginning of the game which will allow you to get ahead of your enemies. This is an especially important type of a city-state if you want to achieve cultural victory. Even if your plans are different, you shouldn't forget about this type of city. Remember that with each next Policy Card, your range of strategic possibilities increases. Don't forget that cumulating of culture points will rev up the research on new government types, which is of utmost importance for every scenario. Nevertheless, always calculate your future profits, as investing in such cities without necessary network of Theater Districts can negatively impact on the range of your power and bonuses that will be awarded to you.
Kumasi
Icon | Sovereign Bonus |
 | Your Trade Routes to any city state provide +2 culture and +1 gold for every specialty district in its origin city. |
In this case, make sure you gathered that the bonus is awarded only if a city-state is the destination of a trade route. It cannot be directed to another player's city if you want to reap the benefits. It doesn't matter whether it is a city controlled by you, or any settlement. The power of this bonus lies in its twofoldness - aside from the cultural points, your coffers will receive a nice boost. Remember that the bonus is only rewarded for specialized hubs, so make sure to develop every one of them, otherwise your actions will amount to nothing. The best way to begin a route is your capital. In the initial stage of the game, it's the most developed city, which means more hubs that you can specialize.
Mohenjo-Daro
Icon | Sovereign Bonus |
 | All your cities have the maximal number of initial citizens, even when they are not founded by a water source. |
One of the more serious Sovereign Bonuses, and when it comes to serious power plays, you should focus primarily on this city. The access to water is a necessity for growth, which means that as a result of gaining the maximal bonus available for residential areas in every city, you develop much faster than other civilizations. This way, you instantly boost every bonus, all factors, and additionally, you can stop worrying about the restrictions resulting from a deficit of residential areas. As you can see, this bonus is worth spending every single emissary. The only exception to this rule is a situation where every controlled city is located by a river. Then, you should cautiously extend your influence, as even if you aren't planning to use the bonus, you should deny it to your enemies.
Nan Madol
Icon | Sovereign Bonus |
 | +2 culture points for every district located on or next to the Coast tiles. |
Very important and useful bonus, but it's hard to determine its usefulness earlier. There are a lot of hindrances, which can hurt a lot if you focus on using the bonus or preparing to grab it. Above all else, at the beginning of a scenario, it's hard to determine whether the city is in your range, or if it was even generated for this scenario. If you are unlucky, you'll have to reveal large swaths of the map to be sure, which may force you to relocate to the coast. Assuming that the city appeared on the map, you need to decide whether you want to focus on hub hexes, which will bring more partial advantages (placing a hub in a hex that awards an additional bonus to the hub's specification), or go all in and cumulate them on the river bank. The choice is something of a "do or die" situation when it comes to winning the scenario. In case of a coastal port, it won't make a difference, placing an Encampment or a Campus may be difficult. Eventually, you can establish a second city, and build it directly to reap the bonuses, but remember that creating an adequate number of hubs takes a lot of time. Preferably, you shouldn't base your whole strategy around this city, but if it's possible, become the sovereign, and steer the further development in this direction.
Vilnius
Icon | Sovereign Bonus |
 | When you enter a new era, you'll receive a randomly chosen Inspiration from that era. |
In case of this city, you should take the sovereign title as quickly as possible. You should know that the random bonus can catch on an idea that will broaden your range of available government types. Keep the acquired status as long as possible, as you can use it to skyrocket through following eras, as random eurekas will exempt you from having to fulfill the requirements for the next steps in the tree. Vilnius doesn't have any negative or unprofitable effects, you can only profit.