Civ 6 National Park Guide: Everything You Need to Know

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• Civ 6 National Park Guide: Everything You Need to Know - December 2, 2021
• Civ 6 Difficulty Levels Guide - November 14, 2021

Civilization 6 units feature various traits and straightforward mechanics. Although most units are easy to understand, Naturalists can create a National Park that presents a challenging learning curve. These tiles provide a significant advantage during the Modern Era and help turn the battle in your favor. However, creating a national park is a complicated task, this Civ 6 National Park Guide will walk you through the process.

What Is The National Park Tile?

The National Park is a new tile introduced in Civ 6 that represents new environmental drives for your people in the modern era. The tile provides benefits to the parent city and your empire. Tourism is equal to the Appeal of all the tiles in the surrounding area. Furthermore, 2 Amenities are added to the city that owns the national park and  1 Amenity to the 4 closest cities.

Naturalists can be purchased with Faith after researching the Conservation Civic. This can only be done once you reach the Modern Era, so you’ll need to plan your early and mid-game to reach the later stages.

Features Of National Parks

National Parks can be used as a tool managing system for their empire. It gives multiple resources to the nation and lets them progress much faster. National Parks provide players with resources like production, gold bonuses, food, and Culture. The location of the park impacts what type of benefits you’ll get, so plan on what type of victory you’re going for.

Furthermore, it gives players Great Scientific points that help earn new technologies much faster than other civilizations. Also, National Parks allow the activation of certain buildings, which benefit nearby settlements and units. The benefits can include increased health and combat strength or extra trade routes to cities.

Getting Started With Civ 6 National Parks

The special tile improvement is created by a Naturalist unlocked by the Conservation civic. In addition, within the Gathering Storm DLC, a Canadian Mountie can create a National Park. Before constructing the park, there are a few requirements:

• Special Unit: National Parks are not established by standard building units like the Military Engineer and Builder. Instead, the Naturalist, which is a unique civilian unit, can build the National Park. The unit can be bought with Faith in the modern era.
• Tile Cluster: National parks cover a cluster of 4 tiles instead of 1. To build on the group of tiles, they need to meet these requirements:
  • Tiles must have an appeal rating of charming or higher.
  • The same city must own all tiles.
  • Tiles must form a diamond shape.
  • Tiles cannot have a district on them. However, roads are allowed, and the National Park will be built on top.

Naturalists can only create a National Park if they can move onto the tiles. Therefore, Mountains and Natural Wonders can become an issue as they are impassable. Ensure that the unit can get to the location before moving them, as each turn is vital for achieving victory.

Moreover, water tiles do not have appeal ratings, meaning National Parks cannot be built on them. However, Natural Wonders on water tiles can be incorporated into National Parks due to their appeal rating of 5.

How To Establish The National Park

Establishing a National Park can be one of the greater challenges in Civ 6 because of the strict placement requirements. However, the tile provides significant advantages, especially when going for a Cultural Victory. The biggest benefit is the Tourism advantage that can range from 8 to 24 depending on the Appeal of tiles.

Planning

Like everything else in Civ 6, you’ll need to plan when constructing the park. Mark the locations where you want to establish the National Park in the future and avoid building Districts on them. This is because parks will not incorporate the Districts and make it more challenging to place the tile in a favorable location.

Furthermore, avoid placing appeal-diminishing Districts such as industrial zones, spaceports, Aerodromes, and Encampments. Instead, focus on building Holy Sites, Theatre Squares, and Entertainment Complexes to increase Appeal. This will lead to a victory much faster and make the National Park more powerful. Also, you can build the Eiffel Tower in the nearby city to further increase the Appeal.

Where To Place The National Park

The prime location for National Parks is on Natural Wonder tiles because they raise the Appeal of nearby tiles. Mountains are also a great location if they have formed long vertical lines because they protect against enemies. Furthermore, as your city territory grows in size, you’ll be able to reach tiles much further away. These tiles are useless but can serve a purpose if you plant a National Park since it will grant multiple benefits.

Establish Suitable Land

Players can plan all they like, but sometimes, the white pattern doesn’t appear when selecting your Naturalist. In this case, you can manipulate the terrain and purchase tiles to place a National Park. Here are some tips for creating a perfect location for the park:

• Identify Issues: Take a note of all potential locations and what makes them undesirable. Often the Appeal of the tiles isn’t high enough, or the tiles aren’t in your territory. However, you can place Districts to raise the Appeal and purchase more tiles to expand your empire.
• Scan Your Land: You’re looking for high Appeal tiles that create a diamond shape. Check if your territory contains many Mountains or a Natural Wonder since these locations provide the most benefits. Also, coastal regions are brilliant because surrounding tiles have a higher Appeal rating.
• Purchase Tiles: Most often, desired tiles will not be within your city’s territory, so you’ll need to buy them. The cost of each tile increases the further you go out of your city. Therefore, if the tile is too far away, you’ll have to wait for your city to expand naturally since buying land will become too expensive.
• Increase Appeal: The biggest issue when creating a National Park is that the surrounding area doesn’t have enough Appeal. You can manipulate the tiles by placing woods, which can potentially raise Appeal by +4. Also, you can please Districts nearby that would also add to the overall rating.

Steps To Take For Building A National Park

Now that you know the requirements to create a National Park, it’s time to dive into each step. The process is straightforward for new players to understand:

1. First, you’ll want to reach the Modern Era by playing the early and mid-game strategically.
2. Then unlock Conservation, which is a Modern Era Civic. Once this is done, you can build a Naturalist or Mountie if you’re playing as Canada.
3. Select the Naturalist and move it to a location where you’d like to Build the National Park.
4. When you’re ready, select the Naturalist and click build National Park. The white hexagon pattern will appear and show where you can build the park. Remember, the best location is near a Mountain and on a Natural Wonder.

Overview Of National Park Tips

• Focus on Appeal raising Districts such as Holy Sites, Theater Squares, and Entertainment Complexes.
• Make a mental note of where the National Park will go and avoid building on those tiles.
• The Great Engineers and Eiffel Tower are helpful in increasing tile appeal, so make sure to take advantage of them.
• Natural Wonders tiles are brilliant locations for National Park placement as they raise the Appeal rating of nearby tiles.
• Long and vertical Mountains are prime locations for National Parks but make sure that the Naturalist has a clear path.

Is The National Park Worth Building?

Unfortunately, the National Park is not worth building unless you’re going for a Cultural Victory. It can produce a good amount of Tourism, which benefits players who like this playstyle. However, if you are not pursuing a cultural victory, you’re better off distributing Faith elsewhere.

Moreover, going for a cultural victory is super fun in the Civilization 6: Gathering Storm DLC since it gives more options to players. Suppose you’re far ahead of your opposition. In that case, you will gain significant gold benefits, spy completion rates, and loyalty pressure on neighboring cities.

Civ 6: How To Get A Cultural Victory

Despite not being the easiest method to win in Civilization 6, victory by Culture provides its satisfaction and challenges. However, cultural victories have a lot of requirements to make them work and rely a lot on the player’s diplomatic skills and game knowledge.

The National Park tile can help tremendously in aid of a Cultural Victory because it grants multiple buffs. Therefore, it’s essential to know how to achieve this victory in Civilization 6, as other players won’t expect it. Civ 6’s explanation of a Cultural Victory is:

• To win a Culture victory, you must have more visiting Foreign Tourists than any other civ has Domestic Tourists of their own.

Therefore, you’ll need to know how to earn Foreign Tourists and Domestic Tourists. This will prevent other civilizations from earning Tourists and make it easier to defend against other nations going for a Cultural Victory.

How Does Culture Work?

Culture is one of the main stats in Civ 6, which showcases the progression of arts and crafts in a nation. It functions on 2 levels:

• Total Culture output is applied to the empire to progress through the Civics tree, similar to how Science is with the technology tree. This process is automatic and will begin when you first create your city.
• Local Culture output of each city is applied towards border expansion. This process is also automatic, and players can’t control which tiles the city will capture next. However, you can control expansion in different ways, such as purchasing tiles with gold.

Although Culture will not directly make you achieve victory, it helps pursue faster progression through the Civics tree. Therefore, you’ll generate Tourists at a much quicker pace and lead your nation to a win.

Moreover, Culture will prevent other players from going for Cultural Victory because you’ll attract many Domestic Tourists to your civilization. This will eliminate a vital threat and let you focus on other aspects that will lead you to a win.

Culture Sources

Culture is earned through multiple methods during the game. Citizens in your cities will produce 0.3 Culture each, which is not enough for fast progression. This can hinder development and slower the acquisition of new Policy Cards. Therefore, you’ll need to get bonus Culture from other sources.

Buildings

The first source of Culture you’ll use is monument buildings that are established in every city center. The main source of Culture is the Theater Square district and its incorporated buildings:

• Amphitheatre: +2 Culture
• Art Museum: +2 Culture
• Archaeological Museum: +2 Culture
• Broadcast Center: +4 Culture

Great Works

Great General Sun Tzu, Great Artists, Great Writers, and Great Musicians create Great Works, which significantly adds Culture and Tourism. The combination of buildings and Great Work provides rapid progression through the Civics tree. However, preparing Great Works takes a lot of preparation, and you’ll need to attract Great People to your city.

Resources

Resources can be gathered to increase the Culture of your nation.

• Silk: +1 Culture
• Jade: +1 Culture
• Coffee: +1 Culture
• Marble: +1 Culture
• Amber: +1 Culture
• Religious Beliefs

At the beginning of the game, make sure to set your first city near these tiles to gain the most buffs and progress faster.

Religious Beliefs

Certain Pantheons and Beliefs will grant Culture.

• God of the Open Sky: +1 Culture
• Goddess of Festivals: +1 Culture
• World Church: +1 Culture
• Lay Ministry: +1 Culture
• Choral Music: Shrines and Temples generate Culture equal to Faith output

Policy Cards

Multiple Policies provide Culture when certain conditions are met:

• Meritocracy: +1 Culture for every speciality district
• Trade Confederation: +1 Culture from international trade routes
• Aesthetics: Provides +100% Theater Square bonuses
• Raj: +2 Culture for each Suzerain city-state
• Grand Opera: +100% Culture from Theater Square buildings
• Market Economy: +2 Culture for each international trade route improved at destinations with strategic resources

The policies become available in the middle game and can help advance the Civics tree. Therefore, by the time you reach the Modern Era, you’ll have access to the National Park and gain a Culture advantage.

Wonders

Wonders are rare and provide amazing Culture bonuses. Locate them at the start of the game to plan your territory accordingly since they are vital for constructing National Parks.

Wonders:

• Basil’s Cathedral: +1 Culture
• Colosseum: +2 Culture
• Chichen Itza: +2 Culture
• Pyramids: +2 Culture
• Potala Palace: +2 Culture
• Cristo Redentor: +4 Culture
• Estadio do Maracana: +4 Culture
• Orszaghaz: +4 Culture
• Forbidden City: +5 Culture
• Sydney Opera House: +8 Culture

Natural Wonders:

• Chocolate Hills: +1 Culture
• Ha Long Bay: +1 Culture
• Eyjafjallajokull: +1 Culture
• Matterhorn: +1 Culture
• Piopiotahi: +1 Culture
• Sahara el Beyda: +1 Culture
• Tsingy de Bemaraha: +1 Culture
• Dead Sea: +2 Culture
• Lake Retba: +2 Culture
• Pantanal: +2 Culture
• Uluru: +2 Culture

All Natural Wonders cover 1 to 4 tiles, which are great for placing National Parks. This is because you’ll receive more Culture per round compared to regular tiles.

Best Leaders For Cultural Victory

Players can give themselves an advantage from the start by selecting a leader that receives more Culture bonuses. These are the best leaders if you are going for a Cultural Victory:

• Ambroix: Mines provide 1 Culture. Also, Whenever a non-civilian unit is trained, you’ll get 20% of the cost back as Culture.
• Ba Trieu: Districts built in woods gain +1 Culture. Also, Ba Trieu can construct the Thanh district that provides +2 Culture. Once flight is researched, the nation gets Tourism equal to Culture output.
• Hojo Tokimune: Japan can build the Electronics Factory that provides +4 Culture after researching Electricity.
• Montezuma: Aztecs can build the Tlachtli, giving 2 Culture per turn. After getting the Conservation civic, the building will give +1 Tourism.
• Wilhelmina: For each trade route to foreign cities, you’ll receive +2 Culture.
• Kristina: Sweden can build the Open-Air Museum that gives +2 Culture and Tourism for every snow, tundra, desert, plains, and grassland the city owns.

Best Tips When Going For A Cultural Victory

If you plan to use the National Park, you’re likely going for a Cultural Victory. Therefore, you should use these tips and tricks to aid you in your Civilization 6 games.

Select The Correct Civilization

If you’re going for a Cultural Victory, select a leader who will provide unique bonuses, buildings, and units that help develop Culture and Tourism. For example, China and Sweden have leaders specializing in these areas and will make winning much easier.

Build Culture Early

This is an obvious tip but crucial at the start of a game. Focus on Culture production to give yourself an advantage later on by progressing the Civic tree. This will grant your civilization more options when putting together policies that can increase the production of Culture or Tourism.

Focus Heavily On Tourism

As we mentioned before, Tourism is essential to obtain a Cultural Victory. This means you’ll need to build as many Tourist Attractions as possible and manage Tourism Modifiers to increase production per turn. Doing this will earn more Foreign Tourists, leading your nation to a win and preventing other leaders from getting a Cultural Victory.

Build A National Park

National Parks are difficult to build due to all the requirements. However, they are very rewarding because they will provide Tourism equal to the Appeal of all tiles within the park. Therefore, you’ll want to place the National Park near Natural Wonders since they have the best Appeal rating.

Upgrade City Walls

Building walls is an effective method of generating Tourism while defending your city from incoming attacks. Wall tiers will generate different amounts of Tourism:

• Ancient Walls – 1 Tourism
• Medieval Walls – 2 Tourism
• Renaissance Walls – 3 Tourism

FAQ

Summary

It’s easy to see why the National Park is so powerful and popular within Civ 6 due to its Culture value. It provides a significant advantage when going for a Cultural Victory because it attracts Tourism. Also, building a National Park means that you’ll prevent other players from getting this type of win.

Remember to establish your city near a Natural Wonder or a Mountain terrain to get the most bonuses. Lastly, select a leader that gives advantages to Culture since it will rapidly progress your Civics tree. Building a National Park can change the gameplay and set unique challenges, keeping the game fresh. Therefore, you should try this playstyle and see for yourself how fun going for a Cultural Victory is!