There is a simple version of this and a complete version, and both are below in that order.

Short answer

The direct answer is above the fold; the reasoning underneath is there for when the direct answer does not fit your situation.

  • Revisit after a major patch if the behaviour changes.
  • Try the straightforward approach before the elaborate one.
  • Read the whole sequence once before doing the first step.

Each Civilization entry reshuffles the rules enough that habits from the last one quietly stop working. The mechanic behind it is simpler than the discussion around it suggests. Most of the disagreement online comes from people describing different versions of Civilization.

What to do instead

Do the cheap check before the expensive one — that ordering alone saves most of the frustration. It is worth separating what the game does from what players have concluded it does. Edge cases are genuinely rare, which is why the simple answer is usually the correct one. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later.

Testing this yourself takes a few minutes and settles it definitively. The accepted community answer is broadly right and wrong in a specific way that matters here. There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you.

Why it works this way

Nothing here depends on a setting you are unlikely to have. Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional. The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice.

  • Check which version any conflicting advice was written for.
  • Note the exception cases — they are specific rather than vague.
  • Check the version you are actually running before assuming anything is broken.
  • Do not build a routine around an edge case.
  • Test it yourself where testing is cheap.
  • Expect one number in every guide to be out of date; the method is what matters.

The practical answer

If you are coming to this after a long break, the terminology has probably moved on. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time. Anything that behaves differently on console than on PC is flagged where it matters. Everything below is framed around the current state of Civilization rather than a launch-week impression.

Civilization is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look. Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows. Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds.

When the usual advice fails

If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over. If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing.

Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep. It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different. Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over.

Worth knowing alongside this

Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts. The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why.

Where people go wrong

  • Changing five things at once and then not knowing which one helped.
  • Copying a setup wholesale from a streamer without understanding what each part does.
  • Assuming a guide from an older season still describes the current version.
  • Rushing the last step, which is usually the one with the actual requirement in it.

Civ FAQ

Why do other guides describe this differently?

Most were written for an earlier version and never revisited. Compare the steps against what your build actually shows.

What is the short answer?

It is the paragraph near the top. Everything after it exists for the cases where that paragraph does not quite fit.

Do I need any mods or third-party tools for this?

No. Everything described here works with the base game on any supported platform.

Does this work the same on console and PC?

The logic is identical. Menu paths and button prompts differ, and any real difference is flagged above.

Work through it in the order above and of the middle ages stops being a question you have to look up again.