There are many routes to victory in the empire-building strategy game Civilization VI. You might decimate your opponents with military force or develop so many breathtaking cultural attractions that masses flock to your cities from afar. Maybe you’ll found a religion that spreads throughout the world or lead the space race to be the first to reach Mars.

Deciding on one of these avenues and playing a leader whose unique skills mesh well with your strategy can be the key to success. But for newcomers, the number of options can be overwhelming.

If that’s you, fear not. Your first steps in Civilization VI should focus solely on short-term fun. There’s plenty of time to delve deeper into game-winning strategies once you find your footing. Here’s five ways to progress towards your first victory.

Civilization VI has a whopping eight difficulty settings, ranging from Settler to Deity. Standard games default to Prince, which is roughly in the middle, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right one for you.

Instead of jumping into the game with the Play Now option, select Create Game from the main menu and tinker with the parameters there. Playing games on the Warlord or Chieftain setting is the best way to get a handle on the mechanics. You can hand-pick your opponent civilisations here too, handy if you’ve always dreamed of going head-to-head against certain rulers.

There are so many ways to improve your cities, expand your economy and keep your people happy that it can be easy to put off building military units until you’ve buffed up your settlements. That’s especially true when you have to choose between, say, constructing an impressive monument or training boring old archers.

But in Civilization VI, neglecting your military is a fast track to defeat; more so early on, when the penalties for declaring war are less severe or non-existent. Without a strong defence, one aggressive, opportunistic opponent can end your game before it’s even begun.

The first few times you play, focus on experimentation and pay close attention to how your artificial-intelligence (A.I.) controlled opponents react. Are you settling too close to other civilisations and getting picked off early? Try sending scouts far afield and finding conflict-free places to expand your empire.

Getting inside the heads of your enemies is crucial to mastering the game and will eventually become second nature.

Once you’ve got a handle on the fundamentals, it’s time to get crafty with your starting choices. Experiment with leaders until you find a few that fit with your crusade. France’s Catherine de Medici is an all-round solid starter and her espionage abilities can make her a devastating opponent later in the game, especially when vying for a cultural win.

Is domination more your style? Consider leading as Teddy Roosevelt. You’ll have to play defensively early on, but once your civilisation reaches the modern era, watch out: America’s military units are unmatched.

It’s tempting to fixate on building the biggest cities, researching the coolest technologies and having a sizable number of military units guarding your borders. But while you’re busy being a jack of all trades, your A.I. enemies are pursuing laser-focused agendas.

After establishing an early toehold, study Civilization VI’s five victory conditions (domination, science, culture, religion and score) by clicking the gold medallion icon toward the upper right of the screen. This will bring up the World Rankings menu, where you’ll learn what to do to win and how close you and your enemies are to being victorious.