Tropico 6

The achievement is very straightforward. I'm going to cover tips and tricks, general strategy and so on to approach Tropico on hard difficulty. Obviously the guide is compatible with lower difficulties, you'll be fine with just following what's required in the mission and if you're stuck, check strategies here. Some will be mission specific and for two missions I'll link a guide that will be much more precise.

1. Customize your El Presidente

Obviously I'm not referring to making him look like a dictator, mafioso or hippie with a pacifier and rasta cap but to pick his trait. Spatial Sense Prodigy was my default choice, primarily because of teamsters' capacity. Savant can be super useful in early eras (Colonial & World Wars), Charismatic is giving too little boost to be worth it. You should be fine with SSP.

2. Starting a mission - don't rush it!

So... you have a goal, starting era and somewhat of a build city. Usually that's a solid starting point but you need to ensure that you can expand quickly and that your economy can actually survive the expansion. Ignore the first goal! I know it's counter intuitive but if a task giver wants you to export electronics, make sure you don't build a factory for it. Why? Tasks in this game are not time limited (exception - The Referendum) so you should make sure that you can build stuff, your citizens want you to be re-elected and then you should work on mission specific requirements. Sometimes you will be asked to cripple your island, either directly (Better Red Than Dead) or indirectly by triggering massive crime (Speakeasy) or causing the whole world to attack you (Superpower Defense). Building your economy first gives you solid foundation to everything that a mission might throw at you as well as flexibility to build couple more buildings because you just have enough money for it. Again, it's not super important on easy but the better the job you do in an early game, the easier the mission becomes.

There are two exceptions for this rule. First of all, Acts of God. The mission takes ages and once you're done, you'll be waiting until you just get enough gold to get to the last task.

The second exception was already mentioned previously. The Referendum, where you have just 20 years and you won't get any more. You have to be quick and you have to play aggressively. For more info, take a look at the guide below:
Solution for Apocalypso In Tropico 6

Slight variation of this rule is the Battle Royal mission. The good start in each era is extremely important and if you don't prepare for the next task, you'll lose. Again, please take a look at an extensive guide for it below for more detailed solution:
Solution for Viva Tropico! In Tropico 6

3. Starting a mission - what should I do?

It depends on a starting era. First of all, you have to make sure you are targeting correct production lines, preferably the ones that are less demanding and give you nice profit. I'll add an overview of all of them in point 4. As a rule of thumb:

Colonial - plantations, good old gold mine also boosts it nicely.

World Wars - 4 shipyards are the way to go. You can go into mining, steel and weapons if your island is a rock with abysmal crop and livestock conditions. If it's ok, go for cloth (3) instead of steel products.

Cold Wars - shipyards and textile mills are still strong here. I usually add two new lines to the rotation: furniture and jewellery, if I'm already doing something with gold. If you have nice oil deposit, make sure to use it.

Modern Times - still shipyards but I also upgrade my cloth lines to apparel by building 4 fashion companies. I really like to build couple plantations for sugar so I can go for pharmaceutical company with placebo mode (uses sugar instead of oil).

Make sure to activate two edicts as fast as possible. Industrialisation should come before every major industry expansion so you can save some money. State loans are also very useful, you need money at the very beginning, you'll have more than enough to repay it later.

4. Economy overview

Lumber sector - good in colonial as you don't have much of an industry, amazing from world wars since you have access to boats. I normally don't fully upgrade my shipyards (job quality is fine) so they can use steel and aluminium because I want them to use planks so my steel goes for cars and weapons. Furniture is also really nice. Usually, I go with 4 logging camps, 3-4 lumber mills, 4 shipyards and 1-2 furniture factories.

Rum - good in colonial, ok in the rest. I'm not a big fan, I usually keep one so I can manipulate my superpower relations (more in point 6).

Tannery - skip completely, crocodiles are better. If you can't get crocodiles, I'd still use cotton instead of this. Too much pollution.

Cannery/creamery/chocolate/juicery (food industry) - super useful for food satisfaction but I wouldn't really base my economy on this. I'd build one of each anyway.

Cigars - same as rum. Can be useful but I prefer other lines.

Steel/weapons/cars - the steel mill is mediocre; you'd need weapons as an end product to be useful. Cars are nice because of environmentalists boost if you get an upgrade but are very slow to manufacture. I sometimes build the line but not in every mission as I generally don't like using mines. However, it is super useful in the Pirate King mission as it's the only real 'line' that you can get.

Cloth - very nice line, I usually build 3 textile mills and 4 fashion companies (if I'm playing at modern times). They are fast to produce and quite expensive to sell.

Gold - the gold mine is very useful in colonial as it helps you get some money. Jewellery is ok, but I'm not a big fan.

Oil - very nice if you sell it 'raw'. Don't build plastics plant if you plan to base your economy on oil as plastics are cheaper than oil!

Plastics - I ignore completely, unless I have to have it for electronic. Huge pollution, low profits. No thanks.

Electronics - expensive and you're often limited by gold inputs. I'd look for something less demanding.

Pharmaceutical - good when using oil, amazing when using sugar. I usually build two of those.

Mines - I wouldn't say a strict no but it's usually not my main income source.

Plantations - this on the other hand is a must go. Very nice income, fills so many production lines.

Ranches - cattle, sheep and crocodiles are very nice. I usually add goat too. I wouldn't worry too much about llama and pig, unless you have them already.

Fish - primarily for food happiness. Make sure you get shellfish too!

Coconut - same role as fish.

Don't worry, I haven't forgot about the tourism. Point 7 is where you need to go.

One note about decreasing efficiency of your crops and pastures. Soil degradation (you can counter it with manure spreader) will make your farms useless after couple of years, it's crucial that you don't damage your ground. Pollution works exactly the same plus it makes everyone less healthy. Don't build garbage dump, wait for waste treatment facility.

5. Standard adjustments to (almost) every mission

As a supplementary option, I'm usually adding rum distillery, cannery, creamery, cigar factory, chocolate factory and juicery to make sure I'm delivering all food types to the people (more food satisfaction). I build one big farming area with one of all the plantation types, exception are sugar (2) as they boost efficiency of all surrounding plantations by 10% (max 20%) and cotton (2-3) so I can use it for cloth. Combine it with cattle ranch if you can for bigger boost. Everything should work in multi culture or pasture prohibition so the soil is not taking a hit. Otherwise, you'll struggle in the middle to late game. On the shore make sure to build fisherman's wharf, later on you can use fish farm instead. Plantations and ranches should be on max budget. Don't forget about coconuts!

Make sure you build a customs office to boost your export price.

If you're playing in modern times, export manipulation raid can set you up for good. Get all your lines covered and suddenly you're making crazy profit on almost everything.

There are three nice ways of generating passive income. Banks, based on your treasure, offices, always go for the one based on employed citizens and media. TV only works in houses with electricity, so make sure you cover as many of them as possible. Radio boosts entertainment if you buy an upgrade. All three sources (media in money making mode) give nice boost to your cash and I strongly advise you to have them all, preferable few of them.

In modern times it's very efficient to use wind turbines at higher ground (at least 80% efficiency) to generate electricity. Max their budget and they should solve your power problems.

As a side, fun-to-check note. If you want to make the most ridiculous island ever, build a lot (I'm literally speaking about 50+) banks, all of them making money from rich citizens. Bank employees count as rich citizens so the more banks you have, the more money from their employees you make. Add mansions, car parks and security checkpoints (tollbooths mode) on literally every square and you suddenly have insane passive income.

6. Manipulating everyone

First of all, superpowers. Embassies are nice (make sure to get them) but the best thing you can do is sign all those small export deals with superpowers so you can complete them easily and get nice boost to relations. It's especially important with EU as stealing their landmarks will hit your relations with the land of bureaucracy. If you have low relations, your tourism rating will be hit, export/import will be less profitable, you will be attacked and there may be a mass invasion (AKA game over), regardless of your military power.

Then, your citizens. The happiness works as follows. Your island happiness is compared against Caribbean happiness. How to make your people happy? Either, you know, improve their life conditions or make sure that Caribbean is even bigger hellhole than your pitiful island. Build commando garrison and intimidate your neighbours constantly. They are frankly the best you can do to make your citizens happy.

If you have access to cold wars, steal the Colosseum. Suddenly instead of caring about all those useless stuff like safety, health, house satisfaction and all of that nonsense, they only want to get all food types that exist out there and have fun. This is especially important in Shackland, where your housing happiness literally doesn't exist. Both food happiness and entertainment happiness are easy to boost, food source is provided above and for 'fun' you just have to build best service quality building for poor and well-off (which is usually movie theatre and stadium).

7. Tourism

Is it profitable? Yes, but it's a massive money investment. Moreover, it's not really clear from the very beginning how it works.

You can get well-off, rich and filthy rich tourists. The port and the airport have different modes which affect which tourists arrive on your island. Make sure you specialise in one of those. A well-off tourist can't visit rich accommodations and rich tourist won't have that much fun (and will leave less money) in a well-off bar. You have to ensure you're meeting tourist requirements by providing them the service appropriate to their wealth. If you do this, you'll have zero problems with making money.

8. Military

Sometimes you just have to defend yourself. Fortunately, it's very easy if you have money and you can upgrade your army. I'm usually building an aircraft carrier (safe mode), 4 army bases and 6 barracks. Build a... fort nearby. It's the most broken building, arsenal upgrade boosts efficiency of all nearby buildings by 25% (it is a lot!). Get right to arms and professional soldiers and you should have 0 problems defending your island as your army will be stronger than superpower's.

9. Landmarks, edicts and constitution

Landmarks are really simple. Colonial - Brandenburg Gate or Registan of Samarkand (preferred). World Wars - personal preference. Cold Wars - Colosseum, Modern Times - if using tourism: Neuschwanstein Castle, if not: Temple of Heaven.

For edicts, I usually go with the following pack:
Agricultural subsidies (boosting my farms and ranches), literacy program, military police, right to arms (both work nicely with each other), food for the people, advanced boat services, employee of the month, mandatory waste sorting, good old days (if tourism is present and I'm not pacifist), spelling bee, social security, speedway and light bulb ban (watch out for this one as it won't effect your new houses. Build everything and then activate it). Before all my major 'developments' I issue industrialisation or urban development to save some cash.

Constitution (usually neutral): All citizens vote, professional soldiers (or pacifist state, rarely), theocracy/freedom of religion (theocracy with no tourists), happy childhood, energy efficiency/economy first (both are good), true separation, love it or leave it, sponsored content, privacy rights (or security surveillance, if I have theocracy), single-payer system, traditional marriage, international trade partnership.

If any explanation is needed, please comment and I'll provide it.

10. Some mission specific tips/info

For Pirate King, make sure you do a lot of pillaging, especially sugar. That's literally the only way you can supply your rum distilleries and you need to do this to get some profits. Mining and steel will also work very nicely. It's also a great mission to farm raids for:


Concrete Beach - just stick to oil and expand your tourism. It's not the best island for a heavy industry or plantations so just make sure you get a lot from those two sources. Fortunately, the mission is quite quick.

Better Red Than Dead - as mentioned earlier, don't complete those missions too fast, otherwise you'll have big problem with keeping your citizens happy.

Shackland - build farms in the plateau on the other side of the mountain. Your end goal is to get 1000 citizens so this makes this achievement unmissable:


If anything about the game is unclear after reading this guide or you have additional questions, please leave them in the comment section below.