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You can get a max of 6-7 spies in Civ 5. Here’s the progression of how to max out your spies:
All civilizations (civs) get their first spy simultaneously. This happens after any civ reaches the Renaissance Era. England gets an extra one here from their civ ability.
Every era after that adds another spy to your roster. This time, you must actually progress through the eras on your own. That’s four more spies from the remaining four eras:
Industrial Era
Modern Era
Atomic Era
Information Era
You get an extra spy by building the National Intelligence Agency project. This becomes available after researching the “Radio” tech and building police stations in all of your cities.
Spy Assignments
To give your spies an assignment, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open the Espionage Overview by pressing its button at the top-right of the screen.
Espionage Overview Button
Step 2: Press the “Move” button next to the agent that you want reassigned.
Move Button on the Left Side of the Espionage Overview
Step 3: Select a city where you want to send your agent.
List of Cities on the Right Side of the Espionage Overview
Spy Missions
Your spy’s assigned location determines their mission:
Mission
Target
Actions / Results
Counter-intelligence
One of your own cities
Your spy passively adds a +33% chance of capturing enemy spies in their assigned city.
Establish surveillance
A city-state or another civ’s city
After 5 turns, you can open up the target’s City Management Screen.
Become diplomats
Another civ’s capital
The spy will become your ambassador to their assigned civ.
You’ll also have expanded options with that civ during World Congress sessions.
Steal technology
Another civ’s city
You can steal tech from another civ if they have one that:
You haven’t gotten yet
You’re able to currently research
The number of turns this takes depends on:
The target city’s science output
The level of counter-intelligence present
Your spy’s level
Note: There’s a high chance of your spy getting discovered, especially on the turn they successfully steal a tech.
Rig elections
Non-aligned city-states
Every 12 turns, your spy will increase your influence with the target while decreasing that of other civs’.
Stage coup-d’etat
City-states allied with another civ
Your spy will attempt to replace the reigning regime with one that’s friendly to you. This results in the city-state becoming your ally.
Press to Attempt a Coup
Spy Promotions
Spies come in three skill levels:
Recruit
Agent
Secret Agent
Higher levels increase their success chance and speed in completing missions.
They gain a level if they’re successful in these tasks:
Stealing tech
Countering enemy spies
Tip: Catching enemy spies is a much faster way of leveling up your spies than stealing tech. It’s also much safer, since your spies can’t be killed while doing counter-intelligence.
Replacements
Spies have a chance of getting “Killed in Action”.
This only happens in either of these cases:
Getting caught stealing tech from another civ, or
Unsuccessfully staging a coup-d’etat in a city-state
If one dies, they’ll automatically be replaced by a new recruit around 5 turns or less.
Tenets
Spy-related tenets are available at the first level of all three ideologies:
Ideology
Tenet
Effect
Order
Double Agents
Double effectiveness of counter-intelligence against spies trying to steal your tech
Freedom
Covert Action
Double the chance of successfully rigging city-state elections
As a frustrated otter who dreams of getting published, Louie instead wastes his life cuddling his cats. He spent his childhood playing Suikoden, grew up with Total War, and matured (somewhat) with EU4. He hopes to someday find a geopolitical JRPG with the 4X systems of a Paradox game.
