Civilization 6 Gathering Storm is a few weeks away and developer Firaxis has new civilizations to show off. The civilizations coming with the expansion are a mix of new and ones from previous Civilization games. The Civilization 6 Gathering Storm new civs will expand the roster considerably.
Civilization 6 Gathering Storm was announced in November 2018 for a February 14, 2019 release. The new DLC expansion is priced at $39.99 and introduces a number of big changes to the game. A new climate system introduces rising seas, dangerous storms, volcanoes, earthquakes, and a number of other weather incidents to the game. Human civilization has direct impacts on the planet in new ways. New building projects and the return of the World Congress will be useful to alleviate global climate change.
Civilization 6 Gathering Storm new civs include Hungary, Canada, Mali, Sweden, Phoenicia, the Ottomans, the Maori, and the Inca. Each new civilization has its own unique units and abilities. Some, like the Ottomans, are returning from previous Civilization titles. Others, like Hungary and Canada, are brand new to the main Civilization series.
Civilization 6 Gathering Storm new civs | Hungary
Described as a “domination-focused” civilization, Hungary is designed for rapid expansion.
Leader: Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary and Croatia
Civilization ability: Pearl of the Danube: Districts and buildings constructed across a river from a city’s center are built faster.
Leader ability: The Raven King: Units levied from City-State allies gain extra movement and combat strength, and upgrading has no resource costs. Gain two Envoys to any City-State units are levied from.
Unique building: Thermal Bath: replaces the Zoo. Provides Production and Amenities to every city center in range.
Unique unit: Huszár: Industrial-era light cavalry unit that receives a combat bonus for each active alliance. The greater the number of alliances, the more bonuses received.
Unique leader unit: The Black Army: Light cavalry unit unlocked after Castles are researched. Gains additional strength for adjacent levied units.
Civilization 6 Gathering Storm new civs | The Maori
The Maori begin at sea, unlike any other civilization in the game.
Leader: Kupe, legendary navigator
Civilization ability: Mana: Sailing and Shipbuilding technologies are immediately unlocked, and embarked units receive additional movement and combat strength. Unimproved Woods and Rainforest tiles yield increased Production. Fishing Boats provide increased Food and perform a Culture Bomb on adjacent tiles after construction.
Leader ability: Kupe’s Voyage: The Maori civilization begins at sea thanks to Kupe’s navigational abilities. The Maori receive Science and Culture each turn prior to settling its capital. A free builder and extra population are provided once the capital is settling. The palace receives additional Housing and Amenities.
Unique Building: Marae: Replaces the Amphitheater. The Marae provides Culture and Faith to all tiles with a passable feature in the city. Also provides Tourism.
Unique unit: Toa: The Toa are a classical-era melee unit that can construct Pa. Pa is a unique defensive structure that provides combat bonuses for allied occupying units. The Toa also have the “Haka War Dance” ability which weakens adjacent enemy units’ combat prowess.
Civilization 6 Gathering Storm new civs | Phoenicia
A powerful, seafaring civilization that can adapt easily to outside pressures.
Leader: Dido
Civilization ability: Mediterranean Colonies: Gain movement and sight range to embarked settlers, and all coastal cities on the same continent as your capital will be completely loyal. Start with the Eureka moment for Writing.
Leader ability: Founder of Carthage: Can move your capital to any city with a Cothon by completing a unique city project. Receive an extra trade route for the Government Plaza district and each of its buildings. A 50 percent production increase towards the city where the Plaza is located.
Unique building: Cothon: replaces the Harbor and can be built on any lake or coastal tile. Grants an additional 50 percent production boost towards naval units and settlers. Enables naval units within the city’s borders to heal completely in a single turn.
Unique unit: Bireme: Replaces the Galley while also being faster and stronger. Traders within 4 units of a Bireme cannot be plundered.
Civilization 6 Gathering Storm new civs | Canada
The hockey-playing, peace-loving folk from the Great White North are led by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier.
Leader: Wilfrid Laurier
Civilization ability: Four Faces of Peace: Cannot declare war on city-states, and cannot declare surprise wars. Cannot be targeted by surprise wars either. Gain diplomatic favor from completing emergencies or World Congress competitions. Gain extra diplomatic favor from tourism.
Leader ability: The Last, Best West: Can build farms on tundra and tundra hills after civil engineering is unlocked. Snow and tundra tiles yield double consumable resources and can be purchased for less.
Unique improvement: Ice Hockey Rink: Provides appeal and amenities, and culture based on adjacent snow and tundra tiles. Provides tourism after flight, and production after professional sports. Culture provided if adjacent to a stadium. Can only be built in tundra or snow, and only one per city.
Unique unit: Mountie: Light cavalry units that can establish national parks. Mounties receive a combat bonus when fighting near or in national parks.
Civilization 6 Gathering Storm new civs | The Inca
Benefitting greatly from mountainous regions and internal trade routes, the Inca is an isolated civilization.
Leader: Pachacuti
Civilization ability: Mit’a: Citizens can work mountain tiles and mountains provide +2 production.
Leader ability: Qhapaq Ñan: Domestic trade routes generate extra food for each mountain in the starting city. Qhapaq Ñan is also an improvement that can be placed on mountains, enabling mountain traversal through these improvements
Unique improvement: Terrace Farm: Can only be placed on hills. Terrace Farms provide +1 food and +1 food for each adjacent mountain. Terrace Farms also provide +2 production for adjacent aqueducts and fresh water for the closest city.
Unique unit: Warak’aq: A medieval era recon unit. Can attack twice per turn if its movement has not been spent.
Civilization 6 Gathering Storm new civs | Sweden
A beacon of culture, Sweden is great for those pursuing Culture or Diplomatic victories.
Leader: Kristina
Civilization ability: Nobel Prize: Upon earning a Great Person, Sweden receives additional diplomatic favor. Sweden receives extra Great Engineer points from Factories, and extra Great Scientist points from Universities. Also unlocks unique World Congress competitions in the Industrial Era if Sweden is present in a game.
Leader ability: Minerva of the North: Can construct the Queen’s Bibliotheque in the Government Plaza. Buildings with at least three Great Work slots and Wonders with at least two Great Work slots are automatically themed when their slots are filled out.
Unique building: Queen’s Bibliotheque: A second-tier building within the Government Plaza. Provides two Great Works slots for Writing, Music, and any Art. A Governor Title is awarded once completed.
Unique improvement: Open-Air Museum: Increases loyalty, and boosts culture and tourism for each type of terrain a Swedish city can be found in. Only one can be built per city.
Unique unit: Carolean: Renaissance era anti-cavalry unit that replaces the Pike and Shot. Caroleans have faster movement and receive extra combat strength for unused movement points.
Civilization 6 Gathering Storm new civs | The Ottomans
A variety of unique units and conquest-related bonuses fill out this returning civilization.
Leader: Suleiman the Magnificent
Civilization ability: Great Turkish Bombard: Seige units are faster to produce and receive bonus combat strength. Conquered cities do not lose population, and benefit from amenity and loyalty bonuses while under Ottoman control.
Leader ability: Grand Vizier: Unlocks Ibrahim a new governor available only to Suleiman. Ibrahim has a unique promotion tree and can be established in another civilization.
Unique building: Grand Bazaar: Replaces the Bank in a city’s Commercial Hub. Provides additional resources to the city.
Unique unit: Barbary Corsair: A naval raider unit which replaces the Privateer, and is available earlier in the game. Coastal raids using this unit do not incur a movement cost.
Unique leader unit: Janissary: The Janissary replaces the Musketman unit while being stronger, and cheaper to build. The downside is each Janissary consumes one population in the city in which it is trained, unless it is a conquered city. The Janissary also starts with one free promotion.
Civilization 6 Gathering Storm new civs | Mali
An adaptable civilization able to achieve any style victory, Mali has strong economic and faith-based perks.
Leader: Mansa Musa, the richest man who has ever lived.
Civilization ability: Songs of the Jeli: City Centers receive additional Faith and Food for adjacent desert and desert hills tiles. Mines provide less production, but greater Gold output. Mali can purchase Commercial Hub buildings with Faith. Mali suffers an overall production penalty when constructing buildings or training units.
Leader ability: Sahel Merchants: International Trade Routes grant extra Gold for each flat desert tile within the originating city’s borders. Sahel Merchants unlock an additional trader slot when Mali enters a Golden Age.
Unique district: Suguba: Replacement for the Commercial Hub which allows units, buildings, and districts to be purchased at a reduced cost with Gold or Faith. Provides additional Gold for adjacent Holy Sites, tiles with a river edge, and bonus Gold for adjacent district tiles.
Unique unit: Mandekalu Cavalry: A medieval era unit that replaces the Knight. Prevents Mali Trader units from being plundered as long as they are within four land tiles of a Mandekalu Cavalry unit. Combat victories provide Gold equal to the unit’s base combat strength.
