The latest Civ VI update is here. Now, you can play as three Saharan leaders who changed history. Each come with exciting new leader abilities and corresponding strategies. Below you will find an overview of the new leader ability, the recommended victory types for each leader, as well as an analysis of how build a strategy using each new leader ability.
Ramses II: Egypt
On a high level, Ramses is a cultural aficionado and a wonder builder.
Leader Ability, Abu Simbel: Ramses’ leader ability provides culture that equals 15 percent of construction cost when he completes buildings. If completing a wonder, you get 30 percent! This means it’s time to get productive and embrace an ABB strategy — that is, “always be building.”
Strategy: Needless to say, Ramses’ leader ability makes him an ideal wonder builder and a shoe-in for a Cultural Victory. Wonders take a lot to produce, but doing so means that you get the culture reward once they’re built. The best wonders for Ramses, pursuing a cultural victory, provide tourism output upon completion, culture benefits, and high production costs.
In terms of game pace, this can ensure a quick win as eras progress, as some of those later wonders are costly but provide a magnifying amount of culture.
Ideally, you’ll always have at least one wonder in progress at a time. You can’t afford to lose that extreme 30 percent advantage you get from building wonders! Ramses will also earn you some great engineers, which you can further use to complete your wonders in many cases.
Agenda: As an AI player, Ramses’ Ma’at Agenda ensures that he shows preference to civs that make good, productive use of the tiles in their purview. To avoid conflicts with Ramses, be productive with your tiles.
Sundiata Keita
Sundiata Keita brings all the great writers to the yard; while not productive, you can build an empire on great written works.
Leader Ability, Sogolon: This unique ability maximizes the strategy of buying great people to come to your civ. Additionally, you get two great writing slots in any Market building, and great works of writing provide gold and production bonuses!
Strategy: Great writers are your jam with Sundiata Keita. Recruit them, buy them, and create enough culture output to lure more in. Consider using the policy card that enables extra points generated to great writers each turn.
Unfortunately, Mali has permanent production penalties. You’ll need to make up for this by relying on faith and related policies to build using faith, as well as excess gold production to buy what you need sometimes. Cultural buildings called Sugubas can also help; they provide discounts and more great work slots.
Agenda: When in the game as an AI, Keita is “Lion of Mali,” meaning he is NOT happy when other civs compete with or eclipse him when it comes to tourism. If you’re not going for a cultural victory and want to avoid getting on his bad side, keep your tourism below his to avoid conflict.
Ptolemaic Cleopatra
Leader Ability, Arrival of Hapi: When you build along floodplains, you get extra resources. Make sure to farm in particular along a river. The bonus provides more food, culture, and appeal.
Strategy: If you can’t build near a river, the civ really isn’t worth expanding if you’re playing as Ptolemaic Cleopatra. You HAVE to find a river. Plan each city accordingly, and take advantage of the policy card that awards 100 gold each time you replace an improvement with a neighborhood. As long as you continue to produce enough food, your appeal will skyrocket and you can spam that policy card to earn extra coin by implementing multiple neighborhood districts.
Clean up on easy Era Points by always having the first city of its kind (in terms of size) as Cleo. Stay on top of growth — easy to do with all your food bonuses — and always be the biggest city.
Agenda: Cleopatra is all about making the most of what you have when you’re representing the breadbasket of the Nile. She really appreciates civs with lots of food output. If you don’t want to make her mad when you’re playing against AI Ptolemaic Cleo, make sure you’re producing plenty of food for your people.
Rulers of Sahara For the Win
While all of these new leaders provide promise, Ramses seems to be the easiest to play as long as you’re committed to being a builder. If you’re ready to win based upon great people generation and don’t mind a dent in productivity, consider Sundiata. And, if you want growth to happen on autopilot or enjoy making the most out of each city’s plan, try Ptolemaic Cleopatra.
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