After a year of bi-monthly content updates, the New Frontier Pass for Civilization 6 is coming to an end in March. However, the new content added in the final Packs won't be the only update for Firaxis Games' historical strategy this year. On February 26, a free update will be released for all Civilization 6 players.
This update will not only contain bug fixes and AI improvements, but also a brand new game mode. Barbarian Clans is the seventh game mode to be added to Civilization 6, and only the second that's available to all players for free. Representing a long-awaited overhaul of the game's hostile marauders, the content of Barbarian Clans is based on feedback from the community. Here's how it all works in the brand new game mode.
New Clans, New Units
The first thing that players will notice about the Barbarians in Civilization 6's Barbarian Clans update is that they're now divided into different groups. These Clans are geographically based, with the two examples given being the Hill Clan, who can be found in hilly areas, and the Rover Clan, who are found near horses.
The differences between the Clans haven't yet been fully revealed, but we do know that the Rover Clan will prefer recruiting mounted units. While the Barbarians used to be limited to a small selection of Units in Civilization 6, the new update will expand their roster. Each Clan will get access to the Unique Unit of a random civilization that isn't in the game. So if there's no player or computer playing as the Aztecs, then Barbarians may spawn the Eagle Warrior unit.
Diplomatic Options
The Barbarian Clans update brings new dangers in the form of Civilization 6's Unique Units, but there are also new ways of interacting with Barbarians. Players can approach their neighboring Clans with these diplomatic options:
- Bribe: Pay a modest amount of Gold to keep the Clan's units from attacking the player's cities.
- Hire: Pay a moderate amount of Gold to gain a copy of the Clan's Unique Unit. This can only be done once every 10 turns.
- Incite: Pay a large amount of Gold to cause the Clan to attack a designated civilization or city-state. The victim won't know who paid for them to be attacked, though this action can only be done once every 10 turns.
- Ransom: Pay a large amount of Gold to a Clan in order to recover a civilian unit that they've captured.
These interactions really allow players to choose how they'll approach their marauding neighbors, adding a whole new level of strategy to the game. In addition, when players take a Camp in Civilization 6's new game mode, they'll be given a choice of what to do with it. Dispersing the Camp will give a small amount of XP and wipe the Clan out. However, choosing to Raid the Camp will give Gold but not destroy it.
Becoming Civilized
Interactions with Barbarian Camps don't have to end with destruction in the Barbarian Clans game mode. Instead, each Clan will move along a track towards civilization, making a small amount of progress every turn. This progress can be accelerated using the Bribe or Hire actions, and pushed back using Ransom, Incite, or by Raiding a Camp.
If a Clan reaches the end of the civilization track, their Camp will be replaced by a brand new City-State. This feature is certainly the biggest game-changer in Civilization 6's new update, allowing players a unique way to shape the map. Creating City-States is an entirely original concept, and one that could radically alter the rest of the game. Players may want to civilize well-placed Camps in order to gain a buffer between them and another civilization, create a new ally, or even set up a future conquest.
The final update in the New Frontier Pass for Civilization 6 will be arriving next month, to put a capstone on a year of fresh content. Whether it will be the last DLC pass for Firaxis Games' historical strategy has yet to be confirmed.
Civilization 6 is available for Linux, Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.