As part of Civilization 6's New Frontier Pass, Firaxis is addign a series of new leaders, scenarios, and features to the game over the next year. For its July installment in the New Frontier Pass, Firaxis introduced a new leader to the game: Menelik II of Ethiopia.
As with most new leaders, Menelik II operates in a completely different way than any other leader in the game, so here's a break down of what Ethiopia's new leader brings to the table.
Menelik II, A Man of Many Talents
Menelik II manages to have a clear focus when it comes to setting up his cities. But unlike many leaders in Civilization 6, instead of limiting him, his unique focus instead opens up possibilities for any number of Victory Conditions should the player want to pursue them. Menelik II's unique leader ability makes it so that any city he founds on a Hill is granted Science and Culture equal to 15% of their Faith production. Additionally, his units gain +4 Combat Strength when fighting on a Hill tile - a great bonus to an already advantageous position to fight from. Hills by default grant a +3 Defense Modifier to units garrisoned there, so the additional combat strength is perfect for fortifying Menelik II's cities with powerful melee or ranged units.
His leader bonus is perfect for giving a solid boost to the main pillars of Civ: Culture, Science, and/or Faith - or rather, it helps a strong Faith generation bolster a solid Science and Culture generation. If players are strategic with their city and district placement, they could easily pursue any Victory Condition they choose our of Culture, Religion, Science, or even Domination. It is worth noting that Menelik II has no major bonus to Diplomatic Victories.
Ethiopia's Civilization Perk, Improvement, and Unit
Every Civilization in Civilization 6 has their own unique perk in addition to their leader's perk. The Civilization Perk is shared across all leaders who lead that Civilization. For example, Catherine de Medici and Eleanor of Aquitaine both can lead France, and they will share the French Civilization Perk, but will each have their own unique Leader Perk. For Ethiopia, at the time of writing, Menelik II is the only leader for this Civilization. Ethiopia's Civilization Perk aligns well with Menelik II as it +1 Faith from Improved Resources. Additionally, International Trade Routes provide +0.5 Faith for each Resource in the origin City. Ethiopian leaders can also purchase Archaeologists and Archaeological Museums using Faith.
As with all Civilizations, Ethiopia also comes with a unique improvement: the Rock-Hewn Church. It can only be built on Hills or Volcanic Soil tiles, and provides +1 Faith, +1 Appeal, +1 Faith for every adjacent Mountain or Hill tile. While it cannot be placed adjacent to another Rock-Hewn Church, it will provide a ton of Faith generation if placed properly, and it will also provide Tourism after researching the Flight Technology. These can be instrumental in giving Menelik II an easy path to a Religious Victory, or they could lay the framework for Menelik II to build toward either a Cultural Victory or even a Science Victory.
Ethiopia's unique unit is the Oromo Cavalry which replaces the Courser. While it maintains the same effect of ignoring enemy Zones of Control, the Oromo Cavalry also suffers no Movement penalty from Hill tiles, has increased signed (3 tiles instead of the standard 2), and a Higher Combat Strength (46 instead of 44). While this is not one of the best unique units in Civilization 6, it certainly has some nice benefits. The lack of Hill movement cost is a big benefit considering Menelik II is encouraged to settle on and around Hill tiles. This will make it easy for Menelik II to move his units around his cities, at least why in the Technological Age that supports this unit. The increased sight is also just a nice added bonus. The Oromo Cavalry isn't going to win Menelik II the Domination Victory, but it certainly will help keep his cities secure while they are active.
Tips and Tricks for Playing Menelik II
Faith is one of the most versatile mechanics in the game and one that some players skip out on if they are not going for a Religious Victory, but Menelik II can really excel in the game if he focuses on Faith production - even when not going for a Religious Victory. Players should be very conscious of where they are founding their cities as they should always be on Hill tiles, with easy access to more Hills and Mountains. Since the Rock-Hewn Church cannot be destroyed (only pillaged) by Natural Disasters, it may be worth settling near a Volcano to gain the benefits from the Volcanic Soil.
Once Menelik II can build Archaeological Museums he can focus on finding those to help push his Religious or Cultural Victories along. Science Victories are also a strong possibility thanks to Menelik II's Leader Perk, though Cultural and Religious Victories will come more naturally. Menelik II does not gain any major benefits to Domination or Diplomatic Victories, though they are not completely out of reach. Thanks to the power of Faith, combined with certain Golden Age dedications, Menelik II can really sweep if he has a strong stockpile of Faith to burn.
Menelik II really capitalizes on the Faith system, while still leading the door open to go to whichever Victory Condition he wants. This flexibility makes him a very strong leader, and a great new addition to the game. Now players will just wait to see what future leaders are added as part of the Frontier Pass, and how they will continue to shake up the game.
Civilization 6 is available for iOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.