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The Civilization 6: New Frontier Pass is a series of DLC packs for Firaxis' historical strategy title, which will be released bimonthly from May 2020 to March 2021. This Civ 6 DLC lineup will eventually include eight new Civilizations, nine new leaders, and six new game modes.

The second of these new game modes has recently been announced and will release as part of the Ethiopia Pack for players who've bought the Season Pass. Secret Societies includes a supernatural twist, with Ley Lines, Old Gods, and even Vampires being introduced into the historical strategy.

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The Initiation

Players who own the Season Pass will be able to turn on the Secret Societies mode after the Ethiopia pack comes out. The setting will last the entire game and cannot be turned on halfway through. Once activated, players will be contacted by one of four societies when they reach a certain milestone. These are designed to crop up in natural gameplay, and include sending an Envoy to a City-State, discovering a Tribal Village, or discovering a Natural Wonder.

Players can either accept or decline the societies' invitation, but once they join one, they'll be stuck with them for the rest of the game. After becoming a member, the player will unlock a unique Governor. Unlike the rest, this Governor only has four titles and cannot be assigned to a city. The titles are unlocked like normal Governor titles, but the later ones are only available after reaching certain eras. Each of the societies offers radically different titles, so players should be careful in choosing the right one to fit their plans.

Civ 6 Wonder

Owls of Minerva

The Owls of Minerva are a group of wealthy, high-placed individuals with a focus on government, trade, and espionage. They will send their invitation the first time a player dispatches an Envoy to a City-State. If the player accepts, then they'll immediately unlock an additional Economic Policy Slot, as well as a feature that causes each Trade Route sent to a City State to also grant an Envoy there.

In the Medieval Era, the Owls of Minerva title allows the construction of the Gilded Vault, a Bank replacement which grants Culture as well as Gold. In the Industrial Era, players can gain an extra Wildcard Policy slot, two extra Spies, and +4 Loyalty per turn as well as +1 Amenity to cities with a friendly Spy in their territory. The final title, which is unlocked in the Atomic era, is yet to be revealed, but will most likely aid in a Cultural or Diplomatic victory.

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Hermetic Order

The Hermetic Order are a organization of rogue scientists and alchemists, with a focus on Science, Great People and Resources. Players will be invited to join the Order after they discover a Natural Wonder, which generally occurs within the first 10-20 turns of a game. Those who accept will immediately reveal the Ley Line resource, a new tile feature that grants the standard adjacency bonus to all Specialty Districts.

In the Medieval era, the Hermetic Order title allows the construction of the Alchemical Society, a University replacement which provides Production and Gold, as well as Great Merchant and Great Engineer points. The Industrial Era title grants a bonus to Ley Lines, causing them to produce +1 yield of the appropriate resource for each Great Person earned, with Great Admirals and Generals counting as Science. The Atomic Era title for the Hermetic Order hasn't yet been revealed, but will almost certainly be aimed at a Science Victory.

Voidsingers

The Voidsingers are a nihilistic cult dedicated to the worship of the old gods, and focus on Religion, Relics, and sowing disloyalty in enemy cities. The Voidsingers will send their invite after the player discovers a Tribal Village for the first time, which means they'll probably be the first society to do so. This is handy, as their first title replaces the Monument with the Old God Obelisk, which grants Faith and a Great Work slot.

In the Medieval Era, the Voidsingers title grants cities bonus Gold, Culture, and Science per turn equal to 20% of their Faith output. In the Industrial Era, the Voidsingers unlock the Cultist Unit. Purchased with Faith, this religious unit reduces loyalty in foreign cities and generates Relics of the Old Gods. The Voidsingers Master Plan comes together by the Atomic Era, unlocking the Dark Summoning. This City Project provides a large amount of Faith per turn and boosts Cultists upon completion.

Sanguine Pact

The final society, the Sanguine Pact, are a Militaristic organization dedicated to overcoming their foes through any means. Compared to the other societies, very little has been revealed about the Sanguine Pact so far. We don't yet know what will cause them to send an invite, but it's safe to assume it will probably involve killing Barbarians or City-State units.

Joining the Sanguine Pact will unlock the unique Vampire unit, which gains Combat Strength when adjacent units perish. When a Vampire would normally die, it instead retreats on 1 HP and can be healed through pillaging. In later eras, the Sanguine Pact will unlock the Vampire Castle tile improvement, which grants defensive bonuses and extra yields. Eventually, players will unlock the ability to teleport between castles, setting them up as an early alternative to the airfield.

While each of the societies focuses on one or two specific victory types, there's definitely room for expansion. Having the whole system for just four societies seems a little odd in a deep strategy game with dozens of choices at almost every stage. So far Firaxis is saying nothing, but it's entirely possible that we'll see more of these societies being added if the game mode is a success.

Civilization 6 is available on iOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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