In our last installment of the Civilization 6 Leader Breakdown, we're going to cover all the remaining Civs and Leaders in the game, starting with newcomer Simon Bolivar.
Readers who've missed the last part can click the link below to check out the previous part, which covered the Civilization 6 leaders Montezuma through Shaka. Now let's take a deep dive into Gran Colombia.
Simon Bolivar (Gran Colombian)
Simon Bolivar was added with the new with the first wave of DLC of the Frontier Pass, and is yet another military focused Leader, but he has a lot going on that players will need to keep track of. Simon's unique perk unlocks a special type of Great Person exclusive to him: the Comandante Generals. These unique Great People are similar to Great Generals in their use, but come with unique perks and bonuses exclusive to each Comandante General. Simon will earn one of these each time he enters a new era.
The Gran Columbia Civ perk grants all units +1 Movement, and promoting a unit does not immediately end its turn. This alone is an incredibly powerful ability, but tossing in the Comandante Generals makes Simon Bolivar a major threat in-game. Since Simon gets a Comandante General at the beginning of every era, he is exceptional at early warfare, and ultimately is best suited for a Domination Victory.
Suleiman (Ottoman)
Suleiman is quite a special case when it comes to Leaders, as he is the only Civilization to come with a unique Governor as a perk. Governors in Civilization 6 are incredibly powerful, and Suleiman's unique Governor, Ibrahim the Grand Vizier, is no exception. Ibrahim is a Diplomacy and Domination focused Governor, and is the only Governor who can be established in foreign cities. Ibrahim is perfect for fortifying and defending a city while also increasing its military output. This leads into the Ottoman's main focus: Domination.
Suleiman and the Ottoman empire excel at taking over cities thanks to the Ottoman's Civ perk, which grants an additional 50% production toward siege units. Their siege units also gain +5 Combat Strength against defensible districts. Additionally, when taking over a city, the city does not lose Population, and foreign cities gain +1 Amenity and +4 Loyalty per turn.
Not losing population during a siege is vital to the Ottoman's as foreign cities should be used to pump out Janissary units, Suleiman's unique unit that replaces the Musketmen. Not only are they more powerful and cheaper to produce than Musketmen, they also start with a free promotion. However, they must be made in a city with at least 2 Population, and if made in an Ottoman-founded city then the city loses 1 Population (like a Settler). However, if Suleiman makes them in a city he's taken over, that city will not lose Population. Essentially, Suleiman can roll across the land, taking over cities and use them to create powerful Janissary, making him a great candidate for a Domination Victory.
Tamar (Georgian)
Tamar of Georgia has had a turbulent time in Civilization 6 due to being rather underwhelming, but as of the 'Gathering Storm' expansion, Tamar is certainly a great contender for either a Religious, Cultural, or Diplomatic Victory, and she will make it neigh impossible for others to win a Domination Victory thanks to her powerful walls. To start, Tamar's unique perk grants +100% bonus Faith for 10 turns following a Declaration of Protectorate War, and each Envoy sent to a City-State that follow's Tamar's religion of counts as 2, ensuring that she will be able to be the Suzerain of many City-States if played right.
She also gets a massive Faith boost if defending a recently-fallen City-State. Georgia's unique perk makes it so when Tamar chooses a Dedication at the start of a Golden or Heroic Age, she also gets the Normal Age bonus to improve Era Score, making it easy to stay in a Golden Age every era.
Georgia also recently received the buff giving them +50% bonus Production toward Walls, which pairs well with Georgia's unique infrastructure: the Tsikhe. This replaces the Renaissance Walls, and is cheaper to make, generates +4 Faith, gives +200 Defense, +3 Tourism (after Conservation), +2 Science with the Military Research policy, and double Tourism and Faith during a Golden Age. Since these can be built in every city Tamar founds, it adds up to massive bonuses, especially for Faith and Tourism. This makes Tamar an incredible player in either the Religion or Culture game.
Teddy Roosevelt (American)
Teddy Roosevelt of America is all about defending his homeland while tailoring their Government to suit whichever victory condition they are going for. America is not geared toward any specific condition, so players have free reign to pick and choose which victory to go for. Teddy's unique perk grants +5 Combat Strength for all units on America's home continent, perfect for defending from foreign invaders, and all tiles in a city with a National Park gain +1 Appeal. Teddy's perks are nice, but America's Civ Perk is where the real power is.
All Diplomatic Policy slots in Teddy's Government are converted into Wild Card Policy slots, and Teddy gains +1 Diplomatic Favor per turn for every Wild Card Policy Slot in his current government. This means that Teddy has a plethora of policy slots in the late game that allow him to really push for whatever victory condition he would like, and the bonus Diplomatic Favor isn't anything to shrug off either.
Tomyris (Scythian)
The Warrior-Queen Tomyris is a formidable leader that has one of the strongest early-game potential for Domination. Her entire kit revolves around using her quickly-growing Cavalry units to lay siege to cities, either taking them or razing them, and then moving on to the next. Tomyris' unique perk gives all her combat units +5 Combat Strength when attacking a wounded unit, and units heal up to 30 HP after killing an enemy unit, meaning her army has incredible sustaining power. The Scythian perk makes it so that when Tomyris builds either a Light Cavalry unit or their unique Saka Horse Archer, it grants a free copy of that unit as well - meaning her army grows twice as fast as other civilizations. Tomyris is a devastating force that should capitalize on early-game wars to ensure a swift Domination Victory.
Trajan (Roman)
Trajan is one of the most beginner-friendly leaders in the game, and he greatly benefits by having a large number of cities within trade-route range of his Capital. Trajan's unique perk makes it so all cities founded by Trajan have a free building in the City Center, which may seem like a small perk, but it will help cities grow at a much quicker rate. Rome's unique perk gives founded or conquered cities a Trading Post and, if they are within Trading range of the Capital, a road connecting the two. Trade Routes generate +1 Gold for the Roman Trading Posts they pass through. Rome's quick expansion allows them to seek out any victory condition that their heart desires, whether it be violent or peaceful, perfect for those just diving into the game.
Victoria (English)
There are few who can compete with Harald Hardrada when it comes to the seas and Naval combat, but Queen Victoria of England certainly gives him a run for his money. Victoria is rewarded for expanding wide and settling on different continents, for when she does, that city is given a free melee unit and +1 Trade Capacity. When Victoria builds the England-specific Royal Navy Dockyard, Victoria is given a free Naval unit. England's Civ Perk helps sustain and build her powerful Navy, as Iron and Coal resources will produce an additional 2 per turn. Powered buildings receive +4 to their yields, England gains +20% Production toward Industrial Zone buildings, and Harbors add +10 to Strategic Resource stockpiles. England also produces Military Engineers twice as fast and they gain an additional two charges.
While Eleanor of Aquitaine (English variant) specializes in a Cultural Victory, Victoria is a lot more versatile and can go almost any direction. Her strong Navy and powerful Redcoat unique unit lends itself to a Domination Victory, while the powerful production bonuses could help for a strong Science victory. Overall, Victoria is yet another Jack-of-all-Trades style leader that will benefit players on almost any route they take.
Wilfred Laurier (Canadian)
Canada is often synonymous with peace and friendliness, and Wilfred Laurier's perks and policies certainly lean into that stereotype. Wilfred, much like Peter, specialize in settling on Tundra tiles, as his unique perk allows him to build Farms on them, and he can purchase those types of tiles for 50% of the usual cost. Resources on those tiles accumulate 50% faster, Mines and Lumber Mills receive +1 Production, and Camp receive +1 Food. Needless to say, Canada thrives in the cold fringes of the map. Canada is also a peaceful civilization.
Canada's unique perk makes it so Wilfred cannot declare a Surprise War, he cannot declare a war on a City-State, and Surprise Wars cannot be declared on Canada. For every 100 Tourism Canada earns, he gains 1 Diplomatic Favor. He also gains +100% Diplomatic Favor from successfully completing Emergencies and Competitions via the World Congress.
While settling in Tundra sounds great, it's generally not a great idea to build an entire empire around it. While it can work, it's still more advisable to choose a strong starting location in the grasslands, and then move a city to the frigid wastes once there is confirmed Oil or Uranium there. That aside, Wilfred is a prime candidate for either a Cultural or Diplomatic Victory. He should participate in Emergencies and Competitions whenever they arise, as he will benefit the most from them. He can use that hefty payout to pave the way to a Diplomatic Victory, or he can continue to rack up tourism and win the Culture game.
Wilhelmina (Dutch)
Rounding out the list of Leaders is Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. Domestic Trade Routes provide +1 Loyalty per turn in the starting city, and Trade Routes sent to or from foreign Civilizations provide +1 Culture to the Netherlands. The Dutch Civ perk grants Rivers a +2 Adjacency Bonus to Campuses, Theater Squares, and Industrial Zones. Harbors trigger a Culture Bomb when built, which claims nearby tiles. Additionally, the Dutch get +50% Production towards Dams and Flood Barriers. The Dutch are heavily encourages to settle near Rivers and the Coast to reap the most rewards from both Wilhelmina's perk and the Dutch perks. Rivers provide massive bonuses to her Districts, while Coasts can trigger Culture Bombs with Harbors and give more Trade Route opportunities.
As one might imagine from these perks, Cultural Victory is the easiest condition for Wilhelmina to get, but Science is also a good possibility with the right allocations. Overall, Wilhelmina may take a bit of city-planning, but she can definitely grow to be a rich and prosperous Leader if played right.
Civilization 6 is available for iOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.