Civilization VI, the latest installment in the long-running 4X strategy series released in October 2016, and following a number of smaller-scale DLC packs, Firaxis has finally launched a full-fledged expansion for the game today. Civilization VI: Rise and Fall introduces quite a few new gameplay elements aiming to spice up the usual formula as well as eight new civilizations.
One of the most notable new features includes the addition of Great Ages. Depending on the Era Score each civilization manages to hit during a Global Era, civilizations can now fall into a Dark Age or a Golden Age, tying into the "rise and fall" that civilizations go through in their time. Moreover, if a civilization manages to climb their way out from a dark age all the way to a golden age in a single era, they will reach a Heroic Age, with larger bonuses. This makes sure that any faction that falls behind during a game still has a chance to catch up to the greater powers, if they play their cards right.
Loyalty is another major addition being introduced with the expansion, where cities now have a loyalty counter towards their civilization, and if it falls too low, they may become independent or might even defect to another power. Also included are Governors, which players can appoint to cities for various bonuses and for loyalty; Emergencies, where multiple civilizations can temporarily strike an alliance against a more threatening civilization; and much more.
A developer video detailing all the new content included in the expansion is seen above. Moreover, Firaxis has been revealing each civilization that is incorporated into the expansion in the weeks leading up to the release, ranging from brand new additions to the series, to returning favorites. Our coverage of each new civilization can be seen here.
Civilization VI: Rise and Fall is now available for $29.99 on Steam for Windows systems, but note that the base game is required to play the expansion. The expansion has not been dated for macOS, Linux, or the new iPad version as of now, but it should be in the cards.
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