Civilization 6 is already great and getting great-er with the Spring 2017 update that adds the Persian Empire and Cyrus the Great. The Persians were notably absent from Civ 6 when the game launched last year, despite being major players in the other games in the franchise. A further blow to the pride of Persian Empire fans everywhere was the inclusion of the Scythians and their queen Tomyris, most famous for defeating Cyrus in battle and, legend has it, dunking his severed head in a bowl of blood because she told him if he fucked with the Scythians he’d “get his fill of blood.” Now the Civ 6 Spring 2017 update is going to give us a chance to give Cyrus his revenge (or Tomyris another win). Check out the trailer above for the official rundown from Firaxis on the newest Civ 6 faction.
But wait, there’s more! The Civilization 6 Spring 2017 update is going to have two new civs, not just the Persians. Firaxis hasn’t announced what the other civilization is going to be, or given any patch notes yet for the “ balance changes, multiplayer changes, and bug fixes ” coming either. But here’s everything we know about the Persians:
‘Civ 6’ Spring 2017 Persian Update Tile Improvement: The Pairidaeza
The Persians were, in many ways, more like a corporation than an empire. An extravagantly wealthy society, the Persians were known for acquiring other civs the way companies acquire start-ups. So it makes sense that the passive traits of the Persian Empire in Civ 6 add bonuses to internal trade routes and give a free trade route when Political Philosophy is unlocked.
There’s a new tile improvement for Persians too, and if you’re like me and enjoy focusing on trade/gold it’ll make you happy. Called The Pairidaeza it offers culture, gold and appeal to tiles as well as adjacency bonuses to neighboring tiles. It will be interesting to see how the totals stack up against the Economic Hub and Cultural District tiles. And there might be some extra trade route bonuses, too.
‘Civ 6’ Spring 2017 Persian Update Unique Unit: The Immortal
Cyrus the Great will have access to his legendary soldiers, the Immortals, in the Civ 6 Spring 2017 update. You may remember the Immortals from the movie 300, since they were given a special montage dedicated to selling their badassery. In Civilization 6 the immortals will replace the Swordsman unit, and offer a ranged attack instead of melee. They have an increased combat defense though so don’t expect them to fold as easily as archers would. They’re called Immortals for a reason.
There is another combat-related trait unique to the Persians: Fall of Babylon. It grants players a movement speed buff to all soldiers the turn after a surprise war is declared. It also lowers the damaging diplomatic effects of declaring a surprise war but, given how anti-war the AI seems to play in Civ 6 , I’m going to assume it will still incur a hefty warmonger penalty. Still, if you want to play the Persians like Cyrus played the Persians the movement speed boost will be a huge help. Cyrus was known as “King of the Four Corners of the World” and earned that title by having a rapid, highly mobile army.
‘Civ 6’ Spring 2017 Persian Update: The Research
Well if you’ve read this far, then you have an attention span capable of handling this next bit of advice. Do some research. More specifically, listen to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast series on the Persians called King of Kings. It’s a three-part series (episode one is embedded above) that takes about 12 hours to listen to from start to finish. There are some fascinating insights into the Persians, particularly when it comes to culture and religion.
For example, many ancient peoples believed their gods lived inside the various altars and sculptures they kept. So when the Persians conquered people they would let them keep the religion but physically removed their “gods” for display in Babylon. Essentially, people subjugated themselves to the Persians because they thought Cyrus might kill their hostage gods. It’s crazy. And the podcast makes for a great accompaniment to a marathon Civ 6 session, too.
Are you excited for the Persians to come to Civilization 6 ? Any idea what the second civilization is going to be? Already a Dan Carlin fan? Let us know in the comments!
