The most recent game in the Civilization series may have been released almost four years ago, but there’s still plenty of people playing Civilization VI, which arguably is the best game in the long-running strategy series to date.
Firaxis has continued to support the game since its launch in October 2016, adding new civilizations (known as “civs” in the game”) and leaders to play as. Actually, the American developer is currently releasing content for its New Frontier Pass, a new season pass which adds news civilizations, leaders and game modes to Civilization VI.
Civs added via the New Frontier Pass include Ethiopia, which was released last July. And Firaxis recently added another civ to the game as part of the season pass. This is Byzantium, which is led by Basil II in the game.
And if one thing is clear is that Byzantium will be big on war and religion in Civilization VI. Those choosing to play as Byzantium needing to keep an eye on their military and make the most of their religious units in order to win victory.
Knowing what religion your opponents are following will also matter when playing as Basil II, as this leader’s unique ability allows cavalry units to do full damage when they attack cities which are of the same religion as Byzantium.
Like all other civs in the game, Byzantium also has some unique units at its disposal. These include a replacement for the Quadrireme (“the Dromon”). This unit could give you an edge in sea battles early in the game due to the Dromon’s greater combat strength.
Meanwhile, the new Tagma unit should help you win many land battles as it’s a more powerful replacement for the knight which grants units close to it extra strength in combat. Any nearby religious units gain religious strength too, making it easier to beat the enemy’s religious units and convert others to your religion.
One of the major new features as those who’ve been playing the game for a while know are the new city districts, and like the other civs Byzantium has a unique district of its own. This is the hippodrome, which replaces the entertainment complex in the game. Aside from being cheaper to build, this grants more amenities, and a heavy cavalry unit, meaning you can keep your citizens content while waging war on your enemies when playing as Byzantium.
Byzantium definitely looks like it will be an interesting civ to play in Civilization VI, adding new possibilities to the game, so here’s hoping Firaxis keeps adding more interesting civs to the game in the months to come.