Civilization VI April Update Rebalances Over Half of the Game’s Civs, Adds Dog Petting

Civilization VI

As we reported last week, Civilization VI’s New Frontier Pass may be drawing to a close, but the game is getting one more free update this season. Considering the fact Firaxis hasn’t said anything about future content or seasons, this may well be the last major update we can expect for the game. Thankfully, it’s a substantial one! The free Civilization VI April update not only includes new content like the long-demanded trebuchet, but rebalances 27 of the 50 civs available through the base game and DLC. You can get the lowdown on all the new content and civ buffs/nerfs, below.

New Features

New Units

Trebuchet: Medieval Era Catapult upgrade. Siege promotion class. Upgrades into Bombard. Cannot move and attack on the same turn unless they’ve earned the Expert Crew Promotion.

Units now replacing this unit: Khmer Domrey.

Man-At-Arms: Medieval Era Swordsman upgrade. Melee promotion class. Upgrades into Musketman.

Unique units that will upgrade into this unit: Roman Legion, Kongolese Ngao Mbeba, Macedon Hypaspist, Persian Immortal, Maori Toa, and Gallic Gaesatae.

Unique units now replacing this unit: Norwegian Berserker, Japanese Samurai, and Georgian Khevsur.

Line Infantry: Industrial Era Musketman upgrade. Melee promotion class. Upgrades into Infantry.

Unique units that will upgrade into this unit: Spanish Conquistador and Ottoman Janissary.

Unique units now replacing this unit: French Garde Imperiale and English Redcoat.

New Maps

Mediterranean Large Map: A large map of the greater Mediterranean region with resources, terrain, and features reflecting their historic locations.

Earth Huge Map: A larger sized representation of Earth with resources, terrain, and features reflecting their historic locations.

TSL Earth Huge: Civilizations start at the location of their historical capital on the huge Earth map.

TSL Mediterranean: Civs start the location of their historic capital on the large Mediterranean map.

New Game Updates

Civ and Leaders Balance Update

Aztec

Tlachtli: [Base Game] Added +1 Culture. [Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm] Added +2 Culture.

Australia

Coast is now a Tier 2 start bias.

Canada

[Gathering Storm] The Last Best West: Increased the yields of Mines and Lumbermills on Snow, Tundra, Snow Hills, and Tundra Hills to +2 Production. Increased the yield of Camps on these terrains to +2 Food. Farms provide +2 Food on these terrains.

China

Dynastic Cycle: Now when completing a Wonder, receive a random Eureka and Inspiration from the era of the Wonder.

France

Château: +2 Culture and +1 Gold at base. +1 Culture for each adjacent wonder (increasing to +2 with Flight). +2 Gold for being on a River. Must be adjacent to a Bonus or Luxury resource not adjacent to another Château.

Georgia

[Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm] Glory of the World, Kingdom and Faith: No longer receives +100% Faith for 10 turns after declaring a Protectorate War. Instead, combat victories provide Faith equal to 50% of the Combat Strength of the defeated unit (on Standard Speed).

Germany

Rivers are now a Tier 5 start bias.

Greece

Thermopylae: Added +1 Combat Strength for every Military Policy slotted.

Inca

[Gathering Storm] Qhapaq Ñan (leader ability): Added +1 additional Production to Mountains when the game reaches the Industrial Era.

[Gathering Storm] Inca Terrace Farm: Now gives +1 Housing (was +0.5).

[Gathering Storm] Mountains (non-Tundra/Snow) are now a Tier 2 start bias.

Japan

Coast tiles are now a Tier 3 start bias.

Khmer

[Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm] Grand Barays: Cities with an Aqueduct receive +1 Amenity from entertainment and +1 Faith for every Population. Farms provide +2 Food if adjacent to an Aqueduct and +1 Faith if adjacent to a Holy Site.

[Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm] Monasteries of the King: Holy Sites are granted a Major adjacency bonus with Rivers, a Culture Bomb, Food equal to its adjacency bonus, and +2 Housing, if on a River.

[Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm] Prasat: +6 Faith. +0.5 Culture for every Population. Receive +10 Tourism per turn in cities with 10 population. Cities with 20 population are granted double this number.

Kongo

Nkisi: Relics, Artifacts, and Sculptures also give +1 Faith. Removed Great Writers from his additional Great people points.

Korea

[Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm] Three Kingdoms: Mines now receive +1 Science for each adjacent Seowon district. Farms now receive +1 Food for each adjacent Seowon district.

Mapuche

[Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm] Toqui: Cities with an established Governor provide +5% Culture, +5% Production, and +10% Combat Experience towards all units trained in this city. These numbers are tripled in cities not founded by the Mapuche. All cities within 9 tiles of a city with your Governor gain +4 Loyalty per turn towards your civilization.

[Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm] Swift Hawk: +10 Combat Strength when fighting Free Cities or civilizations that are in a Golden or Heroic Age. Defeating an enemy unit within the borders of an enemy city causes that city to lose 20 Loyalty and 40 Loyalty if that player is in a Golden or Heroic Age.

[Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm] Chemamull: Added +1 Production.

Maya

Mayab: farms now recieve +1 Production for every adjacent Observatory.

Ix Mutal Ajaw: Non-capital cities within 6 hexes now also receive a Free builder when the city is founded.

Start bias changes: Grass, Plains, Grass Hills, Plains Hills are now Tier 1 start biases. Tier 2 consists of Plantation luxuries (Gypsum, Ivory, Jade, Marble, Mercury, and Salt). All other terrains (Desert, Snow, Tundra, Desert Hills, Snow HIlls, Tundra HIlls, Desert Mountain, Snow Mountain, Tundra Mountain) are Tier 3 to discourage Coast spawns.

Mongolia

[Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm] Ordu: Now gives XP to Siege units.

Netherlands

Radio Oranje: Domestic Trade Routes provide +2 Loyalty (was +1) per turn for the starting city. Trade Routes sent or receive from a foreign civilization grant +2 Culture (was +1) to the Netherlands.

Nubia

Ta-Seti: Now +30% Production toward Ranged units (was 50%).

Nubian Pyramid: Increase to +2 Faith and +2 Food.

Ottoman

[Gathering Storm] Grand Vizier: Added +1 Governor Title when Gunpowder Technology is unlocked.

[Gathering Storm] Niter is now a Tier 5 start bias.

Persia

Pairidaeza: Appeal bonus reduced to +1 (was +2).

Poland

Lithuanian Union: Taking territory from a foreign city with a Culture Bomb converts it to the majority religion (was only the religion founded by Poland).

Russia

Mother Russia: Reduced the number of free tiles in new cities to 5 (was 8).

Lavra: Moved the Great Writer point to the Shrine, the Great Artist point to the Temple, and the Great Musician point to the Tier 3 Worship building.

Scythia

Kurgan: +1 Faith, +3 Gold. +1 Faith for each adjacent Pasture, becoming +2 Faith with Stirrups. Provides Tourism from Faith after researching Flight.

Spain

Treasure Fleet: May form Fleets and Armadas with Mercantilism, instead of Nationalism and Mobilization. Trade Routes receive +3 Gold, +2 Faith, and +1 Production. Trade Routes between multiple continents receive triple these numbers. Cities not on your original Capital’s continent receive +25% production towards districts and a builder when founded.

El Escorial: Inquisitors can Remove Hersey one extra time. Inquisitors eliminate 100% of the presence of other Religions. Combat and Religious units have a +5 Combat Strength against players following other religions.

All rulesets now feature the buffed Gathering Storm version of the Mission: +2 Faith. +2 Faith additionally, +1 Food, and +1 Production if on a different continent than your Capital. +1 Science for every adjacent Campus and Holy Site. +2 Science once Cultural Heritage is discovered Cultural Heritage. The Loyalty bonus is still Rise and Fall and Gathering Storm only.

Remove Coast start bias.

[Gathering Storm] Geothermal is now a Tier 3 start bias.

Sumeria

[Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm] Adventures of Enkidu: Added +5 Combat Strength to units when they and their ally are at war with a common foe.

Vietnam

[Vietnam and Kublai Khan Pack] Thành: No longer provides a Great General point.

Zulu

[Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm] Isibongo: Buildings in the Ikanda receive +2 Gold and +1 Science.

In addition to the civs, a number of individual units and mechanics have been tweaked. If you need to know about every minor balance change and fix, you can check out the full unabridged patch notes here.

In other very important news, it isn’t mentioned in the patch notes, but Scout units now have a dedicated button allows you to pet their dog. Ah, but this move isn’t without controversy – there’s a unit skin that replaces the Scout’s dog with cats, and in a blatant case of bias, you can’t pet them. Personally, I have no dog in this dog and cat petting fight, as I’m more of a reptile guy. Tell me when there’s a unit that can feed a tortoise a leaf of lettuce.