Over the years, Civilization 6 has received tons of leader packs and DLC, and the game's leader pool has increased significantly. One of the first leaders to be part of the game when it was first released is none other than Cleopatra herself.
Recently, the Leader Pass DLC added a new take on the classic Egyptian Civ with the release of the Ptolemaic Cleopatra leader. Nevertheless, the base game Civilization 6 version of this leader is just as fun to play and has its own quirks that are worth exploring. This guide will explain Egyptian Cleopatra's abilities, and how they can be used to get a win.
Features And Abilities
Egyptian Cleopatra's leader ability, the Mediterranean's Bridge, is what truly makes her stand out from other Civs. It is also what distinguishes the Egyptian version of Cleopatra from the Ptolemaic one. Her ability adds tremendous value to trading with other Civs and being allies with them; on top of that, it also makes it beneficial and worthwhile to trade with this leader since sending Trade Routes to Egypt grants +2 Food to any other Civ.
The Mediterranean's Bridge is unique to Egyptian Cleopatra, whereas her second ability, the Iteru, and her unique unit, and unique improvements, are all identical to other Leaders of the Egyptian Empire in Civilization 6.
Name | How it works | |
|---|---|---|
Leader Ability | Mediterranean's Bride |
|
Ability | Iteru |
|
Unique Unit | Maryannu Chariot Archer |
|
Unique Improvement | Sphinx |
|
How To Use Egyptian Cleopatra
Egypt's ability, Iteru, makes it the perfect Civ to settle near Floodplains tiles and rivers, especially since their buildings and units won't take damage from any possible floods that may occur. They can build Districts and Wonders on Floodplains, and the workers will build faster if they're placed next to a river. Players that own the New Frontier Pass or the Portugal Pack might want to consider setting up a game on the Wetlands map; it will generate a considerable amount of rivers and Floodplains, which allows players to exploit the Iteru ability as much as possible, and get a head start on the race to build certain Wonders.
The Great Bath and Etemenanki are great Wonders to build while playing Egypt since they take advantage of Floodplains tiles - not only must they be built on Floodplains, but they also improve them. Here is why these Wonders are a plus for Egyptian Cleopatra:
- The Great Bath: It may seem redundant to build the Great Bath while having the Iteru skill (since the player is already immune to floods), but it will still provide +1 Faith each time there is a flood in the city - something that should happen quite often if the player decides to settle near a river.
- Etemenanki: If there's a Wonder that Egypt should attempt to build in Civilization 6, it's definitely Etemenanki. This Wonder adds +1 Science and +1 Production to Floodplains in the city in which it was built, and +2 Science and +1 Production to Marsh tiles in all cities. Since Cleopatra benefits from settling near wetlands, Floodplains and Marsh will be common, therefore Etemenanki will most likely significantly increase yields - a boost that Egypt needs since it doesn't have many advantages when it comes to its Science yields.
When playing this leader, players will most likely be inclined to attempt to get a Cultural or Religious Victory. Of course, it is all up to how the player decides to play, and the conditions the generated map provides. Their access to the Sphinx improvement can offer a generous boost to Culture and greatly increase the amount of Faith they earn per turn. On top of this, since the Sphinx adds +2 Appeal to its adjacent tiles, choosing the Earth Goddess pantheon can be a powerful choice for Egypt; this paired with the fact that if built next to a Wonder +2 Faith is yielded per Sphinx, planning the placement of these improvements is crucial. Even if not pursuing a religion or a Religious Victory, generating Faith is never a bad idea in Civ 6 since it can be used to purchase Great People and certain units.
Even if Egyptian Cleopatra certainly has abilities that push her into pursuing specific victory conditions, she still is a versatile leader, nonetheless. The Mediterranean's Bride ability incentive players to not play an aggressive game, as it is much more beneficial for them if they trade and make allies instead. It's an ability that mostly allows this Civ to yield tons of Gold; paired with the right Civic Cards, Cleopatra's empire can generate impressive amounts of Gold per turn.
It's a great idea to establish as many Trade Routes as possible, especially early on in the game. The Foreign Trade Civic will give players access to Caravansaries, the first Trade Route Economic Policy Card, but later on, Triangular Trade and E-commerce will also become available. With a large Trade Route system, these Policy Cards can significantly increase the Gold generated by Egypt's Trade Routes. This number will only increase if the player builds Commercial Hubs and Harbor Districts in their cities.
Gold, just like Faith, opens many paths in the world of Civilization 6. Players can use it to buy and maintain units to take down cities, they can use it to get a Great Person, or they can even use it to save Production by simply buying Districts and Buildings. Focusing on Culture, Religion, and Trade Routes is the right path to achieving a victory while controlling Egyptian Cleopatra.
Civilization 6 is available for iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.