The Great Commanders Pack followed the Great Negotiators Pack in the Civilization 6 Leader Pass, and features two new Leaders and an alternate Persona for Suleiman the Magnificent. Alongside Suleiman the Magnificent of the Ottomans and Tokugawa Ieyasu of Japan, the DLC also introduced Nader Shah, the second Leader of Persia in Civilization 6.
Nader Shah rose from humble beginnings to the throne of Iran in the early 18th century, and is renowned for his military prowess and tactical genius. Known as the Napoleon of Persia and the Second Alexander, Nader Shah's battlefield brilliance is reflected in his Sword of Persia Leader Ability in Civilization 6.
Nader Shah's Features and Abilities
As the second Leader of Persia, Nader Shah shares the same Civilization Ability, Unique Unit, and Unique Tile Improvement as his ancient predecessor Cyrus. Where he stands apart is through his Sword of Persia Ability, which is still Domination-focused but has different effects to Cyrus' Fall of Babylon.
Name | How it works | |
|---|---|---|
Leader Ability | Sword of Persia |
|
Civilization Ability | Satrapies |
|
Unique Unit | Immortal |
|
Unique Tile Improvement | Pairidaeza |
|
How to Play as Nader Shah
Nader Shah's playstyle is all about capitalizing on early conquests, and turning those territorial gains into long-term success. This strategy begins with the Immortal, one of the most powerful units in Civilization 6. Provided that Nader Shah players can secure an early source of Iron, their melee/ranged-hybrid Immortals will be more than a match for any default Classical Era unit, and with just a Battering Ram or two they'll soon be conquering Cities in the name of Persia. Unless Nader Shah has been fortunate enough to begin with a vulnerable player near to his starting position, the best early targets for these conquests will be City-States, which can be seized before other players form a relationship with them.
Due to the huge domestic Trade Route bonuses that come from stacking Sword of Persia with Satrapies, Nader Shah players will want to conquer at least as many Cities as they found. Persian Trade Routes, with their early capacity boost from Political Philosophy, can then connect these conquer Cities and start generating Gold, Faith, and Culture. As a bonus, these Trade Routes will also construct Persia's advanced roads, allowing the Immortals and future armies to quickly relocate or reach the front-lines.
Although the Immortals come too early to seriously pursue a Domination Victory in Civilization 6, the combat bonus from Sword of Persia will continue to help Nader Shah's armies throughout the game. Because of the way that Civilization 6 units lose combat strength as they take damage, being able to inflict a severe opening strike can easily make the difference between victory and defeat. However, for players who are unable or unwilling to pursue Domination, a Culture Victory is also a viable option for Nader Shah, exploiting the Pairidaeza to produce huge amounts of Culture and Gold.
Civilization 6 is available for iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.