Civilization 6: Qin Shi Huang the Unifier Leader Guide

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The Rulers of China Pack was the third of six DLCs offered in the Civilization 6 Leader Pass, and introduced two brand-new Leaders as well as an alternate Persona for Qin Shi Huang. The Qin Shi Huang the Unifier Persona represents the early military campaigns of the first Emperor of China, and introduces a new way to deal with Barbarians to Civilization 6.

Before he could gain the Mandate of Heaven and get to work building Wonders, first Qin Shi Huang had to end the Warring States period and unify China. To represent the order he created from chaos, his unique Ability Thirty-Six Stratagems allows his land melee units in Civilization 6 to sacrifice themselves in order to convert all adjacent Barbarians.

Qin Shi Huang the Unifier's Features and Abilities

Civilization 6 Qin Shi Huang the Unifier Loading Screen

As a Leader of China, Qin Shi Huang the Unifier has the same Civilization Ability, Unique Unit, and Unique Tile Improvement as Wu Zetian, the original Qin Shi Huang, and Kublai Khan. Where he differs is through his Leader Ability Thirty-Six Stratagems, which allows him to rapidly grow his military.

	Name	How it works
Leader Ability	Thirty-Six Stratagems	All land melee units gain a new action that will convert Barbarians This consumes the unit and places all adjacent Barbarians under Chinese control
Civilization Ability	Dynastic Cycle	Eurekas and Inspirations provide an extra 10% Science and Culture cost Completing a Wonder grants a Eureka and an Inspiration from that Wonder's Era
Unique Unit	Crouching Tiger	Unique Chinese Medieval Era Ranged unit Unlocked after researching the Machinery Technology Replaces the Crossbowman - Cheaper and higher Ranged strength but 1 less Range 2 Movement, 2 Sight 50 Ranged strength, Range 1 30 Melee strength 3 Gold maintenance cost
Unique Tile Improvement	Great Wall	Unique Tile Improvement unlocked by the Masonry Technology Grants Defense strength and fortification to occupying units +2 Gold +2 Gold for each adjacent Great Wall +2 Culture for each adjacent Great Wall (Requires Castles Technology) Provides Tourism equal to its Culture output (Requires Flight Technology) Can only be pillaged but never removed by disasters Can only be built on the current border of a Chinese City

How to Play as Qin Shi Huang the Unifier

Civilization 6 Qin Shi Huang the Unifier converting barbarians

Qin Shi Huang the Unifier is the only military-focused Leader of China in Civilization 6, and with luck and skill, his Thirty-Six Stratagems can quickly result in a massive army. Unlike most Leaders in Civilization 6, Huang the Unifier wants to protect and carefully curate the Barbarian camps around his starting City, allowing them to build up forces which he can then convert to swell his army. Barbarians camps that spawn near horses are particularly valuable, as they can often produce Horse Archers and Horsemen that will easily dominate the battlefield in the early game.

Huang the Unifier players will get the most use out of his unique Ability in the first ~50 turns of a game of Civilization 6, when Barbarian hordes are more numerous and Camps spawn more frequently. By carefully using their melee units to convert large groups of Barbarians, Huang players can amass the kind of army that will allow them to challenge City-States or other players far earlier than any other civilization. Aggressively taking territory during this period can allow Qin Shi Huang the Unifier to establish a powerful empire, and from there snowball into a Civilization 6 Victory type of his choosing.

Alternatively, players can choose to double-down on Thirty-Six Stratagems, and pursue a complete Domination Victory through the vast armies they've accumulated. While Barbarians may still be found on islands and the edges of the map in the mid and late-game, it's also possible to convert Barbarian rebels that have spawned due to unhappiness. A Qin Shi Huang player who has accumulated strength through the Eras and upgraded their converted-Barbarian army to the latest technology will have a powerful advantage when pursuing a Domination Victory.

Civilization 6 is available for iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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