Civilization 6: Yongle Leader Guide

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The Rulers of China DLC Pack launched as part of the Civilization 6 Leader Pass, offering two brand-new Leaders as well as an alternative Persona for Qin Shi Huang. Along with Wu Zetian and Qin Shi Huang the Unifier, the Civilization 6 DLC also included the scholarly Leader Yongle.

Yongle was the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and oversaw the construction of both the Forbidden City and the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing. Yongle's unique bonus allow him to set up for any victory type in Civilization 6, but he's particularly suited to pursuing a Cultural or Religious Victory.

Yongle's Features and Abilities

Yongle shares the same Civilization Ability, Unique Unit, and Unique Tile Improvement as the other Leaders of China, Wu Zetian, Qin Shi Huang, and Kublai Khan. However, his Lijia Ability offers a set of versatile Projects that allow him to carefully manage the output of his Cities.

	Name	How it works
Leader Ability	Lijia	All Cities gain three unique repeatable Projects which can convert Production into Food, Faith, or Gold The Lijia (Food) Project converts 50% of Production into Food The Lijia (Faith) Project converts 50% of Production into Faith The Lijia (Gold) Project converts 100% of Production into Gold Cities with 10 or more Population gain +2 Gold, +1 Science, and +1 Culture for every Population (Rise and Fall Expansion only)
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 Yongle

Yongle's Lijia ability is one of the most impactful Leader bonuses in Civilization 6. The three Lijia projects can allow a Yongle player to carefully micromanage their Cities, boosting their Food, Faith, or Gold income whenever it's most needed.

Lijia (Food) will allow Cities with high Production to grow their Population quickly, though players must be careful that any gains won't be reversed by starvation as soon as the Project ends. Lijia (Faith) can be helpful in getting out early Missionaries and Apostles, or upping Faith in time to repel incursion by another player's Religion. Finally, Lijia (Gold) can turn the surplus Production of a developed City into versatile Gold, which can be then be spent on buildings and tiles in another City that isn't as advanced.

In the early game, Yongle players will mostly want to use their Lijia Projects sparingly, as there are many important uses for Production in the first 20 turns. Once a City is running out of important buildings, Lijia (Food) can be used to promote rapid growth, or Lijia (Faith) can secure an early Religious advantage. Yongle players with the Rise and Fall Civilization 6 DLC should aim to get all their Cities to at least 10 Population to secure the passive bonus from the Lijia ability.

There are several Civilization 6 victory conditions that Yongle can pursue using his unique Projects. The other China abilities make both Culture and Science victories easier, and Yongle can further boost their respective incomes with a Lijia-fed Population. Alternatively, Lijia (Faith) can be used in the late-game to massively boost Faith production, allowing Yongle to quickly spread his religion across the map to secure a Religious Victory.

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

MORE: How to Get Visiting Tourists and Win a Culture Victory in Civilization 6