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The second wave ofCivilization 6’s Leader Pass, the Great Commanders, includes a new leader for Persia. Nader Shah provides even more economic bonuses to Persia, letting them reach new heights of power. His play style may not be as underhanded as Cyrus', but make no mistake - Persia under Nader Shah is still very much an aggressive military civilization.
Related:Civilization 6: Tips For Playing As Saladin
Nader Shah allows for a versatile campaign with several victory options. While much of his gameplay revolves around conquest, this can be just as much a means to winning the campaign as it is an end in itself.
Sword Of Persia
Nader Shah’s unique ability comes from an epithet he received due to his extensive military campaigns. His units all receivefive additional Combat Strengthwhen attacking enemies that have full health (though not when defending against them). This means that seizing the initiative and striking first is the best plan when facing foes of similar strength.
Additionally, cities conquered by Nader Shah receive an additionaltwo Faith and three Goldfrom domestic trade routes. Therefore, the core strategy for playing as the Sword of Persia is toconquer as many cities as possibleand get as many trade routes going as you can between them and your capital.
Early Game Strategy For Nader Shah
Many of Persia’s inherent bonuses come into play fast, so the first part of the game should be spent unlocking them. Don’t rush into conquest unless you have a perfect opportunity - instead,settle three to five citiesin your starting area and set up trade routes between them. They won’t get the additional Faith and Gold from Sword of Persia, but they’llstill receive extra Gold and Culturefrom Persia’sSatrapiesability.
Your top priority in the Ancient and Classical Eras issecuring a source of Iron. You’ll need it to field Persia’s unique unit, the Immortals, one of the best Swordsman replacements available. With several Immortal units, a Battering Ram, and maybe a Catapult, you can easily conquer nearby City-States or get a head start on eliminating other players.
As you conquer cities, start shifting your Traders to them as trade routes expire to get the full benefit of Sword of Persia.
If you may, try to construct your cities tomaximize the effectiveness of your Pairidaezas.This unique improvement gets additional yields from nearbyCity Centers, Commercial Hubs, Holy Sites, and Theater Squares. Most Paeridaezas can get at least two of these boosts, and a well-planned city can provide all four! In the best-case scenario, you canbuild a Pairidaeza at the border between two cities, surrounding it with two each of the non-City Center districts.
attempt to get aGovernment Plaza with a Warlord’s Thronebuilt as quickly as possible. This will turn each of your conquests into a global Production bonus! As your empire grows, you’ll alsoneed Amenities to keep up with the increasing demand. Strategically placed Entertainment Complexes (and possibly the Colosseum) are a major help with this!
Related:Civilization 6: Tips For Playing As Julius Caesar
Late Game Strategy For Nader Shah
Nader Shah is positively spoiled for choice in the late game, since his conquests should provide an enormous Gold income, along with extra Faith and Culture from his districts and Pairidaezas. Ideally, you’ll have secured most (if not all) of your home continent by the campaign’s midway point. From there, you have two broad options;continue conqueringin a bit to take over the world, orshift your focusto reaping the benefits of your military accomplishments, building toward a Culture Victory.
Whichever route you pursue, be sure to unlock theClass StruggleCivic even if you don’t plan on adopting Communism. TheCollectivizationPolicy adds four Food to all your domestic trade routes, making it perfect for Persia!
Domination Victory
Pushing for a Domination Victory is largely the same as it would be for any other civilization; eliminate your enemies one at a time, with the intent ofcontrolling each of their capitals. If you founded a religion, you may also pursue a Religious Victory if another player has an insurmountable tech advantage (remember, Persia doesn’t get any Science bonuses!)
Ideally,each newly-conquered city will have a Market or Lighthouse, giving you room for a new Trader. Between both of your trade route bonuses, along with any others you might have from Policies, that’s a minimum income of five Gold per conquered city!
Culture Victory
If you decide to take a more peaceful route in the second half of the game, be sure tofully upgrade all your Theater Squares. Trade for Great Works or send Spies to steal them. If need be, you can also send that big army you still have kicking around to plunder some treasures from other players! Even if you didn’t start a religion, Nader Shah’s extra Faith output makes Holy Sites worthwhile. You can use the additional Faith to hire Great People, Naturalists, and Rock Bands to enhance your Tourism.
Just because you’re going for a Culture Victory doesn’t mean you can’t keep conquering cities. City-States in particular make great targets, since they’re usually well-developed. If a City-State doesn’t have a useful Suzerain Bonus, or they’re firmly in the clutches of your enemies, bring them into your empire to reap the benefits instead!
