Quick Links
China has more playable leaders than any other nation inCivilization 6, but their original ruler from the game’s launch is, fittingly, Qin Shi Huang. The first person to rule over a unified China, Qin is famously entombed with the Terracotta Army.
Related:Civilization 6: Tips For Playing As Wu Zetian
The Leader Pass added several new characters for players to try on the Chinese throne, including an alternate version of Qin Shi Huang. Whether you prefer Qin’s original, Wonder-focused gameplay or are excited to try his new Unifier persona, this guide will help you build a mighty empire to rival the real China at its height.
Qin Shi Huang, Mandate Of Heaven
Qin’s original ability,The First Emperor, gives him an edge in early Wonder building. He can use Builder charges tospeed up construction of Ancient and ClassicalWonders, giving him an edge in beating other players to powerful early-game effects. He also getsan additional charge for all his Buildersandunlocks Canalsmuch earlier, potentially allowing for some tricky plays.
The Mandate Of Heaven combos well with China’s civilization ability,Dynastic Cycle.Whenever China completes a Wonder, it receives a Eureka and an Inspiration from the same Era as the Wonder if any are available. Considering that China also gets larger boosts from Eurekas and Inspirations, this means that building lots of Wonders early can help Qin pull ahead in the tech tree!
Once the game enters the Medieval Era, you can shift your focus to improving and expanding your cities.Get six Farms up and runningto boost Feudalism, then unlock it as soon as possible to get theSerfdomPolicy. This gives your Builders even more charges, letting youimprove many tilesfor a comparatively small investment. From there, it’s simply a matter of picking a victory type and riding your efficient, Wonder-filled cities to a win!
Recommended Early Wonders
Even with enhanced Builders, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to build every single Wonder in the game’s first two Eras. Instead, it’s best to prioritize Wonders that will eithergive you a major edge right awayor willprovide significant value over the course of the game.
TheHanging GardensandOracleare good choices for Ancient Wonders, providing a global increase topopulation growthandGreat People recruitment, respectively. If you have Desert terrain near your starting position, try to build thePyramids, which will give your Builders yet another charge!
Stonehenge might be tempting, but it’s always best tobuild Holy Sites and Shrinesto start a religion instead. Without them, you won’t be able to train Missionaries to spread your new faith!
When you reach the Classical Era, theColosseumcan provide excellent value through its bonus Amenities. Meanwhile, theGreat Librarycan save a ton of Science and Culture by granting a boost to every Ancient and Classical tech that you haven’t yet unlocked - complete with China’s bonus!
If you’re planning an early war, theStatue Of Zeusand of course theTerracotta Armyshould provide plenty of extra troops.
Related:Civilization 6: The Best Wonders To Build First
Qin Shi Huang, The Unifier
Clad in ornate bronze armor, Qin’s Unifier persona has a decidedly more militaristic focus than his imperial robes. His ability,The Thirty-Six Stratagems, is much more powerful than it appears. All of Qin’s melee units gain the ability to convert Barbarians; this sacrifices the melee unit but immediately and permanently recruits all adjacent Barbarian units into China’s military!
The Thirty-Six Stratagems make Qin the Unifiernearly immune to Barbarian invasions, as even a surrounded city can easily be saved by converting the attackers! It also allows Qin toquickly build an early armyeven on high difficulty settings - simply walk your starting Warrior up to a Barbarian camp and convert the defenders.
The key to using the Thirty-Six Stratagems is toalways trade up. Make sure you’re getting more troops for your melee unit, or better ones - ideally both!
Barbarians advance in technology alongside the player civilizations, so it’s a good idea toscout out modern Barbarian campsat the edges of the map throughout the campaign. New camps only spawn in spaces whereno player has line of sight, so they’ll usually pop up on unsettled islands or at the poles.Square Rigging, Steam Power, andCombustioncan make it easier to recruit these camps, as they allincrease the movement rate of embarked melee units.
The Unifier can make excellent use of China’s unique unit, the Crouching Tiger, as well as the Great Wall. A large force of recruited Barbarians supported by the Crouching Tiger’s high ranged attack makes hima fearsome combatant in the Medieval Era, especially if these troops are enhanced by the Terracotta Army.
Don’t just rely on recruited Barbarians - be sure to train your own troops to supplement them and guarantee overwhelming numbers. Support units likeMedicscan be a big help in the late game as well!
The Great Wall, meanwhile, canprovide extra Goldto help with the maintenance costs of your growing forces. As an added bonus, it will alsogenerate a lot of Cultureonce you unlock Castles! With a large army at your command, you can seize a Domination Victory with relative ease.
Barbarian Clans Strategy
If you’re playing with the Barbarian Clans game mode activated, you can turn nearby outposts into constant sources of manpower! Simply wait for the Barbarians to spawn new armies andrecruit them en masse, being careful not to disperse the clan. It helps to surround the outpost, since other players will try to destroy it.
you’re able to alsohire units directly from the Barbarians. Be warned that this will eventually cause the outpost to become a City-State, so you may need toraid them occasionallyto keep their progress down.
