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Wu Zetian, the only woman in history to rule over China, is one of the many new characters available in theCivilization 6Leader Pass. She boasts espionage capabilities that let her even the playing field even on Deity difficulty. This gives her a narrow but rewarding play style that really shows its strength late in the game.
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Mastering Wu Zetian requires a little bit of discipline, as she relies on very specific Civics and Policies in order to be effective. Once she gets going, Wu can easily pursue any victory type while hampering her opponents at every turn!
Manual Of Entrapment
Wu’s signature ability is theManual Of Entrapment. Her Spies always operate as though they wereone level higherwhen carrying out offensive operations. Better yet, whenever a Spy successfully carries out such a mission, Wu receiveshalf of the target city’s Science and Culture outputfor that turn.
As an added bonus, Wu Zetiangets her first Spy upon researching Defensive Tactics, much earlier than other leaders. From that point forward, no enemy’s secrets are safe!
Early Game Strategy As Wu Zetian
Once you’ve established your initial cities and set up a basic economy, the best move when playing as Wu is to focus ongenerating as much Culture as possible.Spies and their upgrades are unlocked through Civics, so it’s important torush down the Culture Tree quickly.
The Great Wall eventually yields Culture as well as Gold, so it’s well worth building it early!
Your first goal is to unlockDefensive Tactics, which is available in the Classical Era. If you’re targeted by another civilization’s war declaration, you can get a boost for this Civic, which will be larger than normal thanks to China’sDynastic Cycleability.
Along the way, be sure tobuild a Government Plazaso that you’re able to construct an Intelligence Agency there as soon as the building is available.
Related:Civilization 6: Tips For Playing As Julius Caesar
Late Game Strategy As Wu Zetian
Once you unlock Spies, it’s time to put your master plan into action. Check which of your opponents has the highest Science and Culture output, andsend your first Spy to their capital.If you can’t reach the capital,look for cities with both a Campus and a Theater Squaresince you’ll get the most out of the Manual Of Entrapment there.
Once you unlock Diplomatic Service,equip the Machiavellianism Policy and never remove it.It speeds up your Spies' operations and makes them cheaper to recruit!
When your Spy arrives,order them to Gain Sourcesbefore sending them on any other missions. Once that’s done, they’ll operate as though they were a full three levels higher, virtually guaranteeing a successful mission. Early on, the best missions to execute areGreat Work Heist, Steal Technology,andSiphon Funds.
Each time you complete a mission, you’ll get a burst of Science and Culture. Combined with the extra benefits you receive from Dynastic Cycle (which applies to the tech boosts gained from Steal Technology), you’ll be able to quickly catch up on both the Science and Culture Trees.
The Nuclear Espionage Policy doubles the number of tech boosts you get from Steal Technology, which combos amazingly with Dynastic Cycle.
As the game goes on, you’ll be able torecruit more Spies. Be sure to train Spies as soon as they become available, and replace any that are captured or killed (though this should be rare). Late in the game, you canDisrupt Rocketry, Breach Dam.andRecruit Partisansto wreak havoc on whichever player is ahead in your chosen victory condition, while you push toward your goal.
Important Civics
Success as Wu Zetian relies on getting several key Civics as soon as you can. Make these your top priorities throughout the campaign:
Divine Right or Exploration
