Civilization 6: Gathering Storm isn’t just bringing foul weather and climate change to Firaxis’s 4X romp, new Civs are coming, too. Hungary is marching into the game with its leader, Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary and Croatia. Point your eyes towards the new trailer above and get your first look at both of them.
Hungary’s an interesting Civ that’s designed to get you expanding quickly. Its unique ability, Pearl of the Danube, makes any building constructed across a river from the city centre quicker to build, so if you set up shop near the water, your burgeoning settlement will get a leg up. This could also be paired with a religion similarly designed to take advantage of rivers.
If your city is near a geothermal fissure, even better. Hungary’s unique building is a thermal bath, replacing the zoo, which provides amenities and production to every city centre in range, and even more amenities and tourism if there’s a fissure nearby.
Making pals is a big part of playing as Hungary, mostly so you can become even more powerful and vanquish your enemies. The Huszár, for instance, receives a combat bonus for every active alliance, making the unique unit a powerhouse if you’ve made loads of friends. It’s a theme that continues into the leader abilities, too.
When Matthius Corvinus levies troops from an allied city-state, the units get extra movement and combat strange, and it doesn’t cost a penny to upgrade them. When units are levied, Hungary also sends two envoys to the city-state, strengthening the alliance. The Black Army is Corvinus’ unique unit, and it gets stronger when it’s surrounded by levied units.
Hungary looks like a solid Civ faction on paper, with some clear diplomatic and military routes to victory, and the city-state and levy bonuses seem like a good fit given that the expansion aims to give city-states a bit more prominence. To compete with them, other civs and players will need to forge their own alliances with city-states, as well, denying them bonuses.
Civilization 6: Gathering Storm is due out on February 14. How romantic.
