'Civilization VI' Introduces Playable Kongo Civ In Series Debut

A cultural powerhouse with early population benefits.

The Kongo civilization will make its debut in the 'Sid Meier's Civilization' series when 'Civilization VI' launches later this year, and developer Firaxis has released an introduction video breaking down the benefits of this African civilization and its leader, Mvemba a Nzinga.

The Kongo civilization gets a couple of distinct advantages in the early game. Their unique combat unit is an early-game melee unit that can withstand more ranged attacks than its Swordsman counterpart, is not hindered by woods or rainforest, and costs no iron to build. Kongo also has a unique district that replaces the Neighborhood. It can be built sooner in the game, allowing Kongo to build up a greater population earlier on.

After its early-game benefits, the Kongo civilization can become a dominant cultural force, with bonuses to certain Great Works and an increased generation of Great Artists. Kongo is also in a unique place in terms of the game's religion system. They cannot build Holy Sites themselves, but they do gain the founder beliefs of any religion established in the majority of Kongo cities.

You can check out the in-game art and models for the Kongo civilization in the reveal video below.

Source: Firaxis