It must be said that there are already hours and hours of gorgeous gaming content included in Civilization VI. In fact, if there was one game you could effectively play for the rest of the year without getting bored, Civ VI is it. Now though even more options open up to players with the arrival of the latest addition to the New Frontier Pass – the Portugal Pack.
The Civilization VI Portugal Pack will set you back just a little in cash – £3.99 to be precise – but it will allow for the introduction of a new civilization, a new leader, some new World Wonders and a strange-but-true new game mode.
As you have probably guessed from the title of the Portugal Pack, it’s Portugal who are the new Civs this time around. This is therefore a pack that introduces Joao III as their leader, giving you the chance to use his ability which grants all units with the power of Increased Sight. Nicely, he’ll also be able to up your Trade Route capacity, and provides Open Borders should you wish to utilise them.
The main ability of the country itself is that of increased yields in the International Trade Routes, whilst limiting those on the coast or with a Harbor. Thankfully it’s the waters where this new Portugal unit comes into play – the Nau; a naval melee that replaces the Caravel.
That’s not all though and Portugal also brings with it the Navigation School and The Feitoria. We’ll let you find out what they do as you delve into the deep.
The arrival of Portugal also provides players access to a new map script – that of the Wetlands – and two brand new World Wonders. These come in the form of the Torre de Belém which grants additional Gold and Admiral Points, and the Etemenanki – if you’re in the market for new Science points, this has got your back.
Most excitingly though is the new Zombie Defense Game Mode. Totally optional, these sees every unit run with the chance to respawn as the undead when it dies, throwing out numerous Zombie units in the process. With new projects to work with, and a full arsenal of new traps and barricades to enjoy, we have to admit that we’re looking forward to seeing how this all plays out.
Features of all that the new Portugal pack bring are as follows…
Includes the Portugal civilization with João III, the Nau unique unit, and two unique structures, the Navigation School building and the Feitoria…
- • Civ Unique Ability: Portugal’s unique ability, “Casa Da Índia,” significantly increases the yields of International Trade Routes, but limits those routes to cities on the coast or with a Harbor. This ability also grants Trader units additional range and the ability to embark on water tiles as soon as they’re unlocked.
- • Leader Unique Ability: Joao’s unique ability is “Porta Do Cerco,” which grants all units increased Sight. It also increases Trade Route capacity whenever Portugal meets a new civ and provides Open Borders with all city-states.
- • Unique Unit: Portugal’s unique unit, the Nau, is a naval melee unit that replaces the Caravel. It starts with one free Promotion, requires less maintenance than the Caravel, and has two charges to build Feitorias, special shipping ports unique to Portugal.
- • Unique Infrastructure: Portugal has access to two unique structures. -Portugal’s unique building, the Navigation School, replaces the University building and increases Production toward naval units in each city that builds it. It also increases a city’s Science yields for every two coastal or lake tiles within the city’s borders and grants additional Great Admiral points. -The Feitoria can only be built by a Nau unit on a foreign city’s coastal tile next to a luxury or bonus resource. Sending a Trade Route to a city with a Feitoria provides Portugal with additional Gold and Production.
New “Zombies Defense” Game Mode The Portugal pack also introduces the new Zombies Defense game mode. In this optional game mode, the dead don’t stay dead for long and present an ever-growing threat to the world’s civilizations –
- • BRAINS!
- • The Dead Don’t Rest: Every unit has a chance to respawn as a ravenous Zombie when it dies. Zombie units hunger after and attack the nearest non-Zombie unit; any units they slay succumb to the infection and respawn as Zombies themselves.
- • The Living Fight Back: An arsenal of new trap and barricade improvements deal damage to hostile units that pass through or near them and can be built in owned or neutral territory. Zombies’ obsession with brain-banquets and digestive-devastation means they can only fall victim to these improvements and never pillage them.
- • Humanity Takes Control: Two new projects allow civilizations to temporarily subjugate Zombie units within a city’s limits, putting them under player control. The “Holy Site: Turn Undead” project unlocks early, but controls Zombies only briefly. The “Campus: Dark Signal” project unlocks later in the game, but grants additional turns with which to command Zombies’ mindless mayhem. Meanwhile, the “Zombie Outbreak” spy operation attempts to spawn Zombies on worked tiles in another player’s city.
New map script and new World Wonders: The Portugal content pack also includes a new map script and two new World Wonders:
- • Wetlands Map Script: Squelch your way to victory through a soggy map dominated by Marshes. This map offers new strategic challenges and defensive possibilities: while Marshes penalize Movement, careful positioning can allow ranged units to exploit enemies’ reduced speed.
- • Torre de Belém World Wonder: This imposing tower historically served as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon in Portugal. Grants additional Gold and Great Admiral Points. International Trade Routes embarking from this city receive additional Gold for every Luxury Resource at the destination. When constructed, any cities owned by the civilization but located on other continents receive the cheapest building they can construct at that time.
- • Etemenanki World Wonder: The name of this Babylonian ziggurat translates to “temple of the foundation of heaven and earth.” It grants additional Science yields every turn, as well as bonus Science and Production to all Floodplains in the city that builds it and Marsh tiles in that civilization.
So, £3.99 seems like a cracking price to pay for a Portugal pack that looks to seriously enhance an already brilliant Civilization VI. You’ll find the pack from the Xbox Store if you’re playing on Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S, and other formats stores if you’re not.
DLC Description:
This new content pack introduces João III as the leader of Portugal, the new Zombies Defense game mode, a new Map Type and two new World Wonders.
