Table of Contents
amazon Sid Meier’s Civilization VI New Frontier Pass reviews
Overview of the New Frontier Pass
The “New Frontier Pass” is essentially a season pass that included six content packs released between May 2020 and March 2021. Each pack introduced new leaders, civilizations, game modes, and additional features, building upon the base game and previous expansions like “Rise and Fall” and “Gathering Storm.” The packs included:
- Maya & Gran Colombia Pack (May 2020)
- Ethiopia Pack (July 2020)
- Byzantium & Gaul Pack (September 2020)
- Babylon Pack (November 2020)
- Vietnam & Kublai Khan Pack (January 2021)
- Portugal Pack (March 2021)
Additionally, the pass introduced several new game modes, including Apocalypse, Secret Societies, Dramatic Ages, Heroes & Legends, and Monopolies & Corporations, each of which brought unique mechanics that could dramatically alter the gameplay experience.
New Civilizations and Leaders
One of the most significant aspects of the New Frontier Pass is the introduction of new civilizations and leaders, each with unique abilities, units, and playstyles that add fresh dynamics to the game. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most impactful civilizations introduced.
1. Maya (Lady Six Sky)
The Maya civilization, led by Lady Six Sky, offers a distinct playstyle that focuses on building cities close to the capital rather than expanding widely across the map. The Maya’s unique ability, “Mayab,” provides bonus amenities and housing for cities within six tiles of the capital, encouraging a compact and efficient empire. Their unique unit, the Hul’che, is a stronger version of the archer, and the Observatory replaces the Campus, offering additional science when placed near farms or plantations. The Maya civilization excels in science and early game development, making it a powerful choice for players who prefer a tightly knit empire with a focus on scientific advancement.
2. Gran Colombia (Simón Bolívar)
Gran Colombia, led by Simón Bolívar, introduces a highly mobile and aggressive civilization that thrives in rapid expansion and conquest. Bolívar’s unique ability, “Campaña Admirable,” grants additional movement to all units and allows for the recruitment of powerful Comandante Generals, who provide bonuses and unique abilities. The Llanero, a unique cavalry unit, gains strength for each adjacent Llanero and heals fully when a Comandante General is nearby, making Gran Colombia formidable in combat. This civilization is ideal for players who enjoy fast-paced gameplay with a focus on military domination.
3. Ethiopia (Menelik II)
Ethiopia, under the leadership of Menelik II, is a civilization built for religious and cultural victory. Menelik’s unique ability, “Council of Ministers,” provides additional culture and science based on the faith output of cities founded on hills. Ethiopia’s unique infrastructure, the Rock-Hewn Church, generates faith and additional yields from hills and volcanic soil. The Oromo Cavalry, a unique unit with increased sight and no movement penalties on hills, allows for effective defense and exploration. Ethiopia’s strengths lie in its ability to generate large amounts of faith, which can be used for religious conversions, cultural advancements, or even military units through the theocracy government.
4. Byzantium (Basil II)
Byzantium, led by Basil II, is a civilization that blends religious warfare with military might. Basil’s unique ability, “Porphyrogénnētos,” grants combat bonuses to units based on the number of converted cities and spreads religion through military conquest. The Tagma, a unique knight unit, boosts the combat strength of nearby units and spreads religion upon defeating enemy units. Byzantium’s ability to convert cities through conquest makes it a powerful option for players who want to combine religious and military strategies. Their unique infrastructure, the Hippodrome, replaces the entertainment complex and provides free heavy cavalry units, further bolstering Byzantium’s military capabilities.
5. Babylon (Hammurabi)
Babylon, led by Hammurabi, introduces a unique playstyle focused on rapid technological advancement at the expense of traditional science generation. Babylon’s unique ability, “Enuma Anu Enlil,” instantly completes the eureka for technologies, but reduces overall science output. This ability encourages players to focus on triggering eurekas through specific actions, which can lead to rapid progress through the tech tree. The Sabum Kibittum, a unique melee unit, provides additional movement for nearby units, enhancing Babylon’s early game mobility. The Palgum, a unique building that replaces the Water Mill, provides additional housing and production, making Babylon a versatile civilization that rewards strategic planning and adaptability.
6. Vietnam (Bà Triệu)
Vietnam, led by Bà Triệu, offers a civilization that excels in defensive play and cultural victory. Vietnam’s unique ability, “Nine Dragon River Delta,” allows their unique districts to be built on rainforest, marsh, or woods, with each type providing different bonuses. The Voi Chiến, a unique medieval ranged unit, replaces the crossbowman and has additional movement in woods, making it highly effective in defensive battles. Vietnam’s ability to generate culture and defense from natural terrain makes it a powerful option for players who prefer a more passive and defensive playstyle, focusing on cultural dominance and strong territorial control.
7. Portugal (João III)
Portugal, led by João III, is a civilization focused on maritime trade and exploration. Portugal’s unique ability, “Casa da Índia,” provides extra trade routes and increased yields from international trade routes, especially those originating from coastal cities. The Nau, a unique naval unit, replaces the Caravel and has the ability to create Feitorias, special trading posts that provide bonuses to trade routes. Portugal’s strengths lie in its ability to generate large amounts of gold and resources through trade, making it an ideal civilization for players who want to dominate the world economy and expand their influence through commerce.
New Game Modes
The New Frontier Pass introduced several new game modes that significantly altered the gameplay experience. These modes are optional and can be toggled on or off before starting a new game, allowing players to tailor their experience to their preferences.
1. Apocalypse Mode
The Apocalypse Mode ramps up the natural disasters introduced in the “Gathering Storm” expansion, making them more frequent and devastating. Additionally, it introduces the Soothsayer unit, which can trigger natural disasters at the cost of diplomatic favor. This mode also includes the possibility of a world-ending comet strike, adding a sense of urgency and chaos to the game. Apocalypse Mode is perfect for players who enjoy a high-stakes, unpredictable environment where survival becomes a central concern.
2. Secret Societies Mode
Secret Societies Mode introduces four secret societies: the Owls of Minerva, the Hermetic Order, the Sanguine Pact, and the Void Singers. Each society offers unique benefits and abilities, and players can align with one to gain powerful bonuses. This mode adds an intriguing layer of strategy, as players must decide whether to reveal their allegiance to a secret society or keep it hidden to avoid potential diplomatic repercussions. The societies also provide unique units, buildings, and governors, adding depth and variety to the gameplay.
3. Dramatic Ages Mode
Dramatic Ages Mode intensifies the mechanics of Golden and Dark Ages from the “Rise and Fall” expansion. In this mode, players no longer experience normal ages; instead, they alternate between Golden and Dark Ages, with each transition being more impactful. Entering a Golden Age provides stronger bonuses, while falling into a Dark Age can cause cities to rebel and form Free Cities. The added pressure to maintain a Golden Age or mitigate the effects of a Dark Age adds a new level of challenge and strategy to the game.
4. Heroes & Legends Mode
Heroes & Legends Mode introduces legendary figures from mythology and history as playable units. These heroes, such as Hercules, Beowulf, and King Arthur, possess powerful abilities that can turn the tide of the game. However, they are not permanent and have a limited lifespan, requiring players to use them strategically. The mode adds a fantastical element to the game, allowing for unique strategies and epic moments as players harness the power of these legendary heroes.
5. Monopolies & Corporations Mode
Monopolies & Corporations Mode significantly enhances the economic aspect of “Civilization VI” by introducing new strategic elements tied to luxury resources. The ability to create Corporations allows players to combine multiple copies of a luxury resource into a single entity that generates additional gold, culture, and tourism. This adds depth to the resource management aspect of the game, as players must strategically decide which resources to monopolize and how to maximize their benefits.
When a player gains control of all the resources of a specific type on the map, they can create a Monopoly, which dramatically increases the tourism generated by that resource. This can be a game-changer for players pursuing a cultural victory, as monopolizing luxury resources can lead to a massive influx of tourists, speeding up the path to victory.
The creation of Industries and Corporations adds new layers to city development and trade route management. Industries are smaller-scale corporations that boost city yields, while Corporations can be expanded into other cities and even internationally. These new economic structures encourage players to focus on resource acquisition and trade, as controlling key resources can lead to an economic powerhouse that dominates the game.
This mode also introduces a competitive element, as other civilizations will vie for control of valuable resources. Players may find themselves engaging in diplomatic negotiations or even wars to secure resources needed for their Monopolies and Corporations. The added layer of economic warfare enriches the gameplay experience, offering new ways to interact with opponents and the global economy.
New Frontier Pass – With many fans of the 4X game genre (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate – explore, expand, exploit, destroy), the Civilization series of genius game designer Sid Meier has become one of the defining games and also the exemplary “measurement” for this game genre, it is even the inspiration for many other 4X games such as Age of Wonders: Planetfall, Stellaris or Imperiums: Greek Wars was just released last year.
Although Sid Meier’s Civilization VI – the latest version of the series has also entered its 5th year with the two expansions Rise and Fall and Gathering Storm bringing many improvements in gameplay and graphics engine, it seems that Firaxis Games does not intend to “death” this game to launch a newer version shortly as usual.
Is a “collection” of extensive content worth it for fans of the series?
Usually, with the 4X strategy game genre, game developers focus a lot more effort on creating balanced and creative gameplay than investing heavily in developing graphics and sound.
Is it possible that the “illustrative” images are hand-drawn magnificently, which is easy to see in other relatively successful 4X games like Imperiums: Greek Wars or Endless Space 2.
But with Sid Meier’s Civilization VI in general and the New Frontier Pass expansion content pack in particular, since the two major expansions Rise and Fall and Gathering Storm, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI has had a significant upgrade in terms of graphics and gameplay, the most obvious being the good compatibility with the DirectX12 platform with “heavy” effects.
Even the built-in benchmarking tool is enough to “frustrate” mid-range gaming PCs at 4K resolution.
That’s why you will be “enjoying” a 4X game with the most “sparkling” graphics platform today, enough “rolls” for even young gamers, who think that the game 4X games for older gamers.
Similar to the “pure” style in terms of graphics, the expansion content packages in the New Frontier Pass are “cared for” extremely carefully in terms of sound.
For example, the most recent content expansion is the Vietnam & Kublai Khan Pack, the team of artists has had a thorough study of both civilizations to come up with a relatively suitable character and project designs.
Of course, they still “make use of” a lot of the models available in the original game and previous expansion versions, but it must be said that the development team is very responsible and put in a lot of work elaborate, bringing unique buildings and military units.
The music is also carefully cared for with brand new background songs composed by longtime Firaxis Games composer, Geoff Knorr, with a very characteristic sound of new people.
Indeed, with new peoples such as the nomadic tribe of Kublai Khan or Babylon of King Hamurabi, the writer is not too familiar with the musical styles of these ancient peoples.
Of course, from a historical perspective, what is shown in the New Frontier Pass content package has too many absurd elements, such as the function of building a citadel and occupying land civilization, causing a lot of controversy player’s game is more historical, but remember, both the Civilization series in general and the Sid Meier’s Civilization VI game, in particular, are “pseudo-historical” products, and even Sid Meier once admitted that he did not too interested in historical issues.
So you do not need to be too sharp when playing the game.
In addition, you will have a new game item “Heroes and Legends” included with the Babylon Pack content, with some “epic” characters that will be “unlocked” as you build buildings. respective culture.
This is also an “extra” element that is quite gentle for players to learn, without too much influence on the main gameplay of the game.
Looks good, and is fun to play, but the New Frontier Pass expansion pack can be seen as an “ambitious” version of the manufacturer when it is priced at up to 40 USD, almost the same as the launch price of a game title belongs to the “blockbuster” on PC.
Although it has a “softer” price than buying each DLC separately, the New Frontier Pass content pack does not bring basic upgrades, feel worth playing, or re-experienced like the two. Rise and Fall and Gathering Storm versions have done it before.
Each DLC content is separate, although extremely rich, bringing 6 ethnicities and dozens of “leaders” with many other new contents, but all of them are just simple “extra” dishes that get bored quickly for those who have “training” bored with the game for the past 5 years.
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Conclusion
“Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: New Frontier Pass” is a significant and ambitious expansion for an already complex and richly detailed game. It introduces a wealth of new content that enhances the gameplay experience, offering new civilizations, leaders, game modes, and mechanics that keep the game feeling fresh and exciting. Whether you’re a veteran player looking for new challenges or a newcomer seeking to dive into the world of Civ VI, the New Frontier Pass provides a robust and engaging package that adds countless hours of gameplay.
The new civilizations each bring unique strategies and playstyles, ensuring that no two games are ever the same. The game modes offer a level of customization that allows players to tailor their experience to their preferences, whether they’re looking for a more chaotic, unpredictable game or one focused on economic dominance. The visual and audio quality continues to impress, with each new leader, unit, and building meticulously crafted to fit seamlessly into the game’s aesthetic.
However, the New Frontier Pass is not without its challenges. Issues with balance, stability, and accessibility have been raised by the community, and while Firaxis has worked to address these concerns, they remain areas for improvement. Despite these criticisms, the New Frontier Pass stands as a worthy addition to the Civilization VI experience, offering a rich and varied expansion that will appeal to both new and veteran players alike.
In conclusion, the New Frontier Pass is a testament to the enduring appeal of the Civilization series and the dedication of its developers to keep the game evolving. It’s a must-have for fans of the series, offering a treasure trove of content that enhances the game’s replayability, depth, and strategic complexity. Whether you’re leading the Maya in a quest for scientific dominance, guiding Portugal to economic supremacy, or unleashing the power of mythological heroes, the New Frontier Pass provides endless possibilities for players to explore and enjoy.