The New Frontier Pass forCivilization 6will finally come to an end next month, with only one more DLC pack on the way. The Season Pass started in May 2020 and has released a new pack forCivilization 6every two months since. Every one of these DLCs has contained at least one new civilization for Firaxis' historical strategy title, and the final pack will be no exception.
There have been both surprises and expected inclusions among the previousfive DLC packs in the New Frontier Pass. Therefore, it’s difficult to predict just what corner of the globe Firaxis will draw from for the final release. Given that this might be the last civilization ever to be added toCivilization 6, rumor and speculation are running high in the community.
Portugal
The first potential civilization that’s fairly likely to appear inCivilization 6’s New Frontier Passis an old favorite of the series. Portugal made its first appearance in the Conquests expansion ofCivilization 3,and since then, it’s gone on to feature in all of the other main-series titles apart fromCivilization 6. The only part of Portugal that appears in Firaxis' latest game is its capital Lisbon, which is an Economic City-State.
As one of the most famous naval and mercantile powers in history, Portugal would probably lean into a economic playstyle. It’s almost certain that the sea-faring nation would get some kind of bonus to trade routes, as well as a coastal start bias. In addition, it’s likely that Portugal would be given a unique ship, either replacing the Caravel, Privateer, or Frigate.
Venice
Another legendary European trading nation from theCivilizationseries that is yet to appear inCivilization 6is Venice, which has an interesting history within the series, appearing in the first two titles merely as a supplementary city name. InCivilization 5,Venice was turned into a full civilization, but with a radically different design. Venice players were limited to a single city, which is usually a death sentence for any other civilization. However, to balance this the mercantile civilization received huge bonuses to trade and the ability toPuppet City-Stateswith Great Merchants. Venice was added toCivilization 6as a City-State in the Vikings, Traders, and Raiders! scenario, before replacing Antioch in the main campaign following the Byzantium & Gaul DLC.
If Venice were to appear as the nextcivilization in the New Frontier Pass, then it’s unclear whether it would keep its unique rule fromCivilization 5. The final DLC of a Season Pass is probably the best place to be experimental, but at the same time Venice was often considered poorly balanced in its previous incarnation. If Venice does make an appearance, players can expect it to be a mercantile, sea-faring civilization, most likely with heavy bonuses to trade and tourism.
Aboriginal Australians
While Australia is already available asa civilization inCivilization 6, it’s possible that the next new civilization may also be from the continent. The current incarnation of Australia inCivilization 6is led by John Curtin, and focuses exclusively on the post-colonial history of the region. This includes the Digger, one ofCivilization 6’s unique units, and the Outback Station Tile Improvement.
This leaves roughly 50,000 years of human history in the region untouched, plentiful material for anew civilization and leader. While it’s hard to predict what kind of focus a Aboriginal Australian civilization might have, likely candidates are Culture and Religion. As the Aboriginals are actually a diverse set of tribes with connected but separate cultural identities and religious beliefs, it’s likely that their civilization would bear some similarities to the Kongolese civilization in this regard.
Players will probably have to wait a few more weeks for Firaxis to reveal which civilization will be arriving in the finalDLC of the New Frontier Pass. No matter which it is, the DLC will also contain a brand newCivilizationmap, as well as a set of new World Wonders for players to construct.
Civilization 6is available for Linux, Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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