The update will be available for free starting February 25

Feb 17, 2021 16:27 GMT  ·  By

Firaxis continues to push out important updates for Civilization VI, its most recent strategy game. After a handful of expansions and at least a dozen of free updates, Civilization VI players are getting an important content addition that brings a new game mode, balance adjustments, as well as other changes based on feedback from players.

Before we deep dive into what's new in the update, let's just mention that the February update is set to go live on February 25, and it will be available for free to anyone who owns Civilization VI. You don't have to own any of the expansions released until today, just the base game.

Now, this month's update adds an important, yet optional, game mode: Barbarian Clans. Also, Civilization VI players are getting the Leader Selection Pool, and, as mentioned before, several balance adjustments.

The new Barbarian Clans mode is supposed to completely change how players interact with the Barbarians. Basically, the upcoming mode introduces six Barbarian Clans that can be found living on or near different map conditions, each specializing in a different type of unit. Barbarian Clans accumulate progress each turn to convert to a city-state, yet players will be able to help or hinder their progress.

Furthermore, destroying a clan will wipe it off the face of the map as usual, while choosing to Raid a clan will earn Gold and knock down some of the progress. It's also possible to stop a clan from attacking cities by paying a Bribe and also Hire a clan to add its strongest unit to a player's army.

Similar to the Natural Wonder Picker and City-state Picker, the February update introduces the Leader Selection Pool. It's quite obvious, but this feature lets players customize the pool of leaders that can be used in the game.

Last but not least, the February update introduces some new adjustments to the AI and balance changes based on player feedback. The vast majority of AI adjustments will focus on air units and air combat where they deploy anti-air defenses and engage in airstrikes more frequently. Also, policy slots have been shifted for certain governments to more accurately reflect how those governments would run in reality and better align to anticipated playstyles.

Civilization VI players will also notice that some Natural Wonders have been rebalanced plus additional text clarifications have been added. Full details about the update will be available in the patch notes that release alongside the update on February 25.