Kublai Khan comes to Civilization 6 this week with the Vietnam and Kublai Khan DLC, the latest installment in the New Frontier Pass. While Vietnam is adding a brand new Civilization to the game, which could be one of the most defensive Civilizations to date, Kublai Khan is a new leader who can lead two possible Civilizations: Mongolia and China.
Only one other leader, Eleanor of Aquitaine, has led two Civilizations, and Kublai Khan's ability serves as the perfect piece of the puzzle to work with either Civilization. With Kublai Khan, players will be able to lead either Mongolia or China to new heights, while bringing a new playstyle that neither Civilization has seen before.
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Unlike Eleanor of Aquitaine, who's ability stands independent of either Civilization she can lead in Civilization 6, Kublai Khan's ability works hand-in-hand with both Civilizations he can lead. Kublai Khan's ability is Gerege, which grants Kublai an extra Economic Policy slot in any government. While not flashy, having an extra Economic Policy slot can be powerful, especially in early governments. Additionally, Gerege grants Kublai a free Eureka and Inspiration whenever he establishes a Trading Post in an opposing Civilization's city for the first time.
To make the most of this ability, trade timing is key. If players really wanted to maximize the effectiveness of Gerege, they should wait until later in the game to trade with other Civilizations. This may have negative diplomatic repercussions, but later in the game, certain Eurekas can only be acquired through Great Scientists or Spies, so Gerege could be best used to acquire those boosts instead. Of course, that requires players to deliberately not trade with Civilizations and only trade with City-States for a significant portion of the game, and if playing as the Mongolian Kublai Khan, that would be more detrimental that beneficial.
This strategy is likely best used with the Chinese variant of Kublai. Regardless, the Trading portion of Gerege is a nice boost, but it is certainly not a game changer. Players will get a lot more use out of the extra Economic Policy Slot, as many of the best Policy Cards are in the Economic category, and can propel a player toward any Victory Condition - especially a Scientific Victory.
Kublai Khan really shines when Gerege is combined with either China or Mongolia's Civilization Abilities. When leading China, Kublai gets access to the Dynastic Cycle ability which makes it so Eurekas and Inspirations provide an additional 10% Science and Culture cost for those Technologies and Civics, meaning that Eurekas provide 50% of the Science cost and Inspirations provide 50% of the Culture cost. Not only is this just a powerful ability to begin with, Gerege means that players an get free Eurekas and Inspirations just by trading, and those boosts are worth even more.
Again, this would be most impactful if players waited to get these boosts until later in the game for the high-cost, hard-to-boost Techs, but that is definitely a more micro-managing strategy, but with big payoffs. Leading China, Kublai also gets access to the Crouching Tiger unique unit, one of the more powerful unique units in the game, as well as the Great Wall improvement that can help Kublai make even more Gold and Culture in his cities, with bonuses to Tourism as well if going for a Culture Victory.
Leading Mongolia, Kublai Khan can lead a more Domination-focused game thanks to the Ortoo ability. This ability immediately establishes a Trading Post at the start of a trade route, rather than when the route finishes. Additionally, Ortoo grants Mongolia an extra level of Diplomatic Visibility with Civilizations that have a Trading Post from Mongolia, and Mongolia gains double the Combat Strength bonus from having higher level of Diplomatic Visibility than their opponent.
This strategy involves sending Trade Routes to opposing Civilizations, immediately establishing a Trading Post in that City, then attacking that City (while also activating Gerege immediately upon starting the trade rather than at the end of it). Players could just use this for the immediate Gerege activation, but that would be only using part of the Civilization rather than the whole thing. Playing Mongolia, players can definitely climb the ranks as one of the best Domination Leaders in Civilization 6.
Kublai Khan's path to victory entirely depends on which Civilization players choose to lead. If choosing to lead China, Kublai Khan's best chances are with a Science or Cultural Victory. While Kublai lacks the Wonder-building capabilities of China's other leader, Qin Shi Huang, Kublai more than makes up for it thanks to his powerful trade routes and Gerege boosts. The more players that are to trade with, the more powerful Gerege becomes. Combine this with a player who can properly time these trade routes and Kublai will not need to worry about falling behind when it comes to Eurekas and Inspirations. If going for Culture, then use of the Great Wall improvement will be crucial, but again this improvement also nets a great deal of Gold so Kublai will still be making a large amount of money in the process.
On the other hand, if Kublai leads Mongolia, a Domination Victory is by far the best choice to pursue. The combat bonus from the Ortoo ability combined with the boosts to Kublai's Sciences thanks to Gerege make for a deadly combination that will allow Kublai's armies to continue to grow more and more advanced the more players trade and then conquest. It's a deadly combination that really takes full advantage of what Mongolia brings to the table, making Mongolian Kublai Khan a force to be reckoned with. With well-timed war declarations, Kublai Khan can lead a devastating army to a commanding victory quickly, and will leave many other players scrambling to catch up with Kublai's tech-boosted army. Regardless of which Civilization Kublai Khan leads, he brings a new strategy to both that can lead each of the Civilizations to new heights.
Civilization 6 is available now for Linux, Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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