Highlights
- Civilization 6 features over 60 unique leaders with their own bonuses and agenda, offering diverse gameplay experiences for each character.
- Eleanor of Aquitaine is a standout leader in Civilization 6, capable of leading both England and France with special loyalty manipulation abilities.
- Eleanor’s pacifist strategy focuses on manipulating loyalty mechanics to peacefully dominate enemy cities and secure victories in the game.
Civilization 6 is home to well over 60 distinct world leaders, and over 80 if their alternate personas are included. Though some civilizations share leaders, each and every figurehead has their own unique set of leader bonuses and their own leader agenda which dictates how they act when controlled by an AI player. With over 60 leaders, Civilization 6‘s roster can feel a little crowded, but Firaxis has done a pretty consistent job of making each playable character stand out, though, of course, some aren’t as equal as others.
Civilization 6‘s roster certainly has its favorites. From Abraham Lincoln’s unmatched melee attack strategies to Yongle’s ability to suddenly produce more food or faith at will, Civilization 6 is home to plenty of overpowered leaders, just as it’s home to some unfortunately weak characters that are rarely picked nowadays. Though she isn’t as obviously overpowered, Eleanor of Aquitaine definitely belongs in the former camp, offering up a strategy unlike any other leader in Civilization 6.
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Eleanor of Aquitaine Is One of Civilization 6’s Most Unique Leaders
Eleanor of Aquitaine Can Lead Both England and France
Added to the game back in February 2019, Eleanor of Aquitaine was the first Civilization 6 leader who could lead two nations, those being England and France. Currently, Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of just two leaders that can be used with more than one nation, with China and Mongolia’s Kublai Kahn being the only other. One of the wealthiest women of the 12th century, Eleanor of Aquitaine had a long and illustrious life, being the Duchess of Aquitaine, the Queen of France, and the Queen of England before dying at the impressive age of 82.
Eleanor became Duchess of Aquitaine at 15 years old and Civilization 6 actually makes some subtle nods to this. When ruling France as Eleanor of Aquitaine, her character model is noticeably younger than when she rules for England, as her real-life counterpart didn’t become Queen Consort of England until she was 30. Though Eleanor’s garments stay the same no matter which Civilization she’s batting for, her headwear does change, with her English iteration wearing a crown of roses, while her French version wears a golden crown.
Another subtle touch on Firaxis’ part is that each version of Eleanor has their own diplomacy screen background, with the French one standing in front of Poitiers Palace, while the English one stands in front of Fontevraud Abbey.
Eleanor of Aquitaine Thrives on Pacifist Tactics
But while her visual design and ability to control two different Civilizations are great, they aren’t Eleanor of Aquitaine’s most standout feature. Though players can technically go for any type of victory with Eleanor, she absolutely thrives in the hands of a complete pacifist. Eleanor was originally added to Civilization 6 about a year after it received its 2018 Rise and Fall DLC expansion, an expansion that added a new loyalty mechanic.
If players’ populations become too unhappy, or certain decisions cause them to revolt, the players’ cities will decrease their loyalty. If a city’s loyalty gets drastically low, the population can overthrow the government, ousting the player and resulting in a free city that anyone can claim.
What makes Eleanor of Aquitaine such a dangerous leader is her ability to manipulate this loyalty mechanic. Eleanor’s Leader Bonus, Court of Love, allows the player to decrease any nearby enemy-controlled cities’ loyalty by one per turn. This affects any city within nine tiles, and this point value increases by one for every Great Work in Eleanor’s own cities.
Any other player-controlled city that loses all of its loyalty, and is within nine tiles of Eleanor, doesn’t become a free city but instead transfers rule directly over to Eleanor. Using this Leader Bonus efficiently can lead to some satisfyingly peaceful domination victories.
Sid Meier’s Civilization 6
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Civilization 6 is the sixth mainline entry in the Sid Meier’s franchise and sees tons of upgrades to the entertaining and engaging 4x Strategy release. This installment features updated graphics, new game modes, and tons of leaders for players to choose from.
- Franchise
- Civilization
- Released
- October 21, 2016
- Genre(s)
- Strategy
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op , Local Co-Op
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Drug Reference, Language, Mild Violence, Suggestive Themes
- How Long To Beat
- 23 Hours
- Metascore
- 88
- Number of Players
- 1-6
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
