On June 19th, Firaxis Games will release the first expansion pack to the 2010 game of the year, Civilization 5. The expansion will change and enhance the game in a variety of ways. Religion, first introduced in Civilization 4, is brought back into the game, in addition to enhanced espionage mechanics, new civilizations, wonders, city-states, enhanced naval combat and new scenarios.
The core game mechanics of Civilization 5 will remain the same. The addition and enhancements however deepen the game and improve its gameplay. By far and away, the most significant change is religion. Players can found a religion and customize virtually every aspect of its focus and evolution. “Faith” becomes a resource like money and culture that you can choose to spend in a variety of ways. Great Prophets are introduced to enhance and expand on the religion you found. Religion is highly influential in the first 2/3 of the game but the tapers off toward the modern era.
Espionage in a way takes the place of religion in the modern era. As in previous games, spies can steal technologies from rival civilizations, rig elections and perform reconnaissance missions. Unlike previous games, however, spies cannot be built in cities. Instead, they are rewarded at certain key moments in the game.
City-states have been completely overhauled to add more variety to the game. Gold has become less important and more variety added to city-state quests. Two new kinds of city states have been added: Mercantile and Religious. Accessing unique luxury resources and enhancing your religious gameplay is now an option.
Naval combat has changed dramatically. Naval combat units have divided into two classes: ranged and melee. Cities on the coast are now vulnerable to attack. In addition, embarked units can defend themselves and can stack on top of naval units to increase their defense. A new Great Person, the Great Admiral, has also been added, enhancing naval combat strategy.
The Gods and Kings expansion introduces nine new civilizations including Austria, Maya and the Netherlands. It features nine new world wonders, 27 new units and 13 new buildings as well as three new scenarios set in the fall of rome, medieval times, and the pre-industrial world. This expansion is sure to bring hours of new and more exciting gameplay to the already award winning game and franchise. Having played extensively when the original Civilization 5 came out in 2010, this expansion is sure to doom me to hours of epic gaming!