Developer Firaxis announces the Civ 6 DLC Rulers of the Sahara release date and shows off the new leaders coming to its 4X strategy game in February. The fourth pack included in the Civilization 6 Leader Pass comprises two leaders for Egypt along with a second pick for Mali, first introduced to Civilization 6 with the Gathering Storm expansion.
Ramses II, known as Ramses the Great, was the third pharaoh of Egypt’s nineteenth dynasty, and is widely regarded as one of the most powerful and influential leaders in history. His arrival means that he has only been absent from Civilization 3 (where Egypt was led by Cleopatra and Ramses appears as a military leader), having appeared as its leader in every other game in the series to date. Ramses in Civ 5 has a knack for building wonders, using them early on to drive towards a scientific or cultural victory, so we’d expect to see something similar here.
One of the founders of the Mali empire, Sundiata Keita’s life is famously chronicled in a historical poem called the Epic of Sundiata, so perhaps we’ll see that reflected in culture-driven bonuses. You’ll need to own the Civ 6 Gathering Storm DLC to play as Keita, as he leads the Mali civilization introduced in that expansion. Most players with the Leader Pass will likely already have bought this (or the Civilization 6 Anthology edition, which it’s included in), but keep that in mind if you want to try Keita out.
Cleopatra, meanwhile, already appears in Civilization 6 as the initial leader of Egypt, but her Ptolemaic Cleopatra variant will give her an overhaul with a new set of bonuses and unique units. Given the slightly vague name, it’s not immediately apparent what her specialisation will be here. Civ 6’s base Cleopatra emphasises on strong military and trade routes, so perhaps the more direct nod to the Ptolemaic dynasty means we’ll see more of a focus on her building out her own cities and population.
The Civ 6 Rulers of the Sahara release date is February 16. As part of the Leader Pass, the Rulers of the Sahara DLC is free to players who own the Civilization 6 Anthology edition, or those who have purchased all of the content included in that edition prior to the release of the Leader Pass. Firaxis has also previously noted that the remaining two packs are scheduled to release through March, so expect to see the Great Builders and Rulers of England packs soon enough.
It’ll be interesting to see whether this latest release means a shake-up to the best Civilization 6 civs. In the meantime, check out the best Civ 6 mods for plenty of great ways to further expand on one of the best 4X games on PC.