One of the best strategy games is getting a whole lot better; Civilisation 6 now includes Julius Caesar. Developer Firaxis has added the historical figure to the game as a Roman leader as part of the new leader pass. You can also get Julius Caesar for free in Civ 6, but there’s a small catch on how to do it.
The famed Roman statesman now hasn’t just crossed the Rubicon, as the general can add crossing over from one strategy game to the next to his list of accomplishments as he arrives in the game for free on November 21 as part of the Civilisation 6 leader pass.
That said, there’s a slight catch to unlocking Julius Caesar in Civilisation 6, so just like if you’ve been told to come to a senate meeting the day your wife dreams of your imminent death, you might want to know all the details. Granted, in this scenario you’re not going to be stabbed 23 times in the back and get a bowl of lettuce named after you, you just need to link your 2K account to Civ 6.
You can see the ancient Roman leader in action in the first look trailer of Julius Caesar in Civilisation 6 below.
Civ 6 Caesar also has a new ability in “Veni, vidi, vici,” as the Roman gets 200 gold whenever you conquer a city for the first time, or 100 gold for clearing a barbarian outpost, thanks PC Gamer.
While buff video game Caesar wasn’t something I had on my 2022 bingo card, I’m pleased to see Firaxis keep its depiction of the Roman dictator on-brand, as a core part of his mechanics is getting extra gold for clearing a barbarian outpost, as a reference to his invasion of Gaul. Caesar’s penchant for conquering foreign lands and promising to bring them ‘civilisation’ – or what Rome called civilisation at least – is well documented, so I love how his Civ 6 abilities reflect that.
I’m also going to use this opportunity to share a quote from Plutarch about the time Caesar was kidnapped by pirates (indulge me here, I promise it’s worth it), as it’s one hell of a story.
After telling said pirates to up his own ransom, reading them his own speeches and poetry, and joining in with their games, Caesar was freed from these pirates after 38 days, when he then “took the pirates out of prison and crucified the lot of them, just as he had often told them he would do when he was on the island and they imagined that he was joking.”
If the news of a free Caesar has reignited your interest in Civ 6 we’ve got a list of the best Civilisation 6 mods to spice up your game, alongside the best civilisations in Civ 6 as well, with Rome now going up in my estimations.
