Civilization VI Rise And Fall Guide: When & How To Use Governors

10.0
  • Simulator
2016-10-21
A new trailer explains the new gameplay features coming to Civilization 6: Rise and Fall.
A new trailer explains the new gameplay features coming to Civilization 6: Rise and Fall. (C) 2K GAMES, FIRAXIS

Governors are one of the new features to hit Civilization VI Rise and Fall. Governors are a special NPC that can be assigned to your own cities or, in Amani the Diplomat’s case, a city-state. Governors increase Loyalty per turn in each city they’re in. Governor titles can be spent on either adding a new Governor or granting a promotion to an existing Governor. Both options come in handy depending on whether you’re playing wide (many cities, not necessarily well-populated) or tall (few cities, but populous). Here’s the skinny on every Governor in Rise and Fall and the benefits they can offer your civilization.

Victor the Castellan

Military focused, once established in a city, Victor is instrumental in strengthening, preserving and defending it from foreign threats.

Turns to establish: 3

Loyalty per turn: 8

  • Increases garrison combat strength by 5.

  • Garrison Commander: Units defending within the city’s territory get +5 combat Strength.

  • (Requires Garrison Commander) Security Expert: Enemy Spies operate at 2 levels below normal in this city.

  • Defense Logistics: City cannot be put under siege.

  • (Requires Defense Logistics) Embrasure: City gains an additional Ranged Strike per turn.

  • (Requires Security Expert or Embrasure) Air Defense Initiative: +25 Combat Strength to anti-air support units within the city’s territory when defending against aircraft and ICBMs.

Victor is best used in a recently-conquered city or a city on the fringes of your empire. He can not only defend your city but can keep loyalty pressures outside your civilization from turning your own people against you. His Embrasure promotion helps keep a small, weak city safe from barbarians or border skirmishes. Later in the game, his enemy spy debuff and bonuses to air defense mean he’s well-stationed in a powerful city you need to protect, or a city you plan to use as the base for a war effort.

Magnus the Steward

Enterprising and capable, Magnus is able to procure valuable resources when needed. He is also quite skilled in optimizing the overall Production in the city.

Turns to establish: 5

Loyalty per turn: 8

  • +100 percent yields from plot harvests and feature removals in city

  • Surplus Logistics: +20 percent food Growth in the city. Your Trade Routes ending here provide +2 Food to their starting city.

  • (Requires Surplus Logistics) Industrialist: +1 Production per turn from each Strategic resource in the city.

  • Provision: +20 percent toward Industrial Zone buildings in the city. Settlers trained in the city do not consume a Population.

  • (Requires Provision) Black Marketeer: Strategic resources are not required in the city in order to build resource dependent units.

  • (Requires Industrialist or Black Marketeer): Vertical Integration: This city receives Production from any number of nearby Industrial Zones, not just the first.

Magnus makes sure you squeeze every last drop out of production out of a city that may not be optimally located. +100% yields can add up real fast when you build important districts while food growth is critical for cities on tundra or plains. Black Marketeer turns your city into a war machine capable of churning out specialized units without specialized resources, while Vertical Integration will greatly benefit a properly located city. Place Magnus in a city that needs the help.

Liang the Surveyor

An expert in efficiency, Liang is skilled in all things related to building and construction. An expert planner, she can also supervise the development of custom improvements in the city.

Turns to establish: 5

Loyalty per turn: 8

  • All builders trained in city get +1 build charge.

  • Infrastructure: +30 percent production towards City Center and Government Plaza buildings.

  • (Requires Infrastructure) Zoning Commissioner: +30 percent Production towards constructing Districts in the City.

  • Aquaculture: The Fishery unique improvement can be build in the city on coastal plots. Yields 1 Food, +1 Food if adjacent to a sea resource.

  • (Requires Aquaculture) Amusement: +30 percent Production towards Entertainment Complex and Water Park buildings in this city.

  • (Requires Zoning Commissioner or Amusement) Parks and Recreation: The City Park unique improvement can be build in the city. Yields 2 Appeal and 1 Culture. +1 Amenity if adjacent to water.

Liang’s Aquaculture promotion is critical for making a coastal city into a powerhouse. Districts and buildings that grant citizen slots are a great place to put those powerhouse citizens to work, and Liang’s Zoning Commissioner bonus helps you do just that. Need local happiness? Her Parks and Rec promotion will make sure your people have the Amenities they need, with some culture for the kids, too.

Amani the Diplomat

Skilled in gaining support for your civilization, and spreading its influence to nearby cities. Amani is the only governor that can be given foreign assignment in a city-state.

Turns to establish: 5

Loyalty per turn: 8

  • Can be assigned to a city-state, where she acts as 2 Envoys.

  • Emissary: Other cities within 9 tiles and not owned by you gain +2 Loyalty per turn towards your civilization.

  • (Requires Emissary) Affluence: While established in a city-state, provides a copy of its Luxury Resource to you.

  • Prestige: Your other cities within 9 tiles gain +2 Loyalty per turn towards your civilization.

  • (Requires Prestige) Promoter: +4 Amenities in the city.

  • (Requires Affluence or Promoter) Puppeteer: While established in a city-state, doubles the number of Envoys you have there.

Amani the City-Flipper may be the most important governor there is. Combine Emissary with loyalty-reducing spy machinations to flip border cities into your own civilizations for a bloodless win. Need to flip a border back to your side? Amani’s Prestige can do that. If you’re in competition for city-state bonuses with another civ, assigning Amani to a city-state is a powerful clutch move. Just remember, that other civ can do the same, since we all have access to the same governors.

Moksha the Cardinal

Spiritual and Religious leader that can increase the Religious Strength of a city, and the Religious units stationed there. Moksha is a beacon of Faith in your empire.

Turns to establish: 5

Loyalty per turn: 8

  • Religious pressure to adjacent cities is 100 percent stronger from this city.

  • Grand Inquisitor: +10 Religious Strength in theological combat in tiles of this city.

  • (Requires Grand Inquisitor) Laying on of Hands: Governor’s religious units heal fully in one turn in tiles of this city

  • Divine Architect: +20% Production toward Holy Site buildings in this city

  • (Requires Divine Architect) Citadel of God: City ignores pressure and combat effects from Religions not founded by the Governor’s player.

  • (Requires Laying on of Hands or Citadel of God) Patron Saint: Apostles trained in the city receive one extra promotion.

I’m not sure yet if Religion affects Loyalty, but I’ve been operating under the assumption that it does. If it does, having Moksha in town when another civ is fielding powerful religious acolytes could mean the difference between keeping or losing a city. Even if Religion doesn’t affect loyalty, however, Moksha is still a governor, which means even if his promotions are irrelevant to your chosen victory style, he still affects loyalty wherever he’s placed. He’s invaluable to a religious victory, of course: Citadel of God is a particularly useful promotion if you’re in a faith-flipping war for souls, while with certain Wonders and civics, his Patron Saint ultimate promotion turns your apostles into the ultimate stooges for the gods.

Reyna the Financier

Shrewd and fiscally knowledgeable, Reyna is able to strengthen the economic power of a city, using finances to provide more than is normally possible.

Turns to establish: 5

Loyalty per turn: 8

  • Acquire new tiles in city faster.

  • Harbormaster: Double adjacency bonuses from Commercial Hubs and Harbors in the city.

  • Foreign Exchange: +3 Gold per turn from each foreign Trade Route passing through the city.

  • (Requires Harbormaster or Foreign Exchange) Tax Collector: +2 Gold per turn for each Citizen in the city.

  • (Requires Tax Collector) Contractor: Allows city to purchase districts with Gold.

  • (Requires Tax Collector) Curator: Doubles Tourism from Great Works of Art, Music and Writing in the city.

Reyna starts off useful with her land acquisition bonus. Place her in a border city to nab those tiles before your neighbors do. Her Contractor bonus is a godsend for cities that aren’t as productive as others, allowing you to spend the gold she’s earned you on Districts that might otherwise take dozens of turn to produce. If you just need money, place her in your empire’s commercial hub. If you don’t have production, place her in a city you want to spend gold to build. And if you’re planning on a Culture win, promote her to Curator and place her in a cultural hub.

Pingala the Educator

Pinagala is focused on the cultivation of Scientific and cultural endeavors in the city. He is also quite skilled in the attraction of Great People to his city.

Turns to establish: 5

Loyalty per turn: 8

  • 20 percent increase in Science and Culture generated by the city.

  • Connoisseur: +20 percent production toward Theater Square buildings in the city.

  • Researcher: +20 percent Production towards Campus buildings in the city.

  • (Requires Connoisseur or Researcher) Grants: +100 percent Great People points generated per turn in the city.

  • (Requires Grants) Arms Race Proponent: 30 percent production increase to all nuclear armament projects in the city.

  • (Requires Grants) Space Initiative: 30 percent Production increase to all space-program projects in the city.

Pingala is a Science and Culture powerhouse. Want to build nukes? Want to go to space? Pingala’s your man. His Grants bonus works best in a capital city or in another major city filled with Great Person-generated districts. Pingala is a man for the heart of the empire.

How have you been using your Governors? What do you think is the best way to utilize these versatile slate of seven accomplished people? Feel free to let us know your Civilization 6: Rise and Fall strategies in the comments section below.

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