With the Leader Pass into its fifth wave of six, Civilization 6 is finally receiving the Great Builders pack, which includes three leaders : Theodora, Sejong, and Ludwig II. Each leader focuses on a different payoff, and will likely lead the player down a completely different path to victory.
Related : Civilization 6: Sejong Leaders Guide
This guide will focus specifically on Ludwig II – the new alternate leader of the German Empire – and will show players how to best use this new leader and take full advantage of his unique abilities in Civilization VI.
Features and Capabilities
Ludwig II represents the German Empire, just like its counterpart Frederick Barbarossa, which means they have some of the same unique abilities, units and improvements, but they are very different . What really sets them apart is Ludwig’s unique leadership ability, Swan King, which transforms a formerly ruling-centric civilization into a cultural civilization.
Name
how it works
Leadership
swan king
+2 Culture from adjacent areas to all wonders, even if the unfinished culture adjacency bonus gives tours after researching a castle
Civilization ability
free empire city
Cities can build one more district than their population limit normally allows
unique unit
Uber
Unique German modern naval unit Unlocks after researching Electricity Replaces Submarine 3 Movement, 3 Vision 75 Ranged Strength, 2 Range 65 Melee Strength 6 Gold Upkeep Cost
unique improvements
Lufthansa
Unlocks Apprentices after research to replace industrial districts – Lower production cost +2 yield from adjacent commercial centers +2 yield from adjacent aqueducts +2 yield from adjacent canals +2 yield from adjacent dams +1 yield from each adjacent resource +1 output per adjacent resource in two adjacent region tiles
How to Play as Ludwig II
With his unique leadership of the Swan King and access to the powerful Hanseatic industrial estate, Ludwig II was a leader who benefitted immediately while the wonder was still under construction, but was also able to They draw quickly. Players will be extra careful with Wonder and District placement when playing this leader – adjacency bonuses are crucial, especially once castle tech is discovered, so it’s best to plan early before committing.
To win cultural victories, players need to attract visiting tourists from other civilizations. Thanks to the Swan King Culture, the adjacency bonus translates into tourism after researching a castle, and players can of course take advantage of this by spreading out wonders and carefully placing them next to as many areas as possible. In the early game, researching the National Workforce and activating the Corve Economic Policy card will increase the player’s production of Ancient and Classic Wonders by 15%. This can be paired with Monuments from the Pantheon of the Gods, which will give an additional 15% to these wonders of the same era.
If the player ends up building many Hansas, getting the Great Merchant Masaru Ibuka in the Information Age will give them 10 tourism points for each industrial area in their empire.
For Ludwig II, high production and cultural output combined with wonder buildings will be the key to victory.
Civilization VI is available for iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
More : Civilization 6: Complete Guide to Natural Wonders