Firaxis Games and 2K Games announced the second major expansion for Sid Meier’s Civilization 6. It’s called Gathering Storm, and it adds new Civs, new Scenarios, expands Diplomatic Victory through the World Congress, and adds all new Natural Disasters such as floods and volcanoes. It’s billed as the largest Civ expansion ever. Gathering Storm will release on PC on February 14, 2019.
“The theme we wanted to explore with Civilization 6: Gathering Storm […] is the impact that a changing planet has had on our settlements, and the imprints that we have left behind on Earth,” writes Ed Beach, lead designer for Civilization 6. A lengthy, detailed blog post spells out all the new mechanics and features coming with the expansion, which we’ve summarized below.
The biggest new feature is the addition of periodic natural disasters. Floodplains can actually flood, damaging structures. You can combat it with the new dam district, using the flood to soak the soil for bigger yields. Volcanoes are another risk/reward feature, with eruptions causing some serious problems. Other disasters include droughts and four different kinds of storms, including hurricanes and blizzards.
Climate change will help add depth to the latter half of a Civ game. Burning coal and oil will raise the CO2 levels and impact the new Global Temperature rating, which in turn causes more natural disasters as well as rising sea levels, impacting coastal cities. New research options can provide solutions, such as wind, solar, and geothermal energy.
The globally conscious theme extends to the new Diplomatic Victory and the World Congress. Now you’ll have to balance Favor with Grievances that reflect how other nations feel about you. The World Congress can vote on new measures and sponsor things like the World Games.
Finally Gathering Storm adds eight new Civs and nine new leaders, though they haven’t been revealed yet. Two new scenarios include The Black Death of the 14th century and the beginning of World War I between France and Germany.
Civilization 6 is currently available on PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Switch. The Gathering Storm expansion will arrive on Windows PC on February 14, 2019.
