Quick Links
Sejong is the most famous ruler in Korea’s long history, known for his reforms and the development of the Hangul alphabet, which is still used in modern Korea some six hundred years later. InCivilization 6, he supplements Korea’s famously Science-heavy gameplay with periodic bursts of Culture, letting players rush down both research trees simultaneously!
Related:Civilization 6: Tips For Playing As Theodora
If you’ve got the Great Builders pack as part of the Leader Pass DLC, you’re probably eager to recreate the glory of the Joseon Dynasty. This guide has everything you need to win games as Sejong!
Sejong’s Abilities
Korea has always been a Science powerhouse in Civilization, so it’s no surprise that Sejong excels when his empire is cranking out new Technologies.
Hangul
Sejong’s leader ability is different from most because itonly triggers once per Era.Whenever Sejong researches his first Technology from a new Era, heimmediately gains Culture equal to twice his current Science output.This incentivizes you to maximize Science in every city - not hard at all while playing Korea!
Even with turbocharged Science, the extra Culture burst will, in most cases, justfinish the Civic you’re currently developing.It’s especially handy in the late game, since you’ll want powerful Policies to fuel your space race!
Three Kingdoms
Korea has a slightly different approach to city layouts thanks to its Three Kingdoms ability.Farms produce one extra Foodfor each Seowon they’re adjacent to, and Mines do the same with Science. In a perfect world, you’ll be able tobuild your Seowons one tile apart, with Farms or Mines in between, to maximize this bonus. In practice, though, the restrictions on Seowon placement can make such a layout tough to achieve.
Hwacha
The Hwacha replaces the Field Cannon and is available earlier, being unlocked with theGunpowderTechnology. Like the Field Cannon, the Hwacha is aRanged Unit, not a Siege Unit- an important distinction when you’re trying to conquer a city!
Hwachas aren’t any more powerful than Field Cannons, and are actually weaker if they get caught in melee, but theirearlier availability and lower coststo produce and maintain make them a nasty surprise for anyone who picks a fight with Korea in the mid-game.
Mass-produce Hwacha when they become available, thenconsolidate them into Corps and Armiesto earn Civic boosts as the game progresses.
Seowon
The Seowon is Korea’s not-so-secret weapons, the cornerstone of their gameplay. These centers of learning arethe game’s best Campuses, with half the cost to build and aflat adjacency bonus of four.
Seowons don’t get any extra adjacency from terrain, but they dolose a point of adjacency for every District next to them, so be sure to build them away from your urban centers! Instead,build Mines and Farmsnext to your Seowon to get the full bonus from Three Kingdoms.
Unlike normal Campuses, Seowoncan only be built on hills.Remember this when deciding where to settle your cities - if there’s only one hill on otherwise flat land,settle the city in the lowlandsand save the hill for the Seowon!
Related:Civilization 6: Tips For Playing As Ramses
Early-Game Strategy For Sejong
It’s important toplan out your cities ahead of time using map tacks(available near the mini-map in the lower-left corner of the screen) ahead of time in any game, but for Sejong it’s absolutely critical. Korea thrives by making full use of Seowons and Three Kingdoms, soknow where your research districts, Farms, and Mines are goingas you settle your initial cities.
Volcanoes and Flood Plains, though dangerous, make great spots for Seowon, since the fertile soil nearby will further enhance the Seowon’s Farms! Governor Liang can protect the city from natural disasters with Reinforced Materials if they start to become a problem.
Send out Scouts to try andmake contact with another Civilization as soon as possible, since this triggers the Eureka for Writing. Once you have that Technology,build your Seowonsand start your race to the stars.
Every city that can have a Seowon should have one, with Harbors and Commercial Hubs to fund your empire’s growth. Gold can be used tokeep your army readyto defend against attackers, or to buy Builders to ensure your tiles are improved. Korea should have no trouble getting the boosts forApprenticeship(build three Mines) andFeudalism(build six Farms), both of which are among the most imporant early-game steps in Civ 6.
Once you have your engine going, larger cities can make good use ofTheater Squares. You’re not trying to compete with other Civilizations for Culture; rather, the Theater Squares are there to keep you on-track with Civics, with help from Hangul.
Granada is a great City-State to take as a vassal if they’re available - their Alcazars provide both Culture and Science if built on high-Appeal tiles, and they double as forts if you find yourself facing an invasion!
Late-Game Strategy For Sejong
Sejong’s primary Victory Condition is always going to be Science - Korea isn’t generally geared for anything else. Throughout the game, you shoulddo everything you can to maximize your Science output; Research Alliances, City-States, and Wonders are all great ways to make this happen.Natural PhilosophyandRationalismshould be taken as Policies the moment they’re available and kept for the rest of the game.
Rush down the Technology tree to unlock Rocketry so that you may build Spaceports. Prepare your largest cities bymaking sure they have fully-upgraded and powered Industrial Zonesto handle the massive projects they’re about to undertake. Gaining suzerainty over Hong Kong is a good play as well, since theyreduce the cost of city projects for their overlord.
While you’re developing the tech to go into space, use Sejong’s Culture boosts plus the extra that you’re getting from Theater Squares and a Cultural Alliance toswitch your government to Communism as soon as possible.The Class Struggle Civic is boosted byhaving three Factories, so this ties in nicely with the Industrial Zones you’re building. Communism provides a bonus to both Production and Science, making itperfect for a Space Race Victory.
Once you’ve got a Spaceport,dedicate everything you haveto the Space Race Projects;Launch Earth Satellite, Moon Landing, Mars Colony, and finally Exoplanet Expedition. Recall your Traders to the main Spaceport city (usually your capital) as they finish their routes andsend them on routes that will provide high Productionto speed the process.
When the Exoplanet Expedition launches, dedicate every city with a Spaceport to building LaGrange and Terrestrial Laser Stations. These are expensive, costing large quantities of Aluminum and Electricity, respectively. Trade for Aluminum if you have to, while your Buildersconstruct renewable energy sourcesto power the Terrestrial Stations.
Upon reaching the Future Era,push for the Synthetic Technocracygovernment, which provides extra renewable energy and a Production bonus to city projects. If you have a fully-upgraded Government Plaza, you can useCommunist Legacyin one of your Wildcard slots to keep the Production-per-Citizen bonus from your previous government as well!
Once your Exoplanet Expedition completes its journey, you’ll be able to claim victory!
