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Empress Theodora, the unlikely ruler of the Byzantine Empire, has returned to Civ as part ofCivilization 6’s Leader Pass! Byzantium is an aggressive powerhouse in Civilization 6, and Theodora adds new ways to generate Faith alongside options for Culture and Tourism.
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Theodora brings a more versatile approach to Byzantium than Basil; there’s still plenty of converting and conquering to do, but with Theodora it pays to take a break between wars and focus on enhancing your growing cities. With this guide, you’ll be able to rule the Eastern Roman Empire with an Empress' grace!
Theodora’s Abilities
Unlike her more militaristic counterpart, Theodoradoesn’t have access to cavalry bonuses or the elite Tagma. Instead, she rewards players who build their cities with Faith and Culture in mind.
Metanoia
Theodora’sHoly Sites generate Culture with their adjacency bonus, as well as Faith. In addition,Farms grant a one-Faith adjacency bonusto Holy Sites and Hippodromes. This means that a Holy Site with Farms nearby can generate an impressive amount of both Faith and Culture!
Taxis
The Byzantine Civilization Ability letsHoly Sites generate an extra Great Prophet Pointeach turn, speeding up recruitment and making it more likely that Byzantine will be one of the world’s Religion Founders. That’s important, because Byzantine units getthree additional Combat or Religious Strengthfor each Holy City that’s been converted to Byzantium’s Religion!
Taxis gives Byzantine units an effective +3 bonusas soon as you start a Religion, since your Holy City counts toward the total!
Perhaps best of all, whenever a Byzantine unit destroys a unit belonging to another Civilization (but not City-States, Free Cities, or Barbarians), aburst of Religious Pressureemanates from the tile where the fight took place. You can convert enemy cities just by consistently fighting near them!
Hippodrome
The Byzantine Hippodrome is an Entertainment Complex with military applications. Each time you complete a Hippodrome or a building inside it, you’ll receive afree Heavy Cavalry unitthat requires no resource upkeep! Not only will you keep your cities happy with plenty of Amenities, but you’ll have a fighting force capable of charging through enemy lines.
Dromon
The Dromon isone of the most powerful early-game ships, so the Byzantines have little to fear from Barbarian fleets or ambitious seaborne neighbors. Unlike the Quadrireme, the Dromon canfire from two spaces away, letting it stay safe from retaliation. The fact that it also gets amassive bonus against unitslocks up its place as Basilissa of the Seas!
Early-Game Strategy For Theodora
Like any religious civ, Byzantium’s first order of business in any campaign isbuilding Holy Sites.Send out Scouts to search for Natural Wonders while getting the lay of the land - finding one will speed up your Astrology research.
Even if your starting position doesn’t have any spots that would normally be considered good for Holy Sites, you can still get a decent adjacency bonus bybuilding Farmsnext to the District.This can turn a zero-bonus Holy Site into a respectable two or three, or make a great location even better!
Once you have two Holy Sites, preferably with Shrines, you won’t have long to wait before you get a Great Prophet. You’ll also see a jump in your Culture output thanks to Metanoia; use this torush important early-game Civicslike Mysticism or Political Philosophy.
Once you’ve started a Religion,spam Missionaries and Apostlesto convert as many nearby cities as you can. The faster you establish your presence, the harder it will be for other Religions to take hold. At the same time, build up your military and pick a fight with one of your neighbors. The goal of this war isn’t to take cities (though you should if the opportunity presents itself), but rather towin as many border skirmishes as possibleand convert their cities.
The Dromon can win nearly any fight along the coast, so if geography allows for itresearch Shipbuildingand send a fleet to pillage enemy shores and destroy anything that dares to come within range!
When you reach the Medieval Period,make sure to adopt Theocracyas your Government type, and have a Government Plaza built so that you can get a Grand Master’s Chapel for later eras! By the time the game reaches its midpoint, you’ll be able to get whatever you need through Faith or Gold.
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Late-Game Strategy For Theodora
Theodora is one of the lucky leaders with the luxury of multiple victory options. She’s best for a Religious Victory, which can turn into a Domination Victory if your military campaigns go particularly well. However, if your conversions and conquests stall out, a mid-game switch to a Culture Victory is entirely possible!
Plan for both scenarios bymaking sure each of your cities has a Holy Siteand Hippodrome.This ensures that you have a steady stream of cavalry units for your wars, plentiful Amenities, and Faith, while quickly moving along the Civics Tree. Aim to unlockNationalism and Mobilizationas soon as you can, so that you can upgrade your units to Corps and Armies and continue winning fights across the map.
If you’re in a good position to move away from producing Faith, Culture, and troops,international Trade Routesare a great thing to shift into. Not only will they enhance your economy, but they’llincrease the Religious Pressure on their destination cities, making it easier to win more converts. This plan also helps with Tourism later on if you end up needing it.
Spies are a great way to keep your gold income high without too heavy of an investment - have them Siphon Gold from vulnerable enemy cities! Stealing Great Works is another excellent use for these sneaky devils.
Ultimately, the late-game for Theodora is very straightforward. Once you’ve selected your victory condition, her campaign becomes a fairly standard game of Civ 6 - albeit one that she’s very good at! The most important thing is tokeep your Amenities high- Byzantium is extremely well-poised to rake in the bonuses from a happy populace.
Best Wonders For Theodora
Theodora may not be a Wonder-focused leader, but she can make great use of them in conjunction with her strengths. Be sure tobuild a Theater Squarenext to any Wonders you put up to further maximize your Culture output!
Terracotta Army
Classical
If you time the Wonder right, you can get free levels on all the cavalry units your Hippodromes have produced.
Hagia Sophia
Medieval
Important component of a Religious Victory due to the extra spreads granted to Missionaries and Apostles.
Mont St. Michel
Good for planning ahead for a Culture Victory switch; Relics granted by martyred Apostles generate lots of Tourism.
St. Basil’s Cathedral
Renaissance
Useful for a Culture Victory thanks to its Religious Tourism bonus.
Christo Redentor
Modern
Important piece of a Cultural Victory, since much of Byzantium’s Tourism will be Religious.
Enhances both Culture and Amenities.
