Civilization VI – Tomyris and Scythia

Known as one of the few female rulers of antiquity, a fierce warrior, and the slayer of Persian ruler Cyrus the Great, Tomyris and her kingdom of Scythia are riding into Civilization VI as a faithful and warmongering civilization.

What makes Tomyris so threatening is her ability to create two light cavalry units for the price of one combined with her unique unit, the saka horse archers. When Tomyris builds any light cavalry units like horsemen or horse archers, two are spawned in the city instead of the normal one, and with the saka horse archers’ high mobility and low cost, Scythia can be a threat early on even without strategic resources no matter where she is. To add to this, Scythian units get bonuses when attacking injured units and heal slightly when they’re defeated.

Scythia was more than just a war-torn country though, it was also a land of agriculture and faith. In addition to the saka horse archers, Tomyris can build the kurgan, a unique tile improvement that generates money and faith with more being generated if constructed around pasture tiles.

Tomyris and Scythia bring the total confirmed civ count up to eight with Pedro II for Brazil, Queen Victoria for England, Catherine de’ Medici for France, Montezuma II for the Aztecs, Qin Shi Huang for China, Teddy Roosevelt for the USA, Cleopatra for Egypt, and Hojo Tokimune for Japan.

Official Press Release

2K and Firaxis Games today revealed that Tomyris will lead Scythia in Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, launching on Oct 21^st for Windows PC.

Tomyris assumed leadership of her group of nomadic pastoral tribes in 530 BC upon the death of her husband, the current chieftain. Her exploits were mentioned in the works of several great ancient writers such as Herodotus, Strabo, Polyaenus, Cassiodorus and Jordanes.

The most notable story about Tomyris involves the Persian ruler Cyrus the Great and his efforts to invade and subjugate Tomyris’ people. Cyrus and his troops planted an unattended camp with a healthy supply of wine in Scythian territory. The Scythian army, led by Tomyris’ son, stumbled upon the wine and, unfamiliar with the intoxicating effects of alcohol, drank themselves into a stupor. After, the Persians attacked the incapacitated army and kidnapped Tomyris’ son.

Tomyris, enraged, challenged Cyrus and another battle ensued; however, this time Cyrus and his forces were defeated, suffering a great many casualties including Cyrus himself. After the death of Cyrus, Tomyris had his corpse beheaded and crucified, and shoved his head into a wineskin filled with human blood. During this act, Tomyris is quoted as saying, “I warned you that I would quench your thirst for blood, and so I shall.”

For more information, please see 2K’s official Civilization blog: http://steamcommunity.com/games/289070/announcements/detail/881963447373512314.

Comments (0)

Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login