If you’ve played your share of vanilla Civilization VI, you know the rhythm. You master the victory paths, and soon enough, early advantages snowball into predictable wins. Rise and Fall completely upends that. It’s not just more content; it’s a total rework of the game’s core, injecting the chaos and drama of actual history. It transforms the game from a steady march to victory into a thrilling story of golden ages, desperate dark ages, and the constant struggle for loyalty.
Forget a basic overview. We’re going deep. This is for you, the player who’s past the tutorial and wants to master the systems that make Rise and Fall tick: Ages, Loyalty, Governors, and Emergencies. I’m not just going to explain them; I’ll give you concrete strategies to turn these mechanics into your biggest advantages. It’s time to stop just playing the game and start conducting the orchestra.
The Ages system is the engine driving Rise and Fall. It throws out the steady, predictable progression of the base game. Now, how you perform in one era directly sets you up for the next, creating a constant cycle of risk and reward. Everything hinges on one thing: Era Score. Mastering the Ages means mastering Era Score. You get it by triggering “Historic Moments”—specific achievements that are predictable and something you can actively chase.
Right from turn one, you’re in a race for Era Score. Exploration is king. Build two scouts immediately. Send one in a circle around your capital to find city-states and wonders, and the other deep into the unknown. Finding a Natural Wonder (+3) or a new continent (+4) is a massive early game boost. Also, make it a priority to meet every other civ. Don’t just defend against Barbarians—hunt them. Clearing an outpost near your cities is a repeatable source of early Era Score. Later on, a key moment is taking a city with a unit that out-muscles its defenses. Time your research. Being the first to finish a tech or civic from a new era gives you a precious +1 Era Score. If you’re about to hit the Classical Era, maybe hold off on finishing that Medieval tech for a few turns until the era flips. Use your civ’s unique stuff! Building your unique unit, building, or improvement for the first time grants Era Score. This is a huge incentive to play to your civilization’s strengths from the get-go. And of course, Wonders are big Era Score bombs, making early ones like the Pyramids even more tempting. Finally, religion is an Era Score goldmine. A Pantheon is an easy point early on. Founding a full-blown religion is a major moment. And for a high-risk, high-reward play later, converting an enemy’s Holy City can net you a massive +4 Era Score, potentially saving you from a Dark Age all by itself.
Getting a Golden Age is what you’re aiming for. The loyalty boost is nice, but the real prize is the Dedications. These are powerful, era-long bonuses you pick at the start. Choosing the right one is critical. Planning a war? “To Arms!” is your pick. The extra movement and reduced warmonger penalties are a green light for conquest. For a religious victory, “Exodus of the Evangelists” gives your religious units extra movement and promotions, letting you swarm the map. Going for a Culture win? “Pen, Brush, and Voice” provides a massive boost to your culture-per-turn. And for that late-game production push, “Heartbeat of Steam” helps you secure those game-winning wonders.
Don’t think of a Dark Age as a failure. It’s an opportunity. Yes, the loyalty penalty is a pain, but the exclusive Dark Age policy cards can be incredibly powerful. “Monasticism” can be a huge science boost if you’ve invested in Holy Sites. “Isolationism” is a powerhouse for a wide empire, turning your domestic trade routes into engines of growth and production. Your “dark” age can become your biggest boom period. For naval civs, “Letters of Marque” can turn a Dark Age into a golden age of piracy. The real reason to embrace a Dark Age is to aim for a Heroic Age. If you follow a Dark Age with a Golden Age, you get to pick three Dedications at once. This is the game’s ultimate slingshot. Imagine combining military, religious, and cultural bonuses—you become an absolute monster. This often means you have to be clever and “bank” your Era Score, holding off on finishing a wonder until the perfect moment.
Loyalty is the invisible war that defines your borders. It’s the pressure that keeps your empire from crumbling, and the weapon you use to make your enemy’s empire crumble from within. You need to understand how Loyalty works. Every city’s population naturally pushes its own loyalty down. You have to counteract that with positive pressure.
Governors are your number one tool for loyalty. Just placing any Governor in a city gives you a flat +8 Loyalty. For a newly conquered city, this is non-negotiable. Assign one immediately. Settle in clusters. Your cities support each other with loyalty pressure. A lone city on a new continent is a nightmare to hold. A dense core of cities is a fortress of loyalty. A garrisoned unit provides a quick +5 Loyalty, which can be boosted with policy cards. And don’t forget amenities; happy citizens are loyal citizens. The “Bread and Circuses” project is your go-to for a targeted burst of loyalty pressure. Finally, a city that follows your religion gets a +3 Loyalty bonus, making faith a key tool for stability.
Flipping an enemy city without firing a single shot is one of the best feelings in this game. It takes a coordinated effort. Amani the Diplomat is your queen of loyalty warfare. Her “Prestige” promotion applies -2 Loyalty to nearby foreign cities. Park her in a border city, run the “Bread and Circuses” project, and watch the enemy city’s loyalty plummet. Your spies are crucial here. “Foment Unrest” chips away at loyalty, but “Neutralize Governor” is the real killer, removing the enemy’s +8 bonus and sending loyalty into a nosedive. Even your culture and religion can exert enough pressure to make border cities simply fall into your lap. When you settle new cities, think like an aggressor. A well-placed city can be a dagger in your rival’s side, constantly bleeding their loyalty.
Governors are more than just loyalty-bots. They’re specialists you can use to supercharge your cities. You’ll face a constant choice: go wide with a governor in every city, or go tall by creating a few super-powered ones.
* Magnus (The Steward): Need production? Magnus is your guy. His ability to let you chop for 50% more is great, but his “Provision” promotion is the real star—build Settlers without losing population. It’s insane for rapid expansion.
* Liang (The Surveyor): She makes coastal cities viable, adding food and production with her Fisheries. She’s a must-have for any naval empire.
* Pingala (The Educator): For a Science or Culture win, Pingala is essential. Stick him in your capital, build your Campuses and Theater Squares around him, and just watch the numbers fly.
* Moksha (The Cardinal): The key to a religious victory. He lets you hand-pick your Apostle promotions and turns your Holy City into an unbreakable religious fortress.
* Victor (The Castellan): Your defensive specialist. The moment you take a city, move Victor in. He makes it incredibly difficult for the enemy to take it back.
* Amani (The Diplomat): Beyond her loyalty-flipping, she’s the master of city-states, letting you quickly become their suzerain and claim their unique bonuses.
* Reyna (The Financier): She is your economic engine, capable of generating huge amounts of gold and even letting you buy districts outright.
Your Governors are not statues. Move them where you need them. Building a key wonder? Fly Magnus in to help chop it out. A border city getting shaky? Send Amani to lock it down. The 5-turn setup time is a small price for their massive, targeted boosts.
Emergencies are the game’s way of ganging up on the leader. They’re a built-in balancing act that can completely shake up the diplomatic game. They can be triggered by taking a city, converting a holy city, conquering a city-state, or even betraying a friend. When an emergency is declared, you have to decide whether to join the coalition against the target or ignore it. If you’re the target, you have to play defense. If you’re a member, it can be a great, low-risk way to weaken a runaway leader and earn some big rewards. Weigh the options carefully. Joining an emergency against a powerful neighbor could be a great opportunity, or it could drag you into a war you’re not ready for.