Peter I was the tsar of Russia from 1682 who reformed the Russian Empire. He expanded the borders of Russia by winning significant victories against Turkish vassal states and Sweden, securing dominion over the Baltic. This tsar led Russia’s Grand Embassy diplomatic mission in Western Europe. Peter I is also the leader of Russia in Civilization 6, who has one of the best unique infrastructure and units in the game, along with bonuses for increasing faith, culture, production, and science yields.
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Peter’s Bonuses: Grand Embassy and Mother Russia
Peter of Russia in Civilization 6 has a Grand Embassy leader bonus that increases science and culture yields for trade routes. However, this bonus only works when trading with civilizations that are more than three technologies or civics ahead of Russia. A trade route to a city in a more advanced civilization will receive +1 science and +1 culture yields for every three technologies or civics you’re behind. For example, the Grand Embassy bonus will provide a +2 science and +2 culture trade yield bonus if your civilization is six technologies and civics behind one it’s trading with.
Mother Russia is a civ bonus (or ability) that gives all founded cities an additional five tiles over the standard number. This ability also provides a +1 production and +1 faith yield bonus for all tundra titles within Russian territory. So, Russian cities with many tundra tiles near snowy terrain can be much more productive.
A Russian tundra tile
Peter’s Unique Unit: Cossack
Cossack is a unique cavalry unit with which you can wage war when playing with Russia in Civilization 6. This unit has a base melee attack of 67, making it one of the strongest from the Industrial Era. The Cossack is certainly the toughest unit of its era when fighting within home territory because of the +5 melee attack bonus it receives when in Russian tiles. This is also a very fast unit with a movement of file tiles per turn.
The Cossack unique unit
Peter’s Unique Infrastructure: Lavra
The Lavra Holy Site district replacement is one of the best unique infrastructures in Civilization 6 that’s cheap to build and offers more great person points. This district infrastructure costs 27 productivity to build compared to 57 for standard Holy Sites. It generates +1 writer, +1 artist, +1 musician great person points for Shrine, Temple, and worship buildings built in it. Plus, you’ll receive +2 great prophet points per turn, which is one more than a standard Holy Site.
Another notable benefit of the Lavra district is that you can gain more settlement tiles with it. Activating a great person effect in a city with a Lavra will give that settlement one more tile. So, this amounts to one extra tile for every great person activated in a settlement with a Lavra, which is a handy way to expand territory with Russia in Civilization 6.
A Lavra district
How to Win With Peter I of Russia in Civilization 6
Peter the Great of Russia in Civilization 6 is one of the best leaders to play with for securing a Religious Victory. You can establish a religion quicker with Russia than most other civilizations because Lavra districts have half the production time of standard Holy Sites and give you twice as many great prophet points. So, it makes sense to pursue a Religious Victory with Russia in Civilization 6.
You can also gain a faith yield output advantage over other civilizations by establishing more settlements near tundra tiles. Tundra tiles are much more appealing when playing with Russia in Civilization 6 because of their +1 production and +1 faith yields. They’re even better with the Dance of the Aurora pantheon that increases faith yields for tundra terrain beside religious districts by +1 per tile. So, try establishing more settlements within tundra terrain to reap their faith and production yields. You can purchase more religious units with your Russian civilization’s large faith output.
The Russian capital St Petersburg with tundra terrain
Peter’s Grand Embassy ability will also probably be more useful when playing for a Religious Victory with science of secondary importance. Try utilizing that bonus to close the science gap by trading with civilizations ahead of you on the tech tree. You can see how many technologies civilizations have unlocked on the world rankings side panel by moving the cursor over the leader circles for the Science Victory condition.
If a religious game doesn’t appeal to you, go for a Culture Victory when playing with Russia in Civilization 6. Theater Square and Lavra districts in Russian cities are a potent combination because building both will increase your great person points accumulation. Building Lavras will enable you to unlock more great persons faster than other civilizations because of the additional points they provide. You can also obtain more tiles by activating great persons in cities with Lavras. So, build some Lavras and religious buildings to increase great person points.
The tourism lense
Increasing faith yields by building Lavras is also useful for the cultural victory condition. Invest your faith yields in recruiting cultural great persons quicker when seeking a Culture Victory with Russia in Civilization 6. You can do this by purchasing artists and musicians with faith or gold on the Great People panel. Click the Great People button and select to purchase a great person you can afford from there.
The Great People panel
When it comes to war, the Industrial Era is a good time to fight with Russia’s unique Cossack unit. So, consider picking a fight when you’ve rolled out some Cossacks to engage an enemy. Target capturing enemy cities with wonders and Theater Square districts that will boost your civilization’s tourist industry.
So, Peter the Great of Russia in Civilization 6 is indeed a great religious and cultural leader to play with. Russia’s considerable territorial tile bonuses and Lavra district are its greatest strengths, and the Cossack is a strong unique unit to have up your sleeve during its era. However, perhaps surprisingly, Russia in Civ 6 isn’t a militaristic civilization since it offers no combat or economic bonus advantages for securing a Domination Victory.
