If you’re tired of the normal sense of gameplay, Catherine De Medici, the Black Queen offers something new. With Civilization VI‘s espionage system, she specializes in building spy arenas and making allies. In an effort to gain political favor, she tries to be the height of diplomatic tension, maintaining plausible deniability. She commands France into an age of enlightenment and tranquility with her voice and ears. It doesn’t matter how you play Catherine De Medici, the world of shadows is best for her!
As a ruler of the French, Catherine De Medici not only has access to powerful political tools and espionage but also to warfare itself. Having access to one of the world’s most powerful war machines means that she can easily defeat her enemies, or wage war on behalf of her allies. There is a long line of bonuses she can acquire from cultural and tourism to production speed and science, making her great for any event. No matter the game mode, France can be seen as one of the power players in Civilization VI, and commands your respect.
Looking for more Civilization VI content?
- Civilization VI Leader Guide | Elizabeth I
- Civilization VI Leader Guide | Victoria (Age of Steam)
- Civilization VI Leader Guide | Harald Hardrada (Varangian)
- Civilization VI | Promoting Unit Guide
- Civilization VI | Builders Guide
Leader Basics – Catherine De Medici (Black Queen)
Using Catherine De Medici, you’ll be offered the chance to create one of the world’s best espionage rinks known in history. Being able to both cripple your enemies, as well as stay on top of your allies to engineer your victory accordingly. You’ll have to play a careful balance between a political saint and a shadowy underworld boss. Mixing these with a resolved military that can easily wage a war across Europe, you’ll be able to run for a multifaceted victory. To this end, you’ll have plenty of options should you get caught in your espionage, or lose your military advancement.
Leader Ability – Catherine’s Flying Squadron
It’s not too far-fetched to think that Catherine De Medici’s spying adventures would help with this. As soon as you meet a new civilization, you’ll gain diplomatic visibility and a free spy. Spies created by Catherine De Medici will get free promotions, so they’ll be more powerful right away. Through continued missions, these spies can get even more powerful and help her stay one step ahead. Until the castle civic is unlocked, isolationism is the best course of action until spies start showing up. In this way, you can protect yourself from other nations whilst also saving your spy bonuses for when they are unlocked!
Leader Strategy – Spy Master
Catherine De Medici can be a powerful ally and powerful enemy since she focuses on espionage and shadowy business. In order to appear at the top of political affairs, she sows discourse among other civilizations. As for her, there’s no innocent alliance, since her ulterior motives make the game political. Her downfalls must also be made up for by protecting herself from spy networks, investing in powerful inquests, and following totalitarian rules. You’re the Black Queen, so long as you have the info, no one is your friend.
Catherine De Medici Persona Pack
Leader Religion – Catholicism
Catholicism is one of the biggest world religions, even if it doesn’t usually grant immediate bonuses. You’re protected from holy wars and have good political standing with other leaders of the same religion. You’ll find that most of your neighbors and allies share this religion, so they’re more likely to align themselves with you over time. Catholicism is represented by cathedrals, which give you the same bonuses as the basic temple that it replaces.
Leader Agenda – Black Queen
Catherine De Medici naturally has an agenda that suits this purpose since she prides herself on her espionage skills. For maximum diplomatic visibility, she can gather a lot of information by gaining as many spies as possible. She’ll also trade information and economic capital with nations that have some form of espionage themselves. That being said, she dislikes nations who are either intolerant of espionage, or who do not consider the option outright. This can make her a hard leader to use due to the fact that most stronger European leaders don’t take kindly to spying.
Special Units – Advanced Spies
Even though Catherine De Medici doesn’t have any formal specialty units, she does have access to advanced spies. Due to the fact that she is able to receive free a spy with a promotion right out of the gate, she is capable of commanding large powerful sabotage armies. These are unique to her as not too many other leaders gain a bonus to their spies this early in the game. Additionally, her ability to obtain spies as early as the castle civic allows her to master the world’s secrets quicker and more effectively than other nations. All in all, she is one of the most potent espionage leaders available through these enhanced spies.
Leader abilities for Catherine De Medici Black Queen
Country Basics – France
Because France is one of Europe’s most advanced nations, it’s no surprise that it comes with a few really good bonuses. For one, France is exceptional in all things cultural, being able to gain cultural points incredibly quickly. Secondly, France has some of the best specialty military units available, allowing your nation to easily defend itself. When playing Catherine De Medici, France becomes a nation engrossed in the espionage of its allies and enemies. All and all, France is a versatile nation that can be exploited to be one of the most powerful lands in all of Europe. Once you hit the medieval Renaissance and industrial era, France becomes an unstoppable powerhouse that can take on the world by itself.
Other Leader Variants
There are two rulers in France: Catherine De Medici, either in her Black Queen persona or her Magnificence persona, and Eleanor of Aquitaine, in her French persona. Depending on her variant, Catherine De Medici focuses on culture or espionage, whereas Eleanor focuses on politics. All three varieties make France a powerhouse in Europe. There’s no denying the power of France’s military, no matter who you pick. There’s no force alive that can’t be unearthed through the glory of the French Military and the aspirations of the Black Queen.
Country Ability – Grand Tour
Known as Grand Tour, France has the ability to make wonders from the medieval, Renaissance, and industrial eras with up to twenty percent production bonuses. These bonuses allow you to craft these wonders with blazing efficiency depending on the civic cards you choose. Plus, tourism doubles for any wonders your civilization has, so you can win culture. These bonuses make France one of the most powerful cultural victory nations available. Additionally, tourism provides some potent economic bonuses that keep your nation going when it has trouble expanding.
Thriving France
Unique Units – Garde Imperiale
Special to the French, the Garde Imperiale replaces the standard line infantry given to players in Civilization VI. Garde Imperiale are unlocked with Military Science, and are potent for getting great generals, gaining one point per kill. These units are particularly good for defensive wars as they gain an additional ten combat power while they’re in their home nation, and are generally better than their replaced troops. These forces require niter and cost 360 production points or 1440 gold. Being expensive, with an upkeep of five, they are best used in limited numbers when able. They have an impressive attack power of seventy and a movement of two.
Unique infrastructure – Chateau
The Chateau is the unique infrastructure of French civilization. Being the tile improvement builders can make after unlocking the humanism civic, it is a great means of gold and culture. Granting two cultures, one gold, and one appeal to adjacent tiles. This can be further enhanced by a wonder or a river. Finally, this can provide additional cultural points if near any form of luxury resource. Because of this, these buildings will be one of the best assets you’ll have in order to fund your empire. Even when landlocked, these chateaus are perfect for building wealth and culture in order to fund a military or spy network.
Location Bonuses (True Start)
France is a decent starting location if you want to be right in the thick of the political hierarchy. Because of the state of France’s position in the world, they have the ability to either be in constant war with their neighbors or form a quick unity. Luckily you’ll never run out of people to trade with, as well as enemies to harbor hate for. Start in France, but you won’t have much room to expand, since the world can get pretty hectic very quickly. As a European nation in the thick of it, prepare yourself for a melting pot of issues, both militarily and politically. Luckily if you can come out on top in Europe, most of the world won’t fair well against you.
Garde Imperiale
Leader Strategy – The Espionage Empire
Playing as Catherine De Medici is playing the shady businessman in the room. She focuses her time on building up a spy network that can be spread around the world. Every time she meets a new nation, she’ll spend her time trying to learn everything she can about it. Using her spy networks, she builds not only an advantage over her enemies but also an edge over her allies. She seems to be the most noticeable person in the room, so her underbelly ideas go unnoticed, something required for her plots to go off without issue.
Strengths
As a leader of France, Catherine De Medici is a potent cultural head and military general. She commands a country that is known for its tourism, demeanor, and culture which allows her to hold power in the world. There isn’t a time when Catherine isn’t doing well, save if the whole world hates her. So long as she can maintain a political balance with the world, she holds a secret advantage. Finally, she is a potent spymaster and rivals some of the best nations notable for using espionage. Through her talents, empires can fall before they even realize they have truly died.
Weaknesses
Although Catherine De Medici was a powerful political leader, she was also one of the weakest. She runs an espionage epicenter that targets everyone, so she gets caught quick. You have to stay sneaky, but once caught, you won’t be trusted the same way. Catherine De Medici also has a hard time expanding and building up economic resources because any breathing room you want comes with a price. It’s easy for France to get bullied out of the game early.
Chateaus
Military Tactics
When wielding a military force, Catherine De Medici holds a two-pronged method of assault. The first is through technological advantage in their specialty unit and defensive tactics. The second method is through espionage which is focused on sabotage. This second method is the best way for Catherine to win a war due to it being her strongest asset, espionage. Mixing these two prongs together creates an army that is closer to guerrilla warfare than anything else. She holds no quarters for the chivalrous undertones of the old ways, instead using warfare more akin to that of the cold war. In this sense, she is a specialist in these political wars, bringing her allies to head against them.
Trading/ Politics
Due to the fact that France can easily become landlocked, being in the center of Europe, trade becomes essential. This trade can come from anywhere, to be honest, but your neighbors will be your best bet. Mixing trade with political favor allows Catherine De Medici to maximize her chances of survival. This comes from creating political agreements in trade that act as openings for her spy networks. In a sense, being able to infect other nations with her spies the moment they accept a trade deal with her. This is a unique asset for Catherine, making France a much more potent trader and political ally than usual.
Religious Spread
While Catherine De Medici doesn’t seem like the type of leader who focuses on religion, her inquisitions proved invaluable. By creating strong faith points in your city you’ll be able to catch any spies that may enter France’s walls. It’s also a vital source of income for a country that has struggled to expand in other directions. When you combine these two options with the premise of alliances via religious causes, you’ve got the perfect reason for religious favors. Catherine De Medici uses religious ties to maintain an air of innocence, which you’ll need.
-source: The Saxy Gamer
The Spy Master
Despite the fact that France can be one of the most politically invested countries in Civilization VI, you will have to contest the fact that Catherine is a sneaky leader. You won’t be playing it as the good guy. Using your wits and your wealth you’ll be ahead of those around you. Between your allies and your enemies, you will have spies forever working in your favor. For this reason, she can be a fun leader to both mess with your friends, and to destroy your enemies. In the end, the French under Catherine De Medici will remain on top, with daggers on all of their allies’ backs.
