I am a late bloomer when it came to realize what a masterpiece the Civilization-series has been – I bought CIV V late 2015, and immediately got hooked. Later we’ve gotten Civilization VI, which I honestly found a bit basic after playing CIV V with all DLC etc. Now, I have been lucky enough to get a copy of Gathering Storm, the upcoming DLC to Civilization VI.
Some of the new features include:
Environmental effects
Naturally-Occurring
- Volcano
- Flood
- Drought
- Hurricane
- Geothermal fissures
- Several types of storms
Man-Made
- Rising sea levels
- Melting ice caps
- Resource consumption
Engineering Projects
New Districts
- Canal
- Dam
New Route Types
- Tunnel
- Railroad
Wonders
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Panama Canal

21st Century Technologies & Civics:
- Seasteads
- Advanced AI
- Cybernetics
- Distributed Sovereignty
- Off-world Mission
New Civilizations:
- Canada – Wilfrid Laurier
- Hungary – Matthias Corvinus
- Inca – Pachacuti
- Mali – Mansa Musa
- Maori – Kupe
- Phoenicia – Dido
- Sweden – Kristina
- The Ottomans – Suleiman
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to play as much as I wanted by the writing of this preview – but one thing’s for certain – with Gathering Storm, Civilization VI is my all time favorite in the series. I especially like the man-made environmental changes, as you can no longer go full on with coal and oil, but actually, have to think about possible consequences.
I must also say, although it really hurts my Norwegian heart, that Kristina might be my new favorite leader in Civilization VI (I’m gonna say it’s because of me being 1/16th Swedish). Mostly I mean this as using her as a playable character, but I’ve also enjoyed playing against/together with her, she’s both interesting and is someone I want to succeed alongside me when playing as another Civ.
I will, of course, be back with a more thorough review, with a score, once the embargo has lifted on 11th of February, so make sure to watch out for that! Until then, you can find me practicing my Swedish…