Heroes & Legends (Civ6)

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Heroes & Legends game mode icon

Heroes & Legends is the fifth game mode in Civilization VI, introduced in the Babylon Pack. It includes twelve unique Hero units from the world's myths and legends, each with their own special abilities, which can be discovered by diplomacy and exploration.

Contents

The twelve Heroes are based on mythological heroes from various cultures, such as King Arthur and Sun Wukong. These Heroes can be discovered during standard gameplay, as well as via the special Heroic Tales city project. Each Hero can only be claimed by one civilization, but one civilization can own multiple Heroes. Though Heroes only last for a set number of turns (referred to as their Lifespan), they have quite extraordinary special abilities and are often mighty warriors. Besides that, they leave behind Heroic Relics which continue providing benefits to their home civilization throughout the game.

Later, Heroes can be called upon in times of great need using Faith in their home city. Recalling Heroes refreshes their Lifespan and charges, but the Faith cost increases with each appearance, and each Hero can only be recalled once per era.

Mechanics

Discovery of Heroes

Hero discovery popup

Before you can attract Heroes, you have to first discover their existence. Besides running the Heroic Tales project, you can discover a new Hero by doing any of the following:

• Becoming the Suzerain of a city-state (100% chance)
• Discovering a natural wonder or a continent (50% chance)
• Visiting a Tribal Village (15% chance)
• Sending an Envoy to a city-state (10% chance)

Many Heroes can be discovered by sending Envoys to the same city-state. However, the Envoy that helps you become the Suzerain will not discover two Heroes simultaneously.

Heroes can also be discovered by encountering them with one of your units. In this case, it is considered already claimed by the civilization that owns it, but that also means you now have one less Hero that you don't know about!

Summoning and using Heroes

The process of getting a Hero (referred to as "summoning") is quite different from attracting Great People, and is much simpler. When Heroes are discovered, every city with a Monument can run a special Devotion project dedicated to this Hero - when the project finishes, the respective Hero will appear in this city. The very first Devotion project you run is cheap (costing 20 Production on Standard speed), while subsequent Devotion projects are quite a bit more expensive. One civilization can claim many Heroes, but each city can claim only one Hero - a city which is already home to a Hero cannot summon any others. The relevant projects in this city won't appear anymore, because the citizens there have already given their spiritual allegiance. Once a Hero is claimed, they will consider the city that summons them their home.

When a Hero dies or their Lifespan expires, they will leave behind a Heroic Relic, which will be displayed in the city's Monument. They will also leave another hidden symbolic object (which also counts as a Heroic Relic), which will remain buried in the tile where they die until it is excavated by an Archaeologist. After that, this Relic will also be displayed in their home city, if there is still free space in the Monument. That's why you should always remember the spot where the Hero dies the first time, and put a map pin on it so you can excavate it later. You can excavate Heroic Relics of Heroes belonging to other civilizations as long as there are enough Heroic Relic slots in the Monuments. Archaeologists will not consume a charge when digging up Heroic Relics. Only when a city completes a Devotion project to a Hero will the Monument of that city gain the two Heroic Relic slots. Each Heroic Relic grants 2 Culture, 2 Faith and 6 Tourism.

Just like wonders, Heroes are unique - each Hero can only belong to one civilization, and if another civilization claims a Hero first while you are running the corresponding Devotion project, you will be refunded only a fraction of the Production cost.

Once summoned, Heroes will not change their affiliation. They have to be recalled by the same civilization within their home city. If the ownership of the home city changes, the Hero will still survive until they expire or die, but the Hero cannot be recalled until the city returns to its original owner. If the home city is razed, the Hero is dead forever. A Hero can only be recalled once per era, at the cost of Faith. When recalled, Heroes will have all their Charges and Lifespan fully restored. Unlike other units that have to be purchased with Faith, Heroes can move, use their abilities, or attack in the same turn they are summoned or recalled.

All Heroes belong to a specific unit class - Anansi is a ranged unit, Mulan is a ranged cavalry unit, Hercules is a melee unit, and so on - and they will function just like a normal unit of that classification. (The only exception is Himiko, who is classified as a civilian unit but functions more like a Great Person, since she cannot be captured like Builders and Settlers.) However, the Hero classification does give them several advantages over normal military units, apart from superior Combat Strength or Ranged Strength:

• They retain their full Combat Strength when embarked.
• They can instantly travel from City Center to City Center, like Great People.
• They cannot change their affiliation, so abilities that allow units to be captured are ineffective against them (i.e., Genghis Khan cannot capture Mulan and Arthur when he kills them, the English Sea Dog cannot capture Sinbad, and Hunahpu & Xbalanque cannot resurrect other players' dead Heroes).
• They add 1 Loyalty to all cities within 2 tiles at the end of every turn (including hostile cities and Free Cities).

Heroes' abilities

Except for Himiko, all Heroes are military units with combat statistics that scale according to era, but are always slightly higher than other units' that belong to the same era. This gives them an edge against all current units, but it does not make them immortal! Keep in mind that since all Heroes have a limited Lifespan, and their combat statistics will depend only on the era they are summoned/recalled (i.e., those statistics will not be adjusted when the era changes), it is a good idea to refrain from summoning them at the end of an era.

Most Heroes have a special ability that allows them to ignore Movement penalties in some (or all) types of terrain. They also have increased Movement compared to other units.

Besides basic combat abilities, almost all Heroes also have active abilities which they can use only once per turn. Some abilities are limited by the number of charges, but some can be used by the Hero every turn until they die. For example, while Maui may create brand new resources a maximum of 4 times per Lifespan, Hippolyta can activate her ability without the charge restriction! Note that special actions may be used only while the Hero has charges remaining; however, they will not disappear after expending their last one. A Hero unit disappears only when killed in battle, or when their Lifespan is exhausted.

Base-game mechanics changed

• Gilgamesh gains a new leader ability granting a Production increase towards claiming Heroes and a buff to their Lifespan.
• The Shrine grants Heroes summoned in cities with it 10% more Lifespan.
• The Temple (and Prasat) grants its owner a 15% discount on purchasing Heroes with Faith.
• The Hanging Gardens grants all Heroes belonging to its owner 10% more Lifespan.
• The Oracle grants its owner a 15% discount on purchasing Heroes with Faith.

Strategy

This mode has two basic layers which affect gameplay.

The first is the access to superunits right from the start of the game - exceptionally strong which can almost singlehandedly defeat Barbarian raids, clear their outposts and even engage other civilizations! Considering how easy it is to get your first Hero, it isn't uncommon to have it within the first 30-40 turns. All you need is a Monument, a couple of turns, and luck to discover a Hero which fits your gameplay style sufficiently. Of course, if you decide to go after a civilization you should be aware of the risk of their having claimed a Hero as well - you will then have lost the extra military edge.

The second layer is the Heroes' special abilities. These vary wildly, with some abilities which are truly game changers. Among these are Maui's ability to create resources out of nothing, Anansi's ability to consume resources for huge amounts of Science and Culture, and Hercules' ability to instantly finish Districts. Needless to say, if you have the instincts to use such abilities correctly you will gain a significant edge over your competition in the early and middle game. Note that many of these abilities lose their power in the late game - Maui, for example, will have a hard time finding unclaimed tiles on which he can activate his ability. So, it all comes to using Heroes the right way, at the right moment. Which means that, if you intend to use this mode, the very first thing you should do is get familiar with most Heroes' special abilities and try to devise strategies that include them.

The Heroic Relics can also be immensely useful, especially if you have few other sources of Great Works.

Bugs

Heroes increase the Loyalty of foreign cities. In a realistic scenario, the presence of an enemy Hero should demoralize a foreign city, not bolster its loyalty.

Heroes

Hero's name	Folklore origin				Abilities	Unit class
Anansi	Ghana	3	6	30	Agile: Ignores Movement penalties in Woods and Rainforest terrain. Anansi's Tricks: Use when located on a Bonus or Luxury Resource. Anansi consumes the resource and generates Science and Culture. Any improvement present is destroyed. Costs 1 Charge and all Movement.	Ranged (1 Range)
Arthur	Britain	5	4	30	Arthur's Accolade: Target an adjacent land military unit you control. Arthur transforms the unit into a Questing Knight: a unique heavy cavalry unit with increased Combat Strength and 12 Lifespan. Costs 1 Charge and 1 Movement.	Heavy cavalry
Beowulf	Britain / Scandinavia	3	6	30	Rugged: Ignores Movement penalties in Hills terrain. Beowulf's Challenge: Target an adjacent enemy unit with Combat Strength less than Beowulf's. Beowulf immediately destroys the target. Costs 1 Charge and 1 Movement.	Melee
Hercules	Greece / Rome	3	6	30	Rugged: Ignores Movement penalties in Hills terrain. Hercules' Labor: Use when located on a friendly District under construction. Hercules immediately completes construction of the District. Costs 2 Charges and all Movement. Hercules' Rage: Use when located on an enemy District. Hercules destroys all buildings present and pillages the District. Costs 1 Charge and all Movement.	Melee
Himiko	Japan	4	8	40	Inspiring: +5 Combat Strength to all units within 2 tiles. Swift: Ignores all terrain Movement penalties. Himiko's Charm: Target any adjacent city-state. Himiko immediately places 1 free Envoy in the city-state. If you are already the Suzerain there, Himiko also earns Faith. Costs 1 Charge and all Movement. Himiko's Rule: If you are its Suzerain, levy the troops of the city-state with no Gold cost. Costs 1 Charge and all Movement.	Civilian
Hippolyta	Greece	3	N/A	30	Rugged: Ignores Movement penalties in Hills terrain. Hippolyta's Favor: Hippolyta automatically heals 20 HP each turn. Hippolyta's Command: Target any adjacent friendly unit that has moved or attacked this turn. Hippolyta immediately restores the unit's moves and attacks. Usable once per turn.	Anti-cavalry
Hunahpu & Xbalanque	Maya	3	N/A	30	Agile: Ignores Movement penalties in Woods and Rainforest terrain. The Twins' Resurrection: Any ordinary land unit killed by Hunahpu & Xbalanque is resurrected under your control with full HP and movement.	Melee
Maui	Polynesia	3	4	30	Agile: Ignores Movement penalties in Woods and Rainforest terrain. Maui's Inventions: Use when located on an unowned, empty plot. Maui creates a random Bonus or Luxury Resource on the plot. Costs 1 Charge and all Movement.	Melee
Mulan	China	5	N/A	30	Mulan's Devotion: Mulan gains 1 Combat Strength every turn. Mulan's Defiance: Mulan fully fortifies automatically at the end of every turn.	Ranged cavalry (2 Range)
Oya	Nigeria	3	6	30	Swift: Ignores all terrain Movement penalties. Oya's Storm: Oya damages all adjacent enemies and heals all adjacent owned units by 40. Costs 1 Charge and all Movement.	Melee
Sinbad	Arabia	7	8	30	Navigator: Can enter Ocean tiles. Sinbad's Journeys: Sinbad earns 400 Gold whenever he discovers a Continent or Natural Wonder. Sinbad's Fortunes: Target any adjacent enemy naval unit or Barbarian Camp. The target is either cleared or damaged by 50%, and Sinbad immediately earns Gold. Costs 1 Charge and all Movement.	Naval melee
Sun Wukong	China	6	N/A	50	Swift: Ignores all terrain Movement penalties. Sun Wukong's Disguise: Sun Wukong is hidden unless adjacent to an enemy unit. Sun Wukong's Immortality: Sun Wukong has significantly increased Lifespan.	Melee

Relics

• Armor of Mulan
• Chalice of Arthur
• Club of Hercules
• Compass of Sinbad
• Crown of Himiko
• Drums of Anansi
• Epic Hero Relic
• Girdle of Hippolyta
• Knife of Oya
• Mantles of the Hero Twins
• Staff of Sun Wukong
• Sword of Beowulf
• Torch of Maui

Related achievements

Clash of the Titans Kill an enemy Hero with your Hero. The title of a famous 1981 film based on the life of Perseus, and a pun on two Titans (the Heroes) fighting one another.

Sing, O Muse Claim every Hero across multiple games. The first part of a quote by Homer describing the great hero Achilles, which is the opening line to the Iliad.

Steel-Driving Man Recall a Hero after the Industrial Era. A title ascribed to John Henry, an American folk hero.

The Brave Live Forever Recall a Hero 5 times in a single game. A paraphrased quote from The 13th Warrior, a film based on the legend of Beowulf.

The Dream Team Claim 5 Heroes in a single game. A nickname for the 1992 US Olympic men's basketball team.