The Minas Geraes is a unique naval ranged unit of the Brazilian civilization in Civilization VI. It replaces the Battleship and is unlocked with Nationalism.
In the Gathering Storm expansion, the Minas Geraes requires 1 Coal to train and 1 Coal per turn to maintain.
- Common abilities:
- Has a ranged attack with Range 3.
- Special traits:
Strategy[]
The Minas Geraes is not only stronger than the Battleship it replaces, but also available a whole era earlier (that is, if you keep your civic development going strong). This gives the Brazilian player an incredible edge, if they know how to use it right!
Of course, in order to use this edge, you need a developed maritime infrastructure, able to produce enough ships to make a difference in battle. Go on the offensive and show that Brazilians know other stuff besides how to dance and have fun! Helpfully, the Minas Geraes benefits from the Production bonus from Press Gangs - normal Battleships only get a Production bonus from International Waters, which arrives far later. That said, the easiest way to produce many Minas Geraes is still to have built the Venetian Arsenal beforehand, which should not be difficult considering most players rate it low priority unless playing on a water-heavy map, and most AI leaders won't prioritize or even have a viable tile to place it.
The increased anti-air capacity of these ships will allow them to easily tear into air power, and to an extent, Aircraft Carriers. However, they are still vulnerable to Submarine attacks. Nevertheless, the Minas Geraes is, relatively speaking, the most powerful naval unit in the game, and can easily net Brazil a coastal empire in the same era that it is produced in.
Finally, note that while the Minas Geraes is unlocked through the civic tree, in the Gathering Storm expansion it requires Coal, which is unlocked with a technology (Industrialization) in the same era. As such, pure Culture output is not enough to rush this unit - you will need Science as well. Fortunately, Industrialization is a direct prerequisite for Flight, a vital technology for cultural civs, and because just one Minas Geraes will confer its strength to the defenses of all your cities, you will become a harder target for even land invasions!
Civilopedia entry[]
Intended to be the first step in Brazil becoming an international power, the Minas Geraes-class were two battleships of 11,800-tons launched in the early 20th Century. While these didn’t do much in making Brazil a power to be reckoned with, the Minas Geraes and sister ship São Paulo did start a South American naval arms race, and caused quite a stir in the United States and United Kingdom (who weren’t real keen on having battleships in South American waters that weren’t theirs). The design plans for the new class took two years to complete, and then were tossed when the new HMS Dreadnought launched in 1906 made them obsolete. Finally the keels of the new design were laid down, and in September 1908 the Minas Geraes launched, followed by the São Paulo in 1909. Their careers weren’t much to speak of – centerpieces in suppressing a naval mutiny and a couple of rebellions. And they met an ignominious end; the Minas Geraes was scrapped in 1950, and the São Paulo sank en route to the scrapyard in 1951.
Trivia[]
- The battleship on which this unit is based was named after one of Brazil's states, which supplied the country with most of the coal and iron needed for its construction (ironically the state itself is landlocked).