The Black Death (Civ6)

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The Black Death image

The Black Death is a scenario in Civilization VI: Gathering Storm.

Intro

The Black Death ravaged Europe and Western Asia in the mid-14th century, killing a greater share of the population than any other event in world history. The pandemic killed millions, ruined economies, upended political dynasties and transformed the face of the Western world.

Your task is to lead your nation through the calamity: keep your population alive, your economy strong, and your faith unshaken amidst a world of terror and desperation.

Gameplay

The scenario is set in the medieval times during the Black Death. There is a multiplayer mode in this scenario. The scenario can be won by researching the final technology, Invention, or the final civic, The Middle Class, before 85 turns have passed.

The Holy Roman Empire under a wave of plague

In The Black Death, a plague regularly sweeps over the continent, originating from port cities of different nations. If a unit ends its turn on a tile with the plague, it loses 20 HP. Cities with plague also have a high risk of losing Population.

By default, plague-stricken tiles cannot be worked, which makes cities lose a lot more of their Population and yields. The player is also regularly presented with events where one must usually choose between two bad choices, which usually have to do with cities losing yields.

Strategy

You should focus on either producing enough Science or Culture to research either the final technology or civic. While you may be tempted to attack neighboring nations if they are weakened by the plague, it is very difficult to keep your armies alive while the plague is spreading, and additionally it's difficult to produce more units with your cities crippled by the plague. So build either Campuses or Theater Squares early on while it is still possible - remember that cities with too few Citizens cannot build new Districts. Fast units (namely, Knights) are, however, useful in pillaging enemy districts and improvements, as pillaging Campuses yields Science, pillaging Theater Squares yields Culture, and pillaging Farms yields HP. Also, by using a Caravel, you can pillage each coastal city's Harbor and get an impressive amount of Gold. And while on the subject of combat, note that in this scenario Encampments and City Centers cannot perform ranged attacks. Finally, as the Production yields of your cities will inevitably be crippled in the course of the scenario, you should be prepared to acquire your new units and buildings by some other means: either purchase them with Gold or by Faith, so be sure to keep a stockpile of one (or both).

Bugs

Subsequent base game updates have introduced bugs to this scenario, reducing the difficulty:

• Cities can work plagued tiles (no policy needed).
• Builders can improve plagued tiles (no policy needed).
• England's 'Coerce' ability does not allow building construction in a District.
• Serfdom adds an additional 1 Food to all unimproved tiles and Farms.
• Public Servants also applies a Faith discount. This becomes very useful if the Flagellant unit is unlocked, considering that purchasing this unit (with the civic) costs 35 Faith, but activating it yields 50 Faith along with 10 Culture and 30 Loyalty.
  • Repeatedly purchasing and activating the Flagellant thus allows accelerated completion of all civics. This can be exploited by Castille whose Holy Fervor ability allows the Flagellant to activate immediately after it is purchased.

Civilizations

Holy Roman Empire loading screen

• Alfonso XI (Castile)
  • Civilization Ability: Sword of Faith (All Castilian units gain the 'Holy Fervor' unit command: once per turn, the unit may spend Faith to restore its moves and attacks.)
• Emperor Louis IV (Holy Roman Empire)
  • Civilization Ability: Teutonic Order (Teutonic Knight unique unit replaces Swordsmen. Teutonic Knights have no Gold maintenance and +8 Combat Strength when fighting in enemy territory.)
  • Unique Unit: Teutonic Knight
• King Edward III (England)
  • Civilization Ability: Labor Coercion (All English cities gain the 'Coerce' command: spend Gold to allow a plague-stricken tile to work, improve, or build for 10 turns.)
• King Philip VI (France)
  • Civilization Ability: Papal Leadership (France's government gains a special 'Papal Policy' wildcard slot. This slot is optional, but consumes Faith per turn if used.)

Special features

Districts

• Walled Quarter

Buildings

• Guildhall
• Keep
• Mass Grave
• Plague Hospital

Units

• Flagellant
• Plague Doctor
• Scholar
• Teutonic Knight

Technologies

The Black Death Technology Tree. Click to zoom.

• Civil Engineering
• Invention
• Medicine

Civics

The Black Death Civics Tree. Click to zoom.

• Higher Learning
• Labor Economy
• The Middle Class
• Wage Reform

Governments

• Catholic Monarchy

Policy Cards

• Civil Quarantine
• Commercial League
• Cottage Industries
• Fealty
• Indenture
• Labor Market
• Noblesse Oblige
• Patronage
• Pogrom
• Public Servants
• Skilled Trades
• Specialization
• Studia Generalia
• Urban Underclass

Lenses

The plague lens

• Plague Lens - shows tiles infected by the Black Plague

Videos

Civilization VI Gathering Storm - Black Death Scenario (Pre-Launch Livestream VOD)

Sarah Darney, Dave McDonough, and Carl Harrison play The Black Death in a pre-launch livestream of Gathering Storm.

Related achievements

Aggressive Strain Win the Black Death after conquering five cities. An aggressive strain is a variant of a microorganism which is more contagious than the common one; the territorial expansion is here compared to the spread of a disease.

Bendición Win the Black Death as Castile. The Spanish word for 'blessing'.

Danse Macabre Win the Black Death scenario on Deity difficulty. Danse Macabre is a genre of art about how death comes for everyone eventually, regardless of who they are.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry Win the Black Death as England. A reference to several Bible passages (Isaiah 22:13, Ecclesiastes 8:15, 1 Corinthians 15:32, and Luke 12:19).

Gesundheit Win the Black Death as the Holy Roman Empire. A German word that is used to wish good health to a person who has just sneezed.

I'm Not Dead Yet Win the Black Death after turn 80. A quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail during the famous 'Bring out your dead!' sequence.

Medieval Medicine Train 25 Plague Doctors during the Black Death scenario. Plague doctors tended to victims of the bubonic plague, which ravaged Europe in the 14th century.

Santé Passe Richesse Win the Black Death as France. 'Santé passe richesse' translates to 'health is worth more than wealth' in French.