Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Maya & Gran Colombia Pack is a content addition to the turn-based strategy game Civilization VI that brings two new civilizations along with supporting features for single-player campaigns and custom game setups.
Gameplay
The Maya civilization centers on early city development through the Mayab ability, which grants housing and production bonuses from Farms while providing amenity boosts from adjacent luxury resources. City centers gain these advantages without relying on coastal or freshwater placement for extra housing. Lady Six Sky's Ix Mutal Ajaw ability extends yield bonuses to non-capital cities and combat strength to units positioned within six tiles of the capital. The Hul'che serves as a unique archer replacement that gains extra combat strength against wounded targets. The Observatory district replaces the standard campus and gains minor adjacency from Farms plus major adjacency from Plantations.
Gran Colombia emphasizes rapid military movement via the Ejercito Patriota ability, which speeds up all units and allows promotions without ending the current turn. Simón Bolívar's Campana Admirable ability delivers a Comandante General upon entering each new era. The Llanero replaces cavalry with lower maintenance costs, combat bonuses from adjacent Llaneros, and full healing when near an activated Comandante General. The Hacienda improvement yields production, gold, and housing while adding food from nearby Plantations and production from clustered Haciendas.
These mechanics integrate into the core loop of settling cities, advancing technologies, managing resources, and engaging in diplomacy or conflict across procedurally generated maps.
Game Modes
The Apocalypse game mode layers additional rules onto standard games when the required expansion is present. It introduces Forest Fires and Meteor Showers as new disaster types that appear in all game setups. Within the dedicated mode, players encounter Comet Impacts and Solar Flares as exclusive events alongside intensified versions of existing disasters. Disaster intensity locks to the highest setting, increasing frequency and severity throughout the match.
A new support unit called the Soothsayer allows players to trigger natural disasters on command. The mode features a scored competition where Soothsayers sacrifice friendly units near volcanoes for points and rewards such as additional Soothsayers or faith generation. Once climate change reaches its maximum level, the world shifts into an apocalyptic phase with further escalated disasters that can threaten entire civilizations over multiple turns.
New resources include Honey as a luxury item and Maize as a bonus resource. Three natural wonders appear: the Bermuda Triangle grants movement bonuses and teleportation to naval units, Paititi provides gold on trade routes plus adjacency for commercial hubs and theater squares, and the Fountain of Youth offers a healing buff to passing units. Six city-states join the roster with specialized suzerain bonuses covering cultural, industrial, militaristic, religious, scientific, and trade focuses.
Civilizations and Unique Elements
Each civilization receives tailored units, districts, and improvements that encourage distinct playstyles. Maya players focus on dense early infrastructure around farms and plantations while leveraging proximity to the capital for military edges. Gran Colombia players prioritize aggressive expansion and sustained army momentum through promotion flexibility and general support.
The Comandante General functions as an enhanced great general with both passive effects and retirement options that influence nearby forces. These elements combine with the new disasters and wonders to alter map control, resource management, and long-term planning in matches that extend into later eras.
Is It Worth Playing?
This pack suits players who enjoy experimenting with new civilizations and optional rule sets in Civilization VI campaigns. The two factions offer clear mechanical differences that reward specific strategies around city placement and unit mobility. The Apocalypse mode adds tension through controllable and escalating disasters, particularly in longer games where climate effects become prominent.
Reception has been mixed, with praise for the civilizations' balance and the mode's fresh endgame pressure alongside notes that the content volume feels limited compared to larger expansions. It appeals most to dedicated players seeking variety in single-player scenarios or those who already own the necessary base expansions for full mode access. Those focused on core mechanics without disaster emphasis may find the base game sufficient, while others appreciate the added layers for replayability.
