A Guide to Playing as the Civ 6 Shaka Zulu Leader in Civilization 6

Shaka was a 19th-century king who expanded the Zulu tribe into a serious kingdom. He is also a leader you can select to play as in the Civilization 6: Rise and Fall expansion. The Civ 6 Shaka Zulu leader is one who offers players some notable military advantages for war and conquest. There aren’t that many African leaders in Civilization 6, but Shaka is one to take note of for war mongering.

Shaka’s Amabutho Leader Bonus

The Amabutho leader bonus for the Civ 6 Shaka Zulu leader enables you to form corps and armies with the Mercenaries and Nationalism civics. Nationalism and Mobilization are the civics usually required for forming corps and armies with other civilizations. Corps and armies formed have a +5 combat strength bonus when playing as Shaka.

The Isibongo Zulu Civ Ability

Isibongo is the civ ability for the Zulu civilization that upgrades your units that capture cities into corps or fleets with required civics unlocked. If you capture a city with a corps or fleet, Isbongo will upgrade it into a army or armada. Isbongo also has a +3 loyalty bonus for garrisoned units, which increases to +5 for a corps or army.

Shaka’s Unique Unit and Infrastructure

Ikanda is a unique district infrastructure you can build in your cities when playing as the Civ 6 Shaka Zulu leader. That unique district replaces the Encampment and has a lower 27 production cost in comparison. Ikanda buildings generate +2 gold and +1 science yields per turn. The Ikanda district also has a +1 housing bonus, enables 25% faster training for armies and corps, and allows you to form armies and corps without Military Academies.

The Impi is the unique Zulu unit that replaces Pikeman. It has a melee attack rating of 45, with a +10 combat strength bonus against cavalry. The Impi gains 25% percent more combat experience than regular units. It also has an increased flanking bonus of four.

Strategy and Tips for Playing as the Civ 6 Shaka Zulu Leader

Domination is the most obvious best victory condition to play for with the Civ 6 Shaka Zulu leader. His Amabutho leader bonus, Isibongo civ ability, and Ikanda infrastructure are most beneficial for military conquest. Amabutho will enable you to form super-strong armies, while you can secure city loyalty somewhat better during wars with the Isibong civ ability. Then, your Ikanda districts will also provide more gold for military unit maintenance.

If you’re going to play for a Domination Victory with the Civ 6 Shaka Zulu leader, selecting a small map for the game will help from the outset. A smaller map is more preferable for domination games because they have fewer civilizations and capital cities you need to capture. The distances between civilizations are generally shorter on smaller maps.

To fully benefit from Shaka’s military advantages, you must first focus on unlocking the civics required for them. Prioritize unlocking the Mercenaries and Nationalism civics so you can form armies and corps sooner rather than later. To exploit Impi’s flank bonus, you must also unlock Military Tradition for flanking.

When you’ve unlocked the required civics for them, corps and armies should be at the heart of your military strategy when playing as the Civ 6 Shaka Zulu leader. Make sure you merge the same unit types into corps or armies when you can. Then, you can trample over enemies with the Amabutho +5 combat strength bonus for your supercharged corps and armies.

When capturing enemy cities, remember to garrison units in them to exploit the Isibongo civ ability for securing loyalty. To further enhance the garrisoned unit loyalty effect, select the Limitaneni policy card when you can. Limitaneni has a +2 loyalty per turn effect for garrisoned units when selected. When combined with Isibongo, single units and corps will have +5 and +7 loyalty bonuses.

You should also build numerous Ikanda districts and buildings across your Zulu civilization for your military campaigns. The extra +2 gold each of your Ikanda buildings generates will come in handy for covering unit costs and upgrades. To further boost unit production in cities with Ikandas, establish more envoys in militaristic city-states. Then, you can roll out units for your wars all the faster.

If, however, you prefer a more peaceful game, science is perhaps the best alternative victory to go for when playing as the Civ 6 Shaka Zulu leader. That is primarily because of the scientific bonus the Ikanda district has for its Barracks, Stable, Armory, and Military Academy. Building a good number of Ikanda buildings can potentially increase your science output by 10 to 20, and possibly more. The bigger economic boost from Ikanda buildings can also come in handy for purchasing science buildings or the patronage of great scientists and engineers with gold.

The Military Research and Integrated Space Cell policy cards also have a good synergy with the Ikanda districts. Each of your Military Academy buildings will generate +1 science with the Military Research card selected. Then, you can boost production for space projects by 15% in a city that includes a Military Academy by selecting the Integrated Space Cell policy. Thus, the Ikanda is an ideal, unique infrastructure for such cards.

So, the Civ 6 Shaka Zulu leader is a good choice for players seeking to wage wars. You can form formidable armies and corps for securing a Domination Victory with the Amabutho leader bonus. The Isibongo civ ability is invaluable for countering the loyalty mechanic during military campaigns. Plus, the Ikanda district also makes the space race a viable route to victory for the Zulu civilization.