Quick Links
Mansa Musa, believed to be the richest person who ever lived, is the default leader for Mali inCivilization 6.The game simulates his historic control over the Saharan trade routes and his legendary pilgrimage to Mecca by focusing his playstyle around commerce and Faith.
Musa can sometimes find himself in a weaker starting position due to his trade-off of Production for Gold, but once his trade empire is up and running there is nothing that the famed West African king can’t afford. Read on to find out how to make Mali the ultimate economic power in Civilization 6.
Mansa Musa’s Abilities
As the leader of Mali, Musa hasmany of the same capabilities as his predecessor,Sundiata Keita.Sugubas are enhanced Commercial Hubs that grantdiscounts to Gold and Faith purchasesin their city, whileMandekalu Cavalaryare adept at protecting trade routes.Songs of the Jelliincentivizes Mali to settle in or near deserts early on, and causesMines to produce extra Gold but less Production.
Mansa Musa differs from Sundiata in histrade-focused Sahel Merchantsability. Musaincreases his Trade Route capacity every time he enters a Golden Age, so always be on the lookout forways to increase your Era Score.Those extra Traders can then be put to use on profitable routes to other civilizations, ideally originating from desert cities; Sahel Merchants causes international Trade Routes togenerate extra Gold for each flat desert tile in the origin city.
Getting Started As Mansa Musa
Choosing the right starting locationis important for every leader, but for Mansa Musa it’s critical. Since youwon’t be able to use Minesto increase Production, you’re likely to find yourself stuck working with the base yields from Hills and Woods unless you’re lucky enough to have Stone or a similar resource that you may build a Quarry over.Prioritize Production, especially if you’re settling near a desert.
In most games, Musa will have at least some desert terrain near his starting location. If possible, attempt to havetwo to three desert tiles adjacent to your city center, ideally with Hills. These tiles will give the cityextra Food and Faiththanks to Songs of the Jelli; not only does this free up Citizens to work tiles that yield Production rather than Food, but it alsogets you a head start on founding a Pantheon.Mali canalmost always get first Pantheon pick, and should take eitherReligious Settlementsto get a free Settler orDesert Folkloreto combo withWork Ethiclater.
Mansa Musa Early Game Strategy
Once your city is in place,train a Scoutand start looking for a Natural Wonder and potential new city locations. RushAstrologyto get a Holy Site up and running as soon as possible; while Musa doesn’t necessarily need to start a Religion, he benefits from having a lot of Faith, so you may as well go for one. Once Astrology is ready, researchMiningand train aBuilderto build Mines and Quarries on your best Production tiles.
The Mines will generate extra Gold (they’ll get Production bonuses later as you progress down the tech tree, but for now it’s just Gold). Use the cash tobuy Warriors and Slingersas needed to fight off Barbarians while you expand your first settlements, plus aTraderonce you discoverForeign Trade.Send the Trader wherever they’re most useful totrigger the boost for Currency, then rush that tech so that you canstart building Sugubas en masse.
Mathematics is another key technology for Mali, as it allows them to construct Petra - a key Wonder for a city with lots of desert tiles!
Best Victory Conditions For Mansa Musa
Keep building up your Gold economy while also bolstering your Faith output. If the game is fairly peaceful, you canbecome a Merchant Republicin the mid-game to maximize your income, and if war is on the horizon you canbecome a Theocracy insteadto purchase troops with both Gold and Faith.
Some improvements, notably Walls, can’t be purchased outright - prioritize those for construction since you don’t have any other choice.
Ultimately, the goal of any campaign playing as Mansa Musa is tobuy anything you needwhile requiring only minimal turns to save up. If you need an army for a Domination Victory, Musa canreliably purchase them without the need for an Encampment.The same goes for Universities, Museums, or any of the other infrastructure that goes into pursuing a victory condition. If you need Districts, give Reyna the Financier theContractortitle and send her to the city in question; you can now buy Districts with Gold. Even Wonders can be purchased in a roundabout way; buy an army of Builders toharvest Stone and chop down Woodsfor extra Production, with Magnus the Steward to oversee the project.
In other words, Mansa Musa is one of the rare leaders in Civ 6 who canreasonably pursue any Victory type.
