TheCivilization 6Leader Pass consists of six DLC packs for Firaxis' grand strategy, each containing three new Leaders or Personas. The Rulers of China Pack arrived in the middle of the Leader Pass and added Yongle, Qin Shi Huang the Unifier, and Wu Zetian to theCivilization 6roster.
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Wu Zetian is the only legitimate female ruler in China’s long and storied history. She went from concubine to Empress Regnant. China experienced a golden age of growth and progress during her rule, and she was renowned for her political acumen and extensive spy network. In the game, this is reflected in her unique Ability Manual of Entrapment, which gives her the earliestaccess to Spies inCivilization 6.
Updated on June 10, 2025, by Ashely Claudino:On July 24, 2025, Civilization 6 finally brought the Leader Pass to consoles such as Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and Switch, allowing more players across the community to experience the last Civilization 6 expansion packs.
This wasn’t the only thing that the update brought to Civilization 6. Several Leader Pass leaders suffered some changes to their unique leader abilities to make them more balanced, slightly changing the experience that gamers would get while trying them out. This guide has been updated and remains accurate.
Wu Zetian’s Features and Abilities
Wu Zetian gets the same Civilization Ability, Unique Unit, and Unique Tile Improvement as herfellow Chinese LeadersYongle, Qin Shi Huang, and Kublai Khan. However, her gameplay style is decided by her Manuel of Entrapment Ability, which gives her a unique focus on early espionage.
The August Update made Wu Zetian more Faith-oriented by giving her the ability to purchase Spies with Faith and also siphon Faith from successful spy missions.
How it works
How to Play as Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian’s Manual of Entrapment gives her an unusual, espionage-focused playstyle inCivilization 6. Because of the flexibility of the espionage system, this advantage can be turned toward many victory types, but aCulture Victory is the easiest to achievewith China’s other bonuses.
The key aspect of Manual of Entrapment is the free Spy that players receive after researching the Defensive Tactics Civic from the Classical Era. This is the earliest Spy that players can get inCivilization 6, as evenCatherine De Medici’s early Spyrequires players to have reached the Medieval Era, and for all other Leaders, players must have reached the Renaissance. Having an early Spy means that other players won’t be able to defend themselves with Counterspies for many turns, enabling Wu Zetian to take full advantage of her espionage expertise.
While early spying will give players a head start as Wu Zetian, they’ll also need to have a plan for eventual victory. One of the best uses of Wu Zetian’s Manual of Entrapment is to steal as many Great Works as possible, which will combo with China’s other Culture and Tourism bonuses to help catapult theminto a Culture Victory. Alternatively, Wu Zetian players could use their espionage to steal Techs and sabotage their enemies, making room for a Science or Domination Victory instead.
Civilization 6is available for iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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