This list of all 43 Civilizations and Leaders available in Civ 5, Gods and Kings, Brave New World and Steam DLC/Scenario Packs shows the bonuses you get when playing each Civ - from their Leader's Unique Ability (UA), to the Unique Units' Stats (UU), Unique Buildings (UB), and Terrain Improvements available to them. What is special about this list is that it shows the difference between each UU/UB and the original Building or Unit it replaces. This should help you come up with ideas for how you might like to play a certain Civilization. The ultimate goal of this list is to help you choose which Civilization to play by giving you a rundown of the bonuses you'll get when playing as that Leader. It is intended to be better than the in-game menu for choosing a Civ. Many players return to this list to pick who they'll play in their next game. You can press Control + D to bookmark the list.

DLC and Civilization Selection: Brave New World and Civ 5 Complete Edition

Not all Civs in this list will appear in your selection menu if you have Vanilla or only one or two of the Expansion Packs. There are several DLC available on Steam for Civilization 5 that add Scenarios and new Civilizations to the game. In the list below, these are labeled DLC (Steam). Civilizations that come from Gods and Kings are labeled G&K, and those from Brave New World, BNW. Players who own the Brave New World Expansion Pack get all features of Gods and Kings except for the Civilizations - so if you want to buy one of the DLC, this is the one to get. It also makes Civ 5 one of the best Turn-Based Strategy games ever made. Civilization 5 Complete Edition is also available, so players can get the Gods and Kings and Brave New World Expansions along with all of the Steam-only DLC/Scenario Packs in one package.

Civilizations in Civ 5 - List of Leaders, Unique Abilities, Units and Buildings

Leader Civilization

& Leader Unique Ability Unique Unit

vs Replaced Unit Unique Building or UU

Compared to Original DLC?

Morocco

Ahmad al-Mansur Gateway to Africa - +3 Gold and +1 Culture for each trade route with a different Civ/CS. Other Civs get +2 gold for each route sent to Morocco Berber Cavalry (Cavalry) - +25% Combat Bonus in your territory, +50% Combat Strength fighting in Desert Kasbah (Tile Improvement) - Food, Gold, Production +1 and +50% Defense for units stationed there. May only be built on Desert tiles, after Chivalry. BNW

Greece

Alexander Hellenic League - City-State Influence degrades at half and recovers at twice the normal rate, also eliminates Trespassing penalties. Companion Cavalry (Horseman) - Combat is more likely to produce Great Generals, +1 moves (5), +2 Strength (14). Hoplite (Spearman) - +2 Combat Strength (13) Vanilla

Assyria

Ashurbanipal Treasures of Nineveh - Gain a free Tech discovered by the owner of the city when Conquering it through War. (Trade doesn't count, and only once per city). Siege Tower (Catapult) - Strength +5 (12), No set-up, Cover I Promotion (ranged defense), +1 sight, +200% bonus vs Cities itself and Units within 2 hexes get +50% attack bonus on Cities. Royal Library (Library) - Great Work of Writing slot that, when filled, will give +10XP to newly trained units in addition to benefits provided by Barracks, etc. BNW

Songhai

Askia River Warlord - Triple gold from pillaging Barb encampments and Cities. Land units gain War Canoe and Amphibious promotions - attack better from water with better sight and Combat Strength while embarked. Mandekalu Cavalry (Knight) - 10 less Cost in Production, -33% Penalty to Attacking Cities Removed Mud Pyramid Mosque (Temple) - Culture +2 in addition to usual +2 Faith. 0 Gold Maintenance. Vanilla

The Huns

Attila Scourge of God - Double Raze speed. Uses City Names from other Civs. Starts with Animal Husbandry and earns +1 Production per Pasture Horse Archer (Chariot Archer) - +1 Melee Strength (7), Rough Terrain Penalty Removed. Starts with Accuracy I upgrade - +15% against units in Open Terrain Battering Ram (Spearman) - City Attack Only so no Bonus vs Mounted. -1 Strength over normal, yet gets a +300% Bonus vs Cities. -33% Defense against attackers, so keep it safe. G&K

Rome

Augustus Caesar The Glory of Rome - +25% Production in other Cities toward any Building that exists in the Capital. Ballista (Catapult) - +2 Ranged Strength (10), +1 Melee Defense (8). Simply a stronger Catapult that still has to set up. Legion (Swordsman) - +3 Combat Strength (17). Capable of building Roads and Forts, the only Non-Worker that can do this. Use them to connect new Cities and help your workers in times of peace. Vanilla

Germany

Bismarck Furor Teutonicus - Defeating a Barbarian in an Encampment gives you a 67% chance they join your side. Land unit maintenance costs 25% less. Panzer (Tank) - Has +1 move and +10 combat strength compared to a regular Tank. It is merely a faster, more powerful version that Germany will be able to mass-produce easily thanks to their unique building. Hanse (Bank) - All the regular benefits of a Bank, but with a great perk - +5% production per Trade Route with a unique City-State in every City with a Hanse. Vanilla

The Celts

Boudicca Druidic Lore - +1 Faith per city with adjacent unimproved Forest tiles. Increases to +2 when 3 or more Forest are present. Pictish Warrior (Spearman) - Removed bonus to Mounted, but gain +20% Combat Bonus when outside Friendly territory. Also, no Movement Cost to Pillage Tile Improvements and earns 50% of a slain enemy's strength as Faith. Ceilidh Hall (Opera House) - Gives +3 Happiness, vs 0 on a regular Opera House G&K

Poland

Casimir III Solidarity - Free Social Policy each time you advance an Era Winged Hussar (Lancer) - Heavy Charge forces defenders to retreat if it deals more damage than the Lancer. When they can't flee, they take more damage. Comes with Shock I (+15% Combat in Open Terrain). Ducal Stable (Stable) - Gives +15XP to mounted units in addition to the usual production bonus. Pastures provide +1 Gold in addition to the usual +1 Production, also requires no Gold maintenance. BNW

Russia

Catherine Siberian Riches - Strategic Resources give +1 Production. Horse, Iron, and Uranium give double quantity for larger armies or more trading. Cossack (Cavalry) - +33% Combat Bonus when fighting damaged enemies, so have your ranged tap them first! Krepost (Barracks) - Usual +15XP of Barracks but reduces Culture and Gold Costs of acquiring new tiles by 25%, expanding your lands. Vanilla

Persia

Darius I Achaemenid Legacy - Golden Ages last 50% longer. Units get +1 Movement and +10% Combat Strength during Golden Ages. Immortal (Spearman) - +1 Combat Strength (12), Heals at Double Rate - 20 outside friendly territory to 50 in a City. Satrap's Court (Bank) - Gives +2 Happiness unlike a Bank (0), along with an additional +1 Gold, bringing it to +3 Vanilla

Carthage

Dido Phoenician Heritage - Coastal Cities get a free Harbor. Units may cross mountain after the first Great General is born, but will take 50 damage if ending a turn on a Mountain. African Forest Elephant (Horseman) - Doesn't require Horses, but costs 100 instead of 75 like a Horseman. Enemies nearby take a -10% Combat penalty. Loses 1 Move (3) but gains 2 Strength (14). Comes with Great Generals II Upgrade, making them spawn more quickly from using this unit in combat. Quinquereme (Trireme) - +3 Combat Strength over usual Trireme, bringing it to 13. G&K

England

Elizabeth Sun Never Sets - +2 Naval unit Movement and +1 Extra Spy when introduced in the Renaissance Longbowman (Crossbowman) - Range +1, which is a huge advantage Ship of the Line (Frigate) - +7 Ranged Strength (35), +5 Defense (30), +1 Sight - a big bonus with the native Movement of English Ships. Vanilla

Venice

Enrico Dandolo Serenissima - No Building of Settlers nor Annexing of Cities - you can only fully control one City, but get double the Trade Routes your tech level would normally provide. Your only method of taking control over other cities is to Puppet them with the Merchant of Venice UU. Venice gets the ability to purchase in Puppeted Cities. Merchant of Venice - May buy City-States for Gold. Has Trade Missions like a regular Great Merchant, but they are 100% more effective. These are spawned instead of Great Merchants, and you'll get a free one when you research Optics. Great Galleass (Galleass) - Costs 10 more than a regular Galleass at 110 Production, but has +3 Ranged Strength (20 total) and +2 Defense (18 total). BNW

Indonesia

Gajah Mada Spice Islanders - First 3 Cities founded on continents other than where Indonesia started each provide 2 unique Luxury Resources and can never be Razed. Kris Swordsman (Swordsman) - Gets a random upgrade after Combat. Most of these are incredible bonuses, like fully healing after a non-barbarian kill or 1 extra attack+move per turn. Unfortunately, some Units may get cursed blades that reduce their effectiveness in Combat but in general, the Mystic Blades rock and you'll want to be careful not to lose Units with certain upgrades. Candi (Garden) - The usual great person generation of a Garden, but with +2 Faith for each World Religion with at least 1 follower in the City. BNW

India

Gandhi Population Growth - Unhappiness from number of Citizens halved, while unhappiness from number of Cities doubled. War Elephant (Chariot Archer) - Loses 1 move (down to 3) but also ditches the Rough Terrain Penalty that costs a Chariot's moves should it move into rocky terrain. Its Ranged Strength is +1 (11 total) with a hefty boost to melee defense, up to 9 from the Chariot's 6. Mughal Fort (Castle) - Gives +2 Culture where a Castle gives none. After Flight is researched, it'll give +2 Tourism as well. The cost is about 8% cheaper, from 160 to 150 Production. Vanilla

Mongolia

Genghis Khan Mongol Terror - +30% Combat Strength when fighting City-State units or City-States themselves. All mounted units get +1 movement. Keshik (Knight) - Like a Knight, but with +1 moves (5) and ranged, being unable to Melee but able to fire from 2 tiles away. Combat with these will generate Great Generals faster, while the unit simultaneously gets a 50% boost to XP earned from combat. The Knight's penalty to attacking Cities is gone, while they retain the ability to move after attacking - a very potent City raiding unit of the early-mid game. Khan (Great General) - Gets the usual Great General uses, but also comes with Enhanced Medic, healing adjacent units by 15 hp per turn. They can also move 5 hexes as opposed to the usual 2. Note the unit beneath the Khan will not be healed, so it's best to position them with units around to maximize the effect. Khans along with other mounted can retreat, wait a few turns outside combat range, and return fully healed. DLC (Steam)

Sweden

Gustavus Adolphus Nobel Prize - Gain 90 Influence gifting Great People to City-States. Declarations of Friendship give Sweden and the friendly Civ a +10% GPP boost toward Great People. Hakkapeliitta (Lancer) - Great Generals give +30% combat bonus if in the same tile. This is easy to accomplish, as a GG stacked with the Hakkapeliitta will inherit the same moves (4). Carolean (Rifleman) - Starts with March, which will heal it every turn, even if it performs an action. Keep a Medic nearby for maximum effect, so that it can get larger heals every turn, helping it last longer in combat and when attacking Cities. G&K

Ethiopia

Haile Selassie Spirit of Adwa - +20% Combat Bonus to all Units when fighting a Civ with more Cities than Ethiopia. Mehal Sefari (Rifleman) - Costs 200 vs 225 for a Rifleman. Starts with Drill I, giving a bonus in Rough Terrain and good opportunity for upgrades straight out of a Military Academy. Gets a +30% Combat Bonus while fighting from inside the Capital, which diminishes in power as it gets a few hexes away. Stele (Monument) - Gives +2 Faith in addition to the regular +2 Culture of a Monument. G&K

Denmark

Harald Bluetooth Viking Fury - Embarked units gain 1 movement and pay only 1 movement to move from sea to land. Melee units do not lose movement to Pillage, providing them ample healing near enemy Cities. Berserker (Longswordsman) - Gets +1 Movement (3 total) and begins with the Amphibious promotion, eliminating combat penalties for attacking from sea or across a river. Norweigan Ski Infantry (Rifleman) - 25% combat bonus in unforested Hills, Snow, and Tundra tiles. Also moves double through those tiles. DLC (Steam)

Arabia

Harun al-Rashid Ships of the Desert - Caravans gain +50% extended range. Land/sea trade routes spread the home city's religion at double effectiveness. Get double Oil Strategic Resources. Camel Archer (Knight) - Ranged unit replacing the Knight. Gets -3 defensive strength (17) but has a ranged combat strength of 21. Removes the penalty for attacking Cities while retaining the ability to move after attacking. Bazaar (Market) - Gives 1 extra copy of each Luxury Resource near the city. Oil and Oasis provide +2 Gold. Bazaars give +1 base gold as well. Vanilla

Iroquois

Hiawatha The Great Warpath - Units and Caravans move through forest/jungle in your territory as if they were roads and these tiles can be used to establish City Connections (build roads in between). Mohawk Warrior (Swordsman) - Gains +33% Combat Bonus in Forest/Jungle (even if on hill) and doesn't require Iron unlike the Swordsman it replaces. Longhouse (Workshop) - Gives the flat +2 Production of a Workshop, but changes the +10% Production bonus to instead give +1 production to each worked Forest Tile. It's great with Lumber Mills, but you have to leave the Forests until that Tech is researched. Gives much more Production when you have plenty of Forest around your Cities. Vanilla

Spain

Isabella Seven Cities of Gold - Gold Bonus from discovering Natural Wonders. All tile yields from Natural Wonders doubled if you can get one within workable range. Tercio (Musketman) - +50% Bonus vs Mounted Units. Has +2 higher Combat Strength than Musketmen, at 26 vs 24 but costs 10 more Production (160). Conquistador (Knight) - City attack penalty removed. Double defense when Embarked, +2 sight range and can settle Cities on other Continents. G&K

Polynesia

Kamehameha Wayfinding - Units can Embark over Oceans immediately. +1 sight when Embarked. +10% Combat Strength if within 2 tiles of a Moai. Maori Warrior (Warrior) - Haka War Dance Upgrade makes all enemies in adjacent tiles suffer -10% Combat Strength penalty. Moai (Tile Improvement) - Build on land along coast. Gives +1 culture, up to +3 if adjacent to other Moai. When Flight is researched, Moai receive +1 gold each. DLC (Steam)

Portugal

Maria I Mare Clausum - Resource diversity grants double gold for Portugal in each trade route, which can amount to a lot of extra Gold. Nau (Caravel) - Can use Exotic Cargo ability to generate gold and XP, more the further it is from the Capital. You may only use this ability once per unit. Feitoria (Tile Improvement) - Build along a City-State's coast in a spot without a resource. This will give you a copy of each Luxury resource the CS has connected, but can't be traded. Units defending in the Feitoria will get a +50% defensive bonus as though using a Fort. BNW

Austria

Maria Theresa Diplomatic Marriage - Allows you to spend gold to Annex or Puppet a City-State that has been an ally for 5 turns. This will cost you about 1500 gold or less. Hussar (Cavalry) - +1 Movement, Flank Attack bonuses increased +50% and gets +1 Extra Sight. Coffee House (Windmill) - Loses the flat terrain requirement and the +10% production toward buildings, but gets 5% flat production and provides +25% Great People generation in the city G&K

Aztec

Montezuma (Sacrificial Captives) - Gains culture for the empire for each enemy unit killed Jaguar (Warrior) - A great UU. Heals 25 damage when it kills a unit, gets a +33% combat bonus in forest/jungle giving it freedom to choose the open terrain upgrades for versatility, and moves through forest and jungle at double the usual rate. Floating Gardens (Water Mill) - Allows construction in cities near lakes in addition to rivers. Provides a whopping +15% growth to the city, reduces gold maintenance from 2 to 1. A great UB all-around that you will want to try to slip in early for maximum effect. Vanilla

France

Napoleon City of Light - Museum and World Wonder theming bonuses are doubled in their Capital Musketeer (Musketman) - +28 instead of +24 Combat Strength. Perhaps the most straightforward UU bonus out there. Chateau (Tile Improvement) - May be built adjacent to luxury improvement, but not another Chateau. Acts as a fort, but must be built in French Territory. Starts with +1 Gold/+2 Culture to the tile when worked, rises to +3 Culture/+3 Gold with Flight. Vanilla

Babylon

Nebuchadnezzar II Ingenuity - Free Great Scientist at the invention of Writing. Even better, earn Great Scientists 50% faster. Bowman (Archer) - Bowmen have better stats over the Archer they replace. 9 Ranged Strength vs 7 and 7 Defensive Strength vs 5 - nearly the defense of a Warrior. They're great for clearing Barbarians and even waging early war thanks to their cheap cost. Walls of Babylon (Walls) - Gives a City +6 Defense (Combat Strength) as opposed to 5, 100 HP instead of 50. DLC (Steam)

Japan

Oda Nobunaga Bushido - Units fight at full strength, even when damaged, a very powerful Military bonus. Samurai (Longswordsman) - Starts with Shock I (open terrain bonus) and the Great Generals II upgrade meaning using them will raise the GG spawn rate. They are also able to build Fishing Boats when embarked, which can help when settling new Cities or developing around newly conquered Cities. Zero (Fighter) - Gets a +33% bonus vs other Fighters and does not require Oil. Vanilla

The Maya

Pacal The Long Count - After researching Theology, get a free Great Person of your choice every 394 years. You may choose only one of each type throughout the ages. Atlatlist (Archer) - Costs 10% less than a regular Archer at 36 Production and does not require Archery, meaning you can start the game with Archers. Pyramid (Shrine) - Gives +2 Faith as opposed to 1 and a nifty +2 Science! G&K

The Inca

Pachacuti Great Andean Road - Units ignore terrain costs when moving into any tile with Hills. There are no maintenance costs for improvements in hills, meaning roads, and half cost elsewhere. Slinger (Archer) - Has 4 Defensive Strength as opposed to 5, but may Withdraw Before Melee if there is room to escape and the enemy is not fast (horseback) Terrace Farm (Terrain Improvement) - Build farms on hills without fresh water. All other Civs can do this so long as the Hill is next to a River or Lake. What's unique about this is that it also gives +1 Food for each adjacent Mountain tile. DLC (Steam)

Brazil

Pedro II Carnival - Double Tourism output during Golden Ages. Earns Great Artists, Musicians, and Writers 50% faster during Golden Ages. Pracinha (Infantry) - Kills grant points toward Golden Ages, allowing Brazil to boom Tourism late-game if they choose to go to War Brazilwood Camp - Can be built on Jungle tiles only. Gives +2 Gold, +2 Culture. Brazil can use these Jungle tiles for Science as well, with Universities. All other Civs must either chop them down or go for Science/Trading Post. This is much, much better. BNW

Shoshone

Pocatello Great Expanse - Founded Cities start with additional territory. Units receive a combat bonus when fighting within friendly territory. Pathfinder (Scout) - Native Tongue lets you choose among benefits when discovering Ancient Ruins, also has 8 strength making it as strong as a Warrior - however they also cost nearly double at 45 vs 25. Still, worth it. Comanche Riders (Cavalry) - Costs 200 vs 225 for Cavalry. They gain +1 Movement, also. Just a little cheaper, just a little faster . BNW

Egypt

Ramesses II Monument Builders - +20% Production towards Wonder Construction War Chariot (Chariot Archer) - Gets 5 moves instead of 4 and doesn't require Horses to be built, leaving you free to trade them away or save them for Horsemen later. Burial Tomb (Temple) - Gives +2 Happiness in addition to the +2 Faith, while eliminating the Gold maintenance of a Temple. Additionally, any enemy that conquers a City with a Burial Tomb will get double pillage Gold. Vanilla

Siam

Ramkhamhaeng Father Governs Children - 50% more Food, Culture, and Faith from Friendly or Allied City-States Naresuan's Elephant (Knight) - +50% bonus vs Mounted units, killing its own kind. They lose 1 move, falling to 3, but get 25 strength, up from 20 - a 25% increase. Wat (University) - Gives +3 Culture in addition to the usual University Building benefits. Vanilla

Korea

Sejong Scholars of the Jade Hall - Each Specialist produces +2 Science, as do all Great Person Tile Improvements. Each time a scientific building/Wonder is built in the Capital, Korea gets a Research boost similar to a Research Agreement's completion. Turtle Ship (Caravel) - Gets 36 strength, up from 20 but with some drawbacks. They can't enter deep ocean, meant to be coastal defenders. They also lose 1 sight and cannot withdrawal from melee like a Caravel. Hwach'a (Trebuchet) - Gets 26 ranged strength as opposed to 14 and gains 1 sight, but loses the 200% bonus against Cities. This makes it a Unit killer, though not entirely useless against Cities compared to a Trebuchet, it's about 33% weaker (roughly). DLC (Steam)

The Zulu

Shaka Iklwa - Melee units cost 50% less maintenance and all units require 25% less experience to earn promotions. Impi (Pikeman) - Gets a spear throw attack before engaging in melee combat, which weakens the enemy before the real combat begins. This often results in them dealing much more damage than stated, although the spear throw will diminish in power as opposing units gain Combat Strength - it seems to be about half the unit's usual damage. Ikanda (Barracks) - Gives the usual experience of a Barracks, but also a unique Promotion line for pre-Renaissance Melee units. All units coming from an Ikanda start with Buffalo Horns, which give +1 Movement, +25% flank attack bonus and +10% ranged attack defense. You can then immediately choose to upgrade these when promoted, giving further flank attack bonuses and more Combat Strength. BNW

The Ottomans

Suleiman Barbary Corsairs - All melee naval ships have the Prize Ships promotion, allowing them to capture defeated ships. Naval unit maintenance only 1/3 the usual cost. Janissary (Musketman) - +25% Combat Bonus when attacking, gets 50 healing if it kills a non-barbarian Unit. Sipahi (Lancer) - Gets +1 Sight, +1 Movement and no movement cost to Pillage. Vanilla

Byzantium

Theodora Patriarchate of Constantinople - Choose one more Belief than normal when you found a Religion. Cataphract (Horseman) - Penalty to attacking Cities reduced from 33% to 25% and these units can get terrain bonuses unlike Horsemen. They lose 1 movement but gain +3 strength, putting them at 15 vs the Horseman's 12. Dromon (Trireme) - Costs 56 instead of 45, but is a ranged attacker that may not melee. Their 10 melee defense is reduced to 8, and gain 10 Ranged strength with a range of 2. G&K

America

Washington Manifest Destiny - All land military units have +1 sight. 50% discount when purchasing tiles. Minuteman (Musketman) - This is a better Unique Unit than first meets the eye thanks to its mobility and that any kills made with Minutemen will grant points toward Golden Ages. Gets Drill I, giving them a bonus in rough terrain and starting them out with great promotion opportunities. They also ignore terrain cost - literally nothing can slow them down except Mountains. B17 (Bomber) - Gets +70 Ranged Strength instead of 65, but more importantly starts with the Evasion promotion, which gives it 50% less damage from air interceptors. They also start with Siege I, giving them a 33% bonus vs Cities and enabling some great promotions for newly produced units. Vanilla

The Netherlands

William Dutch East India Company - Keep 50% of the Happiness benefits (+2 out of 4) from a Luxury Resource if your last copy is traded away. Sea Beggar (Privateer) - Comes with Coastal Raider II, giving it another +20% strength vs Cities. Their Supply upgrade allows them to heal outside friendly territory unlike other Ships (+15/turn). Additionally, defeated enemy ships may join your side after combat. Polder (Tile Improvement) - Gives +3 Food on Flood Plains or Marsh, something not possible with Farms until Civil Service. This nifty improvement also picks up +2 Gold and +1 Production for the tile when Economics is Researched. G&K