Civilization 6: Joao III Leader Guide (2024)

The Portugal Pack was the final part of Civilization 6's New Frontier Pass and introduced a new game mode, a new map, two new wonders, and the Portuguese Civilization led by Joao III. The Portuguese are a seafaring nation with a strong focus on international trade and can pursue any Civilization 6 victory that Gold can buy.

Joao III the Pious was the king of Portugal in the mid-16th century and is renowned for his successes in expanding the Portuguese empire and establishing a monopoly over the spice trade. These achievements are reflected in his Leader Ability, Porta do Cerco, which can grant Portugal more Trade Routes than any other Civilization in the game.

RELATED: Civilization 6: Suleiman the Magnificent Leader Guide

Joao III's Features and Abilities

Civilization 6: Joao III Leader Guide (1)

As the only Leader of Portugal in Civilization 6, Joao III's Porta do Cerco Ability is supported by the rest of his nation's sea-focused special features. These include the powerful but limiting Casa da Índia, the unique Nau Naval Melee unit, and the Navigation School Campus Building.

	Name	How it Works
Leader Ability	Porta do Cerco	+1 Sight for all units Meeting another Civilization grants +1 Trade Route capacity Open Borders with all City States
Civilization Ability	Casa da Índia	International Trade Routes can only be sent to Cities on the coast or with a Harbor +50% yield from international Trade Routes Traders have +50% range over water and can embark as soon as they are unlocked
Unique Unit	Nau	Unique Portuguese Renaissance Era Naval Melee unit Unlocked by the Cartography Technology Replaces the Caravel - Lower maintenance, free promotion, and can construct Feitorias Receives one free Promotion when first built Can construct the Feitoria Tile Improvement 4 Movement, 3 Sight (4 Sight with Porta do Cerco) 55 Melee strength 2 Build Charges 2 Gold Maintenance
Unique Tile Improvement	Feitoria	Unique Tile Improvement that can only be built by Naus Can only be constructed in the territory of another Civilization or City State with which Portugal has Open Borders Must be placed on an unimproved Coast or Lake tile adjacent to a Bonus or Luxury Resource Cannot be removed by a Builder or Military Engineer Cannot be adjacent to another Feitoria +4 Gold and +1 Production to the owner of the tile +4 Gold and +1 Production to each Portuguese Trade Route sent to the City
Unique District	Navigation School	Unique Portuguese District Unlocked by the Education Technology Replaces the University +1 Great Admiral point per turn +25% Production to Naval units +1 Science from every two Coast or Lake tiles in the City

How to Play as Joao III

Civilization 6: Joao III Leader Guide (2)

Players should never play as Joao III on a landlocked Civilization 6 map or one with minimal sea, as all of Portugal's abilities rely on seafaring. However, on archipelago or continental maps, Joao III players can quickly establish economic dominance by settling exclusively on the coast, exploring the seas, and setting themselves up for a mid-game boom when they unlock the Nau.

Early naval exploration is vital for Portugal, and players should make sure to do it with Galleys as they can be upgraded to Naus when the Technology is unlocked. This exploration will allow players to set up their first Trade Routes as they meet coastal City States and Civilizations, as well as boost their Trade Route capacity with the latter. With the early income from these Routes, Portugal players should have no trouble upgrading their Galleys to Naus and placing Feitorias in the Cities of their trading partners.

As there is no economic victory in Civilization 6, Portugal players must choose how to spend their wealth wisely. The only victory conditions that Portugal leans towards are Domination and Science, and they can easily achieve others using their economic dominance. However, Joao III players should only pursue a Domination Victory on maps where almost all Cities will be coastal, as their army strength is unlikely to match their naval power. For Science Victories, Portugal's scientific strength comes from its Navigation School, which can produce large amounts of bonus Science in Portugal's coastal Cities.

Civilization 6 is available for Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Civilization 6: Nzinga Mbande Leader Guide