The latest installment in Firaxis' smash-hit, ultra-addictive empire simulator franchise, Sid Meier's Civilization, is set to receive a huge update. On February 8th, 2018, the Civilization VI: Rise And Fall expansion pack is going to be released. Like previous expansion packs, Rise And Fall has been mostly shrouded in mystery up until today. Firaxis has just released a promo video detailing some of the new features that will be included with this update.

Along with eight new countries and nine new World Leaders, Rise And Fall will bring four major changes to Civilization VI. The first feature is the introduction of Dark and Golden Ages, which will modify your Eras. Diplomacy in Civilization VI will change with the new Loyalty system. Governors have been added to update your individual city management. Finally, there are now Emergencies that can trigger global alliances.

The promotional video put out by Firaxis this morning provides some extra context, details, and explanations for these four new elements. As of right now, only six of the new World Leaders have been announced. These include some old fan favorites from previous Civilization games, such as Genghis Khan, as well as several new World Leaders, such as Poundmaker of the Cree Nation.

It appears that Dark and Golden Ages correlate with transitions between Eras, which are now globally defined, and not locally restricted to your civilization. Loyalty is very much a double-edged sword, as you can now absorb your opponent's cities, and lose your own to rebellions. Governors are similar to Great People in that they have unique abilities and powers that can help you develop your empire. Emergencies are the most mysterious of all the new updates, but it seems like this aspect will tie closely into your existing diplomatic negotiations in the game.

If this all sounds like a lot to take in: don't worry! Civilization expansion packs are notoriously loaded with new features that can be a little confusing at first. However, a lot of elements being reintroduced to Civilization VI have been previously featured in earlier games in the series. For example, Civilization V featured a complicated diplomatic system with its World Congress feature that was added in the Brave New World expansion pack.

If you're still a little hesitant about upgrading to Rise And Fall, you can always still play Civilization VI without the updates installed, but the new features of this expansion pack are quite literally going to be game changers. Give change a chance. Who knows? You might like it.