Skip to main content

Tomyris of the Scythians will slake your thirst for blood in ‘Civilization VI’

In addition to series mainstays like France, Egypt, and the China, Civilization VI is also introducing some deeper historical cuts into the mix. The first of these series newcomers is the Scythian culture, ancient nomads from the steppes of Eurasia. They are led by Tomyris, a legendary warrior queen of the sixth century BCE.

Tomyris led the Massagetean tribal confederation to victory against the much larger Persian empire. According to Herodotus (so it should of course be taken with a grain of salt), before the battle Tomyris promised the Persian king Cyrus the Great that she would slake his thirst for blood. After routing his army, she captured and decapitated Cyrus, shoving his head into a wineskin filled with human blood. She’s not someone you want to trifle with, apparently. She likes to play fair, though, since her historical agenda is that she hates surprise declarations of war.

Recommended Videos

As horse nomads, the Scythian unique ability allows them to produce two units instead of one whenever they make light cavalry and their unique Saka horse archer. Enabled by the invention of the stirrup, these highly mobile ranged units and their ilk dominated the steppes of Europe and Asia for hundreds of years. Saka horse archers also do not require horse resources to be produced. Tomyris can take advantage of that ability to quickly build up a powerful and mobile army with her unique ability, which gives a combat bonus when fighting wounded units, and a slight heal after kills.

The Kurgan is the unique Scythian improvement. A burial mound topped with a stone monolith, the Kurgan provides gold and faith, with a bonus for being next to pastures. They cannot be built on hills or next to one another, however.

Tomyris and the Scythians fill a similar role to the Mongols in previous Civ games, with the ability to quickly build a mobile and powerful army in the early game. Tomyris’ ability helps her maintain aggression. The Kurgan is a nice religious bonus on top of that. This is definitely the most aggressive civilization revealed so far, and likely to become a favorite for early warmongers. It’s also great to see new cultures represented in the venerable series; heretofore the most prominent role played by a Scythian in video games was the protagonist of Superbrothers: Swords & Sworcery EP, known simply as “the Scythian.”

Civilization VI arrives on PC on October 21.

Will Fulton
Former Staff Writer, Gaming
Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…
New games in February 2025: Monster Hunter, Civilization, and more
A hunter dodges a monster in Monster Hunter Wilds.

If you thought January was a quiet month for games, you’re about to wish you still only had a handful of games to play. February is here and it’s about to flood your backlog with enormous games that could take you the rest of the year to get through. Games like Civilization 7 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 would be enough to make for an unmanageable month, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. With new Like a Dragon and Monster Hunter games on the horizon, plus a few new IPs, you’re going to have your hands full.

To help you prepare, here’s everything you can expect to play this month. Seven big games need to be on your radar for sure, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You can expect a whole lot more when you factor in the indies that’ll fall between these bigger releases. Just be glad that Assassin’s Creed Shadows got pushed back to March. Can you imagine trying to work that into your schedule too?

Read more
Every wrestler in WWE 2K25
The Bloodline, led by Solo Sikoa, raises their fingers to the sky in WWE 2K25.

One of the biggest draws to any WWE game is getting to embody your favorite wrestler in their prime. WWE 2K25 is taking the entire wrestling genre to new levels with some of the most ambitious modes and features we've seen in the franchise. We know we will be able to face off in all the traditional modes, but now there will be an open world to explore with various quests and optional challenges. As cool as these modes sound, it wouldn't make much difference if your childhood favorite wasn't playable. 2K has already claimed that WWE 2K25 will feature the "biggest roster ever" but not everyone can be included. We now know the entire playable roster the game will have at launch, plus a few more that are locked behind preorders and DLC If you want to know if your favorite star is in the game, here's the full list.
Every playable wrestler in WWE 2K25

This is the current playable roster for WWE 2K25 when it launches in May, although 5 are relegated to preorder bonuses. There are a ton of options here with most of the favorites represented, but we still expect more to come after the launch as DLC so don't be too upset if your personal favorite isn't on the list. Here is every wrestler you can expect on day one:

Read more
WWE 2K25 adds an open-world mode and intergender matches
The Bloodline, led by Solo Sikoa, raises their fingers to the sky in WWE 2K25.

WWE 2K25 is coming this March and it's adding several new features, including an all new open-world mode, intergender matches, and more. The Standard Edition will launch on March 14, though players who shell out for special editions can start playing on March 7.

Yesterday, 2K Games began rolling out details on this year's wrestling simulator. It revealed its Standard Edition cover star, Roman Reigns, as well as a Deadman Edition featuring The Undertaker. We now have full details on the game, which includes updates to modes across the board.

Read more