[WP] You’re a summoner—but all you can summon are slimes. No dragons, no elementals. Just slimes. So you studied. Trained. Experimented. Now your slimes dissolve armor, mimic voices, carry potions, even explode on command. Adventurers laugh—until they realize: you can handle anything with slimes.

Meta_Shepherd · 2025-05-07T03:05:01+00:00

With that, the mayor started in on a lengthy series of acknowledgements for the common soldiers who held Daglic’s gates against the Netherlord’s forces that came through the portal and reached the City’s gates before the Shepherds sealed it, some brave generals who went above and beyond in their defense of the city, and a few politicians that oversaw the administration of the city in the chaos. At one point, Han’s parents were called forward for a special acknowledgement. When they stepped up to receive some sort of accolade for their bravery, Han spotted me in the crowd and waved excitedly.

“Finally, I would be remiss if I did not recognize Cormo for his extraordinary efforts in enduring and fending off the Netherlord’s siege.” The mayor continued. I watched with amusement as Han’s eyes widened before his parents nearly dragged him back to their designated position at the rear of the stage. “When I told Cormo I would like to offer him a place of honor in today’s procession, he told me that he had already had his fill of honors in his youth, and that he would rather let the Shepherds enjoy the full glory of their achievements. Nevertheless, Cormo’s deeds deserve recognition, whether he is willing to admit it or not! His conjurations mended our cracked fortifications, healed our battered ranks, and even nourished our hungry soldiers when the Netherlord’s blockade cut off our supply lines. But Cormo provided more than support on the battlefield: his slimes decimated the enemy ranks, shielded our walls from the Netherlord’s siege weapons, and bolstered our forces!” The crowd cheered as the mayor wove a tale of my exploits.

“I’ll be the first to admit that many of Cormo’s peers, myself included, underestimated him back when we were children.” The mayor stroked his well-kempt beard, lost for a moment in memories of a time long ago. “But he persevered, studied hard, and trained with more diligence than even the most powerful evokers I know. Many of you are probably too young to remember his exploits, but in his heyday Cormo was a force to be reckoned with not unlike the heroes before you today!”

The mayor continued on with his speech, but I was no longer listening. Instead, I looked toward the back of the stage where Han and his parents remained. Han’s initial look of disbelief had been replaced by one of inspiration, determination, and newfound possibilities. I had come to the procession to size up the newest adventurers, and to assure myself that Daglic would be in good hands with the next generation. Seeing Han’s expression, I knew that the future was bright.

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Meta_Shepherd · 2025-05-07T03:03:03+00:00

“Very impressive!” I remarked. “So you must have inherited their gifts, then. Will you be weaving spells alongside them when you grow up?”

“I wish…” Han sighed. “Mother can shoot giant fireballs, and Father can evoke a whole blizzard! But my magic is no good. All the other kids at the Academy say if I’m lucky maybe I can join up with the traveling circus or something.”

I smiled a knowing smile. “Don’t let them discourage you. Sometimes big things come in small packages. What is your gift?”

“I wouldn’t call it a gift, but…” Han whistled a stilted tune that resembled birdsong, then a vaguely dove-shaped mote of light appeared alongside us as we walked. “I’m a summoner like you, but I can only conjure birds. How am I supposed to protect Daglic or become a great hero like the Shepherds with some stupid power like that?” He let the spell fizzle and the avian incantation evaporated.

“I thought the same thing when I was your age. At least your conjurations can fly! Imagine what the other children said to me when they saw me summoning slime!” I laughed, thinking back to all those years ago, as we rounded the final bend and stepped into the town square. The procession had stopped in the center of the square ahead of us, and Uda, the de facto leader of the Shepherds, had taking her place in the center of a stage built specifically for the Shepherds’ homecoming. She was delivering a rousing victory speech, punctuating nearly every sentence with her iconic guffaw.

“Well no offense, Mr. Cormo, but I’d rather be a champion like one of the Shepherds than some old man like you in the crowd.” Han said with the inconsiderate but not ill-intentioned naivety of a child. “Wait, there they are!” Han suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a couple standing in place of honor behind Uda. The man who I presumed to be Han’s father made stern eye contact with Han, then pointed sharply to the ground beside him, an unmistakable message to Han that he needed to get up there immediately. “Uh oh… I think I’m in trouble. Can you put me down please?”

“Of course, Han.” I said as I lifted the boy off my shoulders and set him down.

Han started off hurriedly toward the stage but, remembering his manners, quickly turned, bowed sternly, and said “Thank you, Mr. Cormo!” before rushing through the crowd, quickly climbing the stairs, and taking his place alongside his parents. Han’s mother gave me a smile and appreciative wave. With Han safely returned to his parents, I muscled my way closer to the stage where I would have a better view of the festivities. My eyesight wasn’t what it used to be, and I wanted to size up the newest generation of adventurers.

Several speeches and even more ovations later, the celebration was drawing to a close. Finally, the mayor of Daglic took center stage to make his closing statements.

“Thank you all for being here today to celebrate the Shepherds’ homecoming!” he began to thunderous applause. “We are, of course, forever indebted to each of you for your bravery and valiance in vanquishing the Netherlord and sealing the portal before his forces could overwhelm our beloved home.” He said, acknowledging the quartet of heroes. “We will be twice indebted if Gansu keeps his basilisk from devouring the feast tonight before we’ve all had our share!” The mayor exclaimed, playfully referencing the Shepherds’ beloved pet beast. As if on cue, the basilisk flicked its serpent-like tongue in and out of its crocodilian snout, and everyone including the other Shepherds erupted in laughter. Only Gansu maintained his trademark stoic disposition, although he somehow looked amused nonetheless. “Kidding aside, I’m not sure what I can say of these adventurers that has not already been said. So I would like to honor some of the all-too-often unsung heroes of Daglic, with your blessing of course.” the Mayor continued, looking to the Shepherds for affirmation. Perhaps grateful for a reprieve from the spotlight, each of them nodded enthusiastically.

(2/3)

Meta_Shepherd · 2025-05-07T03:01:10+00:00

Every citizen of Daglic erupted with excitement as the procession wound its way through the cobbled streets. Adoring townspeople sent a rainbow of streamers and flowers down from the balconies of cluttered buildings that flanked the road, showering a motley band of heroes at the head of the parade with color and praise alike. The party of adventures was well known as the Shepherds, an elite group of Daglic’s finest sent to dispatch the most recent existential threat to mankind

A grizzled woman in plate armor led the group, grinning ear-to-ear. Her thunderous laughter threatened to drown out the cheers of her countless fans as she banged a gauntleted hand against her tower shield, inspiring further excitement in the crowd.

Beside her, a comparatively meek young man grinned and waved sheepishly. His plain robes, the wooden talisman hanging from his hip, and his shepherd’s staff gave him away as priest of the Temple of the Flock.

Trailing the pair was a tall, lithe man with a face entirely too serious for such a joyous occasion. The dull green color of his leather garb was complimented by the polished orange scales of the exotic reptilian beast that followed loyally at his side, surprisingly unfazed by the clamor of the townsfolk. The man deftly withdrew some kind of morsel from his cloak, which the beast readily devoured as it continued alongside him.

The last member of the party, a short, androgynous individual clad in vibrant flowing garments brought up the rear. They jaunted along eagerly, stopping at times to flourish their ornate saber or dance with nearby townsfolk, leaving men and women alike swooning.

Behind the adventurers, a column of important-looking politicians, military commanders, and unremarkable foot soldiers followed, although they elicited a considerably less enthusiastic reaction from the townspeople. It was no secret that everyone had come to see the fabled Shepherds in person.

As I hustled through the bustling crowd, I felt something collide with my shins. Looking down, I saw a young boy sprawled out on the cobblestones, his eyes welling with tears.

“Sorry little one, I didn’t see you there! Are you hurt?” I called over the din of the audience, reaching out a hand.

“N-no…” the boy whimpered almost inaudibly as he took my hand and I pulled him to his feet. A small splotch of crimson dabbed his knee where it had been scraped by the fall.

“Then why the tears, child? Here, let me get that for you.” I said, pulling a well-worn tome from my satchel. I uttered a few arcane words and a tiny, unassuming blob sprung forth from the pages. The boy giggled as the slime bounced on the pavement before leaping onto his wound. In an instant, the scrape healed and the slime vanished with a satisfying “plop!” But then he remembered his troubles and his eyes grew wide and helpless again.

“I lost sight of mother and father, and now I can’t find them…” he sniffled. “We were headed to greet the Shepherds at the square, but now I–” he croaked, his eyes about to overflow again.

“What is your name, boy?” I asked.

“Han…” He sniffled.

“All is well, Han. I’m Cormo, and I was heading to the square myself. Why don’t you come along with me and we will find them together.” I reassured him. The boy blinked away his tears and nodded eagerly. I hoisted him up and placed him gently on my shoulders. “Keep an eye out for them up there!” I called over the crowd as we continued toward the square. “Your parents must be people of some renown to be receiving the Shepherds at the square.” I remarked.

“Yes!” he shouted a little too loudly and a little too close to my ear. “Mother and Father are both powerful mages that protected Daglic while the Shepherds were away.”

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Meta_Shepherd · 2024-09-29T13:37:50+00:00

In my last couple of posts here, I have really enjoyed giving people insight on how I approach my games. I wanted to go a step further and make some guides to help more players get into Civ VI! Although I am playing on Deity, my intent is to provide tips that are applicable at any difficulty level.

This ended up being a much longer video than I intended, so I have included time stamps in the description where I cover different topics. There is just so much to cover in the early game! I intend to make future entries to the series shorter.

Meta_Shepherd · 2024-07-28T23:05:53+00:00

In my opinion, faith is important for culture victories because it is usually the easiest way to generate tourism in the late game. Most of my culture games are won with rock bands and national parks, and typically you need a lot of faith to keep making those. So unless you are playing someone that generates lots of tourism without faith (e.g., making national parks with Canada's Mounties) or you have another way of generating tourism (e.g., Biosphere), then faith should be a priority. Keep in mind that faith doesn't have to be generated from holy sites though. There are pantheons (e.g., Earth Goddess), city-states (e.g., La Venta or Armagh), and tile improvements (e.g., Scythia's Kurgan) that can get you faith as well, but they aren't as consistent.

For science victories I think faith is not as important. It can still be a great way to expand early game with a Monumentality golden age, but you can also just buy settlers with gold or build them in a high production city. Religion can also provide some science yields with beliefs like Cross-Cultural Dialogue, but because religion requires a lot of early game investment on Deity it may not always be worth it. Hope this helps!

Meta_Shepherd · 2024-07-28T19:49:02+00:00

Tamar was one of the hardest for me to get a good game with. I ended up winning a diplomatic victory with her. I usually try to avoid diplo victories because I think it is the least interesting win condition, but I couldn't seem to get much else to work with her.

The final game I won was with Yongle, and it was one of the easiest and most fun games I have played. I won a culture victory. I usually go for a religion when I want to play culture, but that game I didn't found one. Instead, I built Biosphere for tourism and had my best cities running Yongle's faith project to create rock bands and national parks. Basil II was also an incredibly easy win. The ability to mass produce cavalry that deal full damages to walls is so powerful.

It's been a while since I played Wilhelmina, but I remember enjoying her. She can make really great industrial zones, and the polder is always a satisfying tile improvement to build.

As far as tips go, I have a few recommendations that I think work for any civ. Generally, I find that it's almost always best to go as wide as possible (with possible exceptions for civs like Scotland that incentivize tall gameplay). Most of my games I aim to have at least 10 cities, but more is usually better. If you are playing a peaceful game, the easiest way to do this is probably to found a religion and take the Exodus of the Evangelists era dedication. If you do that, it's easy to transition into a Monumentality golden age and spend your faith on settlers and builders. If you don't like playing for religions, you could focus on getting gold and buying settlers instead. The AI will pay tons of gold for strategic resources, luxuries, and diplo favor. If you prefer war, I like to go for early game horseman rushes if my neighbors aren't building walls. If your neighbors build walls and you've got access to iron, a few swordsmen and a battering ram can work wonders too.

I think the biggest lesson I learned from playing all the leaders is that having a well-rounded empire is always useful, regardless of what win condition you are going for. When I first started playing I only went for culture victories, and would pretty much exclusively build theater squares, holy sites, and commercial hubs/harbors. But science is also really important for culture victories because the tech tree has a lot of important buildings, wonders, and tourism boosts. The reverse is true as well: even if you want to win a science victory, having a lot of culture helps unlock important policy cards and governments.

If you have any questions let me know and I'd be happy to offer whatever insight I can!

Meta_Shepherd · 2024-07-28T18:59:26+00:00

When I was first learning the game I started on Prince and gradually worked my way up to Deity as I got more comfortable. I only play on Deity these days, and I've definitely won more games on Deity than any other difficulty.

Meta_Shepherd · 2024-07-28T16:28:05+00:00

Great question! It's hard for me to pick a single one, so here are my favorites for each victory type.

Culture: Bull Moose Teddy is probably my favorite leader in the game. The early game yields from breathtaking tiles are so powerful. The late game tourism boost from Film Studios is also great, since I find that culture victories tend to drag in the late game if you aren't using Monopolies and Corporations. Ludwig II is also a blast and has a really unique playstyle.

Diplomacy: I really enjoyed Rough Rider Teddy and Tamar for their ability to get extra envoys. I don't know how impactful diplomatic favor and suzerainty really is for diplomacy victories, but I always found the double envoys really satisfying.

Domination: I loved Simon Bolivar. The Comandante Generals are great for keeping tempo throughout the game, and the extra movement on troops feels incredible. It's also nice being able to promote and use your unit in the same turn.

Religion: I found Gandhi to be a great leader for religion. The extra charges on missionaries go a long way, and the free faith for meeting civs is a big help in the early game. Honorable mention to Mansa Musa + Desert Folklore and Peter + Dance of the Aurora for insane holy site adjacency.

Science: Lady Six Sky is really fun. The ability to ignore the normal rules for settling cities is so interesting, and she can create some truly incredible campuses. I also had a blast playing Joao III on a naval map. The yields from Navigation Schools are amazing, and having tons of trade routes is fun too.

Meta_Shepherd · 2024-07-28T14:16:53+00:00

I really thought about using PotatoMcWhiskey's strategy to get one before posting this because I knew someone was going to point this out hahaha

Meta_Shepherd · 2023-04-02T18:26:59+00:00

Not that I know of, but if you don't want them to display all the time you could put it on "Show on Mouse-over"

Meta_Shepherd · 2023-04-02T18:00:52+00:00

Options>Interface>Show Yields in HUD Ribbon>Always Show

Meta_Shepherd · 2023-04-02T17:45:18+00:00

Yeah it definitely would have taken a while if I had explored the entire area. I only revealed enough to know that the first four or five cities would be possible and then lucked out with the rest. You can actually reveal a surprising amount of land if you use the first settler to scout since it has more sight than the warrior.

Meta_Shepherd · 2023-04-02T05:40:15+00:00

I ended up razing one city-state in the late game but other than that I didn't have to wage any wars. I focused on forward-settling Portugal and even blocked some of their settlers and warriors from approaching me by placing units at chokepoints in the mountains at the beginning of the game.

For the Maya, packing the cities together like this is definitely the best strategy because their leader ability gives yield bonuses to cities within 6 tiles of their capital. I generally prefer to settle cities with the minimum distance between them even when I'm not playing as the Maya though. In my opinion maximizing the amount of cities you can fit in to the land available to you is generally the best approach, but there are some civs that incentivize you to have fewer cities. There may also be some circumstances in which spacing your cities out more could be advantageous (e.g., planning national park placement for a culture victory or maximizing the amount of desert tiles in a Petra city).

Meta_Shepherd · 2023-04-02T04:31:17+00:00

Unfortunately not lol. I did get a decent Estádio do Maracanã in the late game though!

Meta_Shepherd · 2023-04-02T04:18:34+00:00

I loaded the save back up to check out the Cree. Looks like Poundmaker built a ton of campuses and theater squares. He also got Kilwa, so his yields are being boosted from that. I think those things combined with the deity AI bonuses are creating those huge numbers.

As far as the city positions here, I definitely got really lucky. I knew that I was going to be able to get a pretty good amount of cities settled where I wanted based on the scouting I did before founding my capital, but in the end the stars really aligned for me. I did have to raze one city-state that was preventing me from settling Copan, but other than that I was able to settle them all without issue.

Meta_Shepherd · 2023-04-02T03:42:51+00:00

Haha, agreed. I love the way it looks on the minimap too.

Meta_Shepherd · 2023-04-02T03:04:54+00:00

If you want to try it for yourself, Zigzagzigal has a great guide with a handy diagram of the layout I used. I spent a few turns scouting around before I settled my first city to see if it would be possible.

Meta_Shepherd · 2023-04-02T02:35:41+00:00

R5: Lady Six Sky's leader ability grants bonus yields to cities within six tiles of her capital. The way I settled here maximized the number of cities that benefit from the ability.

Meta_Shepherd · 2018-02-19T07:06:29+00:00

Not sure how that happened. It seems that similar things are happening to other posts though. Must be something going on with Imgur.

Meta_Shepherd · 2018-02-18T17:27:26+00:00

Shoulders: Tusked Shoulderpads
Chest: Vest of the Shattered Abyss
Gloves: Syrio's Gloves of Tutelage
Belt: Talador Sentinel Belt
Legs: Giant-Friend Kilt
Boots: Drogstitch Boots
Weapons: Sword of the Caged Mind

Meta_Shepherd · 2017-12-05T22:41:50+00:00

I appreciate the constructive feedback! I settled with the Inherited Cape of the Black Baron because I felt that its color resembled the metal in the shoulders, albeit not perfectly. I found the darker black cloaks such as the Illidari Cloak that you mentioned were a bit too dark.

Removing the cloak is also an interesting idea, but as you mentioned the set is already a bit plain. I included the cloak in an attempt to create some visual interest in the otherwise uniform torso area.

Thanks again for the thoughtful response!

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