The Korean empire in the video game Civilization 5 is one of many different types of civilizations in the game. This guide will give cover the benefits this civilization receives along with their leader, Sejong the Great, the Scholars of the Jade Hall ability and their special units, the Turtle Ship and Hwach’a.
Civilization Leader: Sejong the Great
Considered by many as the greatest king in Korean history, Sejong Daewang, often referred to as Sejong the Great, is largely responsible for introducing a wide range of civic and social policies which improved the quality of life for his people. A strong encourager of scientific research, hr can also be credited with the creation of the Korean written language Hungul.
Special Ability: Scholars of the Jade Hall
The Scholars of the Jade Hall special ability gives the Korean civilization a significant potential boost to research output and consequently, can be used to launch this civ far ahead in the science game. The benefit itself translates to a +2 science point output for all specialists and all Great Tile improvements (not just science related ones) while also granting a significant boost to technology research whenever a scientific building or wonder is built in the Korean capital. Besides giving Korea a heavy advantage when it comes to achieving scientific victories in games, it also gives the a potent military advantage, considering having units even just one step ahead in technological advancement of the enemy can lead to an overpowering military force.
Special Unit: Turtle Ship
The Turtle Ship is an aptly named replacement naval unit of the Renaissance Era, for the basic Caravel. A potent warship for this era, the Turtle Ship has nearly double the strength of the Caravel, upping the base units stat of 20 strength all the way to 36. This however comes at a price, not at cost, which remains unchanged, but at the removal of the Caravel’s bonus to sight radius, chance to retreat if attacked in melee and finally but most significantly, no ability to enter Deep Ocean tiles. In other words the Turtle Ship allows Korean civs to have a strong defense against potential naval attacks, but suffers in terms of ability to explore distant lands across the oceans and being able to their navy on the offensive, at least until later in the game.
Special Unit: Hwach’a
The Hwach’a is a medieval era siege unit replacement for the basic Trebuchet unit, that receives a significant upgrade in power, like the Turtle Ship, but coming at a reduced cost in penalties. In terms of pros, for starters, the limited visibility penalty of the Trebuchet is removed for the Hwach’a, allowing it to have an easier time spotting its own targets. The second bonus which comes at only a slight cost, is that the strength of the unit is nearly doubled, like the Turtle Ship, with a melee strentgh of 12 up from 11, but a ranged strength of 26, up from 14. The penalty to this is that the Hwach’a has no 200% bonus against cities like the Trebuchet does, meaning it ends up doing having a slightly reduced strength of -2 when it comes to that department compared to its basic form. This however, ends up translating to a significant advantage when it comes to attacking units, making the Hwach’a a force to be reckoned with when used against enemy armies or for defensive purposes.
