Gathering Storm is definitely throwing some curve balls our way and I can't help but get excited by all the new things we'll be able to experience. Eleanor of Aquitaine, the latest ruler that's been announced for Civilization VI's next expansion is a prime example of this since she's the first ruler in the entire series that can be played as part of 2 different nations.
Leader: Eleanor of Aquitaine
The Dutchess of Aquitaine is playable as both the ruler of England or France. She was a lover of the arts and used its influence to attract people to her side and become her allies. This is reflected in her abilities in Civilization VI and will make her a force to be reckoned with, regardless of which nation she represents.
Leader Ability: Court of Love
Any great work housed in one of Eleanor's cities will put loyalty pressure on all foreign cities within 9 tiles. Any city that should abandon their parent civilization due to a lack of loyalty will automatically join Eleanor's empire if the majority of their loyalty pressure is coming from her.
conclusion
Despite this new leader's being different from any other leader we've seen in the Civilization series thus far, very little is shared regarding her unique units, structures, and abilities.
All we know for sure is that Eleanor can quite easily convert rival cities to her empire simply by collecting a large number of great works, so playing a cultural game with her is a given. Apart from that, the first look video released by Firaxis is strangely devoid of details and doesn't even specify if you need to choose at the start of the game which nation she'll be representing or if she'll represent both. They also didn't mention if you'll be able to include France or England in a game that already includes Eleanor.
This latest reveal has left me intrigued though and I'm extremely curious to see what this leader will have in store for us. Don't forget to keep an eye on the Firaxis Youtube channel as they'll probably release a gameplay preview of this leader in the next couple of days.