[Civ 6 Great Merchant List
Christel Malden
Great MerchantPortraitIconIntroduced in Civilization VIStats Movement Charges 4 1 Retire effectVariesNotesActivate on an appropriate tile to receive their effects. Back to Great People
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The Great Merchant is a type of Great Person in Civilization VI dedicated to wealth, luxuries, and trade. Each Great Merchant has a unique ability which may be activated at least once, granting its owner a potentially game-changing bonus. Activation is accomplished usually in a Commercial Hub district.
In the Monopolies and Corporations game mode, each Great Merchant has 1 build charge and can build a Corporation (which expends the Great Merchant). This allows a Great Merchant to either use its activated ability or build a Corporation, but not both. For Great Merchants that have multiple activated charges (e.g., Marcus Licinius Crassus) this limitation still applies, and using any of their normal activated charges makes them ineligible to establish a Corporation.
Great Merchants may be claimed by any player who has earned enough Great Merchant points. Commercial Hubs and Sugubas generate +1 Great Merchant point per turn, +2 more if the city has built the Oracle, and provide an additional point for each building completed in that district. (For example, a Commercial Hub with a Market, Bank, and Stock Exchange would generate +4 Great Merchant points per turn.) In Secret Societies mode, the Gilded Vault, the Owls of Minerva's unique replacement for the Bank, adds +2 Great Merchant points instead of 1, and the Alchemical Society, the University replacement of the Hermetic Order, also provides +1 Great Merchant point. In Monopolies and Corporations, the Industry improvement generates +1 Great Merchant point as well. Further points may also be earned by completing the Commercial Hub Investment project in a city with a Commercial Hub. Players who do not have enough points may patronize a Merchant by paying the difference using Faith or Gold.
Several wonders also provide Great Merchant points. Great Zimbabwe provides +2 Great Merchant points per turn, and the Casa de Contratacin and Big Ben wonders each provide +3 Great Merchant points per turn.
Players can also increase their Great Merchant point yields by using the Traveling Merchants policy card, which generates +2 Great Merchant points per turn. Once the player completes the Capitalism civic, the Traveling Merchants card is replaced with the Laissez-Faire policy card, which generates +4 Great Merchant points per turn. In Gathering Storm, this card instead provides +2 Great Merchant points for every Bank owned, and +4 for every Stock Exchange owned. It also provides bonus Great Admiral points.
The Stockholm Suzerain bonus (or Bologna in Gathering Storm) increases the number of Great Merchant points generated from each Commercial Hub district by +1. (Note that in Rise and Fall, this bonus is only active if the Commercial Hub has a completed Market building.)
The Great Merchants' abilities help commerce, as usual. However, they do it in vastly different ways. Some grant instant Gold sums; others grant increased Trade Route capacity; others grant free Luxury Resources. Some Merchants also help to influence city-states. Endgame Merchants are even able to turn District into tourist attractions, thus helping you to achieve a Cultural Victory.
In Monopolies and Corporations mode, it is crucial to attract Great Merchants since they are the only way to establish Corporations. At the same time, be careful which Merchants you use to establish Corporations, since they will disappear after doing so.
Of the four things that determine the course of civilization, greed is probably the most pervasive. Once folk settled and started farming and mining, there was always someone who found that others wanted what they had in plenty, and were willing to pay for it. And so merchants fanned out across the globe, trading in everything from grain to gold, hemp to human beings. The most adventurous among these were always seeking new markets, and hence were explorers who brought back knowledge of distant peoples and customs. Some of the greatest discoveries were the product of the greed of these adventurers. Their travels also enriched their nations in more material ways, for the taxes and profits from their trips funded great works of engineering, education, colonization, art, and war. Without the great merchants, civilization would have been much poorer.
Great MerchantPre-IndustrialPost-Industrial 2AbilitiesCan conduct a Trade Mission in City-States, producing Gold and Influence. Can construct a Customs House.The Great Merchant is a Great Person acquired though Specialists or Wonders.
"Great Merchants" provide the goods and services civilizations need to survive. They import food, medicines, and luxuries, and they export a civilization's manufactured goods. They provide the financing needed for great works to be accomplished. They create a civilization's wealth.
Besides constructing the special Customs House improvement which, when worked, produces loads of Gold, the Great Merchant can also journey to a city-state and perform a "trade mission" which produces gobs of Gold and gains many points of Influence with the city-state. The Great Merchant is expended when used in either of these ways.
Again, you have the choice to use it for a long-term boost of the Gold production of one city (choose this city well), or use its unique ability to get a large one-time boost of Gold and Influence with a City-state. Note that the Trade mission may sometimes prove dangerous, especially if the City-state is far away.
The fascinating world of famous merchants is peopled by influential individuals who shaped the course of trade and commerce throughout history. These great merchants navigated complex markets and vast distances, creating connections between cultures and supplying valuable goods to consumers worldwide. This exceptional compilation brings together the accomplishments of some of the most renowned merchants, each of whom left an indelible mark on the history of global trade.
A common thread among these extraordinary individuals is their ability to achieve fame through innovative strategies and unique approaches. The distinguished members of this list of traders have earned their place through a combination of sheer determination, business acumen, and an uncanny knack for seizing opportunities. From establishing trade routes across continents to building vast commercial empires, these merchants of the world have undoubtedly proven themselves to be among the best in their field.
Among the well-known figures featured in this collection are Muhammad, the founder of Islam who was also a successful merchant during his lifetime. His astute business skills and strong ethics allowed him to amass significant wealth while earning respect from his contemporaries. Marco Polo, the revered Venetian traveler and trader, is another noteworthy example. His adventures took him to the farthest reaches of Asia, ultimately shaping the course of history by bridging the gap between East and West. Similarly, William Jackson, a prosperous American trader, played a crucial role in expanding trade opportunities between the United States and Europe during the early 19th century, contributing significantly to international commerce of the time.
Delving deeper into the captivating narratives of these prominent traders, one cannot help but marvel at the incredible feats they accomplished and the lasting impact they made on the world of commerce. From the ancient Silk Road to the bustling ports of modern times, these pioneers left an indelible imprint on the trajectory of human history. Aspiring traders and enthusiasts alike will surely appreciate the fascinating stories of these renowned merchants, whose contributions have shaped the very fabric of global trade.
Basically the rule of the thumb for all of them is the earlier you build the improvement the more profit it would bring during the course of the game. This is especially noticeable when you play for babylonians and get a Great Scientist from Writing. Such an early academy would increase your science output about two times and would really help to zoom out those early technologies.
Generally I like to build Academies. Let's do some calculations. Before University it gives you 5 science. Technologies till Education cost from 35 to 440 beakers, so roughly 237.5 in average. So your Academy would pay off in about 47.5 turns and later it would be just plain profit. So I think that's just great. Technologies from Education to Scientific Theory cost from 440 to 1300 beakers, so 870 in average. Academy with University gives you 7.5 beakers, so it would pay off in 116 turns, so that is still quite good. And if a city is dedicated to science and has a National College, then Academy would give you 10 beakers, so would pay off in 87 turns, which is even better. Later technologies seem very expensive and definitely worth using Great Scientist to discover. But the problem with them is that in modern era they almost stop increasing in value. And you obviously want to use your Great Scientist to discover later and more expensive technologies. So it kind of stops me from doing so when I see that 3rd tier modern technology would take me just 1 or 2 more turns to discover then 1st tier modern one. So IMHO you can get the best deal from your GC discovering late renaissance / industrial era technologies.
I also almost always use Great Engineers for rushing wonders, but let's do some maths anyway. Lets say your best city before Steam Power could grow from 5 to 15 in size, so (very) roughly 10 in average. So rushing a wonder gives you about 300+10*30=600 hammers. A Manufactory without Factory would give you 5 hammers, so would pay off in about 120 turns. If you build buildings a Manufactory with workshop would give you 7.5 hammers, so would pay off in 80 turns. Actually its not such a bad deal when you think about it. So if you don't have any important wonders in sight it might just be worth building a Manufactory. The problem is that you always do :).
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