Mwene Kongo

Overview

Or How To Play The Kongo as Mvemba a Nzinga.

Introduction

Mvemba a Nzinga/Kongo get a variety of buffs and nerfs to gameplay. That makes this civ very specialised and particularly adept on maps with significant woods/rainforest, especially on larger map sizes.

Religion

Mvemba can’t found a religion. But he can usurp one.

That simplifies your early game choices, albeit at the expense of forgoing a religious victory. Focus instead on exploration and rushing your nearest neighbours. The Ngao Mbeba, a Swordsman replacement that unlocks with Iron Working, can move quickly through dense forests and rainforests to capture any wandering settlers.

While your neighbours focus their energy on founding a religion, you build an army. But don’t be in a hurry to conquer a neighbour if they are close to founding a religion. Let them found a religion so you can acquire it.

A peaceful way to acquire religion is to forward settle a neighbour who’s found a religion, that is settle next to them, and send a trader. Eventually religion will spread passively or by missionaries.

Once religion has spread to a Kongolese city or you have captured a city with a religion, build a Theatre District or Mbanza there to get a free apostle.

But if you do convert to a religion plan on pacifying its founder.

Early Expansion

Mbanzas are Kongo’s unique neighbourhood. It unlocks much earlier, at Guilds, and always provide +5 housing regardless. However, it is nerfed by being only constructable on forest or rainforest. That means the Kongo cannot expand into desert or snow, leaving those areas to neighbours or allies.

Remember the AI will clear forest and rainforest turning their cities into ones which can’t build Mbanzas. (In the late game you can plant forest to place Mbanzas).

So “play the map”. If there are areas of rainforest and/or forest, instead of investing in housing early game, use Colonization to expand your empire, until Guilds.

After that you may want to capture any interloping settlers and/or war to acquire territory.

The Greatest Collection of Relics, Sculptures and Artefacts

The Kongo get bonus food, production and gold from each relic, sculpture (a specific type of Great Work of Art) and archealogical artefacts. So you must aim to amass the greatest collection of relics, sculptures and artefacts in the game.

Kandy frequently spawn in games with the Kongo. Try to become its suzerain to get a free relic for discovering a natural wonder. Yervan is another great city-state for Kongo. Its suzerain can choose the Martyr promotion for its apostles, which grant you a relic when they die in religious combat. Certain Great Generals produce a relic when retired. Goody huts can also produce a relic.

Relics are the earliest great works in the game. Mbanza Kongo (cap) has space for 5. If you do collect a few, think of converting your capital to the religion that has reliquaries. It grants triple tourism and faith from relics. (If you play on larger maps, there is very likely to be such a religion in your game).

For sculptures, keep an eye on the next available Great Artist from the Great Persons screen. Only certain Great Artists will produce sculptures. Kongo generates 50% more points for great artists so building or capturing a Theatre District will help you beat out the competition if the next one is a sculptor. (If you fail, you can always have a spy steal it with espionage or capture/trade it in war).

Artefacts can be excavated by archealogists built from cities with an Archealogical Museum.

Trade

As the Kongo you’ll also want to prioritize Commercial Districts and traders. Kongo gets 50% great merchant points allowing you to grab the Great Merchants that produce special luxuries. Toys, jeans, perfume and cosmetics.

These will help provide amenities to support a large empire, tall and/or wide.

Send traders to or from your frontier cities to construct roads to your capital through dense forest and rainforests.

Summary

As Mvemba plan on early agression, early expansion and to capture 1 or 2 Holy Cities to get a head start on religion. If your empire converts to a religion, that is the majority of your cities follow it, you will get the same benefits as its founder. So be prepared to eliminate the founder if you’re playing on a smaller map to avoid a religious defeat!