Civ 5 - Lekmod Civ List
Lekmod is a massive community overhaul for Sid Meier’s Civilization V, primarily designed for competitive multiplayer but widely enjoyed in single-player for its deep rebalancing and extensive new content. It currently features 77 civilizations, including the original 43 (many with significant buffs or reworks) and 34 entirely new additions. Master List of New Civilizations
The following are the civilizations added by Lekmod (as of version 34), each with unique abilities (UA), units (UU), and buildings or improvements (UB/UI).
Armenia: Built for mountain starts. Gains Food, Production, and Gold from mountains.
Australia: Versatile coastal and worker-focused gameplay. Its UU (Work Boat replacement) is highly efficient for sea-based starts.
Belgium: Strong economic and plantation focus, making it a reliable "sim-city" choice.
Brunei: Considered extremely powerful on water-heavy maps due to massive naval and trade bonuses.
Bulgaria: Cultural powerhouse that earns Science from Writer specialists.
Canada: Focused on tundra utility and diplomatic flexibility.
Colombia: A high-tier military civ with mobility bonuses, often cited as borderline overpowered in single-player.
Franks: Strong religious civilization that synergizes Faith generation with Farm tiles.
Goths: Aggressive early-game warmongers with unique military timings.
Hittites: Starts with Mining and gains extra early-game Gold.
Israel: Heavily focused on Religion and Great Prophet generation.
Lithuania: High-risk, high-reward. Features the Sacred Grove UI, which scales in power every era but makes the civ a target for neighbors.
Madagascar: The premier "Piety" civ. Gains massive Faith and Culture from Holy Sites.
Mexico: A versatile civilization often ranked in S or A-tier for its consistent growth and scientific output. Mississippi: Unique river-based trade and movement bonuses.
Macedonia: Highly flexible military civ, particularly strong for "Honor" policy starts.
Sioux: Mobile, land-based civilization with a focus on expansion and defense.
Vatican: Elite religious civ with significant bonuses for Holy City management.
Vietnam: Defensive powerhouse that excels in jungle and forest terrain. Lekmod Civilizations Tier List (v31.4)
The for Civilization V is a massive community-driven expansion that transforms the game's competitive landscape. It not only rebalances the 43 original civilizations but also introduces dozens of new ones, bringing the total roster to over 80 unique leaders and nations. The Story of Lekmod: From NQMod to a Global Standard
The mod evolved from the "No Quitters" (NQ) community's desire for a more balanced multiplayer experience. In vanilla Civ V, certain strategies like "Tradition/Tall" play were overwhelmingly dominant. Lekmod rewrote this "story" by making diverse playstyles—like Wide expansion (Liberty), religious focus (Piety), or early conquest (Honor)—viable at even the highest levels of play. The Massive Civilization Roster
The mod’s list is a mix of historical titans, reworked classics, and niche cultural powers. You can view the full, detailed technical breakdown on the official Lekmod Civilization Master List. Notable Newcomers & Reworks
(Artaxias I): Focused on mountain-based yields, gaining food, production, and gold from adjacent peaks. civ 5 lekmod civ list
: A maritime powerhouse that becomes nearly unstoppable on water-heavy maps due to its naval trade and coastal bonuses.
: Often cited as one of the strongest "sim-city" (economic growth) civilizations because of its unique Sacred Grove improvement that scales with every era.
(Saladin): Built for a powerful Medieval-era military push, utilizing unique knights that shatter melee defenses.
: Significant rework featuring a Pioneer settler that ignores terrain costs and provides defensive strength, turning Washington into an expansionist threat. Current "Top Tier" Powers
Based on community consensus from competitive play and recent tier lists on Reddit, these civilizations are often considered the most formidable:
: Remains a top contender due to its flexible social policy bonuses and powerful late-game military.
: Frequently banned in private lobbies for being "too easy" to snowball into an economic victory. Madagascar
: A sleeper hit that can secure a fast religion and use high culture output to adapt to any victory condition.
To see a full breakdown of how every civilization currently stacks up in the competitive meta: Civ 5 Lekmod - 34.4 Tier List YouTube• Aug 5, 2025 Guide :: Singleplayer Lekmod: An Introduction
Lekmod is a massive community-driven expansion and balance overhaul for Civilization V, primarily designed to revitalize multiplayer gameplay within the No Quitters (NQ) community. By drastically expanding the roster of playable civilizations and balancing vanilla mechanics, it offers a fresh experience that remains true to the core feel of the Brave New World expansion while making previously "weak" strategies like Honor and Piety highly viable. The Lekmod Civilization Roster
As of recent versions (v34+), the mod features over 100 civilizations. This includes the original 43 vanilla civs—many of which have been reworked—and over 50 entirely new additions. 1. New Civilizations in Lekmod
These additions introduce unique mechanics and buildings designed for specialized playstyles:
Australia: Known for a powerful Unique Unit (UU) that replaces the worker and can create fishing boats, making it an "S-tier" choice for coastal snowballing.
Brunei: Often banned in competitive play due to its overwhelming dominance on water-heavy maps.
Lithuania: Features the Sacred Grove Unique Improvement (UI), which scales in power with each era, making it an incredibly strong faith-based civ.
Madagascar: A premier "Piety" civilization that gains massive faith and culture from Holy Sites, allowing for early-game snowballs.
The Goths: Highly regarded for aggressive play and early-game power spikes.
Mexico: Noted as a strong all-around contender with unique bonuses that often place it in high tiers.
Papal States: One of the best civilizations for "Tall" (few cities) play, specifically when leveraging Holy Sites. 2. Notable Reworks of Vanilla Civilizations
Lekmod balances vanilla leaders to ensure they aren't "left in the dust" by the mod's power creep: Guide :: Singleplayer Lekmod: An Introduction
C-Tier (Trap Picks – Avoid in Ranked)
These look cool but will get you killed in multiplayer.
- Venice (Vanilla): Still cannot build settlers. In Lekmod, players will simply declare war on you and pillage your single trade route. Avoid.
- Babylon (NERFED): The great scientist points from the writing slot were cut by 25%. You still have a science lead, but not enough to survive an Aztec Jaguar rush.
- Byzantium (BUFFED): While the buff is nice (choose any 2 beliefs), religion is weaker in Lekmod because several faith buildings were nerfed. You will get a cool religion and then die to composite bows.
Americas
| Civilization | Leader | Unique Ability | |--------------|--------|----------------| | Muisca | Nemequene | Gold from killing units; unique Tunjuelo (Market replacement with +1 Gold per population). | | Mapuche | Lautaro | +10% combat strength in own territory, +20% in friendly territory of allies. | | Olmec | U Kix Chan | Colossal Heads (unique improvement) provide +1 Culture and +1 Science per adjacent luxury. | | Anishinaabe | Shingwauk | All units can move through forests without penalty; unique Midewiwin (Shrine with +1 Science per 2 followers). | | Tupi | Cunhambebe | Units heal +10 HP per turn in jungle/forest; unique Tupi Archer (replaces Composite Bowman, no movement cost in rough terrain). |
Beyond the Vanilla 43: The Expansive World of Lekmod’s Civ List
If you’ve played Civilization V long enough, you eventually hit a wall: the same 43 vanilla civs, the same optimal strategies, the same tier lists (Poland, Babylon, Korea — yawn). Enter Lekmod, the community-driven balance overhaul that doesn’t just tweak numbers — it triples the civ roster to over 130 unique civilizations. Lekmod is a massive community overhaul for Sid
But Lekmod isn’t about bloat. Every new civ is designed to fill a niche, encourage unconventional playstyles, and most importantly, break the monotony of BNW’s settled meta.
Final Thoughts
The Lekmod civ list is a labor of love from the competitive Civ 5 community. Whether you’re tired of seeing the same vanilla civs or want fresh challenges, Lekmod offers a staggering variety of playstyles. The best way to learn the list is to random a civ and explore—but keeping a community spreadsheet handy helps tremendously.
Pro tip: When asking for the “Lekmod civ list” online, always specify your Lekmod version (e.g., “v32.2”) to get accurate info.
Civilization V is a massive community overhaul that currently includes 77 civilizations as of recent versions. This total comprises the 43 base-game civilizations (many of which are heavily rebalanced) and 34 entirely new civilizations New Civilizations Highlights
Lekmod introduces civs with unique mechanics often tied to specific terrain or niche strategies. Civilization Key Focus / Ability Aggression
: Features a 3-move spearman (UU) for early tributes and war. Artaxias I Mountain Yields : +1 Food, +2 Production, +1 Gold from Mountains. Henry Parkes Coastal/Natural Wonders : High faith from wonders; unique worker with Medic I/II. Science/Culture : Writer slots provide +5 Science; early granary buffs. Tundra/Diplomacy : Designed to thrive in cold climates where others fail. Madagascar Ranavalona I
: Synergizes well with Holy Site spam for massive religious yields. Songtsen Gampo Snowballing
: Strong early yields (+1 Prod/Gold/Culture/Sci/Faith per city). Major Rebalances of Base Civs
Lekmod is primarily a balance mod, nerfing overpowered vanilla civs and buffing weak ones.
: UA now includes +1 sight for all land units and a 50% discount on tile purchases; features a new settler unit (+8 combat strength). Camel Archers are less effective; the
now provides happiness for worked luxuries instead of just double resources.
: Their vanilla technology-stealing ability is now a standard feature for all civilizations in Lekmod. Version & Installation Info
is a massive community-driven expansion for Civilization V that significantly overhauls the game for multiplayer and single-player balance. One of its biggest draws is a vastly expanded roster, growing the original 43 civilizations to over 70 (reaching 77 or even 100+ in recent iterations). The Lekmod Civilization Roster
Lekmod doesn't just add new nations; it reworks many vanilla favorites to make different playstyles—like Wide play, Honor, or Piety—competitive with the standard "Tradition/Science" meta. 1. Base Game Reworks
Many classic civs receive tweaks to their Unique Abilities (UAs) or units to keep them relevant:
America: Now features a Pioneer (replaces Settler) that ignores terrain costs and has higher combat strength.
Arabia: The Camel Archer was slightly nerfed in melee strength but remains a formidable unique unit.
Spain: Retains its high-risk, high-reward nature with Natural Wonders but has been fine-tuned for better consistency. 2. Popular New Additions
The mod adds a diverse array of new civilizations, often with creative mechanics:
5. Full List (Alphabetical, Selected New Civs Only)
Due to length, here are 30 of the most popular Lekmod-exclusive civs (excluding vanilla):
- Aboriginals
- Anishinaabe
- Armenia
- Benin
- Burgundy
- Chola
- Gauls
- Goths
- Kanem-Bornu
- Kilwa
- Lithuania
- Mapuche
- Muisca
- Nepal
- Normans
- Nubia
- Olmec
- Pyu
- Rapa Nui
- Saba
- Sami
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Tahiti
- Tibet
- Timurids
- Tonga
- Tupi
- Vietnam
- Yoruba
3. European Additions
Deeper cuts from European history:
- Scotland, Wales, Hungary, Romania, Bohemia, Finland
1) Civs (selection of prominent LekMod additions and reworks)
Note: this is a curated, coherent list highlighting civs that are distinctive in LekMod rather than every minor variant.
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Austria — (Leader: Maria Theresa)
- Ability: Diplomatic marriage / Influence bonuses
- Uniques: Diplomatic building/bonus, unique unit emphasizing city-state control
- Playstyle: Diplomatic / city-state-focused, trade and alliances.
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Byzantium — (Leader: Basil II / Constantine variants)
- Ability: Church/Religion & defensive bonuses
- Uniques: Faith/Combat hybrid units or building
- Playstyle: Religious dominance with defensive wars.
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Carthage — (Leader: Dido)
- Ability: Maritime & trade bonuses
- Uniques: Unique naval unit, harbor improvements
- Playstyle: Naval trade, coastal expansion.
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Celts — (Leader: Boudica)
- Ability: Culture from barbarian kills / faith synergy
- Uniques: Hill/forest combat bonuses, unit that leverages rough terrain
- Playstyle: Early aggression and faith/culture push.
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Dutch — (Leader: Wilhelmina)
- Ability: Trade/harbor/culture bonuses
- Uniques: Polder-style tiles or economic building
- Playstyle: Tall, trade-focused, coastal economic play.
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Egypt — (Leader: Ramesses)
- Ability: Wonder/worker speed and production bonuses
- Uniques: Sphinx-like improvement or unique chariot
- Playstyle: Wonder race, early expansion and infrastructure.
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Ethiopia — (Leader: Haile Selassie)
- Ability: Combat bonuses when outnumbered, faith/culture synergy
- Uniques: Unique ranged or melee unit, religious building
- Playstyle: Defensive faith-led victories and guerrilla warfare.
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Greece — (Leader: Alexander or Pericles variants)
- Ability: City-state influence / culture or conquest boosts
- Uniques: Hoplite/Companion cavalry variants
- Playstyle: Flexible: cultural or domination.
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Huns — (Leader: Attila)
- Ability: Horse archer and mounted unit bonuses, pillage/razing benefits
- Uniques: Strong mounted early units
- Playstyle: Fast expansion, early warmongering.
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Inca — (Leader: Pachacuti)
- Ability: Mountain agricultural bonuses (terraced farms)
- Uniques: Mountain-adjacent worker improvements
- Playstyle: Strong defensible highland empires, internal growth.
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Japan — (Leader: Oda Nobunaga / Tokugawa variants)
- Ability: Combat bonuses for coastal or island maps, district bonuses
- Uniques: Samurai-type unit or unique building
- Playstyle: Aggressive island/archipelago dominance, high early military.
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Maya — (Leader: Pacal)
- Ability: Long-count calendar / unique faith/culture bonuses based on time
- Uniques: Unique pyramid or long-count mechanic
- Playstyle: Timed cultural boosts, ritual/faith strategies.
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Mongolia — (Leader: Genghis Khan)
- Ability: Mounted unit combat bonuses and great general accrual
- Uniques: Strong cavalry and horse-themed buildings
- Playstyle: Fast cavalry conquest.
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Ottomans — (Leader: Suleiman)
- Ability: Conquest/railroad/armory bonuses, unit production
- Uniques: Janissary or unique cannon variants
- Playstyle: Mid-game conquest and siege power.
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Persia — (Leader: Darius)
- Ability: Golden Ages and movement/combat buffs during turn cycles
- Uniques: Immortal-style unit or unique building
- Playstyle: Time-slice power spikes, balanced expansion.
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Poland — (Leader: Casimir)
- Ability: Noble or liberty-based bonuses (free social policies)
- Uniques: Winged hussar or economic building
- Playstyle: Flexible, policy-driven builds.
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Polynesia — (Leader: Kamehameha)
- Ability: Ocean movement/settler bonuses for island settling
- Uniques: Outrigger canoe replacements or navigator unit
- Playstyle: Exploration, naval expansion.
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Russia — (Leader: Peter)
- Ability: Expansion/extra territory & bonus faith/culture per city
- Uniques: Cossack-like or grand palace replacements
- Playstyle: Wide empire with faith/culture accumulation.
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Rome — (Leader: Augustus)
- Ability: Legion/Infrastructure bonuses for roads and roads-connected cities
- Uniques: Legion, Bath-like building
- Playstyle: Classical expansion and infrastructure.
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Scotland — (Leader: Robert the Bruce)
- Ability: Happiness/culture from happiness, rough-terrain bonuses
- Uniques: Highland warrior variants
- Playstyle: Defensive, culture/happiness-focused.
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Shoshone — (Leader: Pocatello)
- Ability: Territory expansion on founding and pathfinder bonuses
- Uniques: Unique scout/warrior unit
- Playstyle: Early expansion and exploration.
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Spain — (Leader: Isabella)
- Ability: Exploration & conversion bonuses, naval/inquisition components
- Uniques: Conquistador-like unit
- Playstyle: Conquest and religion.
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Zulu — (Leader: Shaka)
- Ability: Corps/Army formation and melee bonuses
- Uniques: Impi or iklwa unit
- Playstyle: Mid-game military domination.
(End of curated selection—LekMod typically includes many more civs, variants, and modder-created or rebalanced entries.) C-Tier (Trap Picks – Avoid in Ranked) These